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Cruising With the Kids! Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

There are certainly high-end luxury cruise lines that cater to the more mature crowd or the predominantly adult crowd but there are many other cruise lines which offer family friendly cruises more affordably than their "luxury" peers. Today's cruise ships offer many ammenities and programs that are geared toward youth to engage and entertain them while on board. So absolutely yes, cruising with the kids can be an incredible family vacation.

First a word of advice. Take all the views of friends, family, travel agents, web sites and articles (yes, this one included) as what they are, general opinion. Only you know your children so intimately well to understand the programs and ammenities that will engage them. Let your children participate in the cruise line, ship, and itinerary research, especially the teens and tweens. They may provide a unique insight to the ammenities of cruising they feel are critical to a good vacation.

As a parent you have the control of how much independence you will allow your child during the cruise vacation. Again you know your child better than anyone and are best suited to determine and set the limits for your child. One of these limits is the on-board account. Except for the casino games, no cash is needed when on the cruise ship. Each passenger is issued a credit card sized room key which doubles as the on-board charge card. As a parent you can set the card ot have no spending authority or you can set a daily spending limit for your child.

Another boundary to consider the level of independence to roam the ship unattended. Some children as young as 8 or 9 freely wander the ship unaccopmpanied while other 12 - 13 year olds are not given that independence. This is a parental decision; is your child responsible enough to handle the freedom you have given them? Generally speaking cruise ships are very safe places but defining some rules for this new independence can enhance the safety. First and foremost any child should never go into another person's cabin at any time. There should be no running around the ship (other than the jogging track), especially in the pool areas. The pools are small and at times crowded so there should be no horse play. Certainly you know your child best of all and may have other rules to establish.

Many of the cruise ships today are very large and cell phone service is grossly expensive but there are alternative methods to keep in touch with family members on a cruise such as walkie talkies and the old fashioned note in the cabin. Some families use the walkie talkies so that the children can check in with a parent if they are leaving one area of the ship and going to another. Others use them to check in at predefined intervals. An equally effective way to keep track of family members is to use a sticky note on the inside of the cabin door. If someone returns to the cabin and wishes to find the other members of the family they check inside of the door to see where eveeryone is. This is inexpensive but requires a return to the cabin. Then again, that extra bit of excercise getting back and forth to the cabin canhelp avoid too much of a weight gain.

Many of the cruise line that cater to family cruising have a waterslide on the ship. Some even go as far as to have an on-board waterpark with multiple slides and splash zones. Spending the warm afternoon of a tropical cruise splashing around in a waterpark will keep the children busy for hours. Parents can relax in the sun while the kids are burning their endless supply of energy, racing around the waterpark with new friends. Some of the cruise lines provide soft-serve icecream on the pool decks for a refreshing break from the water activities.

When the child has had enough fun in the water for the day, many family cruise line ships have an arcade on board. The larger ships have a good selection of gaming that appeal to a wide range of ages. These arcade have token vending machines that tap into the on board account if you have set up a daily limit for your child.

Most cruise lines offer youth programs on board. The activities and the staffing varies line to line but in general, the youth program is divided into age groups, usually 2 to 4, 5 to 8, 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 17. Each group is provided age appropriate activities that are published in the daily cruise activity newsletter. The youth programs offer video games, movies, dance parties, pizza parties, scavenger hunts and crafts. The general hours for the youth program are 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM with a couple of exceptions for late night pizza parties or themed parties that will run until between midnight and 3:00 AM. If the child enjoys the youth program, they provide a great opportunity for mom and dad to enjoy some cruise time without the kids in tow.

As the children advance into their teens, the youth program in reality serves as a launch point to introduce the youth to others of their own age. Many times friendships are made that create their own activities outside of the youth program. Some of these activities include the waterpark, arcade, mini-golf, basketball and volleyball. In today's technology saturated daily life, it is interesting observing how these teens cope with the first few days on a cruise without access to texts.

Dining on cruise ships provides a vast variety of food options that include items for even the pickiest of eaters. The restaurants on the ships have childrens menu with the most popular kid menu choices. Your child is not required to order from the child menu. Cruising can be a great opportunity to try new food items that would not be even considered back at home. Encourage your child to try small portions of multiple food items. They just may find a liking for a food that is totally surprising. In the Main DIning Room of the ship, even if there is nothing on either the child menu or the adult menu that suits your young one, ask your waiter for something your child will eat. If it is not just way off the wall, most wait staffs are delighted to accomodate the children.

So, taking the kids on a cruise is not so scarry as may have been first thought. Cruise vacations offer such a variety of activities that appeal to most every age group which could make it the best family vacation experience that money can buy. If you have ever considered cruising as a vaction, do some reseach and see how much cruising can offer the whole family.

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