Carnival goes out of NY and Baltimore.

Of course cruising Carnival out of Florida will be half the price. A 7 day cruise in two balcony cabins for 5 people is 3238. It can be even cheaper ( $2530) if you move to an inside cabin.

Yes but then we'd also have to get to Florida. I can see five tickets adding
up to a couple of thousand dollars, easily. Not to mention the major
aggravation of packing us all up and into an airplane there and back,
the shoe carnival and all the rest of it. There's something really
appealing about being ten minutes from our house and on the boat.

Maybe HAL would let us off in Boston instead if we took a Canada cruise
from NYC. Actually, I wonder if that is possible! (I can't do the direct
Boston HAL ones b/c they are all Saturday depart/arrive and we are sabbath
observant.)

--LG

Thanks Burbunny for confirming that the Spirit does not have the two bedroom suite - it's good to know. Those suites are a boon for families, as most NCL suites will not accommodate more than 2.

lg10, just be aware that there are mixed feelings about NCL's quality when compared to some other brands - and it's all an issue of how much you spend up front vs on board. Food quality is a big cause of contention - the Freestyle dining concept offers a lot of dining options, many of which have additional fees. People will often make direct comparisons between lines based on the main dining room experience (included in your fare), and NCL often falls short. But then the cruise itself is often much cheaper, so it's not a fair comparison. My experience on NCL has me add in the extra cost of dining in "specialty restaurants" (fantastic BTW) for at least every other night of the cruise, plus the extra cost for a suite (I am spoiled) to make it comparable to much, much higher priced lines. I have sailed suites on Celebrity, Carnival, and RCCL, and the NCL suites do really knock those other out of the water, so to speak. The main dining rooms are good, but the specialties are great. People often complain about the cost of drinks in the bars - but NCL's prices are the same as every other line.

So, in Flyertalk Speak, the people who do the most complaining about NCL are looking for a Hyatt at the price of a Comfort Inn, if that makes sense. You pay for a Comfort Inn, that's what you get. NCL can be more comparable to a Ritz Carlton if you are staying in a suite and eating at specialty restaurants, at the price of a Hyatt. Hope that makes sense!

Robin

Robin,

That's super helpful. What I'm thinking about is this: I prefer the
'Residence Inn' concept to the 'Hyatt' concept in terms of how they
give fridges and parking and internet, and I don't care so much about
the fanciness of the restaurants or expensiveness of the TVs in the
rooms. On the other hand, I cringe at the 'Motel 6' concept because it
is so low frills in terms of comfort and cleanliness and service. But
I'm not really sure how to translate any of this into the cruise world.

My sense is that Carnival might be too loud/"fun" for our taste. My favorite
things on the HAL cruises (my only cruising experience) have been the
nerdly pursuits (quizzes, games, comedy/juggling, cooking demos) and
maybe swimming/sunning. With the kids now, a good youth program is
key, though I would feel guilty about over-using it since it is the little
ones' vacation too and I don't want them to miss us.

I am not remotely interested in: smoking, drinking, gambling, fancy steaks
(we only eat kosher)

I am moderately interested in: dressing up, seeing shows, massage kinds
of spa activities, relaxing places to sit in relative peace and do nothing

Some of the lines, like Disney, seem to me that although they have great
family suites, it might be a bit like seven days inside Chuck-E-Cheese....

I think we might have to go with price/location, but that doesn't give me
enough of a push one way or the other in terms of NCL-BOS or HAL-NYC.
I think if the Spirit had self-laundry that might push me over, but they
don't.

--LG

If you like Disney at all, 7 nights isn't at all like being trapped in a Chuck E Cheese. Disney is a true premium brand like Holland America, while NCL is firmly a mainstream line. While Disney is ever-present, the adult areas and options keep it tasteful. It's a great family experience. They know when enough is enough. I have many adult clients without kids who go on and absolutely love it. Service levels are fabulous.

Don't be afraid of having your kids in the program. Just listen to them if they're having a great time. Do be prepared that they may actually prefer time in the program than with you - if so, take advantage of your own vacation time with your spouse

There is no dressing up on NCL at all - while there is one "optional" dressy night in one of the main dining rooms, everything else is resort casual. MUCH different experience than a HAL cruise. It's more like an all-inclusive resort vs. a traditional cruise. And that's on purpose.

By the way, I think you're over-estimating the price of air to FL. Look at Jet Blue out of Boston to Ft. Lauderdale (which would get you either FLL or MIA cruises easily). Usually much lower than $400/person round-trip. Can't under-estimate the hassle factor of flying with family, but you might be surprised by the savings.

I totally agree that NCL has the best suites at sea of the major (non-luxury) brands. Totally different experience in there, especially in their newer ships. Spirit doesn't have all the same amenities, but still makes navigating reservations in the specialty restaurants and everything else much easier.

I can say that we've done Carnival and NCL. Don't write off Carnival completely. Most of the criticisms you hear about Carnival ("Motel 6", "Wal-Mart", etc) come from people who have never sailed the line, or did so 20 years ago when things were very different. Most fo the bad-mouthing comes from a few RCCL fans, and it almost seems like they're trying to justify the higher fares on RCCL. To be fair, some Carnival "cheerleaders" do the same thing, almost as if they're defending cruising on Carnival.

