How to Choose the Perfect Cruise for Your Family

Selecting Your Best-Fit Cruise

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Cruise ships come in all sizes with hundreds of variations in things to do. There are also a number of different cruising groups with varied interests and expectations. The principle groups include:

Family Cruising

Families traveling with younger children and teens – Many cruise lines have special programs tailored specifically to teens, pre-teens and younger children with a number of notable standouts.

Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean – Royal Caribbean kids clubs are the highest rated in the industry. Oasis-class ships are the stars of the fleet providing almost 30,000 square feet per ship dedicated to kids programs.

Disney Cruise Line’s Oceaneer Club – Disney’s kids clubs are different on each ship, creative themed kids spaces with hangouts for various ages. There’s a nursery with babysitting for children younger than 3. Of course the ships make full use of Disney’s lineup of characters from Micky to the Avengers.

Carnival’s Camp Ocean – Camp Ocean, Carnival’s kids club, is usually jumping, including ocean based activities and marine themes blending education and fun. This cruise line is a particular favorite with families because of its budget friendly fares and dedicated spaces for young kids, through teens.

Norwegian’s Splash Academy – The Splash Academy areas are lively, well designed and adaptable to activities from crafts to dances and pirate nights. Teens love their club Entourage, with a video jukebox, dance floor, foosball, video games and DJ equipment.

Princess’ Camp Discovery – Facilities feature The Treehouse for ages 3 to 7, The Lodge for ages 8 to 12 and The Beach House a hangout for teens. Activities include Skee-Ball, air hockey, video games, dance parties, educational programs like science experiments, scavenger hunts, and cruise destination puppet and maskmaking.

Young Adults, Couples and Singles – This crowd usually brings the fun with them and are looking for lots of dancing, poolside bars, lounges and onboard games. Their energy and excitement are contagious and they love Caribbean cruises. Their favorite cruise lines are Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

Holland America sails two ships with single staterooms and feature a Single Partners Program for like-minded singles to meet. The Single Partners Program is on most sailings and hosts cocktail mixers and group games so you can meet other passengers. Sign up for cooking classes, wine tastings or computer classes. Best cruises for singles over 40 and seniors.

Norwegian offers one-bed studios designed especially for singles on Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Epic. Allows cruising without choosing between paying a supplement and finding a cruising partner. The designated studio lounge provides a space to mingle with other solo travelers. Connect with other singles at nightly happy hours, deck parties and meetups. On ships without single studios, solo cruiser discounts are often available. Best cruise for young singles in 20s and 30s.

Virgin Voyages offers the Scarlet Lady cruise ship with 46 solo cabins so you can have your own space and it’s adults-only. The cruise line is looking for millennials and the top of Gen Z looking to have a good time. Its single staterooms are a bit more expensive but feature beautiful cabins, complete with mood lighting and on-demand streaming services. Best cruise for single cruisers in their 20s and 30s.

Retirees and Seniors – This group leans toward longer cruises and off-season itineraries. Trans-Atlantic and repositioning cruises are very popular providing a casual atmosphere and lots of time for relaxing and reading. To cater to these passengers cruise lines are often providing informative lectures and classes like painting, jewelry making along with more mature offerings in music and onboard entertainment. Three lines stand out for their appeal to seniors.

Celebrity’s upscale ships are noted for their cuisine and feature formal foyers, libraries, lawn games, lounges and upscale bars. These ships are favorites with seniors for their reputation of excellent music and entertainment, lectures and onboard classes.

Holland America with its mid-sized ships that offer the charm of a classic cruise experience, appeals to seniors with world class-performers at night and lectures by topical and cultural experts during the day.

Princess Cruises is a favorite with senior cruisers worldwide with a number of activities geared towards an older crowd, Princess offers exclusive discovery at sea activities, art history lectures and a golf driving range.

Mixed Age Groups – Best cruise lines for mixed age groups include Royal Caribbean, Disney and Holland America for overall appeal to all ages. The thing that most people find particularly appealing about cruising is, most groups will find things that appeal to them regardless of age. The perfect family vacation.

What To Expect On Your Cruise

Food

A typical cruise ship offers a number of eating options that change throughout the day. Breakfast can by a sit-down affair, a plentiful buffet or a coffee cafe with a Continental breakfast. Many ships also provide a spa scene for those looking for healthier fare. As the day progresses there are a number of venues for full meals, buffets, cafes for tea, coffee and pastries. Dinner used to be a formal affair but that is becoming less common with the trend toward more casual atmospheres and options in the main dining room, buffets and now a growing number of themed restaurants (usually at additional expense).

Today ships are also outfitted with casual dining venues with recognized names and cuisines like Johnny Rockets, Guy Fieri, Mexican Cantina, Hibachi & Sushi. There are usually also outdoor grills for burgers along with pizza cafes that are open till late at night.

Entertainment

If food is a major attraction it shares that billing with a collection of entertainment offerings. Afternoons will usually find a number of musicians and singers performing around the ship at varied times and locations. Evenings feature theatre showtimes with Broadway musical reviews, magicians, comedians and singers. Most cruises fill evenings with club acts in any number of lounges around the ship with dancing. Afternoons and evenings usually include games like bingo and trivia with participation games common favorites along with scavenger hunts and game shows.

You’ll often also find any number of lectures and tours onboard. Popular lectures often involve the Captain and crew along with port visit programs and shopping lectures. Some cruises also bring on lecturers on numerous topics with many often focused on the cruises destinations. You will also find art demonstrations and lessons for adults popular along with instruction on using todays devices like tablets and cellphones.

Getting Bigger and Better

Each year ever bigger ships get launched and enter service, each with more incredible features and attractions. Newer offerings include amusement park rides, ice skating, surfing, go-kart racing, even sky diving simulators. Most ships include kids water fun areas that feature slides and flume rides with bigger versions on many for older passengers. Theatrical production areas keep getting bigger and more elaborate and newer ships can feature lawns, gardens, outdoor promenades and dozens of restaurants, lounges and clubs.