New to Cruising - looking for advice

DisneyArab · 16 Sep 19, 02:12 PM

We are a family of 5 who have visited Florida many times but looking for something different for next summer. We usually enjoy busy holidays - but had been looking to have a relaxing week somewhere next year and were initially thinking all inclusive for a week.

We have now thought about cruising to have a mix of visiting new places and some relaxing time - but don't know where to start!

It would ideally be about 7 days around the med. How easy is it to get a room for 5 people, or would we be looking at 2 rooms? Cost wise, inside cabins are much cheaper than outside/balcony. Are the inside rooms ok or is it worth upgrading - I'm wondering how often we would actually use a balcony?

Can anyone recommend any cruise ships/companies that they have enjoyed - nice food/drinks etc. Our children are older so not bothered about kids clubs etc but our youngest would enjoy the pool/slides etc.

Also, do you have to pay for excursions or can you just do your own thing at the different stops? Any advice would be most welcome.

pubguv · 16 Sep 19, 02:20 PM

Hi
We have cruised twice around the Med with Norwegian and they were fantastic food,shows the clubs for your kids my daughter is 16 and she had a ball. For us yes yes yes to a balcony you can sit and watch the world go by. There were 3 of us but I think for 5 you would need 2 rooms on most cruise ships.Also we did all of our own excursions saved around �200 on every one.

Jan · 16 Sep 19, 02:49 PM

Cruise ship cabins come with one big bed that can be separated into singles. Some of these cabins can accommodate up to four people with two passengers sleeping on drop down bunk beds, one each side of the room. I would say that these are mostly aimed at children or really small adults. Last year we took our then 12 yo grandson on a P&O cruise. He is and was a tall child and only just fit.

SquishTheWhale · 16 Sep 19, 03:08 PM

Hiya, there's a dedicated cruise forum on here with lots of us regular cruisers so if a mod can move this you might get good answers in there.

First of all cruising is a fantastic choice for a mix of relaxation and seeing new places! It sounds cheesey but you can really do as little or as much as you want. We 100% prefer it over an AI resort.

Are your kids teenagers/young adults? If so the cruise lines I would recommend looking at are Norwegian and Royal Caribbean- they have the slides and fun things your kids sound keen on. Norwegian champion freestyle cruising, meaning no set dining times and minimal dress codes. Royal is very fun and not too formal. We love the food on both.

Some other lines you will find cruising the med are Disney (��) Princess and Celebrity (not so much aimed at kids), P&O (British and budget friendly but without the bells and whistles like water slides) Costa and MSC. The last two I would steer clear- they are very much aimed at Europeans and not the British market. I've personally had a bad experience with MSC and there's someone on the cruise forum right now on an MSC cruise and not loving it. Don't be tempted by the cheap prices!

Cabin wise, we are usually happy with an inside as we are cheap and don't spend a lot of time in there. If budget is no issue then yes a balcony is lovely and the cabin is larger too. You will not find many cabins that sleep 5. Standards normally sleep up to 4 and for me that would be very uncomfortable with 2 older children. You will find some suites that sleep 5 but 2 standard cabins will probably be cheaper.

You are free to do whatever you want in port- do an excursion through the ship (easy option but can be 2x the cost of DIY), book independent excursions or just get off and wander around. We normally do a bit of everything, research is key.

DisneyArab · 16 Sep 19, 10:04 PM

Thanks so much for your very helpful replies. Lots to think about. Quite like the look of a royal Caribbean one, 7 days around Greece on the Rhapsody of the Seas. Our daughters will be 17 and 18 and our son will be 11.

I hadn�t realised there was a cruise forum so will have a good look at that. Thanks again

Smilesonfaces · 16 Sep 19, 10:15 PM

If you are thinking of an inside cabin on Harmony of the Seas I would recommend taking a look at the promenade cabins. They were priced as inside cabins but had a window looking out on to the main promenade shopping area. They were also a bit bigger with a window seat. They were very quiet but you could look out and we didn�t feel claustrophobic which we had in an inside in another cruise.
Harmony has everything for all the family. Some will find it too big but with teens we enjoyed it as there was so much going on for everybody.

Edited- just noticed it is Rhapsody not Harmony !

16 Sep 19, 02:49 PM	#3
	16 Sep 19, 02:49 PM Jan Imagineer
Jan Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02 Location: Wirral Jan's Reviews Restaurant Reviews: 3	Cruise ship cabins come with one big bed that can be separated into singles. Some of these cabins can accommodate up to four people with two passengers sleeping on drop down bunk beds, one each side of the room. I would say that these are mostly aimed at children or really small adults. Last year we took our then 12 yo grandson on a P&O cruise. He is and was a tall child and only just fit.

16 Sep 19, 03:08 PM	#4
	16 Sep 19, 03:08 PM SquishTheWhale Imagineer
SquishTheWhale Imagineer Join Date: Mar 18 Location: Milton Keynes	Hiya, there's a dedicated cruise forum on here with lots of us regular cruisers so if a mod can move this you might get good answers in there. First of all cruising is a fantastic choice for a mix of relaxation and seeing new places! It sounds cheesey but you can really do as little or as much as you want. We 100% prefer it over an AI resort. Are your kids teenagers/young adults? If so the cruise lines I would recommend looking at are Norwegian and Royal Caribbean- they have the slides and fun things your kids sound keen on. Norwegian champion freestyle cruising, meaning no set dining times and minimal dress codes. Royal is very fun and not too formal. We love the food on both. Some other lines you will find cruising the med are Disney (��) Princess and Celebrity (not so much aimed at kids), P&O (British and budget friendly but without the bells and whistles like water slides) Costa and MSC. The last two I would steer clear- they are very much aimed at Europeans and not the British market. I've personally had a bad experience with MSC and there's someone on the cruise forum right now on an MSC cruise and not loving it. Don't be tempted by the cheap prices! Cabin wise, we are usually happy with an inside as we are cheap and don't spend a lot of time in there. If budget is no issue then yes a balcony is lovely and the cabin is larger too. You will not find many cabins that sleep 5. Standards normally sleep up to 4 and for me that would be very uncomfortable with 2 older children. You will find some suites that sleep 5 but 2 standard cabins will probably be cheaper. You are free to do whatever you want in port- do an excursion through the ship (easy option but can be 2x the cost of DIY), book independent excursions or just get off and wander around. We normally do a bit of everything, research is key. Edited at 03:11 PM.

16 Sep 19, 10:15 PM	#6
	16 Sep 19, 10:15 PM Smilesonfaces Imagineer
Smilesonfaces Imagineer Join Date: Jun 15 Smilesonfaces's Reviews DIBB Villa Reviews: 1	If you are thinking of an inside cabin on Harmony of the Seas I would recommend taking a look at the promenade cabins. They were priced as inside cabins but had a window looking out on to the main promenade shopping area. They were also a bit bigger with a window seat. They were very quiet but you could look out and we didn�t feel claustrophobic which we had in an inside in another cruise. Harmony has everything for all the family. Some will find it too big but with teens we enjoyed it as there was so much going on for everybody. Edited- just noticed it is Rhapsody not Harmony ! Edited at 10:16 PM.