Second guessing Northern Europe 11 day cruise...

[Mommy_FamilyCEO]

My family (2 adults, 2 teens (15 and 13) and a 9 year old) are currently booked on the Magic for northern europe at the end of July. This will be our second cruise on the Magic (first was the Med 2 years ago). We loved our time in the Med, and found the ship to be perfectly sized for a 7 night trip. However, my husband is strating to quesiton if the Magic is going to be a good fit for us now since it is 11 nights (so 4 more than before) and we now have 2 full fledge teens. He is pushing for us to move to the NCL Escape which is only a 9 day cruise - but they have more activities (in his view) for the older kids (ropes course, slides, arcade etc) - plus he likes the idea of a casino. However, I worry that the 9 year old won't enjoy the benefit of the larger ship, and miss on the Disney clubs, movies, shows. Are we crazy to switch from the Magic to NCL???? If it matters at all - we would book in the Haven class, which apparently has a better restaruant and separate pool area.

 

[BadPinkTink]

whats more important to you

1. Do you want the Disney cruising experience, with all the Disney themeing, Disney activities, and Disney customer service
2. Do you just want a cruise experience and to see the ports of Northern Europe

If price is around the same, then you just need to figure out the pros and cons of each.

You have already been on The Magic, so you know what to expect. Would you be disappointed on another cruise line and be continually comparing it to Disney... oh I miss the way Disney did... That wouldnt happen with Disney....

 

[jdb in AZ]

Why is NCL your only other option? We cruised Northern Europe with Celebrity, and the $$$$ we saved instead of cruising with DCL was enough to pay for our excursions. Service was comparable and the food was better.

 

[Mommy_FamilyCEO]

jdb in AZ. Good point. I only looked at Royal and NCL as alternatives - but the Royal didn't have dates that worked for us. I didn't even think about Celebrity, assuming it was more of an adult line.

 

[jenmiller114]

When we did Europe, we were so tired from all of the excursions that having all of the extra stuff to do on the ship wouldn't have mattered much. You would probably save a lot by taking another cruise line but it depends on what the of experience you are looking for. We just did 7 night Scandinavia & Fjords on the Magic and we didn't do a ton on the ship because we were gone most days. But I loved getting back, relaxing and watching a great show before going to dinner. I don't think the entertainment on the other cruise lines really compare. But that's just my opinion. My boys are 19, 17 & 16 and they were given the choice between the Allure and Magic for next summer and they all picked the Magic. I thought for sure they would want the slides and rock climbing walls but they prefer the movie theater and shows.

FWIW we did Celebrity 12 night mediterranean and the cruise/itinerary were great. But the hours for the kids club were very limited so we ended up with a bunch of rambunctious kids running around the ship unattended while the parents were in the casino. There were 500+ kids on that ship so Celebrity could have done better to entertain them rather than charge extra for *after hours* care which started at 9:00 PM, I think. It may have changed since then but it was frustrating.

 

[Mommb]

I can't compare to NCL (or any other line) since we have only done Disney cruises with our kids. I can tell you that I have been on 4 European cruises in the Disney Magic with kids at the ages of 10, 12, 14 (twice), 16 (twice), and 20, and my son and daughter never complained of being bored. They usually came back to the room in the evening as my husband and I were getting ready for bed, since they were having so much fun with activities or just hanging out with new friends.

If you spend most of the day in port, your kids will need onboard activities only in the late afternoon (if you have late dining), after dinner, and on sea days. The 11-night cruise has just 1 more sea day than the 7-night. The Oceaneer's Lab, Edge, and Vibe are all open at least until midnight.

So, there should be plenty to do on a Disney ship. Whether the Disney experience is worth the extra cost is another question -- my husband firmly believes that it is, and won't even think about another cruise line.

 

[MomOTwins]

Given your husband is saying you should move due to the kids, why not let the kids weigh in? There are some teens that would prefer and arcade and ropes course for sure, but others who would much rather do a Disney cruise.

 

[closetmickey]

We were just on the Magic for 11 nights cruising Iceland and Norway. Our kids 18, 17, 14 had the time of their lives. It’s really hard to beat DCL for the kid/teen clubs.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Cost is a huge factor for us when it comes to DCL cruising in Europe, but I imagine Haven in NCL is going to be similarly priced to basic rooms with DCL. As much as I love the Magic, I'd be willing to try Haven in Europe!!

We are booked on the NCL Getaway next year in Europe and I'm looking forward to it. My kids are younger than yours but I still think the bigger ship activities will appeal to them. Plus in Europe you are in port for long days so there's less time to enjoy the ship anyway.

