Cruise Help-Disney, Carnival or RCC

[disneyfan2]

We are trying to decide (Carnival is cheapest would be double for Disney) not sure i can dish out that much for 1 week on Disney cruise. How is Carnival for families?

I am new to Cruising so have no idea about Cabin catagories etc except that i will need either a window or balcony(hubby a bit claustrophobic-so inside won't do )

We won't do any elaborate off shore excurisions so we mostly want to enjoy the ship and port locally for some less expensive/local excursions.

What are the best for kids Eastern/Western/Southern itinerary?

Lastly, are there other genereal Cruise forums you can direct me to that are not Disney. Maybe for all the different lines so i can read through different cruise lines.

thanks

 

[LuvBaloo]

You might want to repost in the cruise line forum . We've only done Disney cruises so I can't offer any opinions regarding other lines, but many posters there have done others as well and there's often threads to get opinions on other cruise lines.
One perk with Disney is the stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's island. Its a fun day at the beach and no extra cost unless you choose to rent bikes/snorkles or do excursion activities. Our first visit we didn't do anything except hang out on the beach, eat the barbecue lunch buffet and watch when Lilo and Stitch came and did some dancing.

 

[disneyfan2]

You might want to repost in the cruise line forum . We've only done Disney cruises so I can't offer any opinions regarding other lines, but many posters there have done others as well and there's often threads to get opinions on other cruise lines.
One perk with Disney is the stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's island. Its a fun day at the beach and no extra cost unless you choose to rent bikes/snorkles or do excursion activities. )

i didnt post there because i had question about all cruise lines not just Disney, and i wasn't sure if that was appropriate?

So the private island is included? Do the characters interact with the kids? So there are no fees to go to there or the bbq? that would be nice to hang on the beach, but still not sure about the fees for when we go cost would be $4800
but the same week on a Carnival is $2500.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Carnival has a private island also and it is beautiful. I did take lots of pictures but can't seem to find them - I'm sure dh has put them 'somewhere'.

We've done 2 carnival cruises and haven't had a major issue with either one - the first one was supposed to be on the legend going to Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Grand Cayman and we ended up getting diverted because of a hurricane (imagine that.... how inconvienient kidding!! really!) We went to Grand Turk, Key West, Half moon Caye and Nassau. Half moon Caye was great, Key West had a wonderful aquarium with lots of hands on stuff at the port and was a good port to just wander around in, Grand Turk you really need a shore excursion as there isn't much at the port to see/do and Nassau was ok.

The 2nd carnival cruise we did was by far the better cruise - we left from San Juan and had a different southern port every day. Was very busy but for Spring the temperatures were perfect.... nice and hot@!!

 

[Hockeychic]

Hey there,

I have done DCL once and Carnival about 5 or 6 times.

First to answer the questions on your 2nd post. BBQ on castaway Cay is included and yes the island itself is included as one of the ports. I don't remember seeing any characters on CC but I was in the adult area as my kids where teens and in the teens club.

Although no one does it like disney in my opinion Carnival was really good also. They do have kids clubs and you can usually get a balcony on Carnival for less then a inside on Disney. DCL was my first cruise and have done the last 5 or 6 in a row with Carnival with 2 more booked in the next year. I actually thought the food was better on Carnival and the cabins seemed bigger.

A great website for basic cruise info on different cruiselines is
cruisecritic.com

If you have any other specific questions ask away

Kim

 

[LuvBaloo]

i didnt post there because i had question about all cruise lines not just Disney, and i wasn't sure if that was appropriate?

So the private island is included? Do the characters interact with the kids? So there are no fees to go to there or the bbq? that would be nice to hang on the beach, but still not sure about the fees for when we go cost would be $4800
but the same week on a Carnival is $2500.

No concerns about asking about other cruiselines in DCL forum. Lots of people do and lots of people respond. Of course, most people posting over there really like DCL, but many are quick to point out the positives of the other cruiselines.
Characters do interact with the kids. When we watched Lilo & Stitch, there was a set time when Lilo & Stitch were available and they were dancing with the kids. Our first trip we slept in and didn't get off the ship until almost 11 at Castaway Cay, but our second trip we got off at 9:30, and Chip & Dale were handing out towels as we got off the ship. Further down the walkway there was photo- op with Captain Jack, then Minnie, then Donald & Daisy. It is an expensive vacation, and you are paying for the Disney brand and to have those characters on board ship. Throughout the day there are set times with character opportunities, and some of the kids activities have the characters come in briefy. For example, Do-si-doh with Snow White, for 3-4yr olds. The activity is learning the dance of the 7 dwarves and then Snow White comes in for the last part. DD4 loved that one.

