Have you tried Royal Caribbean?

Royal Caribbean ships have all you need. Independence of the Seas is the latest, she sails from Southampton to the Med during the summer.
Any idea where you want to cruise from/to?

Royal Caribbean would be best for your Daughter but Celebrity would suit your Parents and you as well as your Daughter.
There is a lot to do on these Ships but I would recommend a smaller Royal Caribbean ship like Brilliance or Jewel of the Seas over these GIANT ships.
Less people less noise and possibly less small children and therefore less buggies to dodge! Sorry nothing against buggies but these giant ships are very much targeting the family and there have been some family offers which will attract a lot of small children. Me I cruise with Celebrity or Cunard these days but I did travel with RCC and also Princess is another line to think about.
Depends whether you want to fly out to join the ship say in the Med. or if you want to sail from Southampton. You may not want the Med but North Europe but the weather will be less reliable.
If you can give some idea of what you are looking for in duration destination and budget then we will be able to give you more detailed information.

Sue

Are you looking for this year or next? There are a lot of good late and even prime time offers this year more than ever. If you go out of school holiday time there will be more offers and less children.

Sue

hi, we would like to sail from southhampton, not bothered where we sail to, do they do cabins for 3, and can you pay for upgrade for alcahol.

Your choice from Southampton would be Sea Princess Grand Princess,Princess cruises.
Independence of the Seas. RCCL, Ventura P&O

Not sure but I can't think that any of these would do an inclusive alcohol package. Some lines will do a wine package but this I note is not offered as much as before.
Soda soft drinks you can buy a package as soft drinks are normally about $1.95.
If you are looking at a cruise which will offer an all inclusive I am afraid you are back to something like Island Cruises or Thomson. I think that you can do much better than what they offer but then I would advise you to stay clear of both.
Old ships and yes they are OK but not really compared to the Major cruise lines.

No doubt others will be able to offer different advice. I have sailed with Princess Cunard RCCL and Celebrity and nowadays mostly with Celebrity and Cunard. I just love the QM2
2 cruises booked for later in the year on Celebrity ships. 12 Night Med and 14 night New Zealand and Australia.

Sorry can't give you more information and others may be able to give more suitable advice.

Sue

thanks for your replys, just wondered which celebrity ship to look at.

I would suggest that you look at the website for Royal Caribbean Celebrity Princess and have a look at their ships. Perhaps Ventura and all the P&O ships sail from Southampton.

Then you can look at itinerary, availability, and prices you will get a much better price doing it through a Travel Agent. I personally use Scotland's Cruise Centre but I will often find a deal and then call Ali. Expect to get at least 10% off but this year on many Cruise Travel Agents. Cruise Kings Jetline Voyana Gill travel you will find offers.
Cruise Club UK is another with offers.
Look at the Teletext and I usually look at pages 228 263 and 227 (personally I don't like 227 as a lot of what is on it I am not interested in)

Hope this helps just do your homework.

Sue

The only Celebrity ship sailing from England is Constellation, sailing from Harwich. No Celebrity cruises leave from Southampton. The Constellation goes to the Baltic, an area rich in culture.

If I may comment on some of the suggestions already made. Given the age range of your group, I would say Royal Caribbean would be best suited to you. We have a 17 year old daughter, and RC is her favourite cruiseline. There is much to catch your interest on their ships, and some of it will certainly not suit your elderly parents. The beauty of cruising is that entertainment is varied, and they can be enjoying "their thing" in the evenings whilst you, hubby and daughter enjoy some of the other things. There is always a fantastic atmosphere in the centre area of the ship where the shops etc. are, and they have parties and parades there on some nights. You will be able to dip in and out of where your parents are if you need to keep an eye on them.

Please indicate when you are thinking of and we will try and be more specific. Much of the advice given by others is good, but can be more focused if we know when etc.

