Family Cruise Holidays: Cruises with Kids

Watching movies under the stars aboard a Caribbean cruise ship was the clincher: as soon as our children heard about that, they became obsessed with the idea of going on a family cruise. Different islands to explore, sunshine-filled days and balmy nights sounded pretty fantastic to Nick and me, too. With the number of special offers on cruise holidays increasing almost daily, this could be the perfect year to take that dream trip.

We still weren’t sure the children would really enjoy being on a ship for a week, so we decided to try a mini-cruise – which is how Brittany Ferries describes its crossings from Plymouth or Portsmouth to Santander, in Spain. We sailed on the Pont-Aven, which takes 24 hours to get to Spain – just enough time to enjoy the swimming pool and whirlpool on the conservatory-like top-deck, check out one of the two cinemas showing new-release films, and catch a magic show in the main bar.

The children were happy from the moment we stepped into our top-of-the-range Commodore Class cabin: it was huge, with a private balcony and flatscreen TV adding an extra touch of luxury. Meanwhile, Nick and I were delighted with the first-class food in the waiter-service restaurant, piling our plates with shrimps, langoustines, poached whole salmon and salads from the vast hors d’oeuvre table.

Toddlers and young children have a play area, with an activities programme during the high season; teenagers have a video games room where they can escape from adults. Everybody can enjoy the regular magic shows, and the live bands and dancing in the evening. The journey is a truly great way to get to the beaches of northern Spain, and proof that the children can cope with a cruise. But which cruise to choose?

Most cruises targeted at the British market are for adults, so you need to seek out a family-friendly company with suitable entertainment and – crucially – other children on board, plus play areas or rooms that are solely for children. You also need to make sure the dining arrangements are suitable for children: some cruise companies allocate tables and family dinner slots, but I find that a ship with a ‘relaxed dining’ policy is better, so you can eat when you want, and have a choice of restaurants offering food that both adults and children enjoy. For more on eating aboard cruise-ships, see Dea Birkett’s feature.

Your choice of cabin can also make or break your holiday. It needs to be big enough for comfort, with adequate storage space and, if possible, a private balcony – the latter are invaluable for those who need to get away from the crowds now and again, and a great spot for you to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening while your children are asleep inside.

One of the best cruise companies for families is Royal Caribbean International, with its creches for babies aged six months and up, children’s clubs for three- to 11-year-olds, teen clubs, ice-skating, decktop climbing walls and basketball courts. Some also have pools for surfing – although they are very small – and all have swimming pools. These huge ships also have cinemas, theatres, shops, bars and a wide choice of restaurants – 1950s-style Johnny Rockets diners are particularly popular with families. For those looking for some quiet time, there are adult-only pools, gyms and spas too.

Royal Caribbean’s ‘My Family Time Dining’ allows young kids to have dinner with Mum and Dad before being whisked away by the play-club staff for more activities while the latter continue a more leisurely meal. There’s also a paid-for babysitting service, and considerable facilities for teenagers.

The drawback with Royal Caribbean is that you pay in US dollars. An alternative is British-based P&O Cruises, whose family-friendly ships the Aurora, Oriana, Oceana and Ventura have activity programmes for children aged two to 17, PlayStations in the youth areas, games rooms, cinemas and theatres, and special evening meals for kids so parents can eat with other adults if they want, then enjoy the bars and nightclubs while their children sleep (there are cabin-listening facilities and babysitting, plus evening activities for older children). Very young children are particularly well catered for by P&O—Noddy appears at character breakfasts, and there’s entertainment from Mr Bump of the Mr Men Show. 

Especially good-value family cruises are available with Italian-owned Costa Cruise, which is well known for its child-friendliness. Its modern  Costa Concordia fleet has activity programmes for three- to 17-year-olds, split into four age groups, all fully supervised and free. Most of their ships have swimming pools especially for children, as well as a general pool with a water-slide. Just bear in mind that English is only one of several languages spoken on board, and that everything is charged in Euros, which doesn’t represent good value against the pound at the moment.

If you’re still not sure whether a full-scale cruise is for you, try a family short break package across the North Sea. DFDS Seaways has two-night breaks from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark, with a chance to explore the cities plus on-board children’s activities including watching for dolphins, whales and seabirds with ORCA wildlife officers. 

For more on family cruises holidays and our favourite suppliers, see our family cruise page.