II am intersted in taking a cruise any ideas out there? Need to know some specifs , i.e price locations.?

Question

Looking to take a cruise in June 2006 for a family of 4 , 2 small children (Disney may be toomuch for them this early). Any thoughts would be great.

Answer 1

#1 - talk to a travel agent that is a cruise specialist.

The first question is where and when do you want to cruise. The choices are constantly growing: the Caribbean has three options: Eastern, (my wife's favorite for shopping in St. Thomas) or Western ports (generally more adventurious shore excursions). For a Southern Caribbean cruise (my favorite), you'll need to fly to San Juan; then there's Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riveria, Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Hawaii, South Pacific, the Orient, Europe (too many options to list here), and a growing popularity for European River Cruising and Barging.

The next question is how structured you want your cruise to be. Most ocean cruise lines have "assigned" dining times and various dress codes for dinner (formal nights, casual nights, etc.). Others have "Freestyle" or "Personal Choice" Dining. In other words, they have 6-10 restrauants for you to choose from, and you eat when, where, and with whom you want - and dress as casual as you please.

Your budget does come in to play in both departure city and cabin selection. A quick scale, from least expenseive to most expensive cabin types is: Inside; Oceanview; Balcony; Suite. The best location for least motion is as close to mid-ship as possible - another factor that not too many people realize is that the higher decks have more motion than the lower decks.

Some final thoughts; 1) make sure you use a good travel agent; 2) ask your travel agent to price out "Celebrity Cruise Line" for you - absolutely the best (our personal favorite!); 3) ALL cruise lines have scheduled day-long activities for kids, so that mom & dad can enjoy the cruise too! (kind of like sending the kids to day camp) and 4) remember that August - October is hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Have fun - planning is a big part of the enjoyment!

Answer 2

Princess and Holland America Line are to good "family" cruises.  Depending on the age of the kids one may be better than the other.  

In the Summer you may want to go to Alaska, Canada, or Baltic.  If you go to the Caribbean or Mexico it may be to hot for the little ones.

Answer 3

All cruise lines have things for all ages. Decide where & when you want to go and then check out the sites. Just type in cruise to ? and see what is out there. If you belong to AAA they can set everything up and save you cash. Also talk to some local travel agents it does not cost anything but, alittle time. On line you can order brouchures so you can look them over and see what suits your family. Alot of choices. Good Luck & Have a Great Time.

Answer 4

your best bet will be rccl or carnival they both have childrens programs and they are less costly than disney

Answer 5

Disney cruise wouldn't be a bad idea.  Disney may not be too much for them!  Disney is good for pretty much any age!  You can also go on a cruise that just goes to Key West and Nausau Bahamas.  I hear that is a good cruise.  You could go on an Eastern or Western Carribbean Cruise.

Answer 6

Carnival is very children oriented. There is a great kids program called "Camp Carnival."  Carnival is much cheaper then Disney, as said above.