Short Cruise Suitable for a 4 Y/o & a 21 Y/o

My sister took her kids that were 4 and 5 on a Carnival cruise and signed them up for the Carnival Camp Kids (or something like that). Her kids loved it. They had games and activities to keep the kids occupied all day, and I think as late as 10 pm. The cruise lines also have babysitters available to come to your room. Carnival, I believe, is the least expensive out there. And depending on when you go, you can spend less than $400 a person. You have to figure that anywhere you go, you will need 2 hotel rooms, at about $100 a night per room, you really are saving money by going on a cruise, because the $400 includes room, food and activities. As for the 21 year old, all cruise lines will probably be the same, since at 21 they can take part in all activities offered on board. I don't believe Camp Kids cost anything additional, but I haven't found a cruise line yet, that doesn't charge full fare for a kid.

Fun!! We have done a couple cruises for family reunions and they are a great way for family to have fun together, but also for the 21 year old to be able to do his own thing sometimes. We did Royal Caribbean and Carnival, both were really nice and we had a great time. Check who goes out of the port that you are looking at and what their onboard activities are for the 4 year old, since most have a kid's camp where they will watch and entertain him. The interior rooms are nice, and if you don't plan to spend much time in the room I wouldn't pay the extra for the balcony. Also check the boats out online so you can see what activies- pools, mini golf, rock wall, slides, etc they have on the boats that everyone might enjoy. For days at sea there were tons of activities on board for the whole family to enjoy. We had about 15 people, so we all did our own thing during the day, usually in small groups, but every night everyone went to dinner together. The dinners are great too, but you will probably want to make sure you get the early seating.

I'm not sure if that really helped much, but I hope you find a great cruise to take for everyone and enjoy your vacation!

We've been on both Royal Carribean and Disney. Disney, is the BEST for kids, hands down. Disney, knows how to handle lots of people, especially kids, cause they have theme parks. Disney has snacks aboard the ship at all times. 4 year olds eat at various times of the day, so Disney has drinks and snacks all time of the day. That helped me out so much with my 5 year old on our Disney Cruise. We went in Nov/Dec of 2010 on a 7 day cruise to the Carribbean. Disney has shows, 3 pools, tons of activities for the family. They have activities for teens also. There is a movie theater 3D movie theater. Disney movies are on the TV in the room. Lots of things to do on the boat and off the boat. I highly recommend a Disney cruise. It is more expensive, however it is worth the money!!! Royal Carribbean is great, I've been on 2 of them. They do have a kids club area and kids activities. I know they have different ships with different activities. It will be cheaper than a Disney, if you want a 3 day cruise. We cruised out of Port Canavaral, FL for our Disney Cruise and Miami for the Royal Carribbean cruise.

Carnival Cruises have a nice 4 day that goes from Long Beach CA to Ensenada Mexico and back. And I believe the 5 day stops at Catalina Island as well. We went on that and it was fun. But you are in FL so I'm sure there are tons of options for you. Why don't you check with a travel agent? They would know for sure. Congrats and have fun!!!

We have taken our kids on 2 Carnival Cruises (2009 & 2010) and when we went on our 1st, our kids were 2 (had turned two 3 weeks before) and our oldest was 4. We ALL had a BLAST!! The Cruise offers a FREE Kids Camp which mine loved, but kids have to be 2 and older. If you wait until the little one is 2, they will be together at kids camp while you and your hubby take an hour or 2 for yoursleves if you want. They have arts & crafts, movies, treasure hunts and so on. There are Kiddie pools, regular pools and an adult only area on most ships. The college grad will love it too. There are Casinos, entertainment by the pool area, shows and so on.

There is usually a formal night, so great oppertunity for a new family photo too.

You get so much bang for your buck on a cruise. There are islands to see, lots to do or plenty of opportunity for relaxing. I would get a Balcony room if you can swing it, makes it sooo much nicer to hear the ocean while sleeping :) There are formal dining areas and buffets so you can get in and out. Free 24 hr room service, self serve ice cream and 24 hr pizza.

Royal Carib the kids have to be 3 and older for the kids camp just a FYI.

We just booked another Carnival cruise for August! Cannot wait!! GREAT family trip!!

You can talk to the 21-year-old about this and see what he thinks, but we did a 3-day Disney Cruise 2 months ago and it was PHENOMENAL. There was me, hubby, my stepsons who are 16 and 17, and our daughter who is 3, and we all had a fantastic time! I don't know if your stepson will think Disney is too "kiddie" but I know our boys hung out in the teen club and loved it, our 3 year old loved the kid's club, and they have plenty of adult bars and clubs and other spaces for the 21+ set (including a deck and pool that is for 18 and up only and the spa). They have 3-day and 4-day cruises, as well as 7-day ones. We can't wait to go again! If you guys are Disney fans, you will love it!