Help with a Cruise

Cruises are awesome but keep in mind going to the Caribbean in June or July it will be very very hot. Some cruise lines do not even sail during those months because of that. All of the cruise lines have kids clubs but I am not familiar with which ones are better (hopefully someone else can shed some light on that). Where to cruise depends on the activities you want to do, imo. You may want to go on a cruise line website you are considering and see what excursions they have to offer for which islands, it may help you narrow down your search. There is also a lot of great information on Cruise Critic but it can be overwhelming.

As far as deals on cruises; I have found great deals with travel agents. There is also a cruise competing website called Cruise Compete that you tell them what cruise you want and/or a bid you want to beat and they will give you quotes. The good thing is your personal info is never given to the travel agent unless you give it to them so there is no follow up hassling etc. When figuring the price include any incentives that they are offering and the price because sometimes one place will have a slightly higher price per person but offer $200 in on board credit (basically free money you can use on anything on board the ship from bingo to excursions to drinks etc.) Also something to keep in mind when booking; ask the TA or booking agent about price drops. A good TA will allow you to call in and match the price if the price drops on your cruise up to 90 days out without penalties.


Hope that helps.

Hi - We have cruised 4 times on Royal Carribean to the Carribean because of what they said about the Kids Clubs. Kids Clubs are split by ages {- eg: 3-6, 7-11, then the teen's 12-14 & 14+} When we started, 1 of my children were 3yo & the other was 5yo. There were 2 counsellors in the smaller kids clubs and only 12 kids in there! We usually go Feb/Mar/Apr. I've read that the Disney Clubs cut off sign-up for Kids Club at 75+ per age group, which scared me away.

Can't help you w/Summertime suggestions, just sharing the Kids Club stuff.

we have done at least a dozen cruises over the years on NCL, RCCL, Princess, Carnival etc. All of they were excellent. We just did the NCL Epic and thought it was the best ship we were ever on. They have a new sister ship coming out in April (NCL Breakaway).

My daughter loves the kids camp since she gets to hang out with kids her own age and they have a ton of activities planned.

I would not worry about which islands you go to since ur kids won't be able to tell the difference. They will find the ship (All all of its activities) more memorable. All of the caribbean is lush green islands with clear blue water. Personally I like St Maarteen, Grand cayman the best. I could easily miss Jamacia and Antigua (Very poor countries).

Newer ships are generally better with more activities on board. Booking a cruise is easy since you are simply buying a "ticket" to get on the boat in a specific cabin. To get the best price on a cruise simply go to www.cruiecompete.com. Travel agents then bid on ur cruise and u just pick the lowest price. I would recommend signing up for each cruise lines news letter that way u can see if any special deals come up. The best deal is usually when they offer a "Kids sail free" deal.

NCL is one of our favs also! Unfortunately NCL is one of the cruise lines that does not sail to the Caribbean in the summer. Their sailings stop in April and start up again in September. I think the Breakaway will be sailing to Bermuda until October.

We have always sailed Carnival and they have a great kids program. Both of our kids love it and ask to go to it instead of hanging out with us watching shows etc Carnival goes to the Caribbean in the summer months. Summer months are very expensive for cruising and you are right in the middle of hurricane season so things to consider when deciding what islands to visit.

You may have noticed the carnival cruise ship stuck off the gulf of Mexico. The last time I went some moron jumped off and we spent a day back tracking looking for him. I do not recommend carnival though it is more kid and teen based.

Quote from JackScagnetti : You may have noticed the carnival cruise ship stuck off the gulf of Mexico. The last time I went some moron jumped off and we spent a day back tracking looking for him. I do not recommend carnival though it is more kid and teen based.

I won't justify your name calling but please note that anyone can jump off any ship. This is not just a Carnival cruise issue. Sorry you were inconvenienced.


To OP: I have cruised 16 times, on Royal, Norwegian, Celebrity, Disney and Carnival. Summertime is premium price time because the kids are out of school. I didn't realize that NCL didn't cruise to the Caribbean but they do sail to Bermuda and that is a beautiful country to visit and is my favorite.

