Cruising with Children

Cruising is becoming increasingly popular with families with children and many operators provide extensive children's facilities and programmes. It is an ideal family holiday - once aboard the kids will have so much to do you may not see them at all. The environment is contained, safe and secure so your children can have the freedom to enjoy the organised clubs, programmes and activities laid on for them.

The key to an enjoyable family cruise is to choose the ship that best meets your family's need and an itinerary that will keep them interested. To help you make this choice each ship on our site has been rated as follows: Children Welcome, Children Accepted or Unsuitable for Children. These ratings and a comment on the facilities for children are displayed on the individual Ship Details pages. Also you can search specifically for cruises on child friendly ships on the Ocean Cruises page (navigation bar above). Some points to remember:

• Not all itineraries are ideal for children and some longer and more exotic cruises may have age restrictions and very limited programs. The best cruising regions for children appear to be the Mediterranean and Caribbean where the warm sunny weather allows then to enjoy the pool and other activities on board.
• Book 7 night cruises in the school holidays if you want to make sure your children have lots of company.
• Look for ships that offer family or connecting cabins. If you want a separate cabin from the children consider an outside cabin for yourself and an inside across the corridor.
• Fares for children under 12 sharing a cabin with 2 adults are offered at a substantial discount
• The formal restaurants may not be ideal for your family meals but the early sitting is normally set up to cope. Check out the alternative eating options to see what might suit your family needs best.
• Check whether in-cabin or group baby-sitting is available and the cost so you can enjoy the evening entertainment on offer.
• If you are cruising with an infant:
  • Check the cruise line policy regarding infants on board. Some do not want infants at all, on other cruise lines or specific itineraries there's a minimum age of 6 or 12 months.
  • Check that cots are available and reserve one. Make sure your cabin has enough room for the cot and you to move around.
  • Plan to bring disposable nappies, formula and baby food etc with you or check out what is available on the ship.
  • Remember to bring a lightweight pushchair - ship corridors can be long. You may also be able to hire one from the cruise line.