Cruise industry estimates suggest that one million children will sail in 2009 on family cruises. But choosing the right ship for a family cruise can be difficult. You have to take into consideration how your children will be treated – do their ages mean they be split up in the children’s club or kept together? Are they allowed in all the restaurants? Can you book babysitting? What is there for teens? Choose carefully as different ships are suited to different family tastes.
Cruising With Babies
It’s a little-known fact but Cunard Line has one of the best nurseries at sea on its flagship ocean liner, Queen Mary 2. Although Cunard is more associated with white-glove service, ballroom dancing and haute cuisine, there’s an informal side to life on board, too. Queen Mary 2 has a traditional English pub, the Golden Lion, a family swimming pool and casual dining in the Lido, so there’s plenty away from the black ties and tiaras for young families. Babies as young as one can be left in the care of fully qualified British nannies in The Zone and even smaller children can use the soft play areas with parental supervision. There’s a night nursery where kids can sleep while parents dress up and enjoy the glamour of evenings on board.
Cruising With Young Children
British favourite P&O Cruises is perfectly geared up to caring for young children. Its children’s clubs are split into sensibly narrow age ranges, so two to four-year olds are together in the ‘Splashers’ club on Ventura, Aurora, Oriana and Oceana, the line’s four family-friendly ships. Ventura is probably the most child-orientated ship of all; its children’s club has regular appearances by Noddy and Mr Bump and this age group has a huge space including a soft play area and ball pool in which to let off steam. There’s a bright, airy, family-friendly restaurant, The Beach House, with menus designed by Marco Pierre White as well as five swimming pools and a night nursery offering group babysitting.
Cruising With Pre-teens
You can’t beat Royal Caribbean’s bigger ships for the type of non-stop action to wear active children out. Voyagers, aged nine to 11 in the Adventure Ocean kids’ club on every Royal Caribbean ship, enjoy creative activities like mad science experiments, drama lessons, backstage tours, beach parties and scavenger hunts. The massive, 3,600-passenger Freedom-class ships have an ice rink, a climbing wall, surf simulator, water park, mini golf, sports court and numerous child-friendly restaurants, from Ben & Jerry’s to Johnny Rockets, a 50s-style diner. Families will love the ice show and skating lessons – and parents can escape to adults-only sunbathing areas and the magnificent spa.
Cruising With Teenagers
Not all teens will join the organised kids’ clubs offered by bigger ships – so how about something more like "Pirates of the Caribbean" for maximum kudos when the photos are loaded onto their Facebook page? Star Clippers, which has three magnificent square-rigged tall ships, carries a lot of families in summer. Teens will love climbing the mast to the crow’s nest, sunbathing in the bowsprit nets, playing with the free watersports toys when the ship is at anchor and exploring some of the Mediterranean's coolest ports – shopping for designer knock-offs in the market in Kusadasi and posing in Mykonos.
There are, of course, many other lines that welcome families. The trick of getting it right when cruising with kids is to figure out what your family wants from a cruise, do your research, and shop around.
Sue Bryant - Cruising is addictive, there's no question, whether it's the romance and nostalgia of crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 or the ...
