Is a cruise with 2 dc 10 and 13 going to be disaster

[Whitegrenache]

Currently thinking about our holidays next year.
I'm of the option now that I want to spend some money on a lovely holiday.
This year we had a private villa with pool in Portugal and spent every day around the in pool then went into various resorts on an evening for dinner using ubers which were dirt cheap.
I love the sun, nice food and drinks. Kids love pool and exploring. DP loves us to be happy so he doesn't get nagged
The thing is, I got bored lying around the pool all day. Even the kids retreated to the villa for the WiFi when they got too hot.

Was therefore thinking for doing a cruise next near...possibly Mediterranean/Europe

So questions for you seasoned cruisers please..

Can I sunbathe (for some of the day?)
What do the kids do? Can they wander the ship unattended? Are there activities?
What do people do when the dock in the ports?
Is it all inclusive?

Thanks people

but cruising seems a bit passive

I can’t speak for all lines, but certainly the larger NCL and Royal Caribbean ships are anything but passive - you’ll have a hard time fitting everything in! It can be as active or as passive as you want it to be

Cruising is as passive as you want it to be. It's a scenic and relaxing way to travel to and see loads of different places on one trip and when you get to those places you do your activities there. If I ever get to do my Alaska bucket list cruise, we will be going whale watching and taking a trip up into the Yukon and back down by mountain railway, one of the longest zip liners in the world in one of the ports too and you can hike up to it if you choose to. There's activities in all ports, everywhere you go just like there is on any holiday, you find them and make them happen, if that's the holiday you want.

I take my kindle loaded up with books I plan to read. I mostly travel transatlantic so 6 straight sea days with no stopping, a day in NYC and then 6 more sea days, plenty of time to read.

Except I generally read about half a book and I'm a big reader. By the time you've eaten, gone to lectures, plays, played games, maybe seen a display, visited the art gallery, had a look round the shops, had a swim and gone for a walk round the deck (3 laps of the QM2 is just over a mile) it's time to change for dinner. And we travel Cunard so not one of the all singing all dancing ships. Nothing passive about it.

I imagine your kids will love it.

Can I sunbathe (for some of the day?)

Yes, cruise ships are set up for sunbathing. If you are going on shore, you can sit in the sun early morning, of in the afternoon when you get back. Most intineraries have a sea day, so you can sunbathe for as long as is sensible.

What do the kids do? Can they wander the ship unattended? Are there activities?

If there’s a kids club, they can hang out with others their age, and do activities set up especially for them by the entertainment team. They will be able to move around without you.

What do people do when the dock in the ports?

Explore the destination, whether part of an organised tour or independently.

Is it all inclusive?

Some are, or you can pay for AI upfront.

NCL Epic from Barcelona would be great for you. Most ports are doable on your own. If you want to do an excursion you are probably better using a local company. Use Rick Steins Port Guides, Toms Port Guides, and What’s In Port.com. Cruise critic is also useful.

The kids will be fine roaming the ship and they will not be bored. WiFi at sea is expensive, but NCL give you a few minutes free as part of the price so it’s enough to tide them over until you get to port and access free restaurant WiFi etc (Brexit permitting). Although there is so much to do I can’t see them being bothered about the internet (except to snapchat their cool pictures of the brilliant stuff they do!).

Check out providers like Iglu and Thomson for a package, but also check out booking direct. Be aware of flights (some companies try and send you home via different airports than you went on!). We usually book direct and arrange our own flights as it works out more convenient: although we stay in a Barcelona airport hotel the night before so we haven’t got to worry about missing the ship!

Have a look of the You tube videos for the Epic. I think the kids will love it. My second choice would be one of the newer Marella ships (Discovery or Explorer) but really based on what you said the Epic ticks the boxes (some adult only quiet sunbathing areas too, a brilliant spa, all inclusive, relaxed dining). I would probably avoid P&O as it’s more restrictive with dining and less “fun” for the kids.

I would rather stick needles in my eyes than go on NCL Epic.

www.youtube.com/channel/UCGh9zg0zvyF3GqHeR4WR3Xg

watch these guys they really help me

A cruise sounds perfect for you! I'd recommend Royal Caribbean definitely - but would also recommend MSC especially some of their newer ships like Meraviglia. Haven't been with Norwegian as yet but have heard they are also great for families, and I'd be happy to try them. Personally wouldn't touch P&O, their ships look naf compared to what others have, and a great ship really does add to the holiday. We most recently have been booking through Iglu and have got some great deals with them. Cruise 1st TV on sky channel 688 would also be worth a watch to get an idea of what deals you can get.

I think with those aged children RCL is a good option ...I have been cruising with my daughter since she was 12/13 years old. I would also think outside the box sometimes its cheaper to go further a field ...for example we are cruising the Caribbean for £1300 including flights for both of us and we cruised Dubai/Oman (where the cruise element was just £600 in total for both of us - we could have got cheap flights but it was a special treat so spent more on these).
I would at this moment in time look at Expedia.com *NOT co.uk the prices tend to be a little cheaper and you would pick up a cruise with RCL on Jewel of the seas (which is a nice ship and this is a lovely cruise - we did 2 years ago) on 28/7 for £750 pp (a little more when you bank adjust for currency from dollars to £) ...you should be able to pick up flights for less than £200 in a few months time (expensive at the moment because cheap airlines have not released their flights).

