It’s a vacation we all dream of. Cruising sounds so relaxing and romantic. While it’s fun to cruise with your spouse, it’s also fun to cruise with your kids. Yes, you heard me right. Cruising with your kids can be fun!
How do you cruise with your kids and make it memorable?
1. Plan the cruise with your kids. Gather their input. Shop for some port guides, do internet research, and find pictures of the port’s you’ll be visiting. Make a list of your “Must-Do’s” and “Want To Do’s” at all locations.
2. Prepare your kids. Load up on snacks, books, and things to keep them busy on the way to the ship before boarding. Prepare them for what to expect when on board the ship as well as different activities on the ship. Go over each port that you’ll be visiting and talk to them about the culture there. Supply each child with a disposable camera of their own. When you return, you’ll have lots of photos from each family member. It’s neat to see the different things each person took pictures of.
3. Ditch your kids. Yes, thats right. There are LOTS of things for kids to do, and kids clubs to be a part of while on board your ship. Parents, have a date night {or two, or three} while on your cruise. Lots of cruise lines have supervised childcare and programs for every age level. Amazing right? Yes, its all included in your cruise fare.
4. Play with your kids. It’s a family vacation – make the most of it! Take advantage of all the activities on board {shows, contests, bingo, and the list goes on and on} as well as the pools, mini golf courses, water-slides, restaurants, all you can eat ice cream bar that’s open 24 hours a day, rock climbing walls, etc. Have fun!
What are some of the best cruise-lines to go with while cruising with kids?
We have cruised 8 times – 6 of those times, we’ve taken our children. We’ve cruised with Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. This December, we’re cruising with Norwegian and I’m really excited to see what they have to offer. While this isn’t a trip we’re taking our kids on, I’ll definitely be checking out the kids activities, programs, and areas for future trips we’ll bring our children on.
Some of the best family cruise lines are:
We’re extremely excited to be cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line in just a couple of months.
Holland America is a great one, too!
I’ve heard great things about HA as well!
We are taking our 2nd cruise (1st one with the kids) and we decided on Disney. We set sail in February. We are all so excited. Thanks for the tips 🙂
Heather, how did you like the Disney cruise?