Cruise recommendations

[Givemeallthegin8]

looking at going on a cruise in July / august
Have never been on one and have no clue about them !
Family of four - 2 dds age 4 and 9, preferably along the med and we will be coming from Ireland .
Budget of around €4,500

please throw all recommendations at me and any tips about cruises would be much appreciated!!

When we book cruises, we go with ports that we want to see.

is there anywhere that you would really like to visit so Barcelona, Monaco, Greek Islands, Croatia?

if you can confirm that, then look at what ships dock there.

we like a royal Caribbean as a family, just because of the DC being so well looked after.

If you aren't put off by the thought of being on a ship with entirely British passengers then you might be best looking at one of the all inclusive ones like Marella (it's Tui) with that budget as you'll have to add in internal flights to Gatwick/Manchester etc. They have lots of entertainment for the kids and the advantage being there's no language barrier (also good when it comes to evening entertainment - no need to listen to it in five languages!).

Can’t beat Disney cruises for families - have you had a look?

if not, Carnival are also very good

Thanks so much , the Marella cruises look right up our street!

For families you can’t beat Royal Caribbean as there’s tons of stuff to do. Our fave is Celebrity though-food/service just a wee bit better and all the drinks/grats are already included. Our DD is still happy enough with the pool/kids club on them but she does love the bells and whistles of the carousels/flumes/ice skating/shoes etc that RC have. loads of nice itineraries round the med.

We did Med from Rome with Royal Caribbean. I'd definitely check them out.

I love a Mediterranean cruise from Southampton. You can do as much or as little as you like each day. I went with Princess Cruises.

At those ages look for a family friendly ship first and foremost with a lot of activities and great kids clubs. Where you stop is secondary after the kids in my opinion.

Avoid Cunard when sailing with children, they are kid tolerant more than family friendly. Lovely cruise line but for couples and groups bit families.

I would look at royal carribean, princess or a tui one on that budget. You won't get a disney cruise in your budget sadly. We would love to do a disney cruise but the prices are crazy. We priced one up for this summer and it was coming in at 13.5k for the 7 of us that are going. We are going on a princess cruise for 5k for 7 of us instead (6 adults and 1 child but 4 cabins). That is including all drinks (incl alcohol), tips and WiFi.

Look at a cruise travel agent, lots about and see what is available in your budget and then look at cruise critic for reviews of the ship.

If you go from Southampton you have to spend several days at sea getting there and back (which you may like) and can't go very far into the Mediterranean in a week or two.
If you have to come from Ireland it seems to me it would be no more hassle to fly direct to the Med, or wherever you'd like to go, than slog to Southampton. Unless you want to drive.

Watch out for added extras - some lines automatically add daily 'gratuities' which you can have taken off, but you might feel a bit mean, specially if the staff have been lovely to you, which they generally are. You often get offered drinks packages but they may not be worth it unless you drink more than you'd like and generally both adults in a cabin have to buy a package. Shore excursions will be extra. You can book ship's excursions, wander off on your own, book through an independent operator, or there are almost always taxis at ports offering trips when you arrive. If your return to the ship is delayed it will wait for a ship's excursion, but not for independent travellers - you'd have to get yourselves to the next port!
Check out family cabins carefully - it can be an awful squash to have a double bed, a sofa bed and a bunk descending from the ceiling.

Another issue that can arise is if the ship's main language is not English, announcements are made in several different languages and people around you tend to talk over the languages that aren't theirs, making it hard for you to catch the announcement, specially if the PA isn't clear or the speaker has a strong accent. And, conversely, you have to listen to a whole lot of information in several languages before one you understand comes up.

The Cruise Critic website has lots of advice.

For interest a couple of ideas: West Med from Southampton on Enchanted Princess and
West Med from Southampton Royal Caribbean

(I've used iglu cruises with no mishaps, but you might feel more confident to book direct with the cruise line for a little more, which would avoid having to deal with a middleman if Covid problems arise.)

Unless you want a typical Brits kind of holiday then I’d avoid Marella Cruises. Benidorm at sea.

Thanks again for recommendations

The Marella seemed the most convenient as we can fly from Belfast but looking at the royal C cruises we could just fly from Dublin straight to destination

we are Irish living in Ireland so I don’t think I’d mind a “Brit holiday “ , at least the kids will speak the same language as my own so easier for play mates !

lots to look at , re budget , it’s looking like it will come in just under 6000 euro but we haven’t been abroad since before Covid so it’s well needed at this stage . I can’t face another “holiday “ in Ireland. Loved it during “Covid times” but I need the sun now !