Need Advice for a Multi-Generation Cruise
Nov 13th, 2006, 09:14 AM
#1
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Need Advice for a Multi-Generation Cruise
We are planning a family reunion type cruise for 3 families ages 8-70+. Looking to cruise the Caribbean for a week in Summer 2007. Ultra upscale not necessary, but am not interested in bargain basement either! Would appreciate any advice! Thanks!
Nov 14th, 2006, 03:05 AM
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We did a family vacation this past July and Carnival was the one, because we had 5 teens 15-17. They had so much to do and met a lot of other teens. Valor was full of family groups, we were not bothered with all kids on the ship. The entertainment was nice and not so smutty. Our younger (2-9's and a 3) children also had fun. All 18 of the group loved the cruise.
Nov 14th, 2006, 05:07 AM
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A different strategy is to back into the selection. Go to a website such as expedia or travelocity - you can do a cruise search based on departure port, destination, date, price range.
Then it generates a list of possibilities which will likely not be as many as you thought. Then check out ports of call - for example, we did not want to go to Nassau yet again, so when we eliminated those stopping there, choice got even easier.
Most mainstream cruise lines have teen and kid programs which would be well attended in summer. Also check out cabin configuration - for our February cruise we found for 3 people in cabin (us plus 16 year old dtr) it was cheaper to go with nice Celebrity cabin with balcony than some of the traditional bargain cruise lines.
We then went to cruisecritic website and checked out reviews for cruises we were considering.
Will let you know if our research methods were good when we return in Feb!
Then it generates a list of possibilities which will likely not be as many as you thought. Then check out ports of call - for example, we did not want to go to Nassau yet again, so when we eliminated those stopping there, choice got even easier.
Most mainstream cruise lines have teen and kid programs which would be well attended in summer. Also check out cabin configuration - for our February cruise we found for 3 people in cabin (us plus 16 year old dtr) it was cheaper to go with nice Celebrity cabin with balcony than some of the traditional bargain cruise lines.
We then went to cruisecritic website and checked out reviews for cruises we were considering.
Will let you know if our research methods were good when we return in Feb!
Nov 14th, 2006, 07:22 AM
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Most large mainstream lines will be similar. Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean will have many family activities. The big difference is in size and age of the ship. The older, smaller vessels do not have all the entertainment options. I took my kids on Carnival Sensation and they hated it. They loved RCCL Voyager- so much to do. We did a family cruise once on The Enchantment and it was a great fit for everyone. We did have to do a lot of "aenior sitting" for my inlaws, however, as they had mobility issues and would have gotten lost.
Nov 15th, 2006, 07:06 AM
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We did our 10 year anniversary cruise with RCCL, 17 family members. With RCCL the crowd is younger and there are nice activities for the younger kids, the music is more lively and there's a midnight buffet. I think RCCL's food has gone to the pits though. Princess draws a bit of an older crowd but the Caribbean gets younger folks with families but to me is not as lively as RCCL. Haven't tried Carnival.