If you to to this website, they have copies of the Personal Navigators (Daily Schedules) which can give you an idea what types of thing are happening on board ship. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm
Perhaps cruisecritic.com has something comparable for other cruise lines.

 

[michelle1]

I would love to do a Disney Cruise but we may end up doing Carnival simply because of cost. Carnival cruises do have various kids clubs for all different ages and teens have their own specific club also. The ships are in the process of being renovated to include water play areas (there are pictures on the Carnival web site). I have been on several Carnival cruises (without the kids) and the cabins are quite large (other than Disney one of the largest in the industry) so can easily accommodate 4 people. I have only done the 3 day but I think on the 7 day sailings they go to a private island.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

I have done the Carnival Cruise and was not impressed. My daughter had no interest in the kids club after the first couple of times going - she was bored. The kids activities on the sheet would last about 15 mins and then they stuck them in front of movies and video games! The food was pretty good, but the entertainment was TERRIBLE. I mean just horridly awful!
I decided DCL or no cruise at all! I know we will get awesome service, great food and great entertainment. The extra $$ is worth it to me. Sure I could have a balcony on carnival for less than my inside on DCL, but I work hard for my vacation money and want to know its well spent!

 

[minnie56]

RC definetly over Carnival
Eastern or Southern over Western.
Pick a newer-bigger ship with lots of things for the kids to enjoy! You will as well of course! Not sure when you are going but there are some great deals on Southern itineraries out of San Juan this Fall and early winter!

 

[tricia]

I've only cruised 2x now. Once in Caribbean and once in the Med. before my first cruise I had the same decision. I could not see myself paying twice as much for a Disney cruise even though I love the mouse, so I chose RCCL. My kids were 3 and 7 on the first cruise and 7 and 11 on the second. They both loved the kids club. Although on the Med. cruise they were in the same room cause there were not too many kids and this did not impress them.

I would also suggest you check out cruisecritic.com. There are great forums there, very much like the DIS.

Don't go any smaller than a balcony if there are 4 of you in the room. Anything else gets awful small. Also, you should prob. try for one of the larger ships, with things like rock climbing walls, roller blading, basketball courts, water park areas, etc. Lots to keep the kids occupied.

 

[yxe dad]

I've done 3 cruises, 1 on Disney, 2 on Princess, and really enjoyed all of them. Princess was really kid friendly and the ships tend to offer fun for all ages. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Nicki828]

We are trying to decide (Carnival is cheapest would be double for Disney) not sure i can dish out that much for 1 week on Disney cruise. How is Carnival for families?

I am new to Cruising so have no idea about Cabin catagories etc except that i will need either a window or balcony(hubby a bit claustrophobic-so inside won't do )

We won't do any elaborate off shore excurisions so we mostly want to enjoy the ship and port locally for some less expensive/local excursions.

What are the best for kids Eastern/Western/Southern itinerary?

Lastly, are there other genereal Cruise forums you can direct me to that are not Disney. Maybe for all the different lines so i can read through different cruise lines.

thanks

I've travelled on Celebrity, RCC and Norwegian and have enjoyed them all. Celebrity and RCC I think are known for their higher quality of food. The food on Norwegian was also quite good though. I did notice that RCC seemed to have great kids programming (though we didn't have the kids with us). I did keep an eye on it for future cruising - plus a good friend of mine has cruised RCC with her kids and said they loved it. My kids did go on the Norwegian cruise (this past January) and they absolutely loved it. They were begging to go to the kids programming every night.

 

[WDWcanuck]

I've done 8 cruises in the past 5 years: 1 Carnival, 1 Celebrity, 3 NCL, 2 Royal, 1 Princess.

I wasn't overly impressed with Carnival after going on the other 7 ships. Carnival does have family activities; however, the ships can seem crowded at times. As well, the night life never ends. Celebrity is definitely not a family cruiseline. It's more for the older crowd that want to escape. NCL can be mixed. When I went on the Pearl, I found that the family activities were plenty, for both young kinds and teens. However, on the other two ships, the facilities/programs for youth seemed standard. Royal is another great cruiseline for families. Lots of activities to do, especially if you choose their larger ships. I can't speak about Disney because I've never cruised with them.

Edit: I have a friend who was a youth counsellor on RCC for three years. She said that the youth programming is great on the ships, and they try to give parents/youth lots of options; however, the better programs/facilities are on the larger ships.