cruise selection

Six Areas To Focus On When Planning A Family Cruise

August 27th, 2010 | Author: Randy

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Cruising as a family requires special considerations. Although the cruise selection process is similar to that of other groups, families will need to employ entirely different criteria when selecting nearly every aspect of a cruise. For example, when you’re cruising with kids you’ll probably have a different criteria for selecting a cabin than someone who is cruising alone. When you’re cruising as a couple, the late-night entertainment might be important, but perhaps not so much when you’re cruising with young kids – you get the idea. When looking for the right cruise, we recommend concentrating on the following six areas and considering the answers to each of the questions carefully before booking your next family cruise:

Children’s Program – What type of activities are offered, when are they offered, what are the age requirements and more importantly, will my child participate? Is there babysitting?

Dining – Is dining fixed or flexible? Are there informal options or alternate venues and food choices? What about infant food?

Entertainment – Is the entertainment appropriate for children? Is there alternate evening activities so that I may enjoy the entertainment too?

Cabins – What cabin is best and will it be big enough for our family? Do I need a crib or playpen? What about in-cabin safety?

Itinerary – What are the best ports and the best activities in those ports for our family?

Activities- Is there really enough to do onboard to occupy my kids? Which ship has the best kids activities and facilities?

Cruising with young kids isn’t the same as cruising with teens. Cruising with a larger group isn’t the same as cruising as a single family. Should you cruise to Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean or Mexico? Which cruise line is best for your family? All ships aren’t created equal, so which ship is best for your family? These are all questions that you’ll have to answer before booking your family cruise, so make sure that you read our cruise line reviews and other cruising resources before contacting a travel agent – you’ll be glad that you did!