Princess cruise kids program

[tchan03]

HI i am considering getting on Princess caribbean cruise , i have 2 kids (age 6 and 4), how was your experience with kids dropoff program offered there ?

This program is free or extra cost?

Specifically i will be on Regal Princess, how was your experience

Thanks
TC

 

[sam_gordon]

I HIGHLY recommend going to http://boards.cruisecritic.com/?src=nav and looking through the Princess section there. You'll get a wider range of responses.

 

[minnie mum]

I HIGHLY recommend going to http://boards.cruisecritic.com/?src=nav and looking through the Princess section there. You'll get a wider range of responses.

I agree. That is the site to find excellent advice from experienced cruisers who are familiar with both the line and that particular ship.

 

[Gina]

I think it varies *greatly* by ship. DS and I have been on Disney 5 times, Royal Caribbean 3, and Princess 1 -- and that 1 was by far the worst to both of us. We were on the Grand Princess out of Galveston.

There were many issues with that cruise, but the children's program specifically was just awful. It was like Princess was surprised there were any children aboard -- and this was during Spring Break. DS was 10 at the time, And they literally had the 10-12 year olds in a windowless conference room, on the floor, coloring and doing puzzles. It was beyond ridiculous. On DCL and RCI, from when he was 5 until this year at 18, he would have been happy each time if I dropped him off in the respective kids' clubs on embarkation day and picked him up a week later. On Princess, he was truly bored.

But in all fairness, I have heard great things about the kids' programs on other Princess ships. Best advice I can give is to do your research carefully, and as others have said, add the Cruise Critic boards to your favorites. Lots of reviews and info there!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I agree with the above.

Would never consider taking kids on Princess.

DH and I went on one short Princess Cruise...
Couldn't even find on kids souvenir onboard, to bring back to our son.
Seriously.

Not to mention the tiny, TINY, not family friendly cabins, etc...

And, the hard mattresses.

There are much better options.

 

[tchan03]

I am surprised by some -ve response, because on the surface, they do have kids program on Princess cruise according to website, they have pool and private island which looks better than Disney private island...

on the adult, i cannot stand the food on Disney Dream i went on, it's way below standard.


I am attracted to this one not because i think Princess is much better than Disney/Royal but because Royal and Disney are too expensive and the Regal Princess is very new and on sale (30% off). As long as kids program is not too bad, i am okay.

TC

 

[abdmom]

OP, there will be people on the disboards who will be appalled at the thought of cruising any line other than Disney. To get a balanced viewpoint, go to Cruise Critic.

p.s. I've sailed Disney, Princess and 3 other cruise lines. There are pros and cons to each.

 

[Simba's Mom]

DS worked on Princess cruise ships for 5 years as an entertainer, then music manager. What time of year are you going? His experience was that the kids' programs on the ships varied widely during different times of the year. There were times of the year with virtually no kids, thus very limited programs. At other times (typical school vacation times, holidays), more kids mean more elaborate programs. At Christmas, the biggest time, Princess used to hire seasonal employees to expand their program. And there are lots of former Princess employees who come back to work for one or two cruises.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I don't see anybody here who is pushing ONLY Disney cruises.

And, there has been a lot of good info.

Tchan, I had also sent you a PM about my experiences with cruising.
And I recommeded a line other than DCL.

Extra staff or so-called activities or not.... Princess is just NOT outfitted with the space and the infrastructure (kids areas, slides, etc...) for families with kids. They just are not. The very idea of more than two adults in a tiny (smallest in the industry) cabin... that alone is a factor.

Since Princess is HUGE in Alaska, and some of the best itineraries in Alaska, we considered an Alaskan cruise on Princess. When researching, like on Cruise Critic, I can remember, very specifically, comments like the ones you are getting here, regarding kids on Princess.

Their limited efforts on having a kids program was a lot of coloring and 'learning'... (coloring, talks/lectures) like about glaciers and whales, etc... Almost sounded 'academic'.

Tchan, you will just simply not find any fun-factor onboard a Princess ship.

I am sure that the brand new Princess ship sounds impressive, but the vibe is all about extra pay-for, very adult, activities, like the sushi bar and wine tastings, etc...

No open outdoor onboard spaces for kids to run off energy and steam.

Less open onboard space, and smaller cabins, than even some of the other Princess ships.

Would I sail on Princess, adult only... In a heartbeat.
Would I consider Princess for a family cruise with young children. Not even a consideration.

 

[Chelley00]

DH and I sail Princess when it's just an adults only cruise. We LOVE Princess.

However, I'd never take my kids on one. We glanced in the kids are on the Caribbean Princess and the kids looked so bored. And there weren't many kids on board either. We hardly ever saw kids around on the ship either. It's just not a family friendly line IMO.

We've never cruised DCL because it's out of price range for a family of 6, but we have taken them all on RCL and they all had a great time.

 

[abdmom]

I don't see anybody here who is pushing ONLY Disney cruises.

And, there has been a lot of good info.

Tchan, I had also sent you a PM about my experiences with cruising.
And I recommeded a line other than DCL.

Extra staff or so-called activities or not.... Princess is just NOT outfitted with the space and the infrastructure (kids areas, slides, etc...) for families with kids. They just are not. The very idea of more than two adults in a tiny (smallest in the industry) cabin... that alone is a factor.

Since Princess is HUGE in Alaska, and some of the best itineraries in Alaska, we considered an Alaskan cruise on Princess. When researching, like on Cruise Critic, I can remember, very specifically, comments like the ones you are getting here, regarding kids on Princess.

Their limited efforts on having a kids program was a lot of coloring and 'learning'... (coloring, talks/lectures) like about glaciers and whales, etc... Almost sounded 'academic'.

Tchan, you will just simply not find any fun-factor onboard a Princess ship.

.

Princess is very well equipped for small children. Our cruise on the Diamond Princess had slides and outdoor spaces.

All cruise lines have small cabins and large cabins. One just needs to be aware of what they are booking.

All that having been said, I prefer Royal Caribbean or HAL in Alaska.

 

[SC Minnie]

We've sailed on Disney, Royal Carib, and Princess. We sailed on Princess twice when DD was 8-12. Were there tons of activities for kids, no. Did DD love the kids activities as much as on Disney, no. Did she meet other kids and still have a great vacation, yes.

The Princess cruises we sailed while she was young were during spring break and Christmas.