sweetnugomine Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 We plan to take a cruise sometime next year. I have never been on a Royal Caribbean cruise, or any cruise for that matter, so I am excited to try something new. We are avid travelers, however, and have fairly high expectations when it comes to our accommodations and adventures. We don't mind paying a premium in order to experience the best of the best. We plan to either deport from Galveston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando or Tampa. My question is, which are the best ships to cruise on? Which are the nicest with the most amenities? Are there any ships that we should avoid (perhaps older ships that just don't compare to the newer ones)? Are there any ships that are more suited for adults? Any ships better suited for families with children? What is your favorite ship and why? JoryikCat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHStoneman Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 We don't mind paying a premium in order to experience the best of the best. If you are not concerned with price, I would suggest Crystal Cruise Line. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted September 18, 2016 Report Share Posted September 18, 2016 Disney ships are great for the younger kids. Royal Caribbean has great programs for say age 7 to high school. Have always heard great reviews for Adventure Ocean on Royal Caribbean. We have met several families over the years who"s kids eat dinner and bee line to Adventure Ocean for the evening or even during the day when we are at sea days. Carnival is a party ship. Norwegian and Cunard are for the more reserved older folks. Crystal and Celebrity are excellent lines. Cruise Critic and Royal Caribbean blog are extremely helpful. You can check out any cruise line and google to see when the ship has or will be refurbished. Royal Caribbean has been named best cruise line the last several years. WELCOME to cruising and enjoy your cruise. sweetnugomine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 If you're interested in Royal, I'd recommend the Freedom, Quantum, or Oasis class vessels based on what you've stated. I'd also recommend booking a suite for the nicer accommodations and perks that might be of interest to you. FloatMe, sweetnugomine, jticarruthers and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 You listed primarily florida ports which would exclude the Quantum class. Oasis/Freedom class are probably your best bets. Oasis class is going to cost you more typically but they are the "best" of the RCL fleet. sweetnugomine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCVoyager Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Sounds like you have a wide open field. With that in mind, I would choose something other than NCL. Poor main dining room forces passengers into higher end restaurants. Just my opinion. sweetnugomine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 How old are the children ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetnugomine Posted September 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Disney ships are great for the younger kids. Royal Caribbean has great programs for say age 7 to high school. Have always heard great reviews for Adventure Ocean on Royal Caribbean. We have met several families over the years who"s kids eat dinner and bee line to Adventure Ocean for the evening or even during the day when we are at sea days. Carnival is a party ship. Norwegian and Cunard are for the more reserved older folks. Crystal and Celebrity are excellent lines. Cruise Critic and Royal Caribbean blog are extremely helpful. You can check out any cruise line and google to see when the ship has or will be refurbished. Royal Caribbean has been named best cruise line the last several years. WELCOME to cruising and enjoy your cruise. I don't have any interest in Carnival - have heard exactly what you mentioned, that it's a party ship, and not the cleanest/nicest cruise line out there. I plan to stick with either Disney or Royal Caribbean. Is Adventure Ocean like a kids club onboard RCL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetnugomine Posted September 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 You listed primarily florida ports which would exclude the Quantum class. Oasis/Freedom class are probably your best bets. Oasis class is going to cost you more typically but they are the "best" of the RCL fleet. Thank you! This is exactly the sort of info I was looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetnugomine Posted September 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 How old are the children ? Kiddos will be 5 and 13 at the time of the cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerel Posted September 19, 2016 Report Share Posted September 19, 2016 Another thing to keep in mind about Royal is their entertainment is amazing. They take the shows very seriously and do a good job on all ships. But the Quantum and Oasis class have state of the art venues capable of some extra special shows, like the Aqua Theater or Two70. Also these class of ships sure will WOW the kids, yourself too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Go with the Oasis or Quantum class ships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Yes Adventure Ocean is a kids club where they are in groups with kids their age. It is well supervised with lots of activities for them to do. They have services for all ages. For your kids their is one group for 3-5 and 6-8 and then the tween and teens program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lb0336 Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 As someone who grew up cruising, I loved the kids' club, particularly on Royal Caribbean (although I was never on Disney, which would clearly also have a great kids' club). There are so many family-friendly activities now, from water slides to the aqua theater to ice skating. But back then, and I'd imagine this is true now, too, it was great to meet other kids my age on the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Long time Disney cruiser here flipped to RC. Started cruising Disney when I was 12 when their first shipped launched. My sister was 2. It's true that Disney has great ships and great kids programming, but so does Royal Caribbean. And I know you said cost wasn't really a factor, but you can just about get two trips on Royal for the cost of one on Disney. That's a deal breaker for me. Plus, there are a lot of things Royal does better. The Oasis class ships will flat out blow your mind. There's a whole boardwalk area with a carousel, hot dogs, arcade, johnny rockets, and an amazing theater where diving shows are held.. while the boat is moving. 