I guess I'd say you can't really go wrong either way, which is super unhelpful

 

[Mommy_FamilyCEO]

Given your husband is saying you should move due to the kids, why not let the kids weigh in? There are some teens that would prefer and arcade and ropes course for sure, but others who would much rather do a Disney cruise.

You are right - I am going to bring it up with the older two tonight. Thank you.

 

[Mommy_FamilyCEO]

Cost is a huge factor for us when it comes to DCL cruising in Europe, but I imagine Haven in NCL is going to be similarly priced to basic rooms with DCL. As much as I love the Magic, I'd be willing to try Haven in Europe!!

We are booked on the NCL Getaway next year in Europe and I'm looking forward to it. My kids are younger than yours but I still think the bigger ship activities will appeal to them. Plus in Europe you are in port for long days so there's less time to enjoy the ship anyway.

I guess I'd say you can't really go wrong either way, which is super unhelpful

Yes - haven is less than DCL, but not enough that it is a hands down winner. The way I see it, the cost savings on Haven will be erased when I factor in the Casino factor and my husband - lol!

 

[Mommy_FamilyCEO]

Thank you everyone for your help on this. I was intially hesitant to run it by the older kids becuase they never agree - in fact, even if they did agree one would always change their positition so as not to agree . But - after talking to them and showing them videos of the other ship - they both said they wanted to do Disney. My husband and I were both surprised, although I am relieved. For one - the selling point on Disney was the teen club and the evening shows. For the other one, he liked the movies on Disney and the fact that "Dad won't be on the computer the whole time because he will have to pay for WiFi" (The NCL has unlimited WIFI in the package.) I didn't ask the little one, because he will always pick what he already knows. So - Disney it is!

 

[jenmiller114]

Thank you everyone for your help on this. I was intially hesitant to run it by the older kids becuase they never agree - in fact, even if they did agree one would always change their positition so as not to agree . But - after talking to them and showing them videos of the other ship - they both said they wanted to do Disney. My husband and I were both surprised, although I am relieved. For one - the selling point on Disney was the teen club and the evening shows. For the other one, he liked the movies on Disney and the fact that "Dad won't be on the computer the whole time because he will have to pay for WiFi" (The NCL has unlimited WIFI in the package.) I didn't ask the little one, because he will always pick what he already knows. So - Disney it is!

That's funny because that's exactly how I felt when I asked my kids... And my husband sounds just like yours! At least now you feel better about the decision. I am sure you will have a great time!

 

[Marc D]

Good choice. We sailed both NCL Haven and Celebrity Suite in the last year. While both are upscale, they are very much geared towards adults (or even retirees). Not much to do onboard in terms of activities, especially for teens.

 

[Lisa F]

I did a 14 day panama canal cruise back in the day (2005, the 2nd one ever - it was the return). I can't remember if it was the magic or the wonder but obviously a classic ship cruise back then. That cruise is many sea days and not many ports. We had an amazing time. It never occurred to me that the ship was "too small" to be on for 2 weeks. I know the decisions has been made but just reinforcing that you made a good one!

 

[randumb0]

NCL has plenty to do for 9 year olds. They have kids clubs as well. You just have to decide if you want to pay the Disney premium

 

[smmco]

My family (2 adults, 2 teens (15 and 13) and a 9 year old) are currently booked on the Magic for northern europe at the end of July. This will be our second cruise on the Magic (first was the Med 2 years ago). We loved our time in the Med, and found the ship to be perfectly sized for a 7 night trip. However, my husband is strating to quesiton if the Magic is going to be a good fit for us now since it is 11 nights (so 4 more than before) and we now have 2 full fledge teens. He is pushing for us to move to the NCL Escape which is only a 9 day cruise - but they have more activities (in his view) for the older kids (ropes course, slides, arcade etc) - plus he likes the idea of a casino. However, I worry that the 9 year old won't enjoy the benefit of the larger ship, and miss on the Disney clubs, movies, shows. Are we crazy to switch from the Magic to NCL???? If it matters at all - we would book in the Haven class, which apparently has a better restaruant and separate pool area.

Your teens will not be bored on DCL unless they don't like the Edge and Vibe. My teens love DCL, but they are big on the clubs. If money is equal I'd go with the Haven. I have no first-hand experience with the Haven, but I've read nothing but good things about it.

 

[MomOTwins]

Glad everyone agreed! My kids are still younger, but I have a feeling we are going to be DCL family all through their teen years too.