Modern and packed to the rafters with amenities, our cruise ships offer the perfect holiday environment for the
entire family! Swimming pools, sports facilities, organised activities - everything is practically within arm's reach,
which will keep the kids happy whilst mums and dads enjoy some time on their own, soaking up the sun perhaps or relaxing
at the spa. Combine this with a different city or island to explore almost every day and you'll find there's never a
dull moment!
Where to go?
When choosing a family cruise, it's best to opt for islands where a wide range of activities may be available, with
stops in well-known ports that offer museums, aquariums, zoos or other activities to excite the young and the young at
heart! The Caribbean is a great all-round family destination with water sports aplenty, dolphin encounters, nature
trails and miles and miles of sandy beach to play on.
Activities for kids
As well as off-shore activities for children, there is plenty to keep them amused as you sail from port to port. It
is not uncommon for there to be over 1,000 kids on board the big ships of Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival,
providing lots of opportunities to make friends and socialise! There are organised activities to suit all ages,
supervised by specially trained professionals, so you know your children are always in good hands. Common features
include swimming pools, rock-climbing walls, basketball courts, ice-skating rinks and miniature golf courses. With so
much on offer, they'll be kept busy from dawn till dusk!
Cabin options
Numerous Staterooms on most cruise liners have connecting rooms, making them perfect for families. If you want a
connecting room, simply request at time of booking. Cots can also be requested. Carnival prides itself on the spacious
Staterooms which are ideal for families.
Tiny tots
Most cruise ships accept children from the age of 2 years upwards. Disney is the exception to this, however, with a
fleet-wide nursery for infants from 12 weeks old. Carnival also accepts children from 4 months upwards. When travelling
with babies, make sure you bring plenty of nappies and formula with you if required, as your ship may not stock the brand
you prefer. When going ashore, ask at the purser's office for recommendations of local hotels where you could spend the
day, lounging by the pool and taking advantage of their facilities. Many of the larger cruise lines, such as Carnival,
offer a babysitting service, so you and your partner can enjoy a romantic evening!
Child safety
All our cruise lines provide a safe and secure environment for you and your children. Doctors and nurses are on call
24 hours a day and everyone on board must participate in a compulsory safety drill before departure to comply with
international safety regulations. When leaving children in the care of supervisors, parents must always complete a sign-in,
sign-out form. Disney have pagers to locate parents if necessary and Norwegian Cruise Lines employ a name-tag system.
The safety of your children is always of paramount importance with staff specially trained to reinforce this.
Disney
Kids
Let their imaginations sail free in the Oceaneer Club (3-7 years) and the Oceaneer Lab (8-12 years). Activities for the younger ones include Animation Antics, Detective
School, Swinging Like Tarzan and JoJo's Circus. The older ones can take part in
workshops, camp out in the fresh ocean air and enjoy a pool
party.
Teens
A haven for 13-17 year olds, there are no adults, no little kids - just teens, teens, teens! The Stack is packed
with music, fims, video games, big-screen plasma TVs, a dance floor, Internet café and teen-only activities. There's
also an H20 splashdown pool party and a Teen Tribal Challenge!
Eats
Dining times are set at 6.00pm and 8.30pm with a separate kids' menu. Favourite kids' haunts include Pinocchio's
Pizzeria, Pluto's Dog House Snack Bar and Scoops for ice cream.
Carnival
Kids
Children aged 2-14 years can choose from an incredible range of activities. The 2-5 year olds , can enjoy bingo, cartoon time, sponge painting, singalongs and face painting. Older kids will be kept happy with arts and crafts galore, talent shows, dance parties, swimming,
scavenger hunts and puppet shows.
Teens
Younger teens (12-14 years) will love swimming, outdoor games, disco parties and late-night films and munchies! Older kids (15-17 years) will have their very own teen club, complete with state-of-the-art sound and lighting
system, a DJ and 'mocktail lounge' serving non-alcoholic speciality drinks!
Eats
There are 2 meal settings with special menus, plus
buffet restaurants where you can eat any time of the day.
Royal Caribbean cruise lines
Kids
Clubs are divided into 5 age groups. Younger
children will enjoy face painting and finger puppets, whilst older kids will love ice-skating, karaoke, talent shows,
bingo tournaments and RCC's very own rock-climbing wall!
Teens
The Navigators (12-14 years) and the Guests (15-17 years) can join in events all day or come and go as they please
with sports activities, themed parties and film nights on the agenda. Teens can also meet in the laid-back Living
Room lounge or dance into the night at teen-only nightclub, Fuel!
Eats
The 'Captain Sealy's Kids' Galley Menu' with its favourites On 3 nights during a 7-day cruise, children can eat with kids' club counsellors from 6.00pm-7.00pm.
Norwegian cruise lines
Kids
NCL have 3 main age groups; Junior
Sailors (2-5 years), First Mates (6-9 years) and Navigators (10-12 years). Each group has its own special activities
including circus games, arts and crafts, cookery classes and treasure hunts.
Teens
By day, teens aged 13-17 years can enjoy pool parties, volleyball, basketball, the Newlymet Game and trivia
contests. At night, there's also plenty to keep them happy with Broadway-style shows, line dancing, teen discos and fantastic themed parties.
Eats
Norwegian Cruise Lines' freestyle cruising concept means you can always find somewhere great to eat whenever
the kids are hungry.
Costa Cruises
Kids
The Mini (3-6 years) and Maxi club's (7-11 years) spend their days immersed in activities like fancy dress parades, clownery and treasure hunts. The Fun@Sea programme has 2 themed evenings per cruise.
Teens
Teen Junior (ages 12-14 years) and Teen (ages 15-17 years) enjoy a vast range of sports acitivites on board as well as Olympic-Teen. They can enjoy quiz nights, hip-hop or latin dance classes and themed discos. Plenty to keep them entertained in th safe-knowledge that they are still being (discreetly) monitored.
Eats
Costa offer a children's menu with a varied selection of dishes. So if your child is selective, or prepared to try new foods, there will be something available for them on this cruise.