2 rock climbing walls. 2 flow riders (surf simulator). Ice skating rink. The Royal Promenade which is basically a shopping mall. Central Park which is literally a park at sea and you don't see the ocean. Amazing specialty dining. These ships run eastern and western Caribbean itineraries with most stopping at Labadee- Royal Caribbeans private chunk of Haiti. You're kids are going to love this one. An alpine coaster, water park, zip line over the ocean, and so much more Oasis is moving up to Orlando. Allure is staying in Fort Lauderdale. The brand new Harmony ship will be in Fort Lauderdale. This ship is just like Oasis/Allure with a few amazing additions like water slides and a 10 story dry slide called the ultimate abyss. I would definitely suggest booking connecting rooms for you guys. If you want to really treat everyone, book a two Bedroom aqua theater suite. These are completely aft on the ship and have a balcony that's just about as big the room. It overlooks the aquatheater so you can watch the shows and movies from your balcony. Plus it's star level concierge so you get a royal genie (think butler), all of your alcohol and specialty dining included, free internet, included gratuities, and so much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Given the age of the children, I would definitely say that the Oasis class would be your best choice. I leave out Quantum only b/c you did not list NYC as one of your departure options. As Christie said, these ships have something for EVERY age. Their children's clubs are excellent (from all accounts...I wouldn't know, personally !), there are amusements for all age groups and the family-friendly entertainment is everywhere. If money is truly no object, shoot for one of the 2 BR Aqua Theater Suites on the aft of the ship. You will be able to see all of the aqua theater shows from your UUUUGE balcony as well as the DreamWorks productions held in that area and the Boardwalk DreamWorks parades...plus all of the general activity that happens on the Boardwalk. Also, the 2 BR ATS are Star Class Suites which means that all of your specialty dining, drinks packages, and gratuities will be included in your [initially staggering] fare. PLUS all of the Star class perks, which are significant. The down side to this approach is that you will have nowhere [upward] to go from there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvertrees Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Can't beat either the Freedom class or the Oasis class of ships. If cost is no option, go big on Oasis/Allure/Harmony as soon as you can. Many unique features on these ships that aren't available anywhere else.If you're looking for something a little less costly but still a phenomenal cruise, Freedom class is the way to go. Of the three, Liberty (sailing out of Galveston, TX) has the most to offer for kids with the recent addition of water slides on the pool deck. Any of the 6 ships in these classes will provide you the opportunity for a wonderful, memory-making cruise. Hope you have a great time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCVoyager Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I don't have any interest in Carnival - have heard exactly what you mentioned, that it's a party ship, and not the cleanest/nicest cruise line out there. I plan to stick with either Disney or Royal Caribbean. Is Adventure Ocean like a kids club onboard RCL? I love cruising RCCL, but I'm a big fan of Carnival too. The whole "party cruise" thing is way overblown in the industry in my opinion. If you were blindfolded on a Carnival ship, you wouldn't notice a big difference in the two cruise lines. There is probably more late night stuff on Carnival than Royal. There used to be a topless deck on the top some Carnival ships. I don't know if that exists anymore, but even if it does, not many are there. Some people think the food is better on Carnival. They have 'Camp Carnival' for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 The carnival party cruise thing I think has more to do with the fact that Carnival traditionally had older/smaller and therefore significantly cheaper ships that tended to attract a crowd that was more interested in partying than the amenities. With the newer/bigger ships I think as RCVoyager said they are more alike than they are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I love cruising RCCL, but I'm a big fan of Carnival too. The whole "party cruise" thing is way overblown in the industry in my opinion. If you were blindfolded on a Carnival ship, you wouldn't notice a big difference in the two cruise lines. There is probably more late night stuff on Carnival than Royal. There used to be a topless deck on the top some Carnival ships. I don't know if that exists anymore, but even if it does, not many are there. Some people think the food is better on Carnival. They have 'Camp Carnival' for kids. I agree with you as well. I think this is fueled by the large number of weekend cruises that Carnival offers and doesn't speak to the experience received on their newer, bigger ships with longer itineraries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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