Cruise Ships and the little cruisers

The fun thing about a cruise vacation is that mum and dad can have a romantic time and bring the kids along. Cruise lines have ships that cater for family with children and have provided age specific activities for them to enjoy, whilst giving the parents time to themselves. Let us look at some things to keep in mind when planning a cruise with your little cruisers.

Choosing a cruise ship that is right for you and your kid or kids depends on their age, the type of activity they would enjoy and how much time you want to spend with your better half and not have to worry about your kids.

If your child is not yet potty trained and you want to spend time with your partner during the cruise, ask the cruise line before booking about their kid camp policy. There are a few cruise lines that will not accept kids that are not yet potty trained. Some do accept them but will provide you with a beeper and will beep you if they need changing, whilst other ships will take care of everything for you but will ask you to provide diapers and toiletries.

Do not assume that the kid’s camp will be continuous throughout the day. Some cruise lines break up their day into time segments like from 9am -noon; 3pm – 6pm; 9pm – 11:30pm or similar schedules. Others however are continuous from 9am or 10am till 9pm, where you can pick up your child and return him or her at anytime during the day. After 9pm or 10pm, ships usually offer babysitting services. Again, this varies from ship to ship as some offer babysitting services up to 1:30am and some up to 3am. Babysitting services are not included in your cost so expect to pay anywhere between $5.00 and $20 an hour depending on the ship. A 24 hour notice for this service is usually requested.

 As already mentioned, activities are age specific and most ships have professional youth coordinators that plan children's activities. The ships that employ professionals for kids’ activities have the most to offer. Activities are grouped by ages usually as follows: 2/3 – 5 year olds; 6-8; 9 – 11; 12 – 14; 15 – 17; these groupings also vary from ship to ship. Even though all ships have activities for different ages, activities differ from ship to ship.

Ask the cruise ship to give you a list of activities that they will have during your cruise. You do not want to end up with your child watching a movie and playing with blocks everyday on your vacation. If they tell you that activities depends on the number of children onboard, they may not have that many families with children on their ship. Cruise ships that are kid friendly have a detailed description of activities that will be offered on their cruise website or on their brochure. Here are just a few cruise lines that have your little traveler in mind.

Carnival Cruise ships have finger painting, cartoon time, arts & craft and puppet shows among other activities for 2 – 5 year olds. Your 6 – 8 year old will enjoy spin art, dodge ball, volcano making and water colors; 9 – 12 year olds can play air hockey, pool parties, scavenger hunts and video games. 12 – 14 year olds can hang out and play games, watch movies, have pool parties and lots more. Teenagers 15 – 17 are in for a treat with basket ball, volley ball, latest music and an amazing lounge area with video monitors, music and state of the art dance floor.

Royal Caribbean International has interactive group play sessions designed by early childhood experts at Fisher-Price for ages 6months to 3 years. These sessions last 45 minutes each and kids should be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. The 3 – 5 and 6 – 8 year old groups have hands on science experiments conducted by specialty trained Adventure scientists. There is the Adventure Art by Crayola where kids get acquainted with diverse cultures through art. They make masks, pottery, fish kites and porthole dioramas. Adventure Theatre by Camp Broadway gives kids first taste of the actor’s craft. Structured theatre games, vocal and physical exercises and creativity-freeing activities are provided by trained instructors. Kids can also enjoy Adventure Beach Activities if itinerary calls for CocoCay and Labadee. Kids get involve in sand castle building, parachute games and family water balloon toss. Of course, all these activities are in addition to the usual themed parties, storytelling, talent show and other games. Teens, enjoy the flow rider, scratch DJ academy, dodge ball, ice-skating, teen BBQ, rock climbing competition and snowball fight at sea.

Of course when talking about kids activities we cannot leave out Disney Cruise Lines. Here your kids’ favorite Disney character can come to life and play with them. Fun on board and on shore is none stop. Swing with Tarzan, enroll in rescue ranger school and become an official rescue ranger and end the day having tea with Alice in Wonderland! Teens, you are welcome too. Hang out with your friends in the teen only lounge with plasma TV, internet café, games, music and movies or take a splash in the teen only pool; make your own movie and walk the red carpet at your premier or learn to draw your favorite character in an animation class.

Planning for a cruise with the kids? Do your homework and choose one that suits your needs and the needs of your kids. If you have been on one, share your experience with other parents in our forum.