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Posts Tagged ‘family cruise’

How to Have a Great Family Cruise Ship Vacation

April 1st, 2009 No comments

Thinking of a family vacation aboard a cruise ship? If you and your family are interested in becoming one of those families, you have a number of different options. If you are tired of camping, picnics or a visit to grandma’s house during the next holiday season, why not go on a cruise ship?

Setting sail on water is fun and it is something that most of is would love to do. Boats are expensive and most of us cannot afford one anyway. We have an interesting piece of information for you: a family vacation aboard a cruise ship can be for anyone irrespective of whether they understand sailing or not. Try going on a cruise vacation.

So will your family enjoy a vacation being aboard a cruise ship? Cruise liners open up a new world of experience and there are endless possibilities that you can explore on your vacation. Individuals of all age can enjoy participating in these activities.

Consider these issues before you make the decision about arranging a family vacation aboard a cruise ship. If you prefer quiet evening away from the crowd, probably being aboard a cruise ship would not be suitable as a few nights on a hired yacht. Children and adults will find plenty of activities to do on a cruise liner. You can choose to swim in the pool, laze around on the deck, or gamble to your heart’s desire.

Other one of the many benefits of taking a family cruise ship vacation is the fact that almost all of them have onboard childcare. The child can be left for an hour or two while you pamper yourself with some private time with your spouse, or alone. These are often complimentary facilities.

One biggest benefit of a cruise vacation is the quality time spent together. While it is true that this quality time together can be spent anywhere, it is often more memorable on a cruise liner. The close corridors should not be viewed as a disadvantage. Teenagers, for instance do not see time spent with the family as a worthwhile investment.

This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with them without being too obvious. Remember to take a long a video recorder and take a regular camera along as well. In addition to enjoying your cruise in the present, you and your family will also be able to enjoy it in the future. For a reasonable price, you can have an unforgettable family vacation on board a cruise ship so why not take hold of the experience while you can?

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Family Cruises: A Great Vacation Option

March 23rd, 2009 No comments

If you’re planning a family vacation, the chances are you’re having to consider which places are kid-friendly and just what types of things there will be to do for your kids on the vacation. Nobody likes having to drag their kids from airport to airport or on long car trips.

There’s a very easy solution for any family. Book a cruise and take the kids along. Most cruise lines now not only allow children and teens but they often cater to them, including kid-friendly activities, kids clubs, and even childcare services.

When planning your family cruise, it’s a good idea to begin by researching the larger cruise lines by giving your agent a ring or, simpler yet, looking up the information online. It’s important that you find out not only about the cruise companies but also about the ships themselves, since every ship is constructed with very different types of facilities and services.

As you do your research, you’ll find that there is a good deal of variation of programs and facilities from ship to ship. You’ll want to find the cruise ship that is the best fit for your family’s interests that also both has availability and is sailing on the dates you want to take your vacation.

Maybe the best part of cruising with your kids is that you are able to all be together on the ship while also experiencing such a wide range of activities for both kids and parents. You’ll get to spend lots of quality time together, but you’ll also have ample opportunities to be apart in a controlled, safe environment.

Cruising is also actually quite a bargain for families on a budget. Not only are transportation, room, and all meals included in one price, but most all on board activities are also included. In addition, the cost for kids to cruise is often minimal, adding up to little more than port charges and taxes.

You’ll find that on most ships, babysitting and childcare is offered. Also, most cruise lines offer kids clubs aboard the ships that are staffed by the equivalent of camp counselors. Therefore, parents can be free to enjoy themselves on board and have the freedom to take part in a whole bunch of activities on their own.

It really is difficult to top a cruise for a vacation for your family. There are just so many great things to do on board for no added cost, the price is very reasonable, and best of all, your family can relax as you are taken from spot to spot in the safety and comfort of the cruise ship.

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Vacation Tips for Cheap Family Cruises

January 30th, 2009 No comments

Cruising is fun for people of all ages. From toddlers to teenagers and from young couples on honeymoon to the older person relaxing after a life of hectic careers, cruise vacations offer enjoyment and excitement to everyone. If you wish to find cheap family cruises, then there are plenty of choices, wherever you live. Nearly all cruise lines offer specials and programs for families with specific emphasis on children. Services like baby-sitting, play-stations; mini computer labs, etc. are presented to lure children also on cruise ventures. Many of them combine exclusive offshore excursions geared to attract children of all ages. Some of the select features of cheap family cruises are presented here for your basic information.

Reduced cruise rates like 2 full adult fares for a family of 3 or even 4, if the children are below the age of 5. Special baby-sitting provisions and monitored cribs. Family cabins with full beds or separate bunkers for children to accommodate children up to the age of 12. Cartoon shows and cartoon magazines. Classes for arts, crafts, dancing, music, foreign languages, etc. Game facilities like billiards, chess, basketball, volleyball, ping pong, swimming, snorkeling, etc. Kids-only swimming pools. Kid, teen, and youth counselors. Computer labs and computer game stations. Special beach parties and barbeque parties.

