Best cruise for kids besides DCL

[hayesktrm]

I, like so many others, booked a 7 day Mexican cruise with DCL. I haven't heard from my TA (frankly I think it's because she is having a hard time getting me my 10% discount and $200 credit). If I don't get that, our cruise for a cat. 11 for 2 adults and 2 children will be $4830. If we don't end up getting the discount, we may decide to cancel. My question is, if we end up taking our vacation earlier for Spring Break, what cruise line would you recommend for a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise? My kids are 7 and 11. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[DonnaDavid]

We had booked the CArnival Pride for the 7 day Mexican Riviera. It is supposed to be a beautiful ship (not as beautiful as our favorite ships, of course) and it also has well-respected kids' programs.
If you haven't already been to www.cruisecritic.com head there soon because it is an excellent place to research cruises.

 

[Wendybird63]

I have several friends who have taken their children, around the same ages as yours, on Carnival's 7-day Mex Riv trip. They've all raved about it. So much, in fact, that I booked a Carnival Cruise for myself, dh, ds10, and ds8 for Nov. There's an 8-day one on the Spirit, (I don't know the difference between all of their ships, but I've heard it's a good one), out of San Diego.
We won't have to fly!
They're doing different ports than the traditional Mex. Riv.: Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, and Manzanillo.
We did the Magic last Thanksgiving, so I'm looking forward to this.
Hope you enjoy whatever you enjoy.
BTW, we booked an 8-day inside cabin for 4 for $2100!

 

[Juli]

I can't add a specific cruise line or ship to the discussion but can say we are also looking into a Carnival trip next February. This is specifically a cruise that has workshops for homeschoolers on it and goes to both Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel. It really isn't the ports that are drawing me. It's the price and the onboard itinerary. 5-day Ocean View out of New Orleans for a family of 4 for $1483. Port Charges & Taxes included. No ins, air, or transfers. I did find it a bit cheaper, but we'd have to pay extra for the workshops.

We are planning on going on the 5/14 repo cruise. I was prepared to book Celebrity at another time as it sounded nice and the price was cheaper, but we decided that the Magic was worth it. I just wasn't as thrilled with what I read about the kids programs on Celebrity. It seems that some lines run their kids programs seasonally don't they? I get the impression that Carnival and RCCL run theirs all year round now. Carnival is owned by Holland American isn't it? We went on our honeymoon on Carnival and didn't like it at all, but that was a long time ago. Since then they've added so many ships, changed the group they are marketing to, and are still at a price point that families can afford. If we go, I'll be sure to write up a comparison report.

We've discovered after 2 DCL trips that we like cruising and I can see us branching out to try different itineraries, lines, and ships.

Juli

 

[kjustice]

On Carnival, any child over 2 counts as a "head". My 2 year old was going to be $706 just like my 6 year old. Kinda pricey considering she may eat one fench fry for dinner.

The other good thing about Carnival is that they'll allow kids 2 and up in the programs (most are 3 and some are 4). NCL accepts them at 2 years old too.

 

[hayesktrm]

Well Disney is going to be over $900 per child. Ouch. I heard from my TA and just like I suspected, they aren't honoring my discount. I had to put down another $1000 so I wouldn't lose the reservation--now Disney has $2000 of my money. She is working really hard on it and I directed her here to the post about some getting the discount and some not. They told her nobody would be receiveing the discount. Anyway, if they give us the discount, I think we'll go, if not we'll look elsewhere. We did take a 4 day Carnival cruise and the kids' play area was really small, so I wonder if their newer ships have a bigger kids' club.

 

[Juli]

Originally posted by hayesktrm
I heard from my TA and just like I suspected, they aren't honoring my discount. I had to put down another $1000 so I wouldn't lose the reservation--now Disney has $2000 of my money. She is working really hard on it and I directed her here to the post about some getting the discount and some not. They told her nobody would be receiveing the discount.

I am so sorry to hear that. We've been waiting to hear from our DU agent about this. I just knew that it was taking too long to be good news. (Pessimist that I am!) I really do think that some are getting the discounts transferred as opposed to them modifying existing reservations. I've emailed DCL as well but haven't heard back. "Put the beans in the jeans" is how my DH characterizes the decision. Whatever puts the most $ in their pocket without making too many customers mad. If there are only a few who in fact didn't modify as opposed to asking for a transfer, they will probably just say we are out of luck.

And you know what, I'll probably take the old cruise and push it out as far as I can to use that discount. They know they've got me! Hmmm, maybe not. Celebrity has been calling to me lately.

Juli

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

Like almost every cruise line out there, the older the ship, generally the less there is for a kids program, and kids areas. Check the itinerary (7 day and less will have better kids programs, 8 days or more generally lighten up on the kids, because it usually has less families traveling on them).

The newer ships of Carnival, NCL, RCI all have wonderful kids programs and of course, your kids will make the most out of what is put in front of them. Check into each ships deck plan and see how large the childrens areas are if that concerns you.

It may also be to your advantage to look at the hours of service for the kids clubs. Some lines don't have them going late into the evening, but do offer "sitter" services for a nominal charge. Others, like DCl offer later activities for the kids.

Personally, I would choose any one of the three mentioned above for families with kids - But remember to stick with the newer ships. I have traveled on all three a number of times, as well as DCL. For the price, I would choose one of the above three over DCL anyday. They (all four) are extremely comparable.
So, for the price.....it's your decision.