I’d really like to take my daughter on a cruise to the Bahamas this summer. She will be 10 and neither of us have been on a cruise so I don’t know how to start researching for something kid friendly. Any suggestions? Also tips or anything I should know as a first time cruiser? SC port preferred but not a must.
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SC will be limited, not many ships/cruise lines leave from there. When searching the main thing I found leaving from SC was on carnival CL to Bermuda. We have done both carnival and RC with kids and have enjoyed them!
Disney if cost isn’t an issue.
Cruising Carnival with Kids!!!
Went on MSC Meraviglia with my 2 boys and nephew ages 8, 6 and 2 and they all loved it.
I love Royal Caribbean. No standing in line long for anything. You may pay extra for special kids programs in the mornings and afternoons, but I can’t recall. Regular pool was geared to families, with games, contests,live bands. The saltwater pool was adults only, quiet, aft deck. Evening shows were fabulous every night. More casual restaurants these days & snack bar by pool had fries, burgers, pizza, hot dogs for kids tastes. Seemed like there was fabulous food and drinks everywhere all the time.
Salon services including hair, nails, massages & facials will cost extra, but many exercise classes are free. Do as much or as little as you like. Sometimes it’s nice just to sit and watch the sea or sunrise/sunset as you sip on fruity concoctions with or without alcohol. You may have to pay for the fancy drinks.
Not sure if they let kids in the bar, night disco or casino if there is one on board. Might be a cooking class at some point with local foods. Rooms are tiny and so are the bathrooms. It’s nice to have an ocean view and balcony but you pay extra for that.
We took a snorkeling outing with the kids and it was great. Some ships have climbing walls, wave runs, water slides. You don’t have to book (& pay for) an excursion everywhere, you can just get off the ship and walk around at the various stops. Used to be more formal dining at night (we got dressy outfits for our kids), but there’s a lot less of that now.
Maybe bring some books for nighttime stories or just reading during the day. These ships are HUGE and you won’t feel any motion. The first thing you do is have a safety drill once everyone’s on board. Not really fun, but it’s once and done.
Note: staff makes slave wages, so they rely on you for tips, so be prepared. They have shops on board if you need anything, but I got some real bargains the last day onboard when everything was discounted.
You’ll have a blast!