Disney is the most expensive, you pay for the name, and when I went on that one my nieces and nephews were 13,15,17 and first time sailing so they didn't do much of the kids activities. I have lots of friends that have sailed Carnival and they have all said that the kids don't want to spend time with them because they are having too much fun in camp.

If you book with a TA make sure you find out if there is a cancellation fee and what it is. Also, please know that if you book with an TA you will not be able to talk to the cruiseline directly. All communication must come through the travel agent. A lot of the cruiselines control what gifts or credits the travel agent can give you so that shouldn't factor into the price. Make sure that the quotes you get are inclusive of port fees, taxes and the sailing price. It's tempting when you see "Sail 7 days for $450" but that $450 is before all the fees and taxes.

Good luck finding your cruise vacation.

I Highly recommend Carnival for cruising with Children~ and I agree that summer months are the most expensive and can be extremely HOT! I would suggest September or October and If you can get on Carnival see if you can get a cruise going to Half Moon Cay-- a private island that is so beautiful and they are set up for small children, you can rent cabanas to protect them from the sun, allow for naps, etc! Good Luck!

Quote from Bonnie63 : I won't justify your name calling but please note that anyone can jump off any ship. This is not just a Carnival cruise issue. Sorry you were inconvenienced. To OP: I have cruised 16 times, on Royal, Norwegian, Celebrity, Disney and Carnival. Summertime is premium price time because the kids are out of school. I didn't realize that NCL didn't cruise to the Caribbean but they do sail to Bermuda and that is a beautiful country to visit and is my favorite. Disney is the most expensive, you pay for the name, and when I went on that one my nieces and nephews were 13,15,17 and first time sailing so they didn't do much of the kids activities. I have lots of friends that have sailed Carnival and they have all said that the kids don't want to spend time with them because they are having too much fun in camp. If you book with a TA make sure you find out if there is a cancellation fee and what it is. Also, please know that if you book with an TA you will not be able to talk to the cruiseline directly. All communication must come through the travel agent. A lot of the cruiselines control what gifts or credits the travel agent can give you so that shouldn't factor into the price. Make sure that the quotes you get are inclusive of port fees, taxes and the sailing price. It's tempting when you see "Sail 7 days for $450" but that $450 is before all the fees and taxes. Good luck finding your cruise vacation.

It is not name calling if it is true. Anyone so drunk that thought they were jumping into a pool instead of the ocean is indeed a moron.

Quote from JackScagnetti : It is not name calling if it is true. Anyone so drunk that thought they were jumping into a pool instead of the ocean is indeed a moron.

OK so that is moronic but it's still not a Carnival issue.

It is because that is the type of people that go on carnival cruses. You get the younger teenager drunk crowed. I also do not like that you have set times to eat. The pools are always crowed and food isn't that great and everything is expensive.

I have been on 3 Carnival cruises and have yet to experience "the younger teenager drunk crowed". If you go on the "bargain" cruises (the ones that go to key west, Nassau and Freeport) you will have a different crowd that the 7 night cruises that go to more exotic places. I think that is common sense...cheaper cruises, bring a different crowd. Like someone said above, half moon cay is AWESOME. Great for kids, free food and an amazing beach!

Quote from ivyblue : We are thinking of going on a cruise this summer instead of Hawaii. We will be taking a 4 year old and a 12 year old. We are thinking of going to the Caribbean, but we are open to suggestions. We have never been on a cruise before and are in need of some suggestions of where to go and what would be best. We want to leave either June or July. Please helpe me and I have never been on a cruise.

DH wants to go on a cruise to Alaska. The thought of being stuck on a ship, at the mercy of the weather, the decisions of the crew, and the germs brought on board by the passengers, really messes with the control freak side of me.

I had a bad experience on the one cruise I was forced to go on a few years ago. If you want to read about it, click the link.

http://slickdeals.net/forums/show...stcount=33

That being said, you asked for help, so here you go. One of the SD loungers, who has been on lots of cruises always recommends this site to people who are considering going on a cruise. I'm sure it will be much more helpful than I have been.


http://www.cruisecritic.com/