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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Has anyone taken children on a cruise?

24 replies

Watermelonade · 15/06/2020 11:30

Not for anytime soon...but just dreaming I guess

My brother and his partner are cruise fanatics and they look amazing. However, we have two children aged 8 and 11. Are there cruises that are suitable for primary-age children? Does anyone have experience or recommendations?

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Morporkia · 15/06/2020 11:38

We took our kids on a cruise when they were 10 and 14. They absolutely loved it. The kids clubs are well staffed with lots of activities. At one point we had to insist they spent some time with us as it was actually a “family holiday” 😂 depending on what cruise line you go on there can be everything from cinemas to wave riders. Take them you will all have a blast. I wanngocruisenow!

Watermelonade · 15/06/2020 11:47

@morpokia Sounds wonderful. Do you know what cruise line that was with and where in the world did you go?

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MrsPatrickDempsey · 15/06/2020 11:51

I have cruised with mine - they are teens now but the youngest age was 9. They love it. We have done a variety of destinations including Caribbean, Europe and Baltic. I would recommend Royal Caribbean and Norwegian as they are family friendly.

Watermelonade · 15/06/2020 12:21

@MrsPatrickDempsey Thank you. I will take a look at those

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Morporkia · 15/06/2020 14:42

I think it’s royal Caribbean that has the wave rider. We did 2 weeks in the western med with P&O. Stopped in Naples Rome Corsica Barcelona Monte Carlo and Gibraltar. Organised excursions can be expensive though but everything on board was mostly free ( except the spa) have been on a couple of cruises on our own since kids grew up and have to admit that the standard has dropped with P& O. My best advice would be to try A smaller ship rather than one of the massive ones. Also maybe taking a 2 or 3 day taster cruise before you sign up for a long one

Kazzyhoward · 15/06/2020 14:44

Yep, we have. You just have to do your research. Each firm and even each boat has different facilities. Many have kids clubs etc but some even have onboard water parks.

Cuppaand2biscuits · 15/06/2020 14:52

My colleague goes with several generations of her family, her grandparents, her parents, her cousins, aunts and uncles, her young children. I think it's a brilliant way of being together on holiday but also all being able to have your own space and activities to suit everyone.

astuz · 15/06/2020 19:34

We have done, and we were supposed to be going on another one in July!

They all have really good kids clubs and our two loved the food - on tap ice-cream for starters!

We took them on a celebrity cruise when they were 3 and 8, then another one when they were 6 and 11, with P & O. Of the two, the celebrity cruise all round the mediterranean was the best, but it was a lot more expensive - the whole ship was so extravagant, we visited some amazing places and the weather was perfect.

There were often things to do that kids like at the ports as well eg. we went to a waterpark when we stopped at a port in Turkey. And obviously, you're always near a beach, so we always plan a few stops where we just go the beach for the day.

I wouldn't bother with any of the excursions that the ship offers - they're a complete rip-off, and there are other private tour operators doing the same thing for a fraction of the price. Although, we mostly do our own thing in port and just use local transport to get around.

loubieloo4 · 17/06/2020 21:22

We took dd 12 at the time, with NCL (they have great all inclusive packages) around the eastern Caribbean. Bahamas, British virgin isles, American virgin isles and some where else! The ship was Escape. It was brilliant, dd still says it was her best holiday ever.

We flew into Orlando had a week at universal studios then drove down to Miami (about 4hrs straight through) we spent one night in Naples en route, very beautiful! Then had a night in Miami before the cruise, Miami is amazing.

The cruise ship has loads for children to do, mini golf, rope walk, shows etc she loved the children's clubs and like the pp we had to ask her to spend some time with us!

We went in mid September and the weather was perfect, do it you won't regret it. I also want to go on a cruise now 😂

cjpark · 18/06/2020 17:00

Yep, we’ve done a few. Our favourite cruise line is Disney Cruises. They strike a good balance of luxury for the adults and fantastic magical events for the kids. I would highly recommend them.

Mightymurphy · 20/06/2020 08:50

Yes. We like Royal Caribbean and prefer the smaller ships. We don't like the mega ships. Still plenty to do on the smaller ships and as a poster said above, we had to remind the DC that we were on a a family holiday. We loved the outdoor cinema after dinner.

The only other cruise line I would like to try is Disney but they are mega bucks.

