Hi
hubbie and two children ( will be 14 and 15) want to go cruising next summer school holidays ! Never done this before and haven't a clue where to start! Any yips from any experts would be appreciated ! A x
It's a big world out there. Firstly you need to decide on where you want to go and what your budget is. For a family friendly cruiseline I would be tempted to look at Royal Caribbean whose ships include skating rinks, climbing walls, etc., certainly plenty to keep your teenagers occupied. Hopefully you will get lots of help here, but also take a look at http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk who specialise in cruise information. I'm definitely no expert, there will be others on HT who can probably help you more than me, but please don't hesitate to ask any questions (even if they seem daft!)
I'm sure you will have a great time- we love cruising!
We usually go with Thomson, but don't have any children to take with us! Babs is probably right that Royal Caribbean are very popular with families. MSC also have a lot of deals for families.
You will need to think about what sort of cabin(s) you would like- if you are not keen on sharing a small cabin with 2 teenagers then you will need 2 cabins or a suite ( both more expensive options!)
Have you got any idea where you would like to go? And whether you would prefer to fly out to join a ship in the med somewhere, or leave from the uk?
With most of the cruise companies you can price up a cruise on the internet. This gives you a good starting point to compare the cost of that cruise with travel agencies and online cruise agencies.
Good luck, let us know if we can help,
kate
We usually go with Thomson, but don't have any children to take with us! Babs is probably right that Royal Caribbean are very popular with families. MSC also have a lot of deals for families.
You will need to think about what sort of cabin(s) you would like- if you are not keen on sharing a small cabin with 2 teenagers then you will need 2 cabins or a suite ( both more expensive options!)
Have you got any idea where you would like to go? And whether you would prefer to fly out to join a ship in the med somewhere, or leave from the uk?
With most of the cruise companies you can price up a cruise on the internet. This gives you a good starting point to compare the cost of that cruise with travel agencies and online cruise agencies.
Good luck, let us know if we can help,
kate
I'd start with picking up brochures for all the companies. Go through the cruise calendar in each one and identify the cruises which fit in with the dates you are able to travel. This will reduce your options dramatically.
From this you can then decide which ports/company/ship appeals to you and research further. For the cheapest cabin budget on about £100 per person per night, you may get some discount for children, but in school holidays they aren't very generous, you may also get a discount for multi occupancy.
Inside cabins are cheapest, but generally the smallest and only good for sleeping in if there are 4 of you.
There are a milimted number of four berth cabins on each ship and due to kid club capacity all companies have set numbers of children from each age group permitted on board, so booking early is probably a necessity. You may pay more, but you may also benefit from some free on board spend, free car parking at ports etc etc
From this you can then decide which ports/company/ship appeals to you and research further. For the cheapest cabin budget on about £100 per person per night, you may get some discount for children, but in school holidays they aren't very generous, you may also get a discount for multi occupancy.
Inside cabins are cheapest, but generally the smallest and only good for sleeping in if there are 4 of you.
There are a milimted number of four berth cabins on each ship and due to kid club capacity all companies have set numbers of children from each age group permitted on board, so booking early is probably a necessity. You may pay more, but you may also benefit from some free on board spend, free car parking at ports etc etc
firstly decide what you can afford to spend
this is a key factor for a cruise, you will also need to bear in mind costs during the cruise or potential all inclusive upgrades all of which cost.
there will also be costs for excursions.
Once you have a budget, next you will need to decide what you want out of a cruise, is it the actual ship or is it the destinations.
If its the ship, you may want to consider transatlantic's, as these are cheaper, but I would be concerned over the children getting bored.
Picking a huge ship always sounds good with all the on board activities, but you have to consider if they cost and what the availability is.
In my honest opinion, for children and a good cruise, I would pick one of the family companies, like Thomson, who have plenty of free on bord activities such as the kids clubs for younger kids, but plenty of lounge entertainment such as comedians and game shows in the lounges for people of all ages and geared towards English humour.
Also with plenty to ports and with the Caribbean, there are plenty to see and do within short distance of the berths, thus reducing costs and the weather is usually good.
As already mentioned, cabins are for sleeping in, so dont worry about opting for a small basic one, cabins with windows or portholes are nice, but in all reality how often are they used. When its light and daytime, you should be out and about or ashore, when its dark, theres not much to see. Of all the sacrifices to costs, the outside cabin is one of the first.
The all inclusive is an interesting thing to consider. I personally dont drink alcohol, but will often purchase the all inclusive package due to the cost of soft drinks. (The exception to the rule was the thomson dream, where I was educated on how to make milkshakes and smoothies using the ice cream machines, therefore not needing to pay for drinks).
Sorry to waffle
Sumarize
Budget
Ship inc entertainment
Destinations inc weather
(consider AI, Cabin and drink prices)
this is a key factor for a cruise, you will also need to bear in mind costs during the cruise or potential all inclusive upgrades all of which cost.
there will also be costs for excursions.
Once you have a budget, next you will need to decide what you want out of a cruise, is it the actual ship or is it the destinations.
If its the ship, you may want to consider transatlantic's, as these are cheaper, but I would be concerned over the children getting bored.
Picking a huge ship always sounds good with all the on board activities, but you have to consider if they cost and what the availability is.
In my honest opinion, for children and a good cruise, I would pick one of the family companies, like Thomson, who have plenty of free on bord activities such as the kids clubs for younger kids, but plenty of lounge entertainment such as comedians and game shows in the lounges for people of all ages and geared towards English humour.
Also with plenty to ports and with the Caribbean, there are plenty to see and do within short distance of the berths, thus reducing costs and the weather is usually good.
As already mentioned, cabins are for sleeping in, so dont worry about opting for a small basic one, cabins with windows or portholes are nice, but in all reality how often are they used. When its light and daytime, you should be out and about or ashore, when its dark, theres not much to see. Of all the sacrifices to costs, the outside cabin is one of the first.
The all inclusive is an interesting thing to consider. I personally dont drink alcohol, but will often purchase the all inclusive package due to the cost of soft drinks. (The exception to the rule was the thomson dream, where I was educated on how to make milkshakes and smoothies using the ice cream machines, therefore not needing to pay for drinks).
Sorry to waffle
Sumarize
Budget
Ship inc entertainment
Destinations inc weather
(consider AI, Cabin and drink prices)
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