| | | Cruise Views
We're big fans of cruising — one of those vacations I like to think of as a "no-brainer." Once you've decided when to cruise and which ship to cruise on, it only takes one phone call to arrange everything. After that, all you have to do is show up. With so little to do for the trip itself, you're left with lots of time to read to and with your kids to get them excited about cruising and the destinations you plan to visit. After years of cruising with our kids, we've learned (sometimes the hard way) that there are some givens. Due to the scarcity of (affordable) bathtubs on ships, we highly recommend training your preschool children in the art of showering before you go. We told our kids that only grown-up kids who could shower took cruises and this worked like a charm.
SOUND ADVICE FOR WOULD BE CRUISERS  First time cruisers should test the kiddy waters with a seven-day or shorter cruise. Seven days gives children time to become accustomed to new surroundings.
Choose an itinerary which appeals most to the adults in your group. If your child is not interested in the destinations, take advantage of in-port kids' programs (see chart).
Always check for special children's rates — even when you don't see them in the brochure.
If you cannot arrange for your private babysitting needs (usually done by female crew members) prior to sailing, head for the purser's desk as early in your cruise as possible.
Cruise lines are concerned about your child's safety. Most have a parent sign-in sheet where parents indicate if their child can leave the program on her/his own or if she/he has to wait to be picked up by parents. Some lines extend these security measures: Disney Cruise Line has pagers to locate parents aboard ship; Celebrity Cruises issues identification wristbands for the littlest ones and requires parents to present their boarding passes to sign-out their child; and Norwegian Cruise Line has a name-tag system, identifying children who must remain in the program until their parents return for them — with cabin numbers and lifeboat station numbers written on the back of the tag to assist in an emergency. Careful screening of youth counselors, who generally require a degree in education, child psychology or recreation, or past experience as a camp counselor is the norm.
Although refrigerators and tubs are found mostly in higher cabin categories, mini-fridges are becoming more widespread on both new and upscale ships. There are, for example, tubs and refrigerators in all staterooms on Crystal Cruises' ships.
Even though most cruise ships now offer discounted shore excursions for kids (exceptions: American Canadian Caribbean, Carnival, Crystal, Mediterranean Shipping, Princess and Regal), the larger the family, the more reasonable it is to hire your own cab to take you to a beach or local sight. One of the best resources for planning on-your-own shore excursions is Cruise Vacations With Kids, by Candyce Stapen, in which extensive detailed possibilities are covered — from Acapulco and Aruba to Vancouver and Wrangell — featuring every type of possible outing. (Prima, 1996, $14.95)
Check out the deck plan of the ship prior to booking. When my sister, mother and I recently sailed with American Hawaii Cruises, it was evident from the plan that our "triple" cabin was much smaller than others. On the other hand, our family cabin on the now defunct American Family Cruises was substantially larger than other four-passenger cabins on the ship. Even in the same category there can be major differences in the size of the cabins.
Most important, drag your kids (bribe them if you have to) to the kids' orientation. They may never want to return (doubtful), but here they'll connect with other children from the getgo.
We have consistently found cruising with our kids to be great vacations. Our only complaint is that sometimes we don't get to spend enough time with them — they're so busy with their friends. If you find yourselves in this situation, plan an outing with another family or simply invite their friends to join you. This is also a good time to invest in a travel journal, one with an address section. My boys still talk with youngsters from around the country whom they originally met on the high seas!
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© 1999 - 2004 Dorothy Jordon & Associates Inc.
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