Our two year old has spent 14 nights on a cruise ship. Our seven year old? He has spent 42 nights on a cruise ship. We have cruised many times with baby and little kids and you know what? It was AMAZING, and it was EASY!
There are a million things we love about cruising. However, below are a few of our favorite reasons why cruising, specifically when your kids are young, is a good idea.
1. Proximity
Where else can you sleep, eat, play, swim, watch shows, and relax all within a few steps? No need for cars, taxis, or public transportation to get anywhere. When a kid needs to nap, or go to bed early? No problem. Wander back to your room and put them to bed. And then if you are like us, you go relax on your balcony while the little one sleeps.
2. Nursery and Kids Clubs
Every cruise line and cruise ship we have been on has had amazing kids programming. Typically this is in the form of a nursery for the really little kids (the under 3 and not potty trained crowd) and activity-packed kids clubs for the 3+ year olds. Counselors are so fun and highly trained. Activities are entertaining, creative, and sometimes even educational. Our son has the best time in kids club, and we don’t blame him based on the glimpses we have seen. Sometimes he doesn’t even want to come hang with us because he is having so much fun in club.
3. Adult Time
While the kids are happily having the time of their life in nursery and kids clubs, adults can escape for an adult only meal or time in the adult only pool area. We love cruises for the ability to build a perfect combination of family time with the kids – and adult time.
4. Photos
If you are like me, you struggle to get pictures as a whole family during travel (heck even at home). On a cruise you are surrounded by official photographers, and even friendly fellow passengers, who are available to take photos of your family group. On one of our recent cruises we actually connected with a fellow passenger who was a professional photographer in real life, and paid her to take some nice family photos on the beach in the Bahamas.
5, Built in Playmates
Kids love to play with other kids. And on a cruise ship your kids will almost certainly be surrounded by other kids to play with. Whether it is in the kids clubs, in the pools, or any other activity on board, your kids will have opportunities to get to know and play with other kids. These kids could be from across the country or the globe. Our son has made lots of new friends, and even some pen pals, on our cruise vacations.
6. Food, for Everyone
Whether your family is made up of picky eaters, adventurous eaters, or both, everyone is going to find amazing things to eat on a cruise ship. Cruise restaurants are able to seamlessly cater to chicken finger loving kids and foodie adults within the same meal. Food is (mostly) all free, and free-flowing. No one in your party will go hungry, ever. At the dinner table, servers will get to know your kids and their likes/dislikes. On our last cruise, we arrived to dinner each night and there was a big bowl of fruit waiting for our then one year old daughter. She was in strawberry heaven. And when our son was 9 months old the dining room staff happily pureed any kind of fruit and vegetable we requested – essentially making our own baby food fresh each night. All this while the adults at the table are having amazing gourmet food. Win, win!
7. Activities, for Everyone
Each day on a cruise there is an itinerary full of activities – tailored to all ages and interests. From diaper dashes (think babies racing (read crawling) across the floor, to belly flop contests in the pool, to trivia and bingo, to food and drink seminars – there is so much going on. We love sitting at dinner and looking at the next day’s slate of activities and deciding as a family what all we want to do. And sometimes the answer is nothing, we want to relax by the pool and just hang out as a family – which is amazing all on its own. And unlike most vacations where the whole family is always doing the same thing at the same time (and has to agree), on cruises you can split up if you want, do different activities for a bit, and meet back up later.
8. Multiple Vacations in One
We often think of a cruise as a moving hotel (and so much more). On a cruise you have the luxury of being able to visit and tour multiple places without having to pack up your suitcases and take transportation to the next destination. Instead, you wake up each morning in a new location, ready to go explore with your family. Sometimes we leave a port saying “that was great; now we can check that off the list.” Other times we leave saying “that was amazing; we want to come back and spend more time here!” A cruise is a great way to get a sample of many locations and pick places you love to go back and spend a longer vacation in at a later date.
Have we convinced you yet? Think you might want to take the plunge and book a cruise with your kids? Do it!
What questions do you have about cruising with little kids? We are happy to help answer questions or share more about our experiences!
Want to see more about our most recent experience cruising with kids? Check out the link to our 2018 Disney Cruise below:
https://www.theeastadventures.com/disney-cruise-2018-vlog/
