By Erica Kritt, The Cruise Web Team
The reality of travel changes a little bit when you have kids. All the sudden you have picky eaters to please, loads of rambunctious energy to manage and a barrage of questions to answer, like ‘Are we there yet?’ With all of these things to consider, many cruise lines have evolved to cater specifically to families. This way you can vacation in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, but on a ship instead of stuffy hotels, and you’ll be treated to delicious and kid friendly menu options, entertainment and activities that will please your brood everyday and night.
To make cruising more attractive to families many cruise lines have added new features and partnered with popular brands to bring a little more fun to their younger sailors. Here’s an overview of some of the most interesting features to take advantage of.
Barbie
Little girls all over the world know and love Barbie. Now Royal Caribbean has a package were little girls can sail with the one and only Barbie. The Barbie Experience comes with a decorated stateroom and special programs like a Tiara & Teacups Party, where your little girl will snack on cupcakes and other treats and learn table manners and etiquette. There are Barbie themed dance classes, a fashion show and lots of Barbie themed treats to take home.
Water parks
Big ships are becoming floating amusement parks. Many of these water parks feature themed pools and huge water slides. For instance Norwegian’s most anticipated ship, The Breakaway, which will be sailing from New York, year round, will have a water park with five slides. The ship will also feature a walk the plank feature where passengers can walk out over the ocean, but don’t worry mom, everyone has to wear a harness to participate.
Character Breakfasts
Royal Caribbean has partnered with DreamWorks Entertainment, the company behind Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, and Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Nickelodeon, the famous kid’s channel. Through these partnerships these cruise lines are able to bring joy to your kids with characters like Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and Shrek. They even show up at special breakfasts where the kids get to dance and sing with them.
Cruise ships have developed youth programs onboard for babies to teens, where your child can meet other kids onboard, play fun games and learn a few things about cooking, dinosaurs, acting, among other things. Many ships also feature babysitting programs, so you can have a night on the dance floor or in port, knowing your kids are safe and having fun with a trained professional.
All these programs add up to less worry for mom and dad, and more time to take in the experiences and make those beautiful and lasting vacation memories.
Erica Kritt works at The Cruise Web. The Cruise Web is a travel agency that specializes in cruising. The expert cruise consultants focus on providing travelers with the best value for their time and money in finding and booking a cruise vacation!