9 reasons for families to cruise together & tips for doing it better
When the stress of everyday life takes its toll on your family, it’s time for a vacation! You can take an itinerary-packed trip from which you return more tired than when you left or rent a beach house or cabin on a lake where you cook all your own meals and do the dishes, too. Why not take a cruise instead? You won’t have to lift a finger besides packing your suitcase. I wouldn’t recommend cruising with a baby, toddler or even preschooler, because caring for them is a full-time job – no matter where you are. But when the kids are just a bit older, sailing with the whole family is a great way to spend a vacation.
You’ll want to choose your itinerary and ship carefully. I look for ships with lots of activities appropriate for my kids’ ages. Note the age groups in the kids’ clubs, so you know if your kids will be split up or get to go to the same place together. Look for special programming, ports of call, and excursions that will be of interest to your family. And avoid ships and itineraries that cater to partying young adults or don’t have children’s programming.
Need more convincing? Read my 9 reasons for booking a family cruise.
1. Force yourself to unplug
Modern families get pulled every-which-way by work, school, and activities. And when we do have down time, television, electronics, emails, and social media are all clamoring for our attention. Even on regular vacations to theme parks and big cities, we’re constantly on the go and still connected to home via phones and internet. But there’s no cell phone service at sea (and no WiFi unless you pay extra). So if you’re a workaholic, you’re forced to take it easy. On our most recent cruise aboard the Ruby Princess, we ate dinner together seven nights in a row and enjoyed each other’s company without distractions or interruptions.
KidTripster Tip: On our last cruise, Princess sold very expensive internet minutes, but the connections were apparently so slow and unreliable that the crew frequently joked about it. Save yourself the money and headaches and give your family the gift of going without the internet for a week, no matter which line you cruise with.
On a cruise, there’s nothing to do all day but relax and have fun. Your biggest decisions are what to order off the dinner menu. Even before you leave home, you’re giving yourself a break by not having to plan a daily itinerary. Just choose where you want your ship to go, pick a stateroom, reserve a few excursions, and that’s it! Travel doesn’t get any easier.
KidTripster Tip: Popular shore excursions and the best times to take them tend to sell out before the ship sails, so it’s best to reserve your excursions soon after booking your cruise. There’s typically no charge until you’re on the ship, and you can always cancel if you change your mind prior to sailing. Check the refund and cancellation policy of your cruise line prior to booking. However, you will pay a premium. With a little extra work, you can use the cruise offerings as a guide but book own your own off-ship excursions. You’ll save some money!
For more money-saving tips, click here.
2. Spend time together, time apart
You can have it both ways! Most every cruise line has supervised kids’ clubs that your family can utilize at no extra charge. Kids get to try fun activities planned just for them and play with other children their age, while the adults get treated to some alone time.
KidTripster Tip: Make your children try the kids’ clubs at least twice. The first time that my oldest son went to Remix, the teen club on the Ruby Princess, he didn’t make any connections and didn’t want to go back. But his brother talked him into giving it a second chance, and he ended up loving it.
On our last cruise, we stuck together as a family for dinner and in port, where we shared some amazing experiences. During the rest of the time, we let our teens come and go as they pleased. When we were apart, we kept track of each other using the ship’s WiFi to send messages back and forth. (OK, so we weren’t completely unplugged!)
KidTripster Tip: If you’ve got teenagers, I recommend discussing a curfew and having a plan for if it gets broken. My husband and I made the mistake of not setting one, so a couple of times, we woke up in the middle of the night and found empty beds when we went to check on the kids. Our first thoughts were worst case scenarios, but they were safe and sound, having the time of their lives with their newfound friends.
3. Meet people from around the world
Our kids made friends with teens from all over the country and the world. They loved getting to know people from other cultures and places, and so did we. That’s one of the wonderful things about traveling. Cruising, when you’re more apt to have leisure time or share a dinner table with strangers, provides so many opportunities to connect with people whom you wouldn’t normally meet.
And don’t forget the crew! Most of the staff is international. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their family, language, culture, and food. They’re on the ship for six to ten months at a time and love to talk about their home countries.
4. Unpack once but visit multiple places
The more kids you have, the more luggage you have, and the more you’ll appreciate not having to pack it up every time that you visit a new place. I loved getting to unpack our suitcases and put them away yet still see four ports of call.
