Author’s Note: As a journalist specializing in cruising, I’ve combined work and pleasure for some 25 years now and have been taking my two kids on cruises since they were tiny. As young adults, they still love a vacation at sea. As for me, as a solo parent for many of those years, I’ve certainly learned what works and what doesn’t.
Cruising with kids is one of the best vacations you can have. Whether you choose an adventure-packed week in Alaska, a cultural odyssey in the Mediterranean, or a laid-back meander around the Caribbean, a vacation at sea is one big adventure.
A cruise is great for children of all ages. My kids, once they were 10 or so, loved the freedom of being allowed to explore the ship on their own. They embraced all the different restaurants on board and have grown up to be real foodies. And they still talk about some of the adventures we’ve had, from rowing lessons on the Venice lagoon to climbing a volcano in Indonesia.
Here’s what I’ve learned about cruising with children.
Adjust Your Expectations
Caribbean
I took my kids to Alaska when they were just two and four. I learned quickly that this was too young. Spotting distant whales didn’t hold the same fascination for them as it did for me. When we arrived in Juneau, their biggest concern was finding a playground.
But we returned when they were nine and 11 and had a blast hiking in the Tongass National Forest past salmon streams, clambering around rocks at the Mendenhall Glacier, and ziplining over the treetops.
What I learned is to pick an itinerary that’s age-appropriate. Very young kids just want to splash around in the water and play on swings. They want to be with you. A tour of the cultural highlights of the Mediterranean in the scorching heat of August isn’t going to cut it. On the other hand, the soft sands and shallow water of the Caribbean could be ideal.
Choose a Destination Together With Your Teens
Whale-watching in Alaska
Young kids won’t have much clue about where they want to go as they simply don’t have the life experience. Teens, on the other hand, have strong opinions.
Do your history and art-minded teens imagine touring centuries-old castles that have doubled as movie locations, or masterworks by renowned painters? Then, think Mediterranean, European, and Scandinavian voyages.
Galapagos
Perhaps you’ve raised a brood of conservationists and animal lovers. On a Galapagos cruise with kids, wildlife enthusiasts get up close to blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and pink flamingos. What’s great about the Galapagos is that the animals have no fear of humans, so kids can study them really closely—and budding photographers can get fantastic shots.
If your family is active and outdoorsy and you envision spotting humpback whales, flightseeing over glaciers, and hiking through a rainforest of towering trees, choose Alaska.
Book Dates When Many Young People Sail
Camp at Sea
The more kids on board, the merrier for pre-teens and teens. After all, you need a quorum to make scavenger hunts fun. The traditional school breaks—winter and spring breaks and summer—attract the most families.
On the other hand, if you’re traveling with preschoolers, don’t limit yourself to school vacations when airfares are higher and everywhere is busier. Think June or September for the Mediterranean, for example.
Arrive Early or Stay Later
Amsterdam
Add even more adventures to your family cruise by arriving early and staying later at the departure and disembarkation ports. We had a particularly lovely night in Athens before one family cruise, a splendid Greek mezze dinner on the beach at sunset, and a lazy start the next day.
My daughter and I stayed the night in Miami before a Bahamas cruise and went to a basketball game, which she adored. We also preceded a cruise from Bali with a few nights in Ubud, visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest and snapping selfies at emerald rice terraces.
With an extra day in Amsterdam, there’s more time to visit the flower markets, tour museums, cycle through the city, and cruise the canals in the evening.
An extra few days for an Alaskan cruise departing from Seattle allows you to visit the Museum of Pop Culture and take an underground tour before boarding the ferry to the San Juan Islands for several days of orca spotting and rainforest hikes.
Read: Expert Tips for Pre-Cruise Bookings: Hotels, Flights, & More
Pack Smart
Alaska
Any parent with very young kids will find it helpful to make a checklist of what to pack; traveling when they are this age is like a military operation.
With older kids, there are different things to keep in mind when packing for a cruise. All their tech, of course, with chargers and adaptors, and favorite TV shows or movies downloaded for viewing during downtime. Stylish rash vests for beach days in hot destinations and layers for cooler places like Alaska.
