Cruise recommendation for family with teens

[Tygertiger]

We have never cruised before and are totally overwhelmed with the options! We are looking at next summer. Budget max £8k for two adults and two DCs who will be 14 and 12.

We want:
lots of activities for the DCs - water-based, not too bothered about other sports but they love things like laser tag, climbing etc

Nice food, preferably not all buffet based

As a side issue, I drink, DH doesn’t, so my understanding is there’s no point buying a drinks package as you have to buy it for all the adults in the party? So we’d be better off taking whatever allowance we get of carry-on booze and I can do PAYG?

DH is a bit anti-social and doesn’t like people so needs the option to sit on a balcony if possible and have alone time. He would also prefer a ship which is not absolutely mega massive but appreciates he might have to go for one in order to supply DCs with enough activity options

We’d like the vibe to be less Butlins and more high-end. Sorry if that is terribly snobby, but there it is. I’m scarred by an experience in an all-inclusive hotel in the past with rowdy drunken Brits and keen to avoid that!

Any recommendations warmly welcomed!

Royal Caribbean by a mile. But do pick one of the new mega ships with all the bells on. We've sailed on most of their ships and although it pains me to say so, big is definitely better when it comes to Royal Caribbean. Even your DH will be impressed. If budget allows I recommend 2 adjoining cabins.

Re the drinks package - booking online automatically gives all adults sharing the same cabin the same package. You call and they will remove one of them.

It is best to book online though - it gives you more control of your booking. If the price of the drinks package, excursions or anything you book before sailing goes down you can easily cancel online and book again at the lower price. Keep your eye on the prices - they tend to fluctuate a lot.

Just a note if you are interested in their 7 day Oasis Class Mediterranean cruise that departs from Barcelona and Rome. Chose Barcelona - a) Civitavecchia is a pain to get to and b) their online tool has a glitch and doesn't work properly for the sailings from Rome.

We sailed from Rome last year on Odyssey, booked by telephone with flights to get package protection and had a couple of days in Rome beforehand. Sorted all the add-ons online ourselves later, the prices of wifi, drink packages etc do fluctuate wildly. We used private transfers that we booked ourselves. RC do run shuttles back to the airport on departure day but we were cutting it a bit fine flight time wise so went private.

Our two are over 18 now, so we weren't looking at it from the POV of younger DC. It is more of a winter ship, with a lot of indoor facilities, eg dodgems, sports court etc. Outdoors was mainly the pool areas, possibly a climbing wall, I can't remember. We've been on other RC ships with more outdoor activity spaces but not for a while so can't remember details.

How does the odyssey compare with the allure/ oasis class ? Thank you

Definitely NCL or RCL for those activities, check the particular ship before you book though. I don't think it will be your DH's cup of tea when he's out and about but a balcony is glorious. Check if your budget stretches to NCL Haven, i.e. the upgraded area. MSC has the facilities too but I would only sail Yacht Club on MSC to avoid the crowds and I am not sure your budget would stretch to that, but take a look.
If the food / main dining is getting too much, try the specialty (upcharge) restaurants, they're usually good and calm.

@Chewbecca I love yacht club too!

I agree with Chewbecca - you absolutely must check the particular ship. Don't just assume that all Royal Caribbean ships have all the bells and whistles. Your kids would die of boredom on some of their ships. Same goes for all the cruise lines.

Just a note if you are interested in their 7 day Oasis Class Mediterranean cruise that departs from Barcelona and Rome. Chose Barcelona - a) Civitavecchia is a pain to get to and b) their online tool has a glitch and doesn't work properly for the sailings from Rome

There can be an advantage of embarking in Rome over Barcelona. The fact that Rome is over an hour away from the port tends to mean that if you do a shore excursion to Rome, it’s just a whistle stop tour, and Rome is a city that deserves so much more than that. Whereas Barcelona, whilst also a lovely city, at least has the port right in town, making it more practical for a shore visit.

It’s not difficult to get from Rome city centre to the Civitavecchia port by train, and it’s cheap too. I’ve done it, and it very simple. It’s worth it to spend a day or two in Rome pre-cruise. You can also book a bus transfer direct to the airport at the end of your cruise, if you’re flying straight out, either with the cruise line, or independently.