Best Itinerary for Kids 10 & 13?

[SmileEar2Ear]

We went on one 3-day Dream cruise as a family and hit Castaway Cay and Nassau. Now DH and I are going on the Magic and leaving Miami to hit Key West, Nassau, Castaway Cay and a sea day. I'm hoping to get a placeholder for another cruise as a family. What are your favorite itineraries? We thought a double dip Castaway Cay would be fun, but I also think trying something different would be neat. San Diego/Ensenada/Cabo or Costa Mya/Grand Cayman? Other thoughts? Are there places that are better/safer for kids?

 

[lorimay]

Alaska......

 

[fredandkell]

I have kids the same age and we did the Mediterranean cruise last year, kids really enjoyed it. We are doing a short one from San Diego next year as well and hitting all the California attractions before it.

 

[SmileEar2Ear]

Alaska......

That is definitely on the bucket list! Probably another few years after this trip.

 

[darnheather]

They are all great and safe for kids!

 

[ForMyBoys]

Both the eastern and western 7 night Fantasy cruises are great. Alaska is better

 

[Kellycanada]

When my kids were 10 and 13 they loved the Mediterranean cruise.

 

[FSU Girl]

East or West Caribbean cruises are really easy with kids. I did about 16 of those as a kid. No planning is really required, lots of beach days, wandering the islands, enjoying the ship. It will depend on your kids, are they interested in history? They might enjoy a European cruise, but if you do a Mediterranean the ports are far from the cities and most tours are all day and can be exhausting for a kid. Alaska is beautiful and relatively easy to do.

 

[braysmommy]

Transatlantic or Panama Canal.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Our 3 are 12 & 14 now (twin daughters at 12). As you can see below, we've done most of the DCL itineraries except trans atlatinc (middle of spring semester) and Panama Canal (also in the middle of the school year). At the age of our kids, pulling them out for an extended period during the school year is problematic at best. Elementary school aged was easy. High School and middle school is (as I'm sure you know) much more complicated. I'm sure that there is someone here who had no problems with pulling their kid out, but for us, it's not easy.

To business: our kids loved the Western Caribbean for the snorkeling in Grand Cayman and the tour (Mayan) in Cozumel. They loved the Eastern for the days at sea and the beach time in St. Thomas. They loved the Bahamas for the CC time and the club time while mom and dad were out in town in Nassau. They loved Alaska, because it's completely amazing.

As I was writing the above, I realized that our kids love all the itineraries for different reasons. They're looking forward to the Med next summer and our 11 nighter this summer. Go for what you want to do or see, if your kids are like ours, they'll love the cruise for it's own merits.

Enjoy your cruise!