OPINION TIME, please help

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beart72

Guest
Howdy..
Okay,
I am a single Mom of 2 young daughters..
I am going to take a cruise next summer... My girls will be 4 1/2 and 9 1/2 by then....
I am very tossed over 2 choices...
I LOVE NY, and there is a 5 night cruise on Carnival I can get for only $1500 for all 3 of us ($300 per night) and if we go on that one, I'd fly in 2 days early and see the NY sights and go to a Broadway play (lion king) with the gilrs, prior to the cruise.. The cruise goes to Canada, been to both destinations and could care less about Canada LOL
But the cruise is the vacation, the destination is just a bonus...
OR, there is an Alaska cruise for 7 nights all of us can go on for $2100 (also $300 per night).
I have always wanted to do an Alaska cruise...
So it's about the same money, would probably spend more on the NY one, considering my hotel in NY is a $450 bucks..
The NY cruise is on Carnival
The Alaska Crusie is on Norwegian
So.. Who's been to both places?? Opinions on which is more kid/ single Mom friendly?

+ and -'s
Carnival is 185 sq ft rooms
and it's kids club offers sitting till 3am
However, the flights for me to get to NY for the carnival cruise is very much a pain in my heiney

Norwegian room is only 133/145 sq ft
kids club only open till 1am
Flying for me is a breese and wouldn't have to stay in one night ahead...

Any opinions on both destinations, being kid friendly or not, quality of either ships or service by both Carnival or Norweigan... which is better etc..
Will be my 2nd cruise, but I have never sailed on either of these 2 lines..

THANKS!
 
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lizardstew

Guest
Well, I've never been on Norwegian, but from what I've heard Carnival is more kid friendly. But...it seems to me that the pros for the Alaska cruise outweigh the cons for you....easier flight, more interesting ports, longer cruise....If it were me, I'd take the longer cruise, especially since you say you've always wanted to go to Alaska.

My only concern would be that there would not be enough other children or activities on the ship to keep my children busy.

Good luck with your planning. :)
 
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serene56

Guest
Does the price you are quoting include airfare?? Coz that may be the kicker- the reason I cnat do an alaska cruise is becuase the airfare costs more then the cruise itself so for now-- I have to rule that out.

I know we are not in the cabins all that mch but that cabin on NCL is very small. For that reason I would pick Carnival.

I dont think the kids club being opened until 3am is a biggie here..you have to pay for it after 10.
 
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beart72

Guest
NO, that air wouldn't be included, however.... It leaves out of Seattle WA, so.... The air is super duper cheap via Southwest Airlines... Air would be cheap no matter where you live to fly to Seattle WA :)
As for the kids club, yes, you pay a very small amount for sitting after 10pm, but 10pm to 1 am is only 3 hours of free time to go let your hair down and play, when your free of the kids :)
Thanks
 
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sdcruzer

Guest
From reading your post it sounds to me like you are leaning to Alaska. :) I've always wanted to go there, too. I have a friend who just returned from Alaska with her two teens, and they had a blast.

I think the differences would boil down to encountering a younger crowd on the New York trip, but I would guess that because the NCL sails out of Seattle, you will encounter a broader range of ages there.

If it were my decision, I'd put a lot on how much my kids would appreciate the Alaska experience at their age. From the comments I've heard from friends with children, there can be a big difference from cruise line to cruise line with the kids' programs, but if they are the kind of kids who can be happy in most situations, then I don't think you'll have any problems.

Of course if you'd like to bring a fellow cruzer along to babysit... ;) :lol
 
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Sheila

Guest
I don't mean to be difficult, but.... here I go ~

When my children were the same ages as your children, a Disney or resort vacation was much more enjoyable for them than I would imagine a cruise would be. And... if you want to have free time after 1 am ... would you actually be want to leave them in a ship's babysitting facility to sleep ??

I have a friend ( single ) who took his two children ( ages 4 and 6 ) on an Alaskan cruise with his extended family in June. He said that they did not have a good time, and neither did he, because they were fairly bored. The beautiful , expensive Alaskan cruise was wasted on them.

So, I would probably not take the children on a cruise until they were older and could really enjoy the experience. I don't think they would have a terrific time in a child care facility, even if there were child - friendly activities.

Good luck with your decision.
 
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Babushka

Guest
I have been on both lines and think Carnival is definately more "kid friendly". However, you mentioned that you don't really care for the itinerary Carnival is offering. Are Alaska and Canada your only options? Have you considered a cruise to the Caribbean where there are beaches for your children to play on? I have traveled with children to the Caribbean and they loved it!

I have heard many wonderful things about Alaska but only as more of an adult's trip. My daughter's friend went when she was a young teenager and said she was very bored...lots of old people she said and not enough kids! :)

What do your kids say about the cruise and the itinerary? I know your youngest may not have much of an opinion at 4 (regarding destinations...I know that at they age they have opinions about alot of stuff so please don't take that wrong) but what about your 9 year old? Are they excited? I know that someone mentioned that maybe a resort vacation might be more the liking of younger children...is that an option? I know that I love cruising and have taken my kids and they too have loved it, although mine were 12 when I took each on their first cruise.

I hope that you find a vacation that works best for you and your kids. The most important thing here, regardless of where you end up, is that all three of you have a great time together. You can never go wrong with a cruise in my opinion, like you said before the destinations are just bonuses! Good luck and have fun with whatever you choose!
 
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