The only major differences between Carnival and NCL to us were Freestyle dining (a big plus in favor of NCL), ship decor (generally more fun and whimsical on Carnival, more elegant on NCL, a tie for us), and the kids club (a big plus in favor of Carnival, and why we'll be going back to CCL as our primary cruise line). I can only assume that RCCL is similar, since they chase the same demographic as Carnival and NCL, though their newer ships do have a wow factor that CCL and NCL lack. Carnival ships are nice, clean, and well-maintained, the crews are friendly, and the food is good. Camp Carnival is generally rated second only to Disney's kids club.

It sounds like you really like the HAL style. Carnival was a bit more light hearted than HAL. Maybe because there were more kids and we saw the fun they were having in the kids club activities. Carnival had all the quizzes and game rooms ect, but they didn't take it as serious as the HAL cruisers. It got pretty cutthroat at the quizzes on our last HAL cruise....LOL

People did dress for dinner in the main dining room, but casual night might be a tad more casual on Carnival. Carnival now has anytime dining like HAL. So there is flexibility there. The food was overall slightly better on HAL but if you are keeping Kosher I think it would be comparable.

Carnival was a lot of fun and I'll definitely look at them again. We can either get a cheaper cruise or a much better cabin with Carnival and still have a great time. If I had kids it would be Carnival all the way.

1. Cruised with our kids at various ages. Always got connecting rooms. HUGE plus with that 2 BATHROOMS!!!!!

2. The cruise lines are really changing. Carnival used to have an image of deli meat and wet tee shirt contests years ago, and HAL until very recently was known as the line of old people and their parents. Not so much anymore.

We cruised Celebrity. At any age, my children were the "quieter" types. Didnt care for the kids club all day long, go go go type ship. Celebrity fit the bill.

Friends of mine love Royal Caribbean for the exact opposite. They will send the kids off to the club (which the kids love) and/or do many of the activities on the mega ships, rock climbing, ice skating, wave riding, etc...

Then you have Princess. Big mega ships with things like movies under the stars and lots of kids activities.

Out of Boston, my opinion would be:

Fly to Florida
Get 2 Connecting cabins
RCCL PRincess or Carnival (if the kids club matters a lot)
HAL if kids club not so important
And if your going to FL to pick up a ship, sorry, but add Celebrity in the mix ( I think the best food of the group)

My daughter (age 11) and I just returned from a 7 night HAL cruise of the W. Car. (11/15-11/22)
It was my first HAL cruise in 12 years. I was amazed at the outstanding children's program on board. There was a large childrens area spread divided into multiple age/activity appropriate areas: An arts/crafts, toy area appropriate for small children, a gaming area for children of all ages with large screen plasma TVs with Wii, xbox 360 systems, a lounge are with video jukebox and hip furniture and a large outdoor "oasis" with a waterfall, small pool (very small, think very large jacuzzi that seats 12 or so).

My daughter LOVED the activities. She was there every morning and evening (cutting out of dinner a bit early so that she would be there at 7pm on the dot). There were ship wide scavenger hunts, contests, art projects,etc and contant game options with all the eletronics mentioned above and a huge selection of traditional board games. They were given tshirts and bags to decorate. Trays of snacks were served regularly. All kids activities were free, included in the fare. Afterhours babysitting (from 10pm-midnight) was available at a nominal fee (I think $5 per hour).

We were on the Ryndam, which was sold out--but there were only a total of 17 children on board (although we were told that the following week-Thanksgiving- they were expecting 175 kids). There were two full time staffers in Club HAL, both young american women who were charming, fun and involved in the activities (not just setting them up).
Because there were so few children, most of the crew were aware of my daughter and chatted her up whenever they saw her. Wherever I went onboard, crew members (and other passengers) inquired about her.

Overall, we were very pleased with the experience. Next time, I intend to take my 6 year old as well. I hear the other lines have better children's programs, but I wouldn't hesitate to book HAL with kids again.

I love HAL but do not think it is well set up for children. They have some activities but it is just not an overly kid friendly place, unless you have quiet serious children. This is part of its appeal for "older" travellers who like this quietness and low-key setting.

Save HAL for when the kids are gone and you just want to get away on your own. Sail HAL and you will have money left over for their college education.

HAL has a good kids program. They have a dedicated area for them to hang out in with special activities and crew. I have been on HAL cruises over the holidays with lots of kids on board. Because HAL uses smaller ships you don't get the massive crowds, or the feel of being in a massive crowd, on the other ships. There are always people of all ages on HAL. My last Carnival cruise has it's share of over 70's with walkers.

Yes, holiday cruises on HAL have a much higher proportion of kids than at any other time. My non-holiday HAL cruises have only had a very rare few on board. Or was that, bored.

However, I think cruises are great for kids because they get to meet and interact with so many new kids their own ages, from all over in a nice, safe, supervised environment. Let alone the always wonderful travel experiences and even the old "social graces" experiences they can also get with the relatively formal cruising experience....... on some lines. (Like HAL)

Interesting observation about Carnival. Guess this is a real indication what the aging baby boomer demographics are going to look like - still sailing the fun ships.

I think your using the old stereotyping of the various cruise lines. There is much less, full of over 80's or all under 30's now. But sometimes we see what we want to see. I saw all various ages and demographics on my Carnival cruise. Of course I saw much of the same on my last HAL cruise. HAL had more people over 70 and Carnival had more people under 30 but both had a wide spread in between from what I saw. Of course, I didn't have a mindset on what the passenger make-up would be either.