Cruising with Kids

usually cruses have a kids program designed for them that lasts pretty much all day.
Go for a Disney cruse they have AWESOME kid programs and Adult only areas.

I have cruised most of my life with my family- those were our family vacations starting when I was twelve. I think I have been on 16 or 17 cruises. I have a 4 year old daughter now and she has been on NCL when she was 2 and Disney when she was 3. We are planning a cruise in Europe this fall with our daughter on Holland America, which besides Disney is my favorite line. I do like Royal Caribbean a lot too, but we have yet to take our daughter on it. We loved the Disney Cruise on the Magic to the Caribbean. My daughter adored their kids club. They also have a club for older kids for your 10 year old. They truly cater to kids and have so much for them to do. And we had a blast with all the free time on our hands to do the adult things, we felt like we had our own vacation too. I would highly recommend it-- your kids are a good age for the Disney cruise. Their new boat coming out, the Disney Dream is supposed to be fantastic. We are planning to check the Dream out and would highly recommend the Magic.

My 3 year old has been on 4 cruises, with a 5th planned for this October. I know everyone is all about Disney, but I'm not. Pre-daughter, I surveyed other parents about cruise lines, and while the kids totally enjoy Disney and the service is great, the parents all complained that after about 2 days of Disney-only shows, you kind of get tired of it.

We have gone on Royal Caribbean (my very favorite) and NCL. All cruise lines have childrens' programs. You can get private babysitting, but since your children are old enough, you will find that there are kids activities all day long. This last cruise, I was able to drop off my daughter for a couple hours, and I actually got to sit by the pool by myself...hadn't D. that in 3 years! She had a ball, and was constantly asking me to go back to the "kids club" as she called it. When your child is in the care of the kids activities folks, (when in port) you do have to stay on the ship. They give you a beeper and your child has a wristband with all your contact info.

You might try a weekend cruise if you're hesitant. I've D. a full week with her as an infant...no problems. If sailing in the Caribbean, try to find a cruise that stops at a private island so you get to have a beach day...the kids love it!

Of course, I love cruising and have D. it all over the US, and in Europe a couple times. The dining room staff always makes over the kids, and there is usually a kids dinner menu. Visit each cruise lines' web sites and find out what their kid programs are. That may help you to choose a line, but for my money, Royal Caribbean is my favorite. Bon Voyage!

Cruising is awesome and we love it!! When choosing offshore excursions pay attention to the age recommendations they give for them. We have been on cruises and parents attempted to take their kids on excursions that were more suited for older children and it just ended up being a waste of tie and money for them. Most all cruise lines have some sort of kid's club and kids activities. Carnival is our least favorite. Royal Caribbean and Norweign CL are our favs.