Monday, April 1, 2024

Best Family Cruises: Which Is Right for You?

best family cruise lines

The ship is designed with families in mind, and it has a number of features that make it an ideal choice for a family vacation. This cruise line offers a wide variety of activities and entertainment for all ages. There are kid-friendly activities such as arts and crafts, game rooms, and pools. So whether you’re looking for a relaxing vacation with kids’ clubs or an action-packed adventure on a Dinsey cruise line, one of these family cruises is sure to be the ultimate family vacation. This Norway-based cruise company features voyages along the Norwegian coast, ocean cruises, and expeditions to the Caribbean, Antarctica, South America, and more. Exploring the Galápagos with Hurtigruten aboard the newly refitted expedition ship MS Santa Cruz is an ideal family cruise.

Best for All Ages

The amount and frequency of activities can often depend on how many children are on each sailing. Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.

How I Chose the Best Cruise Lines for Families

The Best Expedition Cruises For Families to Book in 2024 Condé Nast Traveler - Condé Nast Traveler

The Best Expedition Cruises For Families to Book in 2024 Condé Nast Traveler.

Posted: Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

John Shallo is the founder and editor of Cruise Addicts, a premier online community for cruise travelers.His love for cruising began after his first cruise in 1989. You can find him on the web and social media, sharing his latest cruise ship review, video, travel tips, and port guides. He hopes to continue sharing his experiences and inspiring others to enjoy cruise travel to its fullest. If a family cruise vacation is on your list, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from.

Paul Gauguin Cruises

Royal Caribbean has a whopping 27 cruise ships in its portfolio with another, Utopia of The Seas, scheduled for delivery in 2024. Cruising has long been a popular way for people to travel, especially for those that are retired. There’s something about getting to enjoy an endless amount of food, drinks, and onboard activities while the ship takes you from one destination to another.

NCL Kids' Club: Splash Academy

For adults who want time alone, the Night Owls program is for kids ages 6 months to 11 years. The Camp Ocean space takes on a slumber party feel with movies, arts and crafts, snacks and more. Family cabins and connecting staterooms give larger families their needed space. Royal and Regal Princess have outdoor play areas with a jungle gym for kids ages 3 to 7, and another for teens with a teens-only hot tub and space for outdoor parties. The kids' clubs are outfitted with foosball, air hockey and even Skee-Ball. Teen cruisers can choose from sports tournaments, themed parties, dance classes and late-night movies.

best family cruise lines

Sarah Christie and Donna Christie of Cruising Kids UK

Club Mariner operates during the summer and select holiday sailings. Though Royal Caribbean and Carnival cater to families, they differ in several ways. Carnival is more affordable and offers more family-friendly amenities.

Oh, and there’s all-you-can-eat ice cream, which will delight children of all ages. Don’t forget about Disney’s private island, which will surely be the cherry on top of your vacation if you are headed to the Bahamas. The Solarium includes a pool, whirlpool, and deck chairs which are placed under a retractable crystal canopy. The Park Cafe venue is also found in the Solarium, so you can grab a bite to eat. The Disney Wonder is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company.

best family cruise lines

In 2015, Ming created Your Cruise Coach and transitioned into travel writing, preaching the merits of cruising via her partnerships with Canadian and American travel trade publications as well as consumer media outlets. An avid cruiser since 1991, Ming has sailed on over 70 cruises and has experienced over 25 ocean, river, and expedition cruise lines combined. Higher-end cruise lines like expedition cruises offer robust educational programs for kids as well as adults. A family-friendly cruise might also have a place for the adults to relax such as a spa or adults-only area. As part of Princess' work with Discovery, kid- and teen-friendly spaces on several of its ships feature lively, modern decor. Discovery-inspired programming, which includes fun and educational activities, has rolled out fleetwide.

Other Kid-Friendly Perks on MSC Cruises

In addition, Costa’s onboard babysitting services give parents some well-deserved time to themselves. However, sailors can expect a kids’ club for children as young as 4 years old on Europa and Europa 2, the cruise line’s 2 ocean liners. Activities include language classes, unique children’s excursions designed around the interests of the kids onboard, and even spa treatments for kids as young as 8 years old. Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean kids club has a variety of activities, many with an adventure and science theme, making the vacation fun and educational. Aquanauts is for kids ages 3 to 5, Explorers is for kids 6 to 8, and Voyagers is for kids 9 to 12, and the activities and physical spaces are age-appropriate.

Mini Club is for ages 3 to 6, Junior Club is for ages 7 to 11, Young Club is for ages 12 to 14 and Teen Club is for ages 15 to 17. Activities range from sports and dance to video games, theme parties and more. The flexibility and choice make it one of the best cruise lines for families, especially those who need to satisfy diverse interests or get bored with the same activities day after day. On Grand-class ships (Ruby Princess, Crown Princess and Emerald Princess), there are two large pools that are suitable for families (Calypso Reef and Pool, and Neptune Reef and Pool), plus a splash pool. While all ships have parent-child play areas and care for babies 6 months to 3 years, only NCL Escape offers drop-off, extra-fee childcare for very small children in the Guppies Nursery.

There are also programs for tweens and teens with hangout spaces and arcades. You’ll be hard-pressed to ever feel bored during a Royal Caribbean family cruise. Onboard an MSC cruise ship, you’ll find water slides, a sports court, a really fun kid’s club and teen club. The kid’s club area is a great place to leave your children so they can meet new people, do fun activities and play video games. Families that want the ultimate family vacation with all the bells and whistles, it’s best to book one of the newer Carnival cruise ships, such as Carnival Mardi Gras or Carnival Celebration.

One of P&O Cruises’ standout offerings for many parents has been the free-of-charge, supervised Night Nursery for children under four years of age. Disney Dream features a replica of the Millennium Falcon from "Star Wars," where young ones can play pilot or learn lightsaber techniques from a Jedi Master. You can rest assured knowing that your children are in good hands because the Royal Caribbean kids' program counselors are some of the friendliest and most engaging in the business. Adults-only solariums are perfect for parents and grandparents, and there are a plethora of dining and evening entertainment options. Securing reservations and purchasing packages before you sail lets you score the best savings available anywhere.

However, the cruise lines on this list each have unique kids and teens programs that you should be aware of. River cruises have traditionally been more popular with older cruisers but are now appealing to the younger crowds as well. Most cruise lines don’t have kid or family programs and some outright don’t allow kids under 18, though Adventures by Disney and AmaWaterways have partnered to offer river cruising for families (more on that later). As for dining, Royal Caribbean offers My Family Time Dining for families with kids ages 3 to 11.

The 6 Best Kid-Friendly Cruises for Your Family Cruise - Cruise Critic

The 6 Best Kid-Friendly Cruises for Your Family Cruise.

Posted: Tue, 25 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Take a dip in a pool, chill out in a hot tub, play every sport imaginable (from shuffleboard to mini golf), and catch a tan at the Reef Family Splash Zone, a mini water park with games, pools, and water features. There are even kids’ clubs to give parents a break to enjoy nightclubs, fitness facilities, or the adults-only pool. If you want to splash and play on your family vacation, you can ride the AquaDunk or AquaDuck water coasters, romp in Donald’s Pool or Goofy’s Pool, or enjoy the sparkling pool at Mickey’s AquaLab. From poolside games and movie nights to dance classes and educational programs, there is something for everyone to enjoy. For starters, the ship has a waterslide park with two slides, a pool, and a splash pad for kids. Families can also enjoy the ship’s mini-golf course, zip line, rock-climbing wall, and sports court.

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