Family Cruises

FAMILY CRUISES

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN

If you are considering going on a cruise with children or teen-agers, many cruise ships have family-related or kids/teens program. They are usually held at spring break or summer vacation time when odds are in favor of there being other kids on board. But even without special programs small ships are wonderful for families if the activities focus on nature and wildlife. What kid can be bored with close-up encounters with whales, seeing monkeys in a rainforest, walking on a glacier, or fishing for piranha in the Amazon?

Cruises also can give kids a sense of place and sense of history that they cannot obtain in a classroom. And they experience the exchanges with other people and other cultures that occur traveling with small groups.

It’s not a good idea to take young children or teenagers on more formal ships, in fact, some of them have rules against taking children. And we would not take children on cruises with limited activity or that have a reputation for heavy drinking. But other than that, we would highly recommend cruising as a family experience.

5 TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS

One of our website users sent in these tips:
Get a small suitcase with wheels for your youngster. It makes them feel like they’re helping and in charge of their own stuff.
Going to the beach? Let each person have his or her own bag for towels, snorkels, etc. Put tissues and snacks in plastic bags.
Buy faucet covers to protect small children from the very hot water that hotels and ships often have.
Tie a red ribbon or favorite toy to the room door so children can find their cabin easily.
Set up rules and discuss ahead of time how important they are: no running in the corridors or anywhere else, no screaming or shouting in the pool or elsewhere, always wearing a life jacket in the tender.

GREAT CRUISES FOR FAMILIES

Here are some cruises that have good children or family
programs or wildlife excursions of interest to families.

Click on the name to read details about the ships and cruises.

BAJA EXPEDITIONS
Sea of Cortez

CRUISE WEST
Costa Rica

DISCOVERY VOYAGES
Alaska

INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS
Amazon, Galapagos Islands

LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS
Alaska, Baja, South America

OCEAN ADVENTURES -- GALAPAGOS
Galapagos Islands

QUASAR NAUTICA
Galapagos

REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
Bahamas, Mediterranean, Caribbean, South Pacific, South America, Africa, Seychelles, Amazon, Antarctica, Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Russia, Australia

SCHOONER ISAAC H. EVANS
U.S. east coast

STAR CLIPPERS
Mediterranean, Caribbean

UO KONTESA - DAMIR ERCEGOVIC
Croatia, Adriatic Sea

Many big ships also have kids and teens programs.

TO MAKE A RESERVATION: Small Ship Cruises We work with several agencies and tour operators who are experts in small ships.

For them to make a reservation for you, fill out the Cruise Request Form.