Saturday, March 21, 2009

Hot Tips for Planning a Family Cruise

By Grant Gutenschlecht

One of the biggest pains about planning a family vacation when you've got kids is finding a place that is not only kid-friendly but also fun for the whole family. After all, nothing's worse than dragging the kids on planes or in a car for an entire vacation.

The answer to your vacation planning confusion is easy enough - take your entire family on a cruise vacation. Cruises now welcome passengers of all ages. In fact, they now build ships with kids in mind, including everything from kid's clubs to water slides.

Your first move when beginning to put together your family cruise vacation should be to call your travel agency or do a little research online and look into not only each of the big cruising lines but also the cruise ships themselves. Facilities and programs vary quite a bit from ship to ship, so by doing your homework you can get a good idea of their individual offerings.

The ideal is to find a ship that is the prefect match for your kids' interests and likes. Some ships definitely offer far more diverse children's activities and facilities, so it definitely pays to do your homework before booking.

Maybe the best part of cruising with your kids is that you are able to all be together on the ship while also experiencing such a wide range of activities for both kids and parents. You'll get to spend lots of quality time together, but you'll also have ample opportunities to be apart in a controlled, safe environment.

Taking a cruise can also be very cost effective for a family. For one thing, everything is included in one reasonable price - meals, room, and a whole range of activities on the ship. Best of all, kids often cruise for free or for a very small additional fee.

You'll find that on most ships, babysitting and childcare is offered. Also, most cruise lines offer kids clubs aboard the ships that are staffed by the equivalent of camp counselors. Therefore, parents can be free to enjoy themselves on board and have the freedom to take part in a whole bunch of activities on their own.

You just can't beat a cruise for your family in terms of value and variety of activities. You'll get to spend time together, yet everyone will have plenty to do on their own. And you'll get to see many new places without ever having to leave the ship.

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