Have you ever cruised with kids? Over the years we have become pros at travel but that travel has always been on land, with my two feet firmly planted on the ground. Well, that is other than the brief time in the skies traveling from one place to the next.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little anxious about our first cruise. I was truly hoping that all of my research and planning would lead to a successful and fun cruise for the entire family.
Now here we are back on dry land with a successful cruise checked off the bucket list. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun. In fact, we are already researching our next family cruise.
Today I want to share 14 tips I learned for having a successful family cruise.
Choose a Kid-Friendly Cruise Line
Of course, you want to make sure everyone in the family has a great time, so picking the right cruise line is the first important and crucial tip.
US News and World Report for Families 2019 lists the top 6 best cruise lines for families as Disney, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises. They rated the cruise lines by using a system that factors in health ratings, reputation among experts, and approval among families.
Taking it one step further, be sure to choose the right ship for your family. Every ship has different amenities and activities. Even after I had decided on Carnival for our first family cruise, I looked at several different ships. A waterslide was a must-have for our family!
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Book a Shorter Duration to Test the Waters
Our cruise was a 5 day, 4-night cruise to the Western Caribbean. I didn’t quite jump into the deep end as I could’ve booked a much longer cruise, but I definitely could’ve booked a shorter duration to test the waters. Fortunately, we had no major issues with motion sickness and everyone loved cruising.
My advice here is if you aren’t sure if your family will enjoy a cruise, try maybe a 2 or 3-day cruise.
Be Prepared for Motion Sickness
I mentioned we had no major issues with motion sickness, but I was prepared. I have had issues with motion sickness on boats in the past and wasn’t prepared and miserable. Most major cruise lines will have motion sickness medications in the Medical Center that they will provide to you for free.
As my first line of defense for anything is usually natural, I carried on Sea-Band wristbands and Motion Ease, an essential oil blend for the kids. We did actually end up needing them as there were some rough seas for a bit and the kids were feeling a little seasick. Fortunately, though, it did the trick.
Select Cabin Carefully
For our first family cruise, I will admit it I went the cheap route. I thought, oh we will only be in there to sleep, so no big deal, right? Wrong! By day two, we were wishing for a larger more spacious cabin. At first, the novelty of the Murphy beds in our tiny cabin was fun for the kids, but the parents banging their heads on them every day, not so much fun.
The other thing to consider regarding cabin selection is the location on the ship. Find out where the kid’s club is, the pool, dining, and any other area that you will be utilizing often. We were at the back of the boat which was quite convenient for dining and the kid’s activities, however, we were also on the 6th floor which meant waiting for an elevator that often never came. We ended up getting a lot of exercise during those five days walking up 6 floors. I guess that walking offset all of the extra food we ate.
Consider Dinner Dining Times
Speaking of food, be sure to consider the dining times when booking your cruise. I thought since my kids go to bed early that early dining would be the best option for me. Unfortunately, many of the family activities were when we would still be eating dinner, but late dining was essentially at their bedtime.
Many cruise lines have now added flexible dining which means you can eat dinner anytime usually between 5:30 and 8:30. This dining option would definitely work better for our family. The only setback to this is that you may not immediately be seated and may have a wait time. So when you are considering dinner dining times, weigh the pros and cons and decide what will work best for your family.
Arrive Early
We are fortunate to have 3 cruise ports within 1 to 2 hours from us. I realize that isn’t the case for everyone. Even having a short drive we made sure we allowed ourselves plenty of cushion timewise. We also considered driving the night before and staying in a hotel near the port. Delays happen and the ship is leaving with or without you so plan to arrive early.
Bring Your Carry-on
Be sure to bring all of the essentials in your carry-on. Everyone in our family had a carry-on for our cruise. My carry-on contained the most important items including travel documents, medications, sunscreen and swimsuits. We were really glad that we had stuff with us as our room was not ready when we boarded the ship but we were still able to enjoy the pool and waterslides.
Explore the Ship Your First Day
Before we enjoyed the pool, we were sure to explore the ship. It is a fairly quiet time around the ship as most people were dining on the Lido deck or settling into their rooms. Spending the time exploring the ship really allowed us to get a good feel for the layout and the kids started making their list of all the things they wanted to come back and do.
Wash Hand Often
We have all heard the stories about sickness outbreaks on cruise ships. I can tell you I was nervous about the potential of our family ending up with some nasty stomach bug. The cruise lines try their best to help cut down the risk of infections by placing hand sanitization stations throughout the ship. There are also napkins and wastebaskets placed by the restroom doors so you don’t have to touch a dirty door handle. Even with this, washing hands often is the best line of defense.
Plan Some Family Time and Adult Time
There are plenty of family activities onboard cruise lines. We could’ve filled up our entire day with activities we could all enjoy together. It is also so important to have that adult time.
Don’t miss out on all of the adult shows and offerings because it is a family cruise. Trust me, your kids won’t mind the break and they are sure to have a fun time in the kid’s club.
Register Your Kids for the Kid’s Club
I will say it now… I am a HUGE FAN of Kid’s Clubs on ships. Mark and I rarely get adult time as we have no family near us and rarely use babysitting services.
I can’t state this enough, be sure to register your kids for the kid’s club aboard your cruise ship and do it early. With our Carnival Cruise, I pre-registered the kids when I submitted all of my documents online. This saved me a lot of time that first day while everyone else was waiting in a long line to sign their children up.
The Kid’s Club is a great experience for the kids. It gives them an opportunity to have a little independence as well as the chance to socialize with other children their age.
Embrace Formal Night
Formal night is a great chance for your family to get all dolled up, have a nice dinner, and take some beautiful photos. The week before our cruise, while out shopping with my son for his outfit he even mentioned how excited he was about the formal night. This kid hates shopping, especially for clothes, and lives in gym shorts and T-shirts, but he said he was so excited to dress up because we never do it. It wasn’t something I expected from him but made my heart happy.
We have some priceless photos and memories from that evening. So, you never know, it could be a huge deal for your family too. Embrace it and have fun.
Don’t Overschedule Your Trip
This may be easier said than done. With activities happening from early morning to late night, it is easy to get wrapped up in all of the fun. This is a vacation and overscheduling your trip may leave you needing another vacation when you arrive back home.
I initially had our days pretty packed, hopping from one activity to the next. I quickly realized this was not fun for anyone other than me. We then re-evaluated what the most important activities were and scheduled those. Anything else we fit in during our cruise was the icing on the cake.
Have Fun and Make Memories
Of course, my last and most important tip for a successful family cruise is to have fun and make memories. Children grow up so fast and the memories you make today will last a lifetime.
So, Bon voyage to you and yours on your next or perhaps first family cruise!