Something to wear on Evening Chic night; to my surprise, my kids really loved getting dressed up for this, as did many of the others on our cruises. Anything for a photo-op with the ship’s professional photographers.
Without nannying them too much, work on the assumption that your teens will forget things. I say this from the experience of a cruise around Iceland on which my then-teenage son, who appeared to be traveling very light, had failed to pack anything worthwhile, including a waterproof jacket.
Pool
Plan carefully for embarkation day, too. Porters will take your suitcases when you check in, and they will appear outside your stateroom later on in the day. Savvy cruisers pack swimwear and sunblock in their carry-on. This way, you can head straight to the pool when you embark.
Agree on a Trip Allowance
Before you leave home, agree on how much money you will contribute toward extras such as teen spa treatments, souvenir T-shirts, and gifts for friends back home.
Then, let your teens spend their own money on that carved walking stick in Jamaica, cool sunglasses in St. Maarten, and a second onboard manicure. Such pre-planning is a good lesson for youngsters in managing their money.
One of the joys of cruising is that so much is included on board, so vacation spending money won’t be frittered away on ice creams and snacks.
Set Some Ground Rules
Penthouse Suite, Celebrity Edge
Most cruise ship staterooms easily accommodate a family of four in comfort. We always shared a stateroom as a family of three. But as a parent, you need to be organized, or that stateroom descends into chaos.
Set rules about putting clothes away and keep a bag or a drawer for laundry. Be considerate of your cabin steward; if one of you has been sleeping on the sofa bed, leave it in a suitable state for the steward to put the bed away each morning and prepare it again at night.
Make sure you bring enough power adaptors for everybody to charge their phone, iPad, laptop, and so on, too.
Read: How to Choose the Best Stateroom
Consider Booking a Suite
Iconic Suite, Celebrity Apex
In a suite, you’ll have more space and privacy, and perhaps even separate bedrooms.
Alternatively, consider separate staterooms for your kids. That’s a gift of privacy for you and them. Their stateroom doesn’t need to be as spacious as yours, just near it; a veranda for adults and an inside cabin across the corridor works.
It’s wise to obtain a keycard for your teens’ room. That way, you won’t have to pound on the door to wake them up for shore excursions or curfew bed checks.
Encourage Participation in the Children’s & Teens’ Programs
GoPro Game on Celebrity
The best way for children to find friends fast on a cruise is by participating in the children and teens’ programs. Persuade your junior sailors to show up for the first few sessions, even if it feels awkward.
After a few introductory group sessions at the teen club, your kids will have found the buddies they want to roll with. You may then find that you barely see them for the rest of the voyage.
My kids never really took to kids’ clubs, being quite shy as youngsters, but that was fine, too. We did most things together, and when they were a little older and more responsible, I felt comfortable enough to leave them in the stateroom watching a video for an hour while I went to the gym.
Read: What Are Cruises Like?
Make a Plan
Celebrity Flora
Part of the fun of a cruise for older kids is the freedom to explore the ship with newfound friends. However, it’s essential to keep tabs on your teen sailors.
Use the high-speed onboard internet and good, old-fashioned dictums—meet me at 1 pm at the pool grill for lunch—to keep in touch. Or keep a notepad in the stateroom on which you can leave notes for one another.
Book Specialty Dining Packages
Le Petit Chef
No one goes hungry on a cruise, least of all kids. Mine couldn’t believe that they could have burgers whenever they wanted to, or that ice cream was always available.
I have cruising to thank for the fact that my kids are such adventurous foodies. We’ve always eaten in the specialty restaurants, and they’ve embraced everything from posh French cuisine to sushi and sashimi.
I’ve also been a super-strict mother at home and on vacation; no phones at the table, no TV during meals. As such, we’ve enjoyed meals in adult settings together since they were pretty young.
So don’t count your kids out when sampling the specialty restaurants. Even if they only try a few things, this experimentation will cost you far less on a cruise than in a fancy restaurant ashore.
Schedule Family Time on the Ship
With so many things for your kids to do with their shipmates, like discos, culinary classes, video games, and hanging out, it’s wise to schedule onboard family time.
Plan to eat at least one meal a day with your kids. If you’re traveling as a multigenerational group, it works to do your own thing during the day, but agree to meet up for dinner as a family.
