Please recommend your favorite cruise line for a family with young kids

[Anonymous]

Kids are 8 and 5. We have not done cruise before. Other than Disney, what are your favorite cruise lines for 3-5 day vacation? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Royal Caribbean, then Carnival...but Disney is truly the best for kids since the activities and evening shows are geared towards kids/families (as opposed to singles/booze cruise adults).

I know families who swear by carnival, and others who refuse to set foot on a carnival cruise.

Royal Caribbean is consider the less expensive alternative to Disney.

[Anonymous]

We had a good experience with Norwegian for a cruise when our kids were 6 and 8. The travel agent we worked with recommended it as good for families. My outgoing 8 yr old DS really liked the kids club although 6yr old DD didn't and preferred to hang with us most of the time. They had a nice variety of family activities and shows.

[Anonymous]

For kids that age, there simply is nothing as good as Disney. We've tried them all, and it's not really close. That doesn't mean, however, that your kids won't have fun on other lines, particularly if they don't know what they are missing on Disney. Both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian would be good choices, and your kids will have a nice trip. I would avoid the other lines--too old a crowd (e.g., Holland) or better for older kids or adults (e.g., Celebrity).

[Anonymous]

Disney

[Anonymous]

disney - hands down

[Anonymous]

Really just Disney. RC and Carnival are "good for kids" but if you have any amount of snobbery in you, even a tiny bit, you won't be able to stand them.

[Anonymous]

We also had a good experience with Norwegian for kids ages 4, 7 and 9.

[Anonymous]

Disney

[Anonymous]

I know this is an old thread, but even with my own admitted snobbery going into it, I was humbly impressed with our recent 7-day Carnival cruise to the Caribbean with my wife and our two kids (8 and 5). We are no stranger to the magic of Disney, having visited the Orlando parks multiple times including for a week earlier this year. I am sure a Disney cruise would have wowed us as well. But I have to give props to Carnival -- they not only gave us a great time on and off the boat, but offered a number of unique benefits, including (1) the ability to sail out of Baltimore which meant a 30 minute drive from our house instead of a half day plane trip, (2) a king sized bed which was just like home for me and my wife (I think Disney offers queen beds), and (3) as you might guess, a far cheaper price -- our cruise was $4K for a balcony stateroom which would have run nearly twice as much on Disney. I have no doubt that the kids' activities probably were superior on Disney, but our kids had fun in Carnival's camp as well as with all the stuff we did as a family. I admit I felt a little elitist with a few of our food experiences, but we learned quickly what to avoid and where to go to seek out some really excellent meals. I also found myself rolling my eyes at some of the other passengers, but people watching can be its own enjoyment, and I understand that everyone is entitled to their own version of fun. Plus I doubt Disney keeps all the annoying people off its ships.

[Anonymous]

Look at the square footage in royals rooms. Omg. Pony up the money and cruise with Disney.

[Anonymous]

Norwegian

[Anonymous]

Why not Disney? We went on Norwegian recently and it could not hold a candle to Disney.

[Anonymous]

Disney cruise is way way better than even their own parks.

[Anonymous]

Disney but look at Celebrity too. We have done both - Celebrity was $1500 cheaper and there were plenty of kids activities, kids club, etc. On Disney, there are TONS of kids everywhere, on Celebrity there is a nice balance of ages which made places like the pool manageable.