With most cruises, the accommodation, all meals, entertainment, and other onboard activities are all included in the price. Transportation to and from the port is also generally part of the package. However, other expenses like drinks, excursion expenses at stoppage ports, personal services like hairstyling, massage, etc. are generally not included in cruise package. On the other hand, most cruise lines accept requests for special diets like low-carbohydrate, salt-free, etc. but these have to be advised in advance.

A cheap or inexpensive family cruise can be found either by browsing the Internet or by contacting any reputable travel agency. At the outset, make a decision about the destination or destinations that you would like to visit and the number of days that you could afford, along with your probable budget. After that, obtain at least 4-5 family cruise package quotes from different cruise lines. Compare them for all the features, including fine print like the inclusion or exclusion of VAT, personal insurance, tips, etc. In general, you have a choice of around major 200 cruise lines operating all over the globe, with more than 1,800 ports-of-call.

Remember that family cruises are meant for fun and relaxation. You can find a family cruise package that will not strain your family budget and be great fun as well. Make sure that your family cruise selection offers adequate rest between ports-of-call, where you may be visiting several places on hectic-paced guided tours. Talk to the cruise director or the travel agent about the specific facilities offered for the family members. Find out ahead of time about all on-board activities, so that all members of the family, including the kids, will be well informed of all the fun to expect. If you consider all the above facts, then your next family cruise should be within your budget and at the same time, offer all of you unlimited recreation, relaxation, and pleasure.

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Stop! Don’t Go On a Cruise With a Baby Until You Read This

January 20th, 2009 No comments

Going on a family cruise with a young baby can be a wonderful trip. We know because we just came back from a Caribbean cruise with our 10 month old daughter.

Before we left on our cruise we had do some planning, making lists, checking lists, contacting the cruise line and so on – but all of our pre-trip planning was well worth the effort. Travelling with a baby means taking lots of extra things with you – and there are a lot of things to consider – but there are some items that you just cannot be without. Here is our list of the top ten items to take with you for your baby.

1. Probably the most important thing for the cruise is taking a comfortable stroller that is foldable. Having a stroller makes it easy to get around on the ship and in the airport when travelling to the cruise. We used the stroller for morning walks on the ship, for taking our daughter to meals on the ship, and in the evening we bathed her, put her in pyjamas and then put her in the stroller as we enjoyed the excitement of walking around the ship in the evening. She fell asleep every evening in her stroller.

2. Make sure that you have enough diapers for your baby during the vacation – but don’t bring them from home. First figure out before you leave how many diapers your child go through in a normal day – and then multiply that number by the number of days on your vacation. If your vacation involves air travel (like ours did) you won’t want to have to bring the diapers from home – if you do that means that they will have to be checked as checked baggage. Instead, do what we did. Our ship cruised out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. We had time from when our flight arrived in Florida to when we had to be on the ship. So from the airport we took a cab to a nearby Target store and purchased the diapers that we needed for the cruise and some other baby supplies before getting another taxi to the ship.

3. Even when travelling with a young baby you will want to swim during your vacation (if your cruise is a warm-weather location). All ships have kiddie/toddler pool and in order for you baby to enjoy the pool they have to wear swim diapers or be potty-trained.

4. If your baby is on formula make sure that you bring enough formula with you for the length of the cruise. We brought powdered formula since it is more compact than pre-mixed formula. Rather than bring it from home, we purchased the required formula in Florida before embarking our ship. Keep in mind that any formula entering the ship must be sealed & in the original container.

5. Being able to boil water during the trip was important to us since we wanted to have safe water to mix with the powdered formula. In order to make it easy to boil water we brought a kettle with us with an automatic shut-off.

6. We took a formula dispenser with us. This allowed us greater flexibility for giving our daughter her bottle. Having the dispenser meant that we filled several bottles at a time with clean water and when baby is ready to have a bottle (anywhere on the ship), we just had to pour the premeasured formula into the bottle and give the bottle a shake.

7. Scented bags for dirty diapers. Because you will not have a diaper dispenser for dirty diapers with you – taking a supply of these bags will help reduce any bad odours in your room. They can be purchased at a dollar store or Babies r Us.

8. You’ll need soap for bathing your baby. Eventhough most ship cabins won’t have a tub for bathing your child – you can still do what we did. We plugged the drain on the shower and put enough water in the shower in order to give our baby her bath.

9. Sun Cabana – if your cruise is taking you to a warm climate like the Caribbean purchase a very lightweight sun cabana before your trip. You can use it when you visit the beach during the cruise. Keeps baby comfortable and protected from the sun. If you rent a cabana on the beach it will cost about $80 to $100.

10. Zip lock bags – these are great for everything – snack holders, put really dirty/soiled clothes away until you get home. Use for things that leak – (ex. medicine). Use the bags on the ship to pack bibs, spoons to go for dinner so when they are dirty you can throw in the bag & clean when you get back to your room.

These are the essentials that can’t leave home without. There are more items to consider, but start your list with these items.

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