Take advantage of the ship’s services and activities to enjoy things you may not have time for at home, like a mother/daughter spa session or a family pickleball tournament.
Be Realistic With Shore Excursions
Snorkeling in Grand Cayman
Pick family-friendly shore excursions that will please everybody. Instead of an all-day exploration of an ancient site, your teens may prefer an outing that combines Mayan ruins in the morning with afternoon beach time.
Connect with active, sports-minded teens by snorkeling, kayaking, parasailing, and paddleboarding in Hawaii, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean with them. You can bike through Key West or Amsterdam, hike a rainforest in Costa Rica, and raft in Alaska.
For kids who crave culture and art, share visits to museums in Venice, Florence, London, and Paris. Even if this takes a little persuasion, the promise of gelato after a museum, or browsing a market for souvenirs is a good compromise.
Read: Why Cruises Are the Best Family Vacation
Set Your Own Pace
Celebrity Flora
Be realistic when you plan your days as a family. Teens are notoriously difficult to get going in the mornings, so see if you can plan some afternoon excursions. Younger kids may be full of energy first thing, so heading ashore straight after breakfast can work.
This may sound counterintuitive, but on more than one occasion, when my kids were small, we stayed on board in some of the most popular ports when we needed a break.
The good thing is we had the ship and the pool to ourselves. We had a leisurely breakfast, and the best table at the poolside grill for lunch.
Read: Best Cruise Destinations for Kids
Embrace the Entertainment
The Theatre
Growing up on cruise ships has given my kids a lifelong love of musical theater. On what other vacation can you see a Broadway-quality show at no cost? Or have the chance to watch graceful dancers and aerial artists at close range?
We always go to the shows on a ship. My advice is to sit in the front row. For some reason, people tend to avoid it, but why not pick the best seats in the house?
Try other forms of entertainment, too. On one cruise when my kids were young teens, there was age-appropriate stand-up comedy. I wondered if it would be lame, but we’ve never laughed so much.
Kids love magicians, too, and the idea of al-fresco movies. Broad-minded teens may even tolerate the idea of a silent disco with their parents in tow.
Prepare Your Shore Bag the Night Before
Celebrity Flora
Save stress in the mornings by getting your bag organized the night before. If you have an early excursion, make sure you have sunblock, key cards, cash, and fully charged phones prepared. Order room service breakfast to give slow-moving teens that extra few minutes in bed.
Read: Cell Phones on a Cruise: Everything You Need to Know
Cruising With Kids FAQs
How old should a child be to go on a cruise?
Camp at Sea
You can take an infant of six months or more on a cruise, although some long voyages require a minimum age of 12 months. Kids ages three and up who are potty trained can participate in Celebrity’s Camp at Sea, which is divided into four age bands.
What is the best length of cruise for kids?
Suite
The best length of cruise really depends on your family. Kids generally love cruising and will be unlikely to consider any vacation too long.
If you’re first-time cruisers, maybe start with a three- or four-day mini-cruise to see how the family likes life at sea. Once you’re hooked, a week is probably optimum, as kids will have a chance to make friends in the kids’ club.
If you’re traveling long haul to join your cruise, 10 days is perfect as you may need to recover from jet lag. These longer itineraries also usually include a day or two at sea, which is time for the whole family to relax and unwind.
What are the best cruise destinations for children?
Barcelona, Spain
Think which destinations are going to be easy for you to manage. Anything beach-based is usually a hit, such as the Caribbean or the Bahamas. The Mediterranean and the Greek Islands are great for older kids—say 10 upwards—as you can mix culture with beach days. They’ll love the bragging rights, too.
Scandinavia requires some forward planning to find kid-friendly activities in each city, but there are plenty, from Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen to the ABBA Museum in Stockholm.
Alaska is perfect for active families, as there’s so much to do and learn. And for the ultimate wildlife experience, for older kids who will appreciate this bucket-list destination and cope with the long journey, you can’t beat a family vacation to the Galapagos Islands.
Pool
Cruising with kids is a vacation you and your family will remember forever. Browse worldwide itineraries on Celebrity’s website and plan your big family adventure.