5. Leave your stuff in your cabin
At sea, all you need when you leave your room is your keycard. It does triple duty as a room key, ID, and charge card, so you don’t need your wallet at all. You can leave all your stuff – things like water bottles, hats, sunglasses, jackets, personal items, and snacks – in your room. Need something? You’re typically not more than a five-minute walk away. It’s so refreshing to walk out the door empty-handed, especially when you’re used to bringing a loaded backpack or heavy purse everywhere you go when you travel other places.
Want to learn how to pack like a cruising pro? Click here.
6. Get treated like royalty
I’ve sailed with five different cruise lines, and the one thing that they all have in common is excellent service. On a cruise, your family will be treated like royalty with cabin stewards and waiters calling you “sir” or “ma’am” or addressing you by name (“Good morning, Mr. Smith”), asking how your day is going or if you need anything. A person could get used to that!
Most cruise ships have a couple of formal nights, giving passengers a chance to dress up in their finest. Our boys loved that, and we got some beautiful family photos taken by the ship’s photographers.
KidTripster Tip: Leave for dinner early so you have time to take family photos at different locations, including the ship’s grand staircase. It doesn’t cost extra to have your portraits taken by the ship’s photographers. You only pay for the prints that you want to keep. Photographers aren’t allowed to take photos using your camera, but other crew members and your fellow passengers certainly can.
Tipping is normal on cruises. To find out more, especially how tipping works on Disney Cruise Line, read here.
7. Eat different cuisines
Cruising is a great chance to introduce your kids to foods that they may not try otherwise. Most people would never order lobster tail, crawfish etouffle or pâté for a child, but those are some of the menu items that you’ll find in the main dining room of a cruise ship, and best of all, it’s all included in your fare. One of our sons tried all sorts of things that he may never have ordered in a restaurant at home. The same goes for us, parents. (Our other son has multiple food allergies and wasn’t able to be as adventurous. You can read about our experience cruising with food allergies here.)
KidTripster Tip: If you don’t like a dish that you ordered, just ask for something else. And if you like something a lot, go ahead and order another one. It’s okay! Your waistline might grow a bit, but hey, you’re on vacation!
The main dining room is more than just a meal, it’s an experience. But it’s not the only place to eat. There are grills, pizzerias, buffets, and cafes to suit everyone’s taste. If you don’t mind spending extra, you can try one of the specialty restaurants onboard. We found the casual eateries to be the most family-friendly, but I still recommend eating in the main dining room a few times, especially on formal nights.
KidTripster Tip: Talk with your kids beforehand about where you’re willing to spend extra and where you’re not. Sodas, specialty drinks, and certain other items (gelato on our most recent trip) are not included in the cost of your cruise, and you’ll be charged extra.
If you’re cruising on Disney, here’s a list of must-eats.
8. Try new activities
A cruise ship is like a giant, floating resort or a really, ritzy summer camp. There’s a cruise director and staff who, like camp counselors, host all sorts of fun activities. Check the daily schedule that’s delivered to your stateroom each night. There are non-stop things to do for all ages and interests, and I don’t mean just shuffleboard and bingo. In addition to programs run by the kids’ and teen club staffs and the games put on by the cruise director, there are many activities that the whole family can do together: big stage shows and entertainers, movies, parties, live music, dancing, guest speakers, classes, sports courts, and swimming pools. Some cruise ships even have skating rinks, rock walls or wave pools! And just for adults, there’s usually a spa (extra charge) and gym. And that’s just on the ship! There are all sorts of adventures awaiting you in port.
9. Vacation with extended family
I think cruising is great for reunions and multi-generational vacations. You can spend as much time together as you wish, but since each family has their own room(s), it’s easy to get away when you need to. Unlike renting a cabin or beach house, no one is responsible for cooking or cleaning up and with all-inclusive dining, there’s never any check-splitting drama when the bill arrives after dinner. Ask for a table for the whole family at one of the dinner seatings (usually 5:30 or 8 p.m.) and make that your daily together time.
Read about a recent multi-generational trip on Celebrity Cruises.
Not all cruising has to be done on big ships. Read why one of our KidTripster Teens prefers small ship cruising with his family.
Or what about piloting your yacht? Read about a company called Le Boat.
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