Family Cruising

The days when cruise ships were almost exclusively the preserve of the wealthy and elderly are long gone.  Nowadays, cruising is a holiday the whole family can enjoy, and the latest generation of cruise ships have children's facilities worthy of any land-based resort.

On the bigger ships, children get their own dedicated play areas, and even their own pools, as well as age-related activities ranging from face painting and quizzes to treasure hunts and talent shows.  On some ships there are even night nurseries and slumber parties, so parents can enjoy a romantic evening safe in the knowledge that their children are securely supervised.  It is not just the tinies who are catered for; teenagers can get together too with their own discos, games rooms, video arcades and activity clubs.  Some cruise lines also organise shore excursions specifically for youngsters, with special beach barbecues and sporting activities. 

Which Ship?

Cruising is a vast and varied business, and there are many many different types of ship.  When seeking a family cruise, the first question to ask yourself is whether you'd enjoy a large, "floating resort" style modern ship, or an older, more traditional vessel.  Ships like those offered by Thomson, Airtours, First Choice, P & O and MSC have a cosier feel than the state-of-the art mega-ships run by companies like Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises.  Their prices are lower, too, which could well be a key consideration when taking the whole family.  However, the children's facilities will be more limited.  Thomson's Sapphire, Airtours' Carousel and First Choice's Bolero, for example, have fairly small playrooms, though they have fully supervised children's clubs, and use areas of the decks and even some of the ship's lounges for meetings, games and activities.  At the other end of the price scale, babies and toddlers can sample life in a traditional nursery - staffed by fully trained Norland nannies - aboard Cunard's QE2.  For the biggest and best children's facilities, the new mega cruise ships are hard to beat. 

When booking a family cruise, double check that the offered facilities are still available.  Some ships only offer children's programmes during school holidays.  Don't regard a children's programme as a licence to forget about the kids for a week or so!  Many ships won't accept children under four in a club without a parent along too.  And don't book full day shore excursions if you have very young children.  Most companies insist at least one parent stays on board during a full day in port, in case a child becomes ill or distressed.

Ships' Facilities

• Carnival Cruise Line gives youngsters their own pools and deck areas, playrooms, video arcades and teen discos, as well as a "Camp Carnival" activity programme.  Their newest ship, the 2,040 passenger Elation, has facilities which include 2,500 square feet of "Children's World", with three areas; a computer lab, an arts and crafts centre and a climbing/adventure/activity area.  There is also an outdoor play centre in the shape of a schooner and an arcade featuring state-of-the-art virtual reality games.  And star-struck youngsters can take backstage tours to meet onboard entertainers as part of the ship's activities.
• Celebrity has American-style Slumber Parties as well as a wide range of age-related activities such as treasure hunts, T-shirt designing, quizzes and contests.
• Holland America Line gives youngsters the chance to enjoy a real adventure on its Alaska cruises with a dedicated shore excursion programme aimed specifically at children.  Activities include mountain hikes and sea kayaking.
• On Princess Cruises' latest ship the Grand Princess, children can enjoy a variety of theme-park-style rides in a 12-man hydraulic simulator, the highlight of the first virtual reality centre at sea.  And on Princess Cays, the company's private hideaway in the Bahamas, children can enjoy themselves at Pelican's Perch, a fully supervised play area specially constructed on the theme of a pirate ship.
• Norwegian Cruise Line gives children the chance to explore their own talents as entertainers with a Circus at Sea in which they can learn juggling, clowning and other circus skills to performance standard.  The Circus is part of the cruise line's Kid's Crew programme, which is divided into four age groups. 
• Disney's new ship Disney Magic, operates three and four day cruises to the Bahamas, packaged into seven-day holidays with stays at Florida's 46 square mile Walt Disney World resort.  Though it attracts singles and couples as well as families, Disney's children's facilities are its speciality, with new Disney films being shown in the ship's cinema, and practically an entire deck devoted to children.  For teenagers there is a New York style coffee house with music, big screen TV and computers; Disney characters are on board to play with three to eight year olds, and children aged nine to twelve get interactive computers and giant video walls.  There is also an extensive, fully supervised activity programme split into five age groups.  Youngsters pre-register for this before their cruise, then get a personal greeting and schedule on arrival.  And parents are guaranteed peace of mind with pagers to keep tabs on their kids.
• P&O's newer ships, the Oriana and Arcadia also offer excellent children's facilities for those who prefer a more British atmosphere.  The playrooms are called Peter Pan's, with teenage areas known as Decibels, and are fully staffed and equipped with everything form toys to video machines.  P&O run clubs for "tweens" (10-13) and teenagers.  There are children's pools on the Arcadia and Oriana, and for teenagers, a disco serving non-alcoholic drinks.  On both ships children up to five can be left in the supervised night nursery from 6p.m. to 2a.m., and on the Oriana there is an in-cabin baby listening facility.  (Remember to switch it off when you go to bed!)  With up to eight sailings a month from Britain and cruises ranging from four days to over three weeks, P&O offer a vast array of itineraries.  With Family Savers and Family Savers Plus deals, children can benefit from discounts of up to 90%.
• On Princess Cruises in the Caribbean and Alaska children over the age of six months can now travel aboard all ships.  They need to be over 12 months on European cruises, and over 18 months on more exotic destinations.  All nine Princess ships can cater for juniors, while the three newest "Grand Class" superliners offer fully equipped children's facilities.
• Crystal Cruises welcome children aboard their six-rated ships Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony.  There is a selection of three-berth staterooms; rooms dedicated to children's entertainment with toys and video games; a choice of indoor and outdoor pools; table tennis; and informal dining areas such as burger and ice cream bars.  Special children's programmes are arranged if more than 15 children are travelling, and baby-sitting can be arranged.  Prices for children under 12 years is 50% of the minimum cruise fare when accompanied by two full-fare paying guests.  A child of 12 or more sleeping in a third berth pays the minimum price for that cruise.

• Costa Cruises offer excellent facilities for children, particularly in the Mediterranean but also on board its Florida based ships - Costa Victoria and Costa Romantica.  During school holidays, the ships run supervised clubs for children offering a range of activities, and a baby-sitting service is available.
  Fred Olsen Cruise Lines welcomes families on board its two ships Black Watch and Black Prince during the popular holiday times - Easter, summer and Christmas.  Experienced children's hosts arrange plenty of activities and entertainment and both ships have a children's play room.  Excellent discounts are available for children up to 16 years when sharing a cabin with two full-fare paying adults.
  MSC, Italy's largest privately owned cruise line, operates four traditional cruiseliners, with Melody offering special facilities for children.  There is a special children's area with paddling pool.  During school holidays there are special staff on board to look after young children, arrange entertainment etc.
  Royal Caribbean International operates four kids clubs on board its fleet under the umbrella name of "Adventure Ocean".  Each club is specially formulated for each different age group with activities arranged accordingly.  The six Vision-class ships each have two specially designed club rooms, one for younger children and a "teen lounge" area featuring its own disco and juice bar.  The company has introduced a new "Adventure Science" programme designed to make education fun, through a blend of science and entertainment.  Kids of all ages are involved in making rockets, "Flubber" (slime) and bubbling potions.
  Thomson Cruises has its Thomson T-clubs onboard Emerald, Island Breeze, Sapphire and Topaz.  These clubs are free and provide two to three hours of games and activities six days a week for children aged between three to seven years (Little T Club) and eight to 12 (Big T Club).  Topaz also has a dedicated Teen meeting area on board.  Specific activities for teenagers are held during the peak summer period on all Thomson ships, minimum numbers permitting.

Family Cruising

Quick Reference Guide

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