The BEST family holiday.

I am often asked whether cruising is suitable for families. In short the answer I usually give is that my own children were both cruising from the age of about 9 months. As they grew older and appreciated it more, we used to have tears of sadness when each of our cruise holidays ended. I emphasize that it was only the cruise holidays that prompted this emotion.




Cruising in my opinion is one of the best holidays a family with children of any age can do. Most cruise lines will accept children from 6 months and once on board they will have a ball. This means of course that mum and dad too enjoy things more too. Not only is cruising a great holiday experience, but travelling as a family sharing one cabin makes it terrific value for money too, particularly when you begin to list what is included in the price.



As the cruise market has grown, the range of family friendly facilities has also grown with it and now most cruise lines recognize the potential in the family market and have certainly in recent years set out to embrace the family, giving the customer a fantastic choice of different facilities to choose from.



So good is the choice that it has become quite confusing to decide which ship is the most suitable, so I have listed below in brief the main contenders in this family friendly market.



My own favorite is P& O Cruises with five family orientated ships: Aurora, Azura, Oceana, Oriana and Ventura. The latter, being the biggest, along with sister ship Azura, have the most advanced facilities of the fleet, with a circus school, Scalextrix, and the Rock School etc. etc. It is a long list. They also feature a range of shore excursions for families to water parks, beaches, adventure playgrounds and the very popular whale and dolphin watching tours. Child nurseries for the very young too help to make a memorable experience. P& O offer a degree of formality some evenings giving the adults opportunity to dress up for a special night out, but if this is not your thing then there are ships that cater for those preferring the informal holiday.



I mention first Ocean Village. Sadly this will be the last year that the UK customers will see Ocean Village product as it is relocating down under, but if you are quick and prefer dress down, then I can recommend this for families. Features include buffet dining, the usual kids clubs, and child only shore excursions, not to mention a SEGA amusement centre. Open air shows are also a family feature of this product.



Thomson Cruises enjoy this informality. Particularly the Island Cruise ship offering perhaps the most laid back ambience and there are some great price incentives for children from 3years to 16 years.



If it is WOW you are looking for then look no further than Royal Caribbean Cruise lines. In addition to the various kids clubs, other features include water play zones, climbing walls, The Wave rider surf simulators and on the latest ship Oasis the zip-wire experience too.



The largest line catering for children is perhaps Carnival Cruises that market themselves as “fun ships” My own opinion - they are great for the Americans but most UK families would I think prefer a more, “not in your face” type of experience. Do not get me wrong Carnival ships are great fun and have all of the modern features mentioned above to entertain and amuse, even the most exuberant of children.



There are two to other lines that are often overlooked by British cruisers, being MSC and Costa Cruises. Both are very popular among European holiday makers and I would certainly recommend both of these lines if you want a more European flavour to your holiday, rather than a mainly British one.



Costa Cruises have a great range of facilities to amuse including, Squok Kids clubs, graffiti lessons, and themed dinners. On their newer ships you will also find 4D cinema, golf simulators, roller-skating park, Playstation World, Grand Prix driving simulator. Family “deals” are also useful to watch out for too.



MSC –Mediterranean Shipping Cruises as well as the usual entertainment for the young offers free places (excluding port charges) for children sharing with two adults up to 18 years!



This is a long list, so to summarise; other lines to look out for are Norwegian Cruise Lines with their Freestyle cruising, The Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruise lines, Holland America, Cunard and even Fred Olsen Cruises.



You can of course research these yourself, but if you are now even more confused than before, for which I apologise, then better to ask an expert to narrow down for you what is a fantastic array of choice, quality and value.

I am looking forward to my 27th cruise maybe later on this year. I have travelled on most, but not all, of the above mentioned lines and seen over many more. The newer ships particularly have the better facilities, but large ships are not for everyone, so by listening to your ideal experience I am certainly able to help guide you to the right ship and itinerary.



One caveat I must mention. Family cabins are always the first to fill and if you are looking to travel in 2010 then you need power skates to secure your 3 or 4 bedded cabin to take advantage of the great family prices all these lines offer. Contact me now.



That said though 2011 cruises go on sale later this month with all the main players vying for your business, so there are going to be some great deals around. In fact I already have some great offers from which to choose. I promise these will be snapped up with all travel companies taking advanced registrations, so if cruising is something you would like to explore, now not later is the time for action.



I shall be happy to talk through with you various options and price up those most suitable before they go on sale, giving you the opportunity to book a fabulous holiday, at the best price for 2011. There is no charge for this service and I am happy to share my experience with you.



Where will our conversation take you? I wonder…