Its also cruise week at beginning of September where lots of companies look to fill their cabins for next year and their are incentives around (just do a bit of research first - so you can test the deals on offer - some are not has good has offers but occasionally you can pick up a bargain (we picked up the Jewel cruise 2 years ago for £570pp with a drinks package two years ago).

Also agree that MSC are another option but your DC's may not enjoy MSC so much (less British families) - my daughter loved the teen club on MSC this summer - but mainly because they didnt have the same sort of restrictions like RCL (so she could go in the disco etc - she is 16)....and she loved mixing with all the European teens.

sorry for typos - tired

We went with NCL - never again!

Meh food, mediocre (at best) entertainment, certainly very little for families. Days at sea felt like an eternity.

Another vote for Tui/Marella. We've done med, Adriatic and Caribbean. First two with kids, they loved it

*We went with NCL - never again!

Meh food, mediocre (at best) entertainment, certainly very little for families. Days at sea felt like an eternity*

Just shows how people enjoy different things - we thought there was loads to do on NCL, but maybe it depends on which ship. We’ve been on the Epic and the Getaway with the kids and loved both.

There was a huge variety of things for the kids - pools, slides, trampoline, bowling alley, sports court, mini golf, ropes course, hot tubs, climbing wall,films, giant chess, they even loved the shuffleboard! They never even made it to the teen/kids club!!

The shows were good (Broadway shows, duelling pianos, they had a Big BangTheory Trivia quiz on the Getaway which my kids loved, they also had a lot of fun playing deal or no deal on a giant screen)

The food was good to great, we never had a bad meal. My dd particularly liked the crepes from the buffet at 5pm!

We went on a cruise described as family friendly...it was hell. Snobby older people and nothing at all for the kids to do.

Food very average, paid for drinks package, thank god. Only nice thing was a new place to see every day but then dreading getting back on the ship by teatime ruined it.

Never again

We went on a cruise described as family friendly...it was hell. Snobby older people and nothing at all for the kids to do

That’s a real shame. Some cruise lines (and even cruise ships within the same line) are more family friendly than others. It pays to do a little research before booking. Cruise Critic is really helpful for this.

In general, the bigger the ship, the more there is to do on board. Lines such as NCL and Royal Caribbean tend to offer lots of activities that are family friendly. Some lines are more likely to offer lectures/activities that are maybe not so appealing to children.

We’ve picked our cruises carefully, and have yet to meet a snobby passenger!

When on my first cruise with Royal Caribbean when my DC's were the same age as yours and had a fabulous time. So much so that we have been a further five times, once every couple of years.
DC's are now in their 20's but funnily enough still want to come on holiday with mum and dad.

Budgiegirl - thanks, it is a shame because it was our first cruise and we travel a lot. Could've been a great way to see the world. We went on a Thomson cruise so not even a "posh" cruise. I researched it at length on cruise critic and trip advisor.

I even knew 2 people who had been on this particular ship.

We paid extra for a balcony suite due to the kids and not wanting to squash in to a smaller cabin. This was on deck 9. Didn't take us long to find out that people were more interested in which deck you were on than anything else.

One lady even thought it appropriate to say to me in the lift, "we did wonder how you were staying on deck 9, then realised that must be where the kids club is"! CF

Sadly no, there was very little in the way of kids clubs and I was on deck bloody 9 cause I paid for it.

Honestly, I'm not fussy or picky or oversensitive but the whole experience was pretty dreadful!

@Sparklyfee I’m sorry your first cruise experience was a bad one. I really hope you’ll give it another go with a different line because when it works it’s a lovely holiday for kids.

We’ve done three Thomson (now Marella) cruises. We were happy enough as we were there for the itinerary which was great and they are pretty cheap but we didn’t feel we fitted in with the passenger profile. Too many boozers and smokers for my liking, and not especially friendly.

You don’t have to pay much more to get a far superior experience so it’s worth persevering, I promise!

They weren't friendly at all really! I did chat with a few people (we are the type that always make a holiday friend) - but this is the only holiday since having the kids that they don't remember a particular friend or seem to have good memories of the trip. Other parents were unhappy too.

They also drained the family/everyone pool for 3 days. When I put my kids in the only other pool (adults only pool but in an area kids were allowed to be) a man actually shouted at me! Even though he could see their pool was drained and I explained calmly that they had paid as much, if not more, than him to be there. It was 40 degrees!

Thomson also entered our room and glossed the paintwork (honestly). Never been so shocked on holiday. It was terrible.

The only way I'd really consider it now is if it was a place inaccessible by land or air. For example, I will probably book at some point to go on a Scandinavian cruise to the hard to reach bits. I would definitely be worried about the other passengers though. It was definitely snobbery for what was a cheaper cruise

Went on our first cruise 5 years ago when kids were 13 and 10. I thought it would be perfect with clubs and plenty activities for the kids and relaxing for me.

First evening and night I found it overwhelming and wasn't sure at all but then loved it more each day so much that we've been 4 more times since!

Only ever done the big liners with RCL. Love all what they offer and not overly keen to try another company. Ironically the kids have never been keen on the teenage clubs and happier to do everything together. I'm also more excited trying the activities than they are but they love it.

RCL is not snobbish at all, all ages and nationalities. As to being bored! Our dilemma is always whether to stay on and pass by the debarcation as there is so much to do on and a week is not much to make the best of it.