Other Cruise Ships/Lines - Advice please

[maminnie]

For those of you who have travelled on other cruise ships/lines, what other ships/lines offer great children's programs? We were on the Magic last week and the Wonder a few years ago and love the programs as do are children, DD6 and DS10. Also interested in lines with good teen programs as we travel with a family that will have a 15 year old the next time we cruise and our boys will be 12.

Also what other ships provide better pool decks for children and families as the Disney Deck 9 can be a real nightmare.

We are planning on cruising again in two years and thought we might need to consider another line as the pricing with Disney is really getting high as are the DVC points to cruise. I am assuming this is due to the craziness that is going on with the boat possibly leaving; the old supply and demand principle seems to be working well for Disney next year and they are commanding some big prices and big DVC points on the Magic in '05. Glad we went this year as it may have been are last opportunity on the Magic until things settle down (if they ever do).

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SeaSpray]

Our sons are 16 and 13, so the teen program was a big part in determining which cruise line we wanted to go on. After a lot of research, my husband and I concluded that Disney had the best teen program. However, if you wanted to exclude Disney, then I'd highly suggest one the Voyager class ships of Royal Caribbean. Here's a link to a great cruise web site, with message boards specially for each cruise line. This link will take you directly to Cruise Critic's Royal Caribbean message boards: http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=frm&s=927093444&f=408097554

 

[JerseyMom]

I have also heard that Princess has excellent teen programs. You might want to check out their website. Also, look at what cruisecritic.com has to say about it as well.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip!

Karen

 

[smjj]

I can tell you first hand that Princess is a terrible cruise line. Just red my thread called " our horror story" and you will see what I mean....smjj

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Better than Disney's pool deck 9? Maybe there are better ones out there, but it might only seem that way because DCL is obviously going to have MANY more kids than other cruise lines.

We're cruising w/Carnival next spring break, and I'll post a report.

(We already know it won't be as great as DCL.)

 

[bbump]

Me (27), Hubby (29) and daughter (7) had a blast on the Carnival Paradise (smoke free ship until 9-04). DD enjoyed Camp Carnival more than Disney's Clubs. She went to a H. Potter Party, dance party, cookie decorating, candy games and more. They also offer late night slumber parties till about 2am for an extra fee. There was a kids pool in the back of the ship, away from the adult pools, which seemed to split the crowds up a bit. I liked Disney's food better than Carnival, and I enjoyed the shows better on Disney too. Carnival was a great deal, and was a great chance to visit new ports. This was the only Carnival ship I've been on, I am sure each ship is a little different. Good Luck with cruise planning!

 

[Sammy]

Hi maminnie:

I am in the exact same boat (no pun intended) as you. I am looking at cruising for the first time next February and we will have a 9 year old girl, two 15 year old girls and one 13 year old boy. I have been researching ad nauseaum for cruise ships with activities for all the kids. From what I've been able to find out, the ones people seem to be recommending for teens are the Mariner or Navigator on the Royal Caribbean line, or Disney. In checking prices, those two RCI ships are in the higher range (of non-Disney cruise lines). BUT.....even at that, they are still less expensive than the Disney cruise for the same time period. We would save over $1,500 right off the bat.

Now....that being said, I have wanted to cruise DCL for sooooo long. Its a really hard decision for me to make between the two lines. I really hate to think it would just come down to $$. I truly love everything Disney and I think the kids would have a ball. We're still trying to figure out what we are going to do.

For your information, I have gotten TONS of good info off the cruisecritic.com site. They have reviews of the ships, and you can even do a search for cruises by lifestyle, ie: family cruises, singles, etc.

Good luck in your search and keep us posted on what you find!

Sammy

 

[3 things]

I personally don't have any experience yet with other cruise lines. I'd like to go on Crystal, but the budget won't allow it. If you want a few other opinions about other cruise lines...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=555421

Happy cruising...

 

[maminnie]

Thank you everyone for the great info. I appreciate it.