Next cruise is October but I don’t think it will happen.

bert3400 · 20/06/2020 09:01

We did Royal Carribbean a couple of years ago. Our DC were 9 & 15. It was lovely but I wouldn't do it again with RC - I found the food all looked very pretty but bland . The boat was huge but never any peace apart from on our cabin balcony. We did private boat tour ( snorkeling round St Thomas & The Bahamas with turtles) when we docked which was worth every penny . The organised tours were like a cattle market . Watching people run back to the boat as they were lifting the gang plank is quite something to see, I didn't think they would leave people behind, but they do if you are late 😲

bert3400 · 20/06/2020 09:04

@loubieloo4 agree about Miami, we were there in February and stayed on Ocean Dr. Absolutely loved it .

Nosuchluck · 21/06/2020 22:13

I’ve taken my DC on 10 cruises. I started when they were 9 and 10 and they’re 20 and 21 now. If you have any questions please ask.

JMG1234 · 21/06/2020 22:22

We took my youngest son (13) on a Disney cruise round the Med last summer. We weren't that convinced about how much we'd enjoy it but had a really good time. We also arranged our own excursions which was easy, there's lots of independent operators offering excursions to cruise passengers.

If we cruised again, we'd probably be lazier and not get off at every port to just relax and enjoy the boat. The Disney shows were pretty good but we particularly enjoyed the cinema with new releases, which was always pretty empty.

Downside was that the "special" evening meals all seemed to taste very similar, despite being completely different dishes. Again, I'd probably have taken more dinners in the buffet where you can grab a plate and sit right by the sea, rather than buried in rather windowless restaurants. The vast majority of passengers were American, so the food seemed tailored more to them than perhaps the Europeans, which is fair enough.

chinateapot · 21/06/2020 22:26

We took my 6 and 11 year old on a Norwegian fjords cruise last year. They loved it. 6 year old had a great time in kids club, 11 year old loved hanging out with us. Both loved dressing up for dinner. Really relaxed easy holiday!

loopylindazdaughter · 21/06/2020 22:43

Yes, lots, 4 I think now. Aged 6&9 now but think I first took them at 2/4. We very much enjoy them. Don't do formal but like the excitement of different places each day. Sea days are a nightmare and for that reason I've said I would only ever go if we had a balcony next time.

loopylindazdaughter · 21/06/2020 22:45

We've never done a kids club but heard they are fab. Royal Caribbean more faculties on board but you pay for that in your price. We've found a good balance with p&o.

Thanks wouldn't ever consider a TUI one

RomaineCalm · 21/06/2020 22:47

I think it depends on the children and your family and what you all see as being a holiday.

DC were 10/12 when we went on our first cruise. They both enjoyed stopping at different ports, lots of walking, doing some historical stuff (Athens, Ephesus, Venice). Loved the food and going to different places. However, they like city breaks and don't mind sightseeing which I know isn't always the case. Cost is another consideration - we spent quite a lot of money going on organised tours as we wanted to see certain places but we spent a lot of time planning what we could do independently and what would be better as part of a trip.

We went off the ship every day and just came back for a bit of chillout time, dinner, maybe a film/show and then back to the cabin knowing that we'd be on the go again the next day. It's worth looking at the dress codes for the evening (they vary between ships) and deciding whether you will want to get dressed up every evening or whether you prefer a few casual nights.

For families that just want to spend the day relaxing at the pool I would suggest going to a hotel instead . Choose your ship and itinerary carefully. Consider a balcony if you can as having that outside private space can make a difference. We met a lot of families like us who were treating the cruise like a floating taxi between interesting places; equally lots of families just loving the cruise experience and taking part in all of the clubs and activities on board.

YoungsterIwish · 21/06/2020 22:50

Yes, with 2 kids similar ages. The kids clubs were excellent (different age groups), the kids absolutely loved it. And they would come and wait outside the dining room at a certain time, and take the kids up to the kids club so you get to eat dessert etc in peace. This was Royal Carribean.

AnneElliott · 21/06/2020 22:57

Yes we have op. DS went on P&O cruises at 4, 6 and 12. He loved them all and can't wait to do another one.

There's lots to do and the kids clubs and entertainment are really good.

Nosuchluck · 22/06/2020 15:48

Here's my list of cruise lines rated in order of personal preference

Disney , best by far
Royal Caribbean and Marella , pros and cons with both but equally as enjoyable. Sailed with RC 3 times and Marella/Rio 3 times.

3.Celebrity, very classy, best food, probably not the best for younger DC.

NFL , loved it, my first cruise and should have been going again with them in two weeks time.
Carnival, my least favorite and the only one I probably wouldn't book with again.

Nosuchluck · 22/06/2020 15:49

Sorry that should say Marella/Tui.

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HermioneWeasley · 02/07/2020 17:23

Several times. You can’t beat Disney cruises for families, they are amazing.

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