Top Ten Most Popular Lines For Family Cruises
Cruises make wonderful family vacations. Large cruise ships cater to all ages and many offer interesting and/or educational age-specific children's programs. With over 60 cruise lines and almost 300 cruise ships to choose from, selecting the right cruise line for your family is often difficult. For most families, a large ship offers the greatest variety of activities.
1) Carnival
Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise
Lines advertises
itself as the "fun
ships", and the
cruise line has a
variety of
family-friendly
amenities at its
fleet-wide Camp
Carnival. Carnival
has scheduled
onboard programs for
ages 2 through 14,
special shore
excursions for
teens, and even baby
sitting (for a fee).
Carnival Cruise Line
2) Celebrity
Cruises
The Celebrity X-Club
Youth Program offers
family friendly
cruising and
activities for kids
ages 3-17. Children
can learn more about
the world by
exploring science
and nature or just
have fun
participating in the
wide variety of
activities from
talent shows to
slumber parties.
Celebrity offers
in-room babysitting
for a fee.Celebrity
Cruises
3) Costa
Cruise Lines
Costa is the Italian
branch of Carnival
Corporation, and the
ships are designed
for both Europeans
and North Americans.
The year-round Costa
Kids program offers
daily activities for
kids 3-17, and has
youth counselors.
Good choice for
families who want
their kids to
interact with those
from other
countries.
4) Crystal
Cruises
Crystal is a luxury
line that offers a
supervised
children's program
whenever a large
enough group of
children will be
onboard (holidays,
summer vacations,
etc.) Grandparents
and parents who
prefer an upscale
line, but who wish
to take their kids
(or grandkids) along
might enjoy this
sophisticated line.
Crystal does not set
the youth program
activity schedule
until the ship knows
the ages and numbers
of kids who will be
sailing.
Crystal
5) Cunard
Line
Cunard Line's Queen
Mary 2 and Queen
Elizabeth 2 are two
of the largest
cruise ships afloat.
They have a British
flair for their
children's programs,
including real
children's nurses
and trained British
nannies. The ships
also have a teen
center.
Cunard Line
6) Disney
Cruise Line
Anyone who loves
Disneyworld or
Disneyland will love
Disney Cruises. The
Disney characters
entertain the kids
on the ships, and
there are numerous
family activities.
As such, the ships
are much like a
theme park at sea,
and are geared
towards family
cruising. The ships
have supervised
children's programs
year-round for ages
3 through teens.
Disney Cruise Line
7) Holland
America Line
Holland America's
Club HAL provides
year-round
supervised
children's programs
for ages 5-12. Some
of the Holland
America ships have
programs for ages 3
through teens. The
ships have daily
activities and a
"just for kids"
shore excursion on
its Half Moon Cay
Caribbean island.
Holland America Line
8) Norwegian
Cruise Line
NCL's Kid's Crew
program has a
playroom staffed
with youth
coordinators
year-round.
Activities are
scheduled when the
ship is at sea and
in port for kids
ages 2-17. Fun
things to do for
kids include
dancing, arts and
crafts, treasure
hunts,
costume-making, and
games.
Norwegian Cruise
Line
9) Princess
Cruises
Princess expanded
its youth program in
2002 to provide
age-specific
activities for kids
3-17. The ships also
include learning
activities on
science, wildlife,
and conservation.
Teens will enjoy
many of the same
things they love at
home--Nintendo,
movies, Karaoke, and
giant screen TVs.
Younger kids will
find plenty to do in
the youth center.
Princess also has
full-time youth
coordinators and
group babysitting.
Princess Cruises
10) Royal
Caribbean
International
Royal Caribbean
International has
big ships with
non-stop activities
for children. The
ships have those
famous rock-climbing
walls and ice
skating rinks. The
RCI supervised
year-round youth
program, Adventure
Ocean, is targeted
to kids 3 to 17 in
five age groups. It
promises to be both
fun and educational.
Group babysitting is
also available.Royal
Caribbean
For more information
visit
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