We're thinking of taking a family cruise - probably 7 days in the Caribbean. We have young kids (6 & 3 when we would go). Does anyone have a favorite family friendly line or itinerary?

Carnival is good for families, we've always had good experiences on them.

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Carnival is good for families, we've always had good experiences on them.

This coming from the man who endorses crating children.

I'm just torn - they all look nice in their own ways. Royal Caribbean's huge ships look like they would be exciting and jam packed with things to do, but I also like Norwegian's concept of freestyle dining. Then there's Carnival and Princess and everyone else. The only cruise line I've ruled out is Disney - I'm sure my kids would love it, but at twice the price, I can't imagine it's worth it.

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Originally posted by GlenEllynRing:

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Carnival is good for families, we've always had good experiences on them.

This coming from the man who endorses crating children.

I hear they have first rate crates for kids, complete with food dish and water bottle. Strange that no one has taken me up on my offer to babysit.

Just took our first cruise ever on Royal Caribbean over New Year's. It was an 8 day western caribbean cruise. We had a wonderful experience. It was my feeling that everyone on the ship (Jewel of the Seas) was sincerely interested in making sure you had a first rate experience. Since I wasn't in the market, I did not investigate what the ship offered for kids in your age range. I do know that they offer activities for younger children...as well a pool just for them.

In the various ports, there are places you can go on foot with strollers. Some are rather healthy walks into "town" and keep in mind that many of these ports are old colonial ports...meaning navigation of congested, cobblestone streets and very narrow sidewalks with a stroller can be difficult. For example, we walked about two miles to check out the Fort in San Juan, PR. The city was so conjested with cars, it was faster to walk. Plus, being on a ship for a couple days -- we were ready. However, walking that far through San Juan would have been challenging with a stroller or young kids in hand.

There are tours that you can take that you can arrange while on the cruise. If you're going to a beach, I suggest you just hire transportation on your own...it's less expensive than a "tour". Whatever cruise you take, I highly recommend you do your homework about each port and the tours offered by the cruise line before you go. It's less confusing once you get on the ship.

Also, for what it is worth, while on a diving tour, I chatted with a person who was on a Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise. The NCL passenger I spoke to said she didn't like the Freestyle Dining they promote. What that means is that you are potentially competing with 2000+ other people on the ship who may want the same dinner seating you want. On Royal Caribbean, we were assigned to a 6 PM dinner seating in their main dining room. That worked out very nicely for us without the pressure of having to make a reservation.

Bon Voyage!