Best Family Cruises
To The Caribbean

Mini Golf On Carnival Victory

Finding the best family cruises may be challenging.

What really makes a particular cruise deal or cruise line package the best family vacation? That's left to one's opinion.

My family of five (5) and for four years six (6) has sailed with six different cruise lines to the Caribbean: Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. I can frankly say that we enjoyed all the cruises - twenty to date.

Since I had an enjoyable time on all twenty sailings, it's hard to say which was our best family cruise.

However, I believe that our Crown Princess cruise to the Eastern Caribbean during Thanksgiving 2013 stands out as my best cruise vacation.

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Wife & Daughter Returning to Norwegian Dawn in Tortola, BWI

What Makes For
Best Family Cruises?

It may be hard for us to put hands on the best family cruise vacation we've had, but there are some things which make a cruise deal highly desirable and satisfactory to a family.

1. Cruise Prices

Yes, every family, or most families, is concerned about the cost of any vacation. A cruise vacation can be expensive, unless you know how to save. There are several ways to save on your cruise vacation. Learn more here.

For the twenty (20) cruises we've taken, each cruise package price was reasonable. We paid roughly $100 per-person per-day for each trip, except for our Disney getaway and our most recent Symphony of Seas cruise.

However, our best cruise ticket price ever was with Norwegian Cruise Line. In fact, at the time we had planned that cruise, we wanted to sail with Carnival.

However, when we compared the Carnival cruise package prices with Norwegian's for the same itinerary, Norwegian came out to a few hundred dollars less.

That may not always be true, but Norwegian and Carnival compete for the best prices at sea. They have a new competitor in MSC Cruises.

You will find that Disney Cruise Line has the most expensive cruise prices to the Caribbean. Royal Caribbean cruises also generally cost more than Carnival or Norwegian.

2. Cruise Itinerary

My family has not had any issues finding a fun cruise itinerary. The best cruise vacation deals include popular ports of call. All Caribbean cruise lines offer multiple cruises to hot-spots in the Caribbean.

You can generally find 4-night, 5-night, 7-night, and even longer cruises to the Caribbean.

Some popular ports of call include Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; St. Thomas, USVI; and St. Maarten. 

You should be able to find a family cruise vacation package heading to the above ports of call and others.

3. Youth Program

If you are cruising with children, then you want to find a cruise line that offers an engaging and well-organized youth program. 

Would you agree?

By wide acclaim, Disney Cruise Line offers a fun-filled youth program for children of all ages. However, for all the cruises my family has taken, our children have had a rich time with the youth program on board.

Carnival, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean offer a well-organized youth program that keeps your children engaged and entertained.

Yet, I must make this note: My children all agree that when they were younger, they enjoyed Camp Carnival (now Camp Ocean) more than the other youth programs.

My Family Returning to Monarch of the Seas in Nassau, Bahamas

2010

Kids' Opinions On Best Family Cruises

The three things listed above contribute to what makes the best cruise vacation for any family - at least in our family. However, sometimes children tend to have a better perspective on things.

Whenever we begin to plan another cruise vacation, our older boys are more excited if they hear that we are sailing with Carnival Cruise Line. Our daughter just wants to go on a ship.

Could that be it then? Does Carnival offer the best family cruises?

You might have heard that Carnival is the world's most popular cruise line. 

Families from all social classes search for a Carnival cruise vacation every year. Their ships are dubbed "Fun Ships" and that says a lot.

Yes, you will always enjoy a Carnival cruise, but I guarantee that you will leave saying "That was the best family cruise!" after getting back from a Disney, Norwegian, Princess or Royal Caribbean cruise ship vacation as well.

With my daugther & Symphony of the Seas

Nassau - 2024

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