 Family Travel Files Ezine Family Vacations Resource |
Cruises: Family Cruising - Freestyle, Family Friendly and Easy.  It’s easier and better than ever before. In the last few years cruise lines have made plenty of changes to meet the needs of families. From expanded activity programs spanning all age groups and shore excursions for teens to awesome waterslides, ice rinks and climbing walls, the combinations create dream vacations at sea. Add to the list plenty of nearby port options and the idea of cruising with the kids makes perfect sense.
It’s all inclusive. Decide to cruise and let someone else take care of the details. An obvious benefit to cruising, according to Cruise Lines of America, is the all inclusive price tag. The price of your ticket includes all of your meals and in-between snacks on-board; your stateroom, activities, parties and entertainment; plus, an exciting adventure organized and conducted by experts who want to create the perfect family vacation afloat.
Imagine a floating resort. The idea of a cruise is to use the ship as a floating resort, with the advantage of new locations and ports as a bonus. See more with less effort. There is no need to worry about keeping everybody organized, packing and unpacking or trying to make flight connections as you travel from one destination to another.
It's not your mother’s cruise diary. The most obvious change within the industry is a focus on passenger needs. While schedules may exist for the sake of order almost nothing is mandatory anymore. Choices make family cruising almost ideal. For example: Norwegian Cruise Line offers “Freestyle Cruising”, a program that allows passengers to do everything or nothing and at their own pace. Dine and indulge or diet and stay on the health track using spa and fitness amenities, it is all about personal choice.
Plenty of connections for kids. On board amenities are comparable to land based resorts. The obvious benefit of cruising with kids is the variety of ship based programs allowing kids to meet and mingle if they wish. Programs offered are age-specific, with some ships having activities for as many as five different age groups. Bonus points: Some of the most innovative programs have a learning component that adds value to the cruise experience. While the organized programs are created to satisfy age categories the activities are often themed to the cruise itinerary providing cultural lessons with arts and crafts, parties, and games. On all of NCL’s Hawa’ii itineraries they offer family activities. Crystal Harmony will feature its highly successful Cotillion program for juniors, which teaches children social and dining etiquette and ballroom dancing in a fun, hassle-free setting
Bonus points for kids. Some programs offer shell jewelry making or coconut painting for tiny tykes while older children may try ukulele lessons, puppeteering or “port-speak” foreign language lessons. Expanded programs include theatre productions performed and directed by kids, Junior Olympics competitions, costume making and a masquerade parade, magic lessons, Karaoke nights and treasure hunts. To the left is NCL's deck side gyrosphere. Bonus points: New offerings on some ships include a fiber-optic magic carpet ride, climbing walls, ice skating, digging for fossilized treasures and marine biology game shows. 
Benefits to cruising with teens. Teens need their own space because they are often not on the same wave length as their parents. Teens want freedom. Parents want not-to-worry. Cruise programs for teens have evolved in recent years. From pool games and beach volleyball to MTV trivia contests and high energy Karaoke, there is action onboard. Teen space varies by ship but often includes cyber cafes, New York-style coffeehouses, diners, video arcades. Bonus points: Many lines now segment the teen’s groups allowing nocturnal older teens late night club time. For example: On Carnival “Club O2,” is targeted at teens in the 15-17 age group. Teen directors staff each ship and oversee teen clubs which provide settings for activities or just hanging out. The 1,000- to 1,800-square-foot teen clubs include a dance floor with a DJ, a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system and large-screen plasma TVs displaying the latest movies and music videos. Even more - a few select teen clubs also feature a library with popular teen-oriented books and magazines, video game units, 16-monitor “video walls,” and “listening stations” where teens can plug in and hear the latest tunes.
Is anybody hungry? On many ships the new flexibility allows families to dine unofficially on days when activities yield to exhaustion. It is true there is no need to pack “fancy” clothes for each dinner, unless you want to do so. The creation of satellite dinning spots, bistros and cafes allow teens and their friends freedom. For example: on the Pride of America the Aloha Café has a companion Kids Café with a buffet-styled Hawaii theme. It features "food action stations" including prepared-to-order omelets, waffles, fruit, soups, ethnic specialties, and pasta; includes a buffet for kids with small chairs and tables.
Where is my pillow? Sleeping arrangements vary by ship but the word is options. Not the same old closet sized rooms, suites are now available for families. Many have a curtain separating the pull-out sleep sofa from the parents' sleeping area while others actually have a small sleeping alcove for tiny tykes. On NCL for example, families can book two connecting balcony staterooms, offering a roomy amount of space for families of four or five and penthouses feature separate rooms for parents and children.
All ages are welcome aboard. Cruising while pregnant is an option on most ships and itineraries until the third trimester. And once the baby arrives a pediatrician can clear an infant to cruise with parents on many itineraries. For those traveling with three or more generations, the most senior members may need assistance and cruise lines have adapted to meet their needs by designating staterooms with wider doorways and bathrooms that will accommodate wheelchairs.
Shopping is easy and rewarding. With more than 150 distinctive ships a float and more than 1800 ports-of-call open the shopping choices are endless. Just bring an empty suitcase to make room for the treasures. Find tropical paintings in Jamaica and straw hats in the Bahamas. Look for amber in Talin and marvelous jewelry in Hawaii.
Do everything for the fun of it. Even before you leave your home base you can arrange and pay for additional excursions created to meet the needs of families. Expect to find plenty of onboard complimentary options including sports activities, cultural lectures, educational movies, and social competitions. Nightly entertainment spans the gamut from dance extravaganzas and musical revues to gaming spots and stargazing topside. Bonus points: Many ships offer shore excursions geared to families with discounts for the youngest participants and some Alaska cruises even have teens only adventures.
Go out for an evening of fun. Glitz and glamour is not spared on the new mega ships and a high value is placed on entertaining guests. Passengers have the option to enjoy state-of-the art entertainment venues. On Holland America’s ships the whole family will enjoy evenings together in the line's dramatic, multi-tiered show lounges featuring dazzling Las Vegas- and Broadway-style production shows created by more Emmy®, Grammy®, Tony® and Oscar® nominees. The family rated evenings feature vocalists, comedians, illusionists and variety performers suitable and enjoyable for all ages.
Do nothing and still have fun. Now it is easy to simply get onboard and get off seven days later. The size of the ships and dynamics of the programs offered onboard make it easy to relax, unwind and recharge. From spa services and pilates to business seminars and trivia competitions, there is no longer a reason for port guilt. Decide to lounge by the pool, read a novel, sleep in a deck chair, and eat ice cream for breakfast. Stay onboard, it really is okay.
Get it together and make it happen. The number of cruise choices is growing and the variety of experiences can’t be beat. Cruise lines have distinctive personalities and they provide the atmosphere, amenities and choices for families to create memories. Whether it’s seeing the world, dancing the night away, dinning on fabulous cuisine, learning new skills or togethering with friends and family, a cruise makes it easy to unwind and enjoy life while someone else takes care of the details.
Take the whole family. Holland America Line has created its Family Reunion Program to reward families who cruise together with extra amenities. Available to families booking five staterooms or more on any cruise, the program features such benefits as special group pricing; a Fountain Soda Package for every member of the family (unlimited soft drinks throughout the voyage); a family photo per stateroom and a choice of either dinner for the entire family in the line's alternative Pinnacle Grill Restaurant or, on Caribbean cruises, free rentals of snorkel gear and swim mats or banana boat rides for all on Half Moon Cay, HAL's award-winning private island.
For more information: www.HollandAmerica.com
Content and images provided by CLIA. Copyright 2009.
|
