Family Friendly Cruises

Yes, believe it or not, family cruises can be kid friendly. Our family has had the opportunity to cruise together several times, and it did not cost the family budget an arm and a leg. We were able to give our children the cruise experience without breaking the bank and that was the point.

One of the main things that we try to remember, is the people who stay in the inside / category 3 cabins eat the same food, see the same sights, and swim in the same pool as those who stay in the outside / category 9 cabins... they just pay a lot less for the experience. We have cruised on Carnival Cruise Lines, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Both have great children's programs, and many opportunities for fun for kids and adults. We will review each cruise separately. What does our family love about a Family Cruise? 1 - Not having to travel to the Ports of call on our own - the ability to visit several different places on a week long vacation. 2 - The absolutely AWESOME meals - and the dining room staff who really take care of you. 3 - The family time spent on at-sea days - there are a multitude of activities offered on the ship from trivia contests to movies to live entertainment. 4 - The night time entertainment - Broadway quality shows after dinner every night! Our Royal Caribbean family cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. We sailed in May 2004, with all 6 members of the family. We chose to sail economically, choosing two separate interior cabins just to be able to give our children this unique travel experience. Our family has sailed on Carnival three times together first Carnival Family Cruise was on the Carnival Holiday. We sailed on the Holiday in July 2005. Our family traveled with our favorite family vacationing pals on this trip. The older ships in the Carnival Cruise line fleet offer larger cabins, so we were able to accommodate our group of five in one cabin on this trip. Carnival Cruise Lines is our family's favorite cruise line, offering some of the best children's programs on the seas. The Carnival Glory Cruise that our family took in 2008 was our best cruise yet. We visited the Eastern Caribbean ports of Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, USVI; and St. Maarten, N.A. in addition to enjoying three full days at sea. The Carnival Glory is one of the largest ships in the Carnival Fleet. Our third Carnival Cruise was on the Carnival Freedom. We sailed in the spring of 2009 to the Western Caribbean ports of Key West, Florida, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica in addition to two full days at sea. There are ways to take the whole family on a cruise without putting a hole in the wallet.