As a parent of two young children – Tilly (6) and Hal (4) – I am acutely aware of the pressures on parents attempting to find the ideal family holiday.
Keeping the little ones amused for ten minutes at a time, let alone two weeks away from the comforts and convenience of home, can be a challenge.
We’ve tried most options from all inclusive resorts to self-catering and all have elements to recommend them but carry equal downsides.
As childcare on holiday is such an emotive issue, not least since the tragic Madeleine McCann disappearance, the safety of little ones is top of our priority list.
Which is why we now chose to holiday by cruise ship as we have the reassurance that our children are not only being looked after in a secure environment, but also they have the freedom to roam without feeling they are under constant parental supervision.
Cruise ships are amazingly child friendly and come complete with so many different activities, there’s no time for the children to get bored.
For example, I see that Costa Cruises will be having dedicated PlayStation World areas on board two new ships entering service this summer, and the video gaming machines will also be available in cabins, on the big screen TV on deck and in the children’s clubs.
Then there is ice skating, rock climbing and surf simulators on the biggest Royal Caribbean International ships and bowling and Nintendo Wii games on board the latest NCL vessels.
These, and many more innovations targeting children and teenagers, are on top of the pools, water parks and whirl pools which our youngsters are happy spending hours swimming and splashing around in on board ship.
Many ships are designated as being specifically family friendly, particularly those of Carnival Cruise Lines, Ocean Village, Royal Caribbean, NCL, some of the P&O Cruises’ fleet, Costa, and MSC Cruises.
Most have some form of organised and professionally supervised children’s areas divided to cater for different age ranges.
The variety of activities on offer is really quite phenomenal and will be listed by the hour covering the whole duration of the cruise in a programme to be found in your cabin as soon as you get on board.
On Ventura last summer, we found this to be hugely helpful in organising our days as the children could pick and choose what they wanted to do and when, without any pressure for everyone to have to join in, which can so often be the case at equivalent land-based resort hotels.
Our two appreciated the opportunity to participate in the vast range of activities laid on by the ‘youth crew’ but were equally at home opting out and joining us in the sun around the pool.
Incredibly, they also adapted remarkably quickly to sharing a cabin with mummy and daddy. This was assisted in no small measure by their beds miraculously appearing after their dinner, complete with fun coloured duvet covers, where two sofas existed during the day – all thanks to our attentive cabin steward who managed against all the odds to keep all our stuff in order for two weeks.
It is also good to note that increasingly cruise companies are expanding the range of cabin categories, with many taking on board the needs of families and extended families.
For example, Carnival Dream, the new fun ship being introduced in September by Carnival Cruise Lines, will have family cabins featuring two bathrooms and others capable of accommodating up to five people.
Then, of course, there are the many ports of call for exploring during the cruise. But, more often than not, we tend to stay on board for the morning, feeling that we have the ship to ourselves, before getting off for a relaxed lunch and the obligatory ice cream at a local café or restaurant.
That’s not to say there’s not enough variety of food to appeal to all ages on the ship, just that we like trying out local specialities when we have the chance.
Come the evening, the children’s clubs come into their own, giving parents some quality time together over dinner, maybe a show or other entertainment complete with the peace of mind that their little darlings are being looked after.
As all parents know, if the children are happy on holiday, then it helps everyone relax and enjoy themselves. And, in my experience, a cruise ticks all the right child-contentment boxes.
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