Cruising is a great way to your family telling you, this is awesome! But one of the best parts for you mom, is you unpack once. That is right, you have a floating hotel taking you from one destination to another. You also have all you care to eat food on the ship. Activities for the kids to keep them occupied. Did I forget to mention child care? That’s right, there are trained professional to watch your kids. Time for you to enjoy the spa or some alone time. If you haven’t experienced any of these amazing perks of cruising with your family, you may want to consider taking a cruise for your next family vacation.
Yes, these are all amazing things that make cruising great, but there are some mistakes that families make on their cruise vacations.
- Picking the right cruise ship! – Many people hear from friends or family that a this cruise line is amazing or that cruise line is great. The truth is, each cruise line has something to offer each family. Each cruise line has a mass of several ships. Each ship has different activities from rock walls, to water slides, to even a roller coaster. Depending on the ages of the kids, you will find a ship that is going to fit your family’s needs.
- Picking the right ports of call! – Depending on the ages of your kids there may be nothing in port to keep them occupied. Some islands in the Caribbean are more well-known for their shopping and not their activities. If you end up snorkeling at every port of call, the kids will be bored and never want to cruise again. Make sure to do some research to see what kid friendly activities are at each port of call.
Pixabay - Know the activities on the cruise available to you – Now that you have the right cruise ship and itinerary, start to see what you need to pre-book. You may need to pre-book shows, cooking classes, surf riding sessions, the roller coaster, or even the aqua coaster. You want to make sure that you pre-book if you can, otherwise, you will have to take the times that are leftover. If your kids are under the age of 5 and you want to have some time for you and your significant other, make sure to find out if you have to pre-book some babysitting time.
- Pre-book excursions! – The best excursions go fast! As soon as you book your cruise look and see how far in advance you can book your excursions. Some cruise lines let you book 6 months prior to departure and others it may be 90 days prior. The sooner you book the better your chances of getting those amazing activities that are going to make the kids say…WOW!
- Use the baby-sitting services available! – Don’t be afraid of using the baby-sitting services available to you onboard. I know you want to spend time with the kids and there will be plenty of family time. You can also take time for a specialty dinner or a spa treatment. Many of the kid’s clubs onboard have plenty of activities to keep them occupied as well as making new friends. It may surprise you that they want to spend more time there than with you!
- Lanyards, lanyards, lanyards! – Typically, each cruise line gives each member of the family a key card that allows them to get into their cabin, has their onboard account linked to it, and allows them to get on and off the cruise ship. This key card easily fits into any lanyard, and makes is much easier for the kids to have theirs on them at all times. Especially when they are in the kids club.
Millions of families cruise every year, and they keep going back for all the reasons I just mentioned. If you still have questions regarding taking a cruise, call your travel agent or a Life is Better Traveling travel agent to help. After all, Life is Better Traveling!
