Cruising with kids is a great way to travel as a family. Whether you have babies or toddlers, tweens or teenagers, planning a cruise with kids can meet the needs of children of all ages. And they keep traveling parents happier and more relaxed.
Cruising is equally great for multigenerational family trips, as various family members and age groups can keep as busy and together, or as quiet and independent as they wish. Our guide to how to cruise with kids of all ages will help you will help you plan the ultimate family cruise.
11 tips for cruising with kids of all ages
Choose the right cruise line for your family
There’s no right or wrong way to choose which cruise line will be good for you. They all have their pros and cons. The important choice is which line suits your family’s travel style, as well as the age and interest of your children.
If your kids adore the House of Mouse in any shape or form, you’ll earn major parental bonus points by booking a family friendly cruise line like Disney. If you enjoy a more refined experience with fantastic dining and top drawer service, Celebrity is a great choice.
For spring break fun, you can’t go wrong with the ‘fun ships‘ of the Carnival Line. or Norwegian Cruise Lines There’s a cruise trip style for everyone, at every price.
Part of the decision will be influenced by your destination and time of year. A Caribbean cruise at spring break will be filled with families and college students. There will be partying, but you don’t have to boogie down if that’s not your scene.
An Alaskan cruise is light on the poolside time and heavy with nature, wildlife and amazing excursions.
Talk to your kids ahead of time about what they’d like to do, on-board and in port. If they’re very young, pick a cruise that will cater to their needs and leave you time to enjoy yourself as well.
Pay attention to minimum age requirements for travel
Some cruise lines have age minimums for travel. Disney Cruise Lines allows babies as young as 12 weeks on-board, while for other lines it’s six months.
Always check with a travel agent or cruise provider before booking to ensure your wee one can come aboard and sail away with you.
If you need childcare for that a romantic evening in the formal dining room, book nursery or baby-sitting time as early as you can. Even before departure if possible.
Cruise lines may also restrict non-potty-trained kids from using pool facilities on-ship. Several cruise lines such as Disney and Royal Caribbean have splash pad areas on select ships for the diaper-clad crowd.
Pack wisely
Your cruise destination will dictate your suitcase packing style – flip-flops (Bahamas) or walking shoes (Alaska). In addition to what you’d normally pack for the kids, or ensure they include in their own packing routine, plan for extra SPF-coated bathing suits, sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses and hats.
If you’re heading to Alaska or crossing the Atlantic, jackets, long pants, warm hats and mittens should find their way into your bags. Even in August, it can get cold out standing out on deck or walking through scenic Ketchican or Juneau.
For port days, make sure your diaper bag or day-bag/backpack includes refillable water bottles, antibac wet-wipes, tissues (that can double for toilet paper), sunscreen and snacks that won’t melt and that your kids will enjoy. And of course, your camera, smartphone and selfie stick.
Sign up for the kids clubs
Even if your child is shy or hesitant about being away from you, check out the kid camp orientation session upon embarkation. Cruise lines offer kid friendly camps, which are included in your cruise fare, as a great way for kids to make new friends and enjoy fun activities on the ship.
On-board kids camps may have a minimum age, such as Carnival Line’s Camp Carnival, which accepts kids as young as 2 years old.
The clubs keep kids busy with arts and crafts, movies, video games, ropes courses, toy-time and good-old-fashioned hanging out, like at Carnival’s Teen Club 02, or Disney’s Edge Club.
Older kids can come and go as they please, while parents need to sign out their younger children for security reasons.
Choose an appropriate cabin
Cruises offer suites and cabins to suit every size of family and budget. Spend some time online or with a cruise-specialist travel agent to pick a cabin that suits your family’s needs.
If you have a large family, you may prefer a family stateroom or adjoining cabins. If traveling with two young kids (under ten), you can get by easily in one room that can accommodate four people.
With older teenagers, consider booking an adjoining or separate room. They will enjoy their independence to come and go as they please, and mom and dad will enjoy the privacy, relaxation, and space of their own parental stateroom.
We did this on our most recent cruise, and it was a really good idea, one of the best travel decisions we’ve ever made.
And don’t forget about the bathrooms. Most cabin bathrooms are shower-only. If having a tub is important to you, make sure to book a cabin that is outfitted with one.
Safety first
Everyone has to undergo the Muster Station drill before the ship sets sail on your cruise holiday. This is when ship’s personnel review the emergency procedures for each cruise line.
Take some additional time to go over your own ‘cabin rules’ with your kids after that orientation.
Depending on their age and maturity level, it may be as simple as agreeing to ‘meet for dinner every evening’, or ensuring that they know never to stray from your sight unless singed into a Kids Camp or other sanctioned activity.
Stay healthy
When booking your cruise and stateroom, play attention to the room’s location on the ship. Book midship to avoid excess motion if you or your kids are prone to nausea.
Talk to your family doctor or pharmacist about vaccinations or motion sickness patches, those little dots placed behind the ear. Buy them before departure as you may not find them for sale onboard. And pack some gravol or dramamine, just in case.
During your cruise, make use of the antibacterial gel dispensers found throughout the ship and wash your hands frequently.
I always pack disinfectant wipes and clean off every surface in our stateroom before unpacking. Sanitizing the taps, tv remote and door handles puts me at ease.
If you or a family member become ill, contact ship’s doctor or medical staff. They will want to ensure that you’re not contagious. If you are, staff may enforce room confinement to protect the health of other passengers.
If anyone in your travel party has serious, pre-existing health conditions, ensure you have solid travel insurance, including emergency ship’s evacuation. This can be an extremely expensive bill to pay post-holiday if you are not fully covered.
Go ashore and explore port destinations
You’ve likely picked a cruise based on its ports of call. A big part of the excitement of cruising is visiting new destinations for a day, whether it’s just hanging out at Castaway Cay, enjoying a food tour in the old town Puerto Vallarta, or ziplining in the US Virgin Islands.
Sign up for excursions via the cruise line, do your own research and book your own private tour guide or activity, or just walk off on your own adventure.
We’ve done all three types of port visits, and they’ve turned out equally well over the years. In fact, after feeling the ‘herd-like’ aspects of cruise life, it’s quite liberating to discover places in the Caribbean like old San Juan, Puerto Rico, or Charlotte Amalie (USVI) entirely on your own.
But don’t forget
If you book excursions through the cruise line and they get cancelled due to weather, as happened on our visit to Cabo San Lucas, those monies will be automatically credited back to you. This may not be the case with private tours, so be sure to check a company’s cancellation policies.
Whether you choose to be active during your port visits, or stay on the ship for some quiet time (that’s okay too!), be flexible, and know your family and its limits. Make your cruise holiday your own.
Do your research
In addition to your chosen cruise line’s own website (which is usually excellent), check out CruiseCritic. It has amazing and up-to-date information to answer any cruise question you could possible come up with.
Plus, their community boards have loads of invaluable tips, tricks and advice from other cruisers just like you.
We’ve used the boards to help determine which stateroom would be more quiet than another (hint: away from elevators and entertainment areas). You can also locate or start a Roll Call to find and chat with other passengers travelling on the same cruise ship as your family. It’s a great way to search for other families or people travelling from your own hometown.
Before you weigh anchor
Have fun! Relax, enjoy each others company, make some great family travel memories. Happy Sailing!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Photo Credits: C Laroye.
Have you cruised with your family? Share your tips, do’s and don’ts in the comments!
- 7 unique places to experience Ainu culture in Hokkaido - March 22, 2024
- How to enjoy Vancouver’s Cherry Blossom Season - March 21, 2024
- 23 surprising things to do in Abbotsford - March 18, 2024
