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Five top tips for stress-free family cruising
As an experienced and frequent cruise traveller, I have learned a thing or two about travelling with children.
Picture: Cruising with a family can be great fun for all.
So whether you are considering booking your first or your next cruise, here are some of my "must-do" tips you should consider in order to get your cruise off to the right start; and most importantly, make your cruise holiday a whole lot easier for you and the entire family.
1. Do your research
Picture: Some cruise ships cater better than others for children.
If you are cruising with children, make sure you do some research into which ship and which itineraries have the facilities and shore excursions that they will enjoy.
Ships like the Royal Caribbean oasis of the seas and Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) Norwegian Epic have tons of stuff for kids to do on board, with activities ranging from climbing walls, aqua parks and great evening family entertainment.
Find out about whether the ship runs a kids club as these allow the kids to socialize with others of the same age whilst also giving you and your partner time to enjoy other aspects of the ship, safe in the knowledge the kids are safe and being well looked after.
2. Consider a no- fly cruise
Picture: Children and airports are a bad mix.
Long queues, waiting around and delays do not go down well with impatient children, so if you live near a port it may be worth trying to book a no fly cruise.
From past experience I have always found the flying aspect of my cruise holiday to be the most stressful. If possible, cruise from your local port, as children hate waiting around with nothing to do; especially when you factor in the possible fear of flying and waiting for transfers, when you land.
3. Fly out in advance
Picture: Fly out earlier - just in case
If you live in an area that generally experiences bad weather, I would definitely advise flying out a few days before the day of your cruise.
Flying out on the day of your cruise and even the day before can be a risky business. Bad weather, delays or even the dreaded ash cloud can all put your well deserved vacation in jeopardy.
If it falls within your budget then try and get at least two nights hotel stay in the place you are departing from. Note, if you experience delays or unforeseen circumstances, the cruise ship will not wait for you.
Giving yourself a couple of days in advance gives you time to make other arrangements if problems do occur. Time that the airline can use to possibly source other flights, or time for the bad weather to pass.
4. Freedom Dining
Picture: Children and set dining times are not the best combination
Be sure to check the dining arrangements of the cruise ship before booking.
Some cruise lines, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, offer what they call “Freestyle Cruising” which allows passengers to dine whenever they want, where they want.
As any parent will tell you, kids just want to eat when they are hungry. Rigid dining times are something you should try and avoid. For example if kids are hungry at 5pm and your sitting isn’t until 8pm, then you will have three hours of misery and complaining to contend with.
5. Child-friendly shore excursions
Picture: Pick a cruise with lots of activities for children
When picking your itinerary, make sure you look into child-friendly shore excursions, as some destinations cater a lot better than others.
Places like the Norwegian Fjords, Alaska and the Baltic’s are not really great for active children as they are geared towards beautiful scenery and local culture.
It may be worth looking into destinations such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. On top of the great weather and beaches; they offer a multitude of child-friendly activities such as snorkeling, kayaking and other exciting water sports.
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Share your experiences and tips for travelling with children here or at DiverseTraveller.com. To read about cruising with grandchildren click here.
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This post was written by Ellis Green of UK Cruise specialist www.LoveCruise.co.uk. Ellis has been working and blogging about the cruise industry for many years. She loves sharing her tips to help others avoid pitfuls when booking and taking a cruise holiday.
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