Tips

Top 5 Tips for Taking the Kids on a Cruise

Looking to take a vacation with the munchkins? Cruising can make family trips easy and enjoyable if you take advantage of all it has to offer

By Claire Newell /

Credit: Flickr / Justin in SD

Cruiseships allow kids to explore without fear of getting lost

Cruising with kids can be a breeze. Just remember a few key tips and you’ll have a great family vacation

More and more families are discovering that shipboard family vacations make sense. Forget the motel hopping and long stressful rides in cramped cars. Cruising really makes it easy.

If you’re planning a cruise with your family, here are some tips:

  1. Take advantage of programs for kids. Most cruiseships offer something exciting for each member of the family. They even have age-specific activities for kids and teens. Often there will even be drop-off and in-cabin babysitting services. This gives moms and dads a chance to have a night out on the boat.
  2. Go with a mid-market cruise line. They tend to be more accommodating to children than upscale and budget lines. Also, the newer and larger the ship, the more kid and teen pleasing it’s likely to be.
  3. Book excursions in advance to save. You can pre-book land excursions for a discounted rate on many cruise websites. This will beat the crowds in ports as well as save you money.
  4. Buy an unlimited soft beverage plan for your kids. This can end up saving you a lot of money on shelling out cash for pops, juice and bottled water.
  5. Bring walkie talkies. These are an inexpensive way to keep in touch aboard the ship. Those international water cellphone bills can give you the shock of a lifetime, so be careful.

Founder and president of Travel Best Bets, Claire Newell has appeared on The Today Show, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, ABC Morning News – Chicago, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and CNN Radio, and is the official travel consultant for Global TV. She has been a spokesperson for Disney’s www.family.com, and featured in promotions for the Vancouver International Airport and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Newell has authored or been featured in articles for Success, Professional Woman, Today’s Parent, Readers Digest and for various newspapers. She is the best selling author of Travel Best Bests – An Insider’s Guide to Taking Your Best Trips, Ever and has just finished her second book.
 
This wife and mother of two has also launched two lines of luggage & travel accessories. Visit www.clairenewell.com for more information.