*Collaborative post
When booking a holiday as a family, there are bound to be a number of questions on your mind – Where’s the best place to visit? How much will it cost? What can you do there? But there’s the one big question that you need to be asking to guarantee you’ll all have a good time – Will the kids enjoy cruising?
One way to ensure that everyone’s having a good time is to book a cruise through a company like Cruise Nation. With deals that will suit every budget and packages that will fit any family’s needs, you can’t go far wrong. And even better, your kids will love it. Here are seven reasons why:
1. Activities onboard
Riding the waves – FlowRider on the Liberty of The Seas
Cruise ships are a veritable playground for kids – they can enjoy a different activity every day and never get bored or repeat themselves. If they’re the active type, you’ll find climbing walls, mini-golf courses and sports courts with games such as football, basketball and tennis available on board. For those that prefer to chill out, you can find them a spot at one of several pools to let them enjoy the sunshine at sea.
2. Visit new destinations
The worry with family holidays is that there won’t be enough for the kids to see every day. This needn’t be a worry with cruises as you’ll get to experience lots of new ports, unique beaches, different languages and even a brand new food delicacy to try. After all, a holiday might as well be educational as well as fun!
3. Excursions on land
Lisa and family exploring ashore in Madeira
Many cruises will organise excursions at each port for their guests to participate in, from walking tours of the city you’ve docked in to trips to nearby attractions. While you can explore the area yourself, kids will love excursions that have been planned specifically with them in mind.
For example, you might be able to book a trip to a local theme or wildlife park, zoo or aquarium. The more adventurous or older ones might even be interested in taking a trip without the grown-ups and trying out scuba diving, eco-adventures through the wilderness or a daredevil zip line at an adventure park. Mums and dads can take a break during these trips while their teens enjoy a taste of freedom.
4. Entertainment for all ages
Tin Box Tot in Waterworks on Carnival Vista
Back on board, the activities beyond the pool are endless. In addition to those mentioned above, kids’ clubs are often popular, particularly for the older ones wanting to assert their independence and break away from mum and dad.
Evenings will also be jampacked with activities, whether that’s sitting down to watch a movie at the outdoor movie screen with friends, listening to a musical act on stage, or jumping around to a kids’ disco. You can be sure they’ll be worn out by bedtime!
5. Great opportunity to make friends
All of the different activities and trips that your kids will be taking part in while on a cruise means that they’ll be getting all sorts of different life experience and interacting with people from potentially all around the world. These kinds of adventures are a fantastic opportunity for them to bond with like-minded people who also enjoy travel. They may go home with a penpal or even a new lifelong friendship.
6. Food for even the fussiest of eaters
We all know how fussy kids can be about eating new and different foods, especially when they’re away from home and taken out of their comfort zone. The big advantage of a cruise is that there are often several different restaurants and eateries, most of which cater for families, young children and special dietary requests with extensive buffets and kids’ menus. This leaves you to relax and enjoy as there’ll be no need for tantrums over mealtimes. On top of that, many all-inclusive cruise packages also offer free ice cream and snacks for kids, so you’ll be in their good books too!
7. Safety and freedom
For a bit peace of mind for mum and dad, cruises are generally places of relative safety and freedom for kids. They can explore the ship and know that they’re in good hands as the staff on board will be only too willing to help point them in the right direction, but they’re still close by so they won’t be getting lost.
Further reading: For more ideas of how to spend your time at sea check out this epic guide – 50 things to do on a sea day – by Laura at Cruise Lifestyle.
* This is a collaborative post with Cruise Nation. Officially the UK’s number one cruise retailer.
Lisa developed a love of cruising during her three years working for P&O Cruises. While it may sound cliché, no two days were ever the same managing the onboard Shore Excursions department. An average week in the Caribbean involved escorting passengers on snorkeling, scuba diving and deep sea fishing excursions. Her highlights of a three month world cruise included bottle feeding baby elephants in Sri Lanka, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and searching for the Big Five whilst on safari in South Africa.
Lisa also writes, Travel Loving Family, a family travel blog sharing travel tips, reviews, holiday giveaways and destination guides from her travels to over 80 countries and is Editor of Trips100, the largest UK travel blogger network. Lisa has worked with many travel brands and tourist boards including Mark Warner Holidays, Top Villas, Bookings For You and Net Flights.
Lisa has settled down to a life on land with her husband who she met during her first contract at sea. They have two boys, aged 3 and 6, who also share a love of cruising.
