Most vessels–from Cunard’s dignified QE2 to Carnival’s party ships–have a youth program. Cruise lines devote millions of dollars and plenty of creativity to develop activities designed to keep your child busy, entertained and, yes, even edified. On some ships, youngsters get their own deck space, and special play areas and facilities might include whiz-bang computer labs or multistory waterslides.
Supervised daily activities can range from storytelling, ship tours, arts and crafts, ice-cream sundae and pizza parties, golf, scavenger hunts, masquerade parties, dance lessons, sports tournaments, movies and more.
And despite cruising’s ubiquitous extra charges for adult amenities, virtually every ship’s youth program is free.
Of course, you do pay your child’s fare. But even that doesn’t have to break the bank. On American Hawaii, for instance, children ages 3 to 17 sail for just $99 year-round. On some lines–such as KD River Cruises–your kids even can sail free in summer.
With age-appropriate youth activities, you can bank on your kids having plenty to do on practically any ship.
But not all youth programs are identical. If distinctions are important to you, carefully explore the offerings of the ship you’re considering. For specifics, ask the cruise line or a travel agent.
Some lines excel in youth programming. Among them are Carnival, Disney and Royal Caribbean. Carnival alone carries nearly a quarter-million kids a year.
Parents of children with disabilities might want to check out Princess’ ships, which have garnered industry awards for outstanding shipboard access.
Many cruise lines employ full-time youth counselors, and some hire them during the summer and other peak times. Whatever the case, ask about child-counselor ratios. For example, Disney ships allocate one counselor for every 15 children in the 3- to 8-year-old range, and one for every 25 youngsters between ages 9 and 12.
Daily schedules for children are filled with activities. However, most lines don’t schedule activities for when a ship is in port–unless your ship visits a line’s private Caribbean island.
At a minimum, many lines offer reduced rates for children on adult shore excursions. Only a few ships, mainly those on Alaskan itineraries, offer kids-only excursions. Holland America arranges a tram ride and hike option in Juneau and cultural visits to totem pole centers in various other ports. Norwegian Cruise Line also offers kids excursions in the 49th state–a White Pass train and bicycle tour in Skagway and a bald eagle float trip in Haines.
Shipboard youth programs are divided by age group, with clusters typically ranging from 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 17, though these can vary. Programs on Princess and Carnival, for instance, welcome children as young as age 2. However, Princess divides youth groups into two broad age ranges. Carnival also has activities especially for teens ages 16 to 18.
Supervised activities usually stretch from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with kids free for lunch and dinner with their families. On some ships, schedules can run longer. Disney’s program lasts until midnight or 1 a.m.
Some lines’ rosters offer particularly neat features. An Ice Cream With the Stars Party on Holland America’s ships lets kids ages 5 to 12 mingle with on-board entertainers and ask questions about their work. Sometimes youngsters even get a backstage tour. Carnival has a similar behind-the-scenes option.
Older children on QE2 can partake of a British tradition: a daily children’s tea held in the Lido Cafe at 5:30 p.m. And, Disney recently introduced a Teatime With Wendy (from “Peter Pan”) on its seven-day sailings.
Many lines have cool clubs or discos for teens. On Disney, teens can hang out at a New York-style coffee bar. And signs that read “No Adults Allowed” put to rest any question of to whom some deck space on Disney ships belongs. On Princess’ Grand Princess, deck space for teens even boasts a Jacuzzi. A number of lines extend “open door” privileges to older kids that allows them to sign in and out of the program during the day–with parental consent, of course.
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas boasts a TV studio staffed by audiovisual pros, where kids can document their cruise on tape. Princess ships feature Nickelodeon children’s programming as part of the in-cabin television lineup. Other ships also offer kid-appropriate programming on in-cabin TVs.
Most ships offer baby-sitting for parents who may want to enjoy shoreside excursions sans kids or late nights out on board or on shore. Here again, there are many permutations. There are fees for the service; rates, options and hours vary from ship to ship. On some ships, rates can go as high as $15 an hour.
Baby-sitting may be based on staff availability, and advance notice usually is required. Some ships offer in-cabin baby-sitting, while others only do group baby-sitting in a youth-activities area. For example, a “Midday Madness” option on Royal Caribbean provides supervised baby-sitting on port days for $4 per hour per child.
And, yes, some ships even do diapers. A nursery on Disney’s two ships accepts infants as young as 12 weeks old. The QE2’s nursery accepts tots from a year old.
