We would like to go on a cruise (New Zealand or Fiji / Vanuatu / NC) next december/january and are gathering information now.
Which cruise line would you recommend for small children?
Did I forget one?
Thanks to anyone that can bring nice insight,
Let's keep out of the COVID and Pollution debate, thanks
Thanks everyone
Thanks,
I looked at it, but it too short (6 nights at most) and too expensive (4-6k per person lol)
Pirates of the Caribbean?
i have a 3 and 1.5 year old..and they would absoloutely go nuts on a cruise, i salute you and your resolve.
Can you elaborate?
There are so much stuff to do on the boat and so many places for kids to play.
we just come back for a 11 day trip to New Caledonia and this was very hard: car, buses, rain or too much sun, can't go to far. etc.
I would assume a cruise would be more relax with children.
one your child reaches 2 (minimum for kids club on carnival / P&O, Royal is 3) its a great holiday. the kids get their holiday and the parents get theirs.
trying to get the older one toilet trained atm is proving to be a mission and a half, thats probably my main issue atm
kids club does change nappies
@Jimothy Wongingtons: its almost like a daycare, but less learning and more arts craft / facepainting / movies etc. but yeah, I personally won't go until my youngest is 2 so they can go into kids club
i have a 3 and 1.5 year old
But, you seem like a regular here.
Ooo we have a 3.5 and 2yo and the thought of going on holiday sounds totally exhausting and more work than a holiday 😂 did think of a cruise or one of those Club Med type situations where we can just dump the kids at the kids club and bliss out for a couple of hours, but that's probably better in a few years
dumping the kids at kids club is probably the best part about cruising (including in your ticket). the only downer is the mid day sleep for littler kids because you'll likely want to keep them in kids club til 9pm (while its included, after 9pm you pay) and you get to eat dinner and see a stage show in peace
Feel a little guilty at the thought of just leaving them there for the day, first holiday and all. But I'm sure thatd dissipate once we enjoy the day off haha.
Thought of waiting for Club Med as my husband thinks cruise ships outbreaks are too risky but I think that's for 4 or 6 yo minimum.
you still have breakfast / lunch / naptime with them. and they have a lot more fun doing games / drawing / face painting than sitting with you and a drink in your hand doing trivia or lounging in the sun. the guilt disappears after you see their happy faces once they come out from kids club
Carnival is great for kids - I have family with kids who really love the carnival ships - lots of food outlets and outdoor activities to keep everyone happy. It's a step above P&O cruises, but not as crazy expensive as Royal Caribbean. Princess and Celebrity not as good for kids as it's more of an older crowd.
thanks,
you mean Carnival are more expensive than P&O ?
P&O is the cheapest, but they also have the oldest boats
with a 2 year old, go carnival. royal has a minimum of 3 years for kids club. The boats are slightly nicer on Carnival than PO and its the same company. Princess and celebrity tend to be more aimed at adults and tend to be a bit more expensive
thank you
i would assume the child won't be 3 by the time you're on the cruise? Royal has the nicest boats, they are a bit more $ than carnival though
I'm taking a 5 and 7 to Fiji solo 🤣. Already losing what hair I have left.
Disney cruise if you have deep pockets.
really any is fine. they all have kids club and kid activities every 30 minutes. you will spend most of your time by the pool anyway, kids want to swim all day, lol.
carnival and p&o are if you are in Sydney
royal Caribbean if you are in Brisbane.
I would definitely recommend Royal Caribbean. Look for a cruise on one of their newer ships (Quantum or Ovation)
The amount of activities onboard is fantastic. Food options many and varied, and good quality. Kids club is brilliant.
I haven't had two kids in a room, so I can't comment on that specifically, but with the 2A and 1C we had plenty of room, and the rooms were comfortable.
The only things I would warn you about is that the activities can book up very fast, so make sure you get things booked as early as you can.
Cruised with my brood of 3 on Carnival and Royal Carribean. Both were about the same in terms of food and entertainment options, but we ultimately preferred Carnival as they were overall better set up for younger kids in terms of activities and facilities. Also, Carnival's 24hr pizza station was consistently amazing. Having said that, our rooms on the RC ship were interior balcony rooms that overlooked the main promenade, which was unique - could people watch or see parades from the comfort of the room.
those royal ships part of oasis class are amazing, too bad Sydney hasn't upgraded its docks to support the large ship. Brisbane has, but then there is no where else they can go
P&O Cruises
Carnival Cruises
Princess Cruises
Royal Caribbean
I ranked these for you, all kid friendly. Royal would be my fav, Quantum/Ovation are good ships, lots to do.
Celebrity Cruises
Not really a 'kid' friendly ship.
you ranked them from worst to best, or best to worst?
Well considering Royal was my fav, lets go worst to best ;)
P&O/Carnival/Princess are all owned by the same company. Ships mostly get cycled down from Princess to Carnival, then to P&O.
P&O is fine, its generally cheap and cheerful. It really depends on what you want out of your cruise. Quantum/Ovation are some of the newer ships to run out of our waters, so a more fancy and up market.
Celebrity while good, is more geared to a different crowd.
Carnival. They're a good cruise line for kids and parents. Roughly 5 cruises with them. My kids are teens now but I'd still go with Carnival again.
Most cruises kids have to be appx 3yrs ? for kids club. Good luck- not easy at that age on any "holiday"
most except P&O and Carnival is 2
anyway, wife wouldn't leave the kids to anyone lol, not even step mom
I wouldn't bother going on a cruise then. You won't get to enjoy any of the activities. No one will thank you for having screeching kids at trivia for example
2017 8 night cruise Royal Caribbean Explorer of the seas w/ my then 3 & 5 year old. We all had a great time and the the kids still talk about it til this day. If you're flying to Sydney I highly recommend staying at YHA hostel for a few nights to explore the city. It's only a short walk to the docks. Also try booking anywhere near the middle of the ship if you're prone to motion sickness.
thanks, we'll take the bus from Canberra the same day (plenty of time with ship leaving at 4PM)
RCL then Carnival best for kids in our experience.
Have you tried P&O ?
Kids and cruises arent a good combo. Just take full service flight to fiji, to some resort and cill out that way. Younger kids woudl get bored seeing the same environment of a boat every day, especially the same kind of food.
But if u insist on cruising P & O would be your best bet, their passengers are predominantly younger families who really shouldn’t be leaving their homes, coz they cant afford a trip with kids
we already plan next vacation in a resort in Bali, so for the next next vacation I wanted a cruise. I remember when I was a youngster I did one with my parents and was my best vacations for a long long time.
Looks like Disney cruise is coming to Australia late this year https://www.disney.com.au/disney-magic-at-sea It says "Broadway quality shows" which sounds great though I doubt they are putting on Lion King on the boat.