Alexandra Routenberg may be only in 3rd grade, but she knows a lot about cruising.
”You don`t have to be with your parents all of the time and have good manners,” explains the 8-year-old from Buffalo Grove, who is going on her 18th cruise this spring. ”I only get tired of it when it`s raining.”
Parents may complain about the constant motion of the ship, the discomfort of being surrounded by strangers, the cramped staterooms or the annoyance of being overscheduled. But put a kid on a ship for a few days and he`ll likely leave as a walking advertisement for the cruise industry.
That`s what the cruise lines are banking on, anyway.
Most cruise lines offer children`s programs, though they don`t necessarily operate on every sailing.
And to coax families into taking cruises now, there are deals. Drive to meet your ship or use frequent-flier miles and you can save several hundred dollars. There are discounts for large family groups traveling together, for grandparents, for single parents.
”Cruising is becoming a better bet for families all the time,” says Kathy Joseph, who runs the Los Angeles-based family travel information service, Let`s Take the Kids Family Travel Hotline; 1268 Devon Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90024; 800-726-4349. A recorded message will tell you how Let`s Take the Kids provides information customized for family travel for an $8 per enquiry fee.
”We`re seeing that the median age for cruising-now 42 or 43-is getting younger. One big reason is because more families are cruising with their kids,” explains Lloyd Axelrod, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean.
As a result, the cruise lines are working to keep families happy. From Premier`s Big Red Boat, which combines a cruise to Nassau with a trip to Walt Disney World; to Carnival`s fleetwide children`s program called Camp Carnival; to Royal Caribbean`s special kids` menu and activities, the cruise lines are adding features to keep pint-sized passengers amused.
There are kids` discos, teen nightclubs, talent shows, off-ship trips just for them and daily printed activity schedules for youngsters.
”The kids` programs are good if you don`t want to always stick around your parents,” explains Alexandra Routenberg.
They also provide kids with a taste of freedom. ”The kids liked that they could come and go,” says Karen Simon, who and cruised with her three children to Mexico. ”They were safe. It`s not like a regular hotel.”
Though still not exactly cheap, cruising does give families a lot of bang for their vacation buck because everything-from meals to plane fare (in some cases) to entertainment-is included upfront. There are few extras to pay for onboard.
Kids on their own
Even better, parents and kids can go their own way and meet for meals. There are no fights about where to eat or whether to swim or play tennis.
”It`s the ideal way to get away,” says Gael Routenberg, Alexandra`s mother and a teacher.
There`s variety too-probably more different foods or activities than most kids have ever seen in one place.
”Our older ones disappeared in the mornings and we didn`t see them except for meals,” said Robert Martin, a suburban Chicago engineer who recently returned from a Premier Cruise with his four kids.
But it wasn`t quite that easy with his 3- and 5-year-olds. Despite all of the activities available, he warns, ”It was a lot of work with the little ones. There wasn`t much time for my wife and me.” Still, he says his family would try another cruise.
Other cruise lines may offer less for the youngest passengers. Royal Caribbean, for example, concentrates its programs for ages 5 and up, though babysitting is available for younger ones. Carnival, named the best family cruise choice by readers of Family Circle magazine, offers activities for 4-year-olds and older. Again, babysitting for younger children may be arranged for a fee.
To help you plan, Travel With Your Children, the New York-based family travel information center, publishes an annual guide to family cruising. (To get the guide, send $20 plus $2 postage to TWYCH, 45 W. 18th St., New York, N.Y. 10011; 212-206-0688.) –
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Taking the Kids invites your questions and anecdotes about your own family travel experiences. We cannot reply to every letter, but we`ll print those of general interest. Please send them to Taking the Kids, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
