Family of 5 trying cruise again (need help)

I also took a hiatus from cruising, Disney Wonder in 2000 then nothing for 13 years. Kids are expensive!

For anyone who is a foodie, as much as I've enjoyed my Carnival cruises, they are not foodie worthy. I'm not a foodie and am okay with Carnival offerings but just okay with it. If I was a foodie I don't think I would have kept on sailing with them. I usually do the steak house one night on Carnival but beyond the one steak house on most Carnival ships, that's it in terms of specialty dining.

I've recently switched to RC mega Oasis class. Like Carnival the MDR and Windjammer buffet food is not foodie worthy. But as I stated in my review of Oasis of the Seas I'll just factor the cost of specialty dining into the overall cost of the cruise. It's impossible to know if RC specialty dining will rise to your foodie expectations but for me I had several good meals in specialty venues on Oasis. The difference is there are many different specialty venues on these ships, not just one higher end steak house. I like that variety.

For me it comes down to this. I'd rather spend a little more on a cruise and cruise less frequently, as opposed to frequent low end cruises at bargain prices. So I think you are on the right track, look for a ship that has dining options beyond MDR and just accept the cost as part of the overall experience.

I've booked Allure in May and got a deal through an agency that included two specialty dinners, plus access to the Coastal Kitchen for being in a suite. My travel companion has only done Carnival so we'll do the MDR once just for her to experience it, other than that it will be specialty dining.

I would avoid Princess. It really is geared towards an older crowd and the areas for teens/kids are usually limited...

I would suggest Carnival or one of the large ships of RCCL. The bigger ships offer lots of activities to keep your kids occupied.

While the experience is not what it was 10 years ago, the relative prices have dropped significantly when taking into account inflation. My first cruise was in '96 and cost $900 PP for an outside view. For about $50 less PP, I can now have a balcony (same line, same itinerary, better ship).

To me, it is a fair tradeoff. If you want the same experience, you may have to upgrade (at a cost) to a premium line.

For me, though, the mainstream lines still offer a superior experience for the cruise dollar.

I did not care for the MDR on NCL but the French, Sushi and Steak House were very good at a surcharge. I also liked the 24 hour snack bar on NCL where on other lines you only get Pizza 24/7.

Good thing to know going into it. Thanks!

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Good thing to know going into it. Thanks!

The only perk we really took advantage of on Disney was the cookie platters and cheese/cracker platters we had delivered free for room service each evening :) We are considering heavily the NCL Epic (i've read good and bad reviews about the layout and will keep researching with an open mind) because it has a lot of the bells and whistles that will excite our kids..and we liked the itinerary and they have a great deal on right now where you get free dining upgrade package (or UDP) which i think will appeal to our food enthusiast teens.

Sadly this is true!

My only help is stating that since you sailed ten years ago you will be expecting all the frills. Pleas note. All cruise lines for the past few years are doing major minor cutbacks to increase profit. Examples and others can help. No chocolate on the pillow, MDR no table cloths, you might get once a day room steward service, less crew to service passengers ect ect. It's still fun but don't think the perks are the same as ten years ago.