Family Friendly Cruises

When you have children, vacations usually center around theme parks and child centered activities. However, I have found that family friendly cruises have activities for the young and the young at heart. This way, your children are having fun and engaged in their activities and parents can also enjoy some relaxation or adult centered fun….and when your vacation comes to an end, you don’t feel like you just ran the Boston Marathon and require another “vacation.” Here are five great cruise lines that are completely family friendly.

Disney Cruise Line – On a Disney cruise, there is something for everyone: relaxing “me” time for the adults, imaginative fun for the kids and exciting family time for all. Every voyage includes the attention to detail and world-class hospitality that Disney is famous for.
* Activities: Join in fun-filled activities at lavishly themed onboard venues all day long—where every family member feels as if their cruise were designed specifically for them.
* Dining: Savor Disney’s one-of-a-kind Rotational Dining, where Guests “rotate” through 3 different restaurants with personalized service from servers who travel with you to each meal.
* Entertainment: Immerse yourselves in Broadway-quality, original Disney musicals that can’t be seen anywhere else—as well as special moments with Disney Characters and first-run Disney movies.
* Deck Parties: The family comes together for unique themed celebrations on deck, including the only fireworks spectacular at sea.
* Castaway Cay: Most cruises include a stop at Disney’s island paradise, reserved exclusively for Disney cruisers.
Website: DisneyCruise.Disney.Go.com

Carnival Cruise Lines:
Camp Carnival includes a wide range of activities designed for children in three different age groups – Toddlers, Juniors, and Intermediates. All children are supervised by staff who have experience and/or education in child-care. You’ll see your child’s excitement grow as soon as they meet their counselor and get assigned to their group. And when it’s time to eat kids get their very own menus, featuring all their favorites like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, macaroni & cheese, hamburgers and more.

Circle “C”The ultimate spot where children ages 12-14 can cruise, chill, and connect to others. Cool activities, awesome facilities and lots of great new friends to add to their text-mail lists. The activities (think games, dance parties, outdoor movies and more) are supervised and created just for them.

It’s Club O2Club 02 activities are designed to be cool and a little more relaxed. Teens can hangout with their friends and watch a movie, listen to the latest music, play video games or join karaoke jam sessions. We’ve even set up teen-only shore excursions so your young adults can enjoy the sites and sounds of our beautiful ports with their peers.
Website: Carnival.com

Celebrity Cruise Lines – There’s so much for your children and Teens to do in the Celebrity Youth & Teen Programs which feature Fun Factory for ages 3-11 and Teen Entertainment for ages 12-17. Each program keeps them engaged and having a great time in an environment designed just for them. A Welcome Aboard Information package and Open House Orientation will fill you in on all the details of the Fun Factory and Teen Entertainment programs. They can explore all the possibilities and you can get answers to any questions you may have. You can also go ahead and get them registered for the activities that excite them.

From teen-oriented entertainment to special opportunities for toddlers and their parents to interact with each other, the Fun Factory and Teen Entertainment programs are designed to make sure your children enjoy their Celebrity experience as much as you do. You can even join your children for Family Events like Karaoke, Family Disco, Bingo and more.

Programs are available year round From 9 a.m. each morning, or half an hour before arriving in each port.
Our five-tiered program includes Toddler Time (under 3 years old), Ship MatesSM (ages 3-5), Celebrity CadetsSM (ages 6-8), EnsignsSM (ages 9-11), Admiral TeensSM (ages 12-17)
*Program age groups may vary slightly in low season based on the number of children on board
Website: CelebrityCruises.com

Costa Cruises – An Italian Style vacation is big fun for the little ones onboard a Costa ship! With lots of activities and games to choose from, kids can have fun playing with children their own age. And mom and dad can rest easy, knowing their children are under the careful supervision of the ship’s dedicated youth entertainment staff. The Costa Kid’s program is included in the price of your cruise vacation, so all activities are free! Youth activities are directed and organized by a special staff of youth counselors offering kids a shipful of supervised activities like: Their own Sail away party, Treasure Hunts, Sports tournaments: table soccer, ping pong, basketball, Velcro darts and ring toss, Olympic games and sport competitions, Parades in costumes, Video quizzes, Theme parties, Games at the Disco and at the Pool, Farewell parties and birthday parties with prizes, Dance competitions and Karaoke, and more. Costa takes parent’s traveling with kids into consideration with Parent’s Night Out, a feature is appealing to both children and adults alike. On both formal nights, children can spend the evening with their peers as they enjoy a supervised buffet dinner and fun activities designed especially for them. While the kids are being entertained, parents can relax as they enjoy sumptuous cuisine and a romantic evening together.While cruising is a vacation for the whole family, Costa also provides quiet time for Mom and Dad. Mini and Maxi Club nighttime group babysitting, held in the children’s area, is a free of charge babysitting service until 1:30 am.
There is no night time baby-sitting service available for children under 36 months of age.
Website: CostaCruise.com

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have many programs for kids and their familes…including Aqua Babies, Adventure Ocean, and Adventure Family Programs. In the Fisher Price® Aqua Babies program, your 6 to 18-month-old is enticed to explore music, rhythm, creativity, letters, shapes, numbers, color and more. Aqua Tots, 18 to 36 months, discover more about the places they are visiting on the cruise, sing, dance, and join in imaginative play with Little People® friends, building blocks and vehicles. Adventure Ocean is a free program, open to all guests ages 3-17. Children are separated by age: 3 to 5; 6 to 8; 9 to 11; 12 to 14; and 15 to 17. They must be at least 3 years of age and diaper-free (no pull-ups). Adventure Ocean is a complimentary program specially designed to blend educational activities with just plain fun. Your child will learn about local customs, do cool science experiments, and make great new friends. There are no exceptions to this rule. The idea of Adventure Family is for kids and their parents to get together and participate in fun onboard activities like ice-skating and karaoke, as well as beach games that are played shoreside. It’s a great way for the entire family to have some fun.
Website: RoyalCaribbean.com