To ask if a cruise is worth going on

[Mummytoalion]

With the DC? And what cruises lines would you recommend?

YANBU- it’s worth taking the DC on a cruise holiday
YABU- don’t do it, it’s not worth it

I’ve only ever been on a very short cruise, and that without kids, so maybe not the best to comment.

I think a cruise to see something really amazing would suit a holiday with kids. For instance, I’d really love to go on a Norwegian fjords cruise with my two. May well do it some day!

Oh I want to go on a cruise so badly now!

I used to love it as a kid. I think it really ignited my love for travelling. I still remember things- watching (the original) Freaky Friday in the ship cinema; going to Fiji and wearing the flower leis and eating pig cooked in the ground under coals; trying escargot in the restaurant (we have a photo of that) etc. I was only about 7 the first time we went away.

I think cruises are brilliant.

i would love to try one with my DD but am worried she might be sea sick? She gets very sea sick on buses and in cars. Can anyone advise on this? Such a lot of money to spend if she feels ill throughout.

DS1 and I both get terribly sea sick, and DS1 also gets seasick on buses and in cars. We use kwells for kids. I also use kids kwells as the adult version makes me fall asleep. You can buy over the counter at the pharmacist and I do recommend them. I have found them useful on a 4 hour coach trip, on the cruise we went on; when DS's school took them on a sailing day and also for the occasional long car ride. DS is 12 and we have used them since he was about 7 I think.

I don’t think kids would like it. We’re very on the fence as DH got sea sick on the Scillonian over to the Scilly Isles. However, I understand that the cruise liners are a lot bigger and so more stable. Maybe a poster here with sea sickness would know?

I love cruises as well as many other types of holidays. I’ve taken my DC on 11 and traveled on 3 as a couple with my DH.
I think Royal Caribbean are good all rounders for families. Celebrity is very good for food and staterooms but I’m not as keen on the entertainment . Disney was our family favourite but they are expensive, Marella was surprisingly good, particularly the evening shows. NCL are good fun, Carnival wasn’t for me. I went on a P&O short cruise and although that was fun I am not sure if I’d sail with them again.
My DS gets car sick and he only been and felt sick for half of one day on all our cruises which is statistically less than any other type of holiday we’ve been on.

That would be me! I suffer seasickness but have done 27 cruises (crossed the Atlantic 4 times) and have had precisely 4 half days of seasickness - these were when the sea was astonishingly rough and medication did work, such that each time I was fine once it kicked in. Modern cruise ships aren't like ferries - they have stabilisers that work really well.

Kids have a ball on cruises and are very safe.

I did p&o with two boys 5 and 2

We loved it

Everything was there and available

If we wanted we could tour and explore

If we wanted we could stay on the boat and go to one of the many activities / kid clubs on offer

Amazing day and night entertainment

We are cruising again this May with a different cruise line (not sure which) and hopefully it will be just as amazing

We loved not having to fly - drive to the port and you are already in holiday destination

We love cruising.
You just unpack once and that's it.
You sail off to lovely locations.The food is scrummy.
The crew are attentive and you are well looked afterwe have taken our grandchildren and we hardly saw them .They loved the kids clubs and made lots of friends

Lol 🤣😂

Oh gosh this had never occurred to me. How grim. (Not in my budget anyway, so I haven't been unwittingly shitting my way around the world!)

I can't speak about the fuel issue (though anyone who flies has no leg to stand on), but the sewage comment is nonsense:

emmacruises.com/cruise-ship-toilets-what-happens-when-you-flush-illustrated-guide/

Newer cruise ships are being built to run on greener fuel (LNG) The issue at the moment is ports being ready for that.

@tigerbear

we were on WOTS this year and loved it. It is really big and very busy but kids loved it as was so much to do. We would be content with a smaller ship as a couple but the kids loved the activity.

downside is the windjammer buffet is very busy and I ended up ordering free continental rooms service for breakfast a couple of times just to avoid the bedlam. Others went to the main waiter dining room. So be prepared to change it up a bit.
another downside is that the biggest ships can’t get into the smaller quainter ports and don’t tender in either. So all the ports were large industrial ones requiring shuttles and excursions. But that didn’t matter so much as the kids weren’t too keen on walking about in the sun anyway. So in order words if kids are going take it at their pace and don’t force long day excursions

Other words*

Like a PP, we didn't start cruising until our DC were in their early/mid teens. They would not agree that the kids clubs are only for under 10s. They really enjoyed them, DS2 had his 18th birthday on a P&O cruise. He hadn't intended to go to the clubs at all but had a chat with the leader and ended up going along as there were lots of 15-17 year olds on board and they had a gas- separate pool times, discos, computer games, sports. He had to stop going on his birthday, although his mates tried to persuade the management that he should stay. He is still in contact with people he met on various cruises - some 10 years ago.

We've done P&O with kids...as youngsters, as pre teens, as teens...loved every single one. They do a huge amount for kids but we never used the kids clubs as the whole point of going on holiday as a family is to spend time together. We've loved cruising. Best holidays ever.

Yes definitely, only problem is the kids will love it and won’t want to go on other holidays! I’d recommend MSC - beautiful ships, great value and excellent kids facilities. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are both excellent too but more expensive.

I’m a travel consultant and cruises offer by far and away the best value for money, but some clients are just so sniffy and won’t even consider one even though they’d get a far more varied holiday for their budget. The ones that eventually do cruise almost always repeat book.

Super important you get the right cruise line for you though as they vary widely with regards to what’s on offer, I’d recommend booking with an independent agent who knows cruises and is able to advise.

DH was an engineering officer on a cruise ship when I met him and sailed with him a few times. Let’s just say the best entertainment is to be found in the crew quarters!

We've been on a few MSC cruises and would highly recommend them. Lots of activities etc, and not "stuffy" in the restaurants - smart casual is fine rather than formal dining attire. As for seasickness, you hardly feel them moving unless the water is rough and even in rougher water, there's usually just a gentle side to side swaying. You'd need to be sailing through very high winds to get the up and down motion as they're so huge and have stabilisers.

@blubberyboo thanks so much for the info. May I ask, how old were your DC when you went? Is there enough to do for tweens? DD and her cousin will be 11 and 12 if we go next summer.
Was it difficult/Long wait times to get on activities like the climbing wall, zip wire etc?
also, we’d prefer for the DC not to actually be in the same room as us. Were there interconnecting rooms? Thank you!

Went on a Disney cruise when the kids were 5 and 7. Perfect ages. Perfect holiday. No other holiday before or since has ever come close to topping it.

@tigerbear

our kids were 16 and 10.they had various zones for those age groups but my 16 year old was a bit more outgoing to go to the one for her age group. 4 pools one with water slides.
All ages loved the shows. Dancing on ice type, theatre shows and aqua synchronised swimming show. The abyss slide, flowrider surfing and sports courts, table tennis seemed to be pretty popular. There were some queues at times like the abyss and flo rider and zip line /Rock climbing. But not always and they moved ok. Mini golf you can just lift club and ball anytime. There’s a small arcade pay per game.
There were also various activities at different times like ice rink and a laser tag etc but they give you a newsheet every night with times of all the next day activities. Endless pizza,

we just all squashed into one room. A double bed and sofa with a pull out bed underneath. It was fine for us and the steward out it away each day and made it up whilst we were at dinner . Limited space when pulled out but it was fine for us.
They did have interconnecting rooms but I think it priced higher.

It sounds like my idea of hell. I’d rather charter a private yacht . But I know many people with kids aged 1-18 that loved it it. I think it depends on personality for the most part.