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Best ships to sail on? Any ships to avoid?


sweetnugomine

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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 !

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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