Since you are not bothered where you sail to - (really?) then go for the ship that has the most attractions, since that will be your resort.
One of the RCCL ships already mentioned should have all you need- do a little reading on their website or get some brochures and see which one, which itinerary appeals. You expressed an interest in a larger ship- they have so many amenities to suit each generation of your family- I have sailed on Freedom of the Seas which is the same size as Independence, and it is so large it never feels crowded, all the kids are busy in the H2O zone, or ice skating rink- also on Navigator and Mariner, other large ships and never felt crowded. Of course time of year affects the demographic, if you want to avoid young families then avoid school holidays. We sail every summer and have never felt like there were too many kids or buggies around...The entertainment options are very good. The only drink card RCCL has is a Coke card for $6 per day pp which is a good deal. Everything else is included in your cruise price other than excursions and onboard shopping/drinks. Good luck in your search. The planning comparing and choosing is one of the best parts of cruising.

I would agree that given the age span and particularly with your teenage daughter then Royal Caribbean would be the best option.
This would mean Independance of the Seas and if others who have been on it feel that it is spacious then really have a good look and find out a bit more.
Get a DVD from some of the TA or you may be able to order it on line.
As has been said part of the holiday is choosing after careful consideration and then finding out about Ports etc once you have made a decision. Only you can make the ultimate decision and if it is all new to you there can be an overload of info.
Take a step back and decide when you want to go do a little more homework eg work out your budget and see what is out there that matches this. If it is for next year as opposed to this then there is no hurry. Often there will be offers to book early like £100 off per person.
The other thing to keep in mind is that if the price of your cruise comes down you can ask your chosen TA to obtain that price drop for you.
If it is next year then give yourself and the family to take in all the info and see what they are looking for. I agree that out of Southampton is probably RCI.

There will be plenty of advice out there and also have a look on Cruise Critic as you will also get a lot of info there.

Sue

You don't say when you plan on cruising but Carnival Splendor (new ship) has some itineraries from Dover this summer.

looking to go about sept 09, is this time of year ok, swimming on deck etc, thinking of a med cruise, can your travel agent get a reduced price for you even after you have booked? sorry i have so many questions.

September is just fine for the Med. Better in fact that July and August which can be very hot but also crowded as with the school holidays everywhere.
On the question of price drops. When you book if you are booked with a company that do price drops EG Royal Caribbean Celebrity Princess not sure about others. You personally have to moniter the Cruise Company's web site and just keep checking the prices. When you spot a price drop you need to ask your travel agent to obtain that drop for you.
Some are not keen but it was my Travel Agent who told me that I could do this. Any time there has been a drop they have always got it for me. The Cruise Company will only deal with you if you have booked directly with them.
You will lost some of the discount on the original booking as the TA will have reduced commission. I have had price drops on my 2 cruises booked. 2 on the Summit of first £46 and the £245 on a special for over 55's
Millennium in NOvember I have got a £260 drop from when I first booked. I have had price drops on nearly all the cruises I have booked over the past 2+ years since I got this information. I have also had upgrades from Cunard by 7 grades don't really know why. I have also upgraded my cruise with the price drops.
Another thing to look out for is that the grades above may have lower prices than the lower grade. If you look just now eg at the Summit Cruise for 27th August you will see classic of this. Check the outside grades and also the Balcony but I think the 2c balcony is sold out but it was higher than the 2B and 2A.
My friend was on a 2C but upgraded to a 2B when the price dropped and she still got a discount of £72.
It all takes a lot of time but if you just check perhaps once a week when you have your booking made.

There are sometime offers for booking early that end up the best buy. Prices do go up and right now the price on Summit has gone up as it is now selling well.

Hope this information is helpful. Any other questions just ask.

Sue

I think ( from our experiences in May aboard) that Independence of the Seas ticks just about all your boxes. Although enormous, never feels crowded, plenty to do, theatres, ice rink, shows, bingo (with HUGE prizes) quizzes, bars...................