Cruising can be fun for anyone, but now that it's summer and school it out, it is a perfect time to give kids a fun cruise experience. For families who want to keep their kids entertained while enjoying a relaxing cruise as well, some of these options are great as they have plenty to offer for the youngsters.
Disney Cruise Line's Disney Dream
As these ships are all Disney-themed, almost any one would be a good choice for the kids. However, Disney's newest ship, Disney Dream is an excellent choice for younger kids. This ship is perfect for kids ranging from ages four to 12, but it can be fun for any Disney Fan as characters from "Toy Story," "Monsters, Inc.," and Tinker Bell's fairy forest make appearances around the ship.
Kids can play in Goofy's Sports Deck, which has a miniature golf course, a full basketball/ soccer/ volleyball court, and also digital sport simulators. If they're looking to make a splash, they can visit the "Finding Nemo"-themed water play area, which has a 765-foot-long, four-deck-high flume ride. This ride is so big that it takes two people to an inflatable raft to go down the massive ride.
The Animator's Palate restaurant caters to kids who are picky eaters. It has video wall displays where "Finding Nemo's" turtle Crush talks to kids by name and helps them choose their meal.
The Walt Disney Theater puts on Broadway-style shows with Disney characters in original storylines. Movies are also dislayed here for families to enjoy.
This ship travels to the Bahamas and even stops at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay which is a beautiful location for parents and a fun water-park filled land for the kids. One special feature of this ship is the "Pirates of the Caribbean" deck party which features characters from the movie and a fireworks show.
Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem
Norwegian is a great cruise line for families due to their freestyle cruising offering which doesn't limit families to set dining schedules. However, these boats are also full of entertainment for kids. Norwegian's Epic, Jewel, and Gem all have Nickelodeon themed cruises in which kids can participate in Nickelodeon related events and have special breakfasts with characters like SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer.
The Epic has large-scale amenities like a rock-climbing wall, six bowling alley lanes, a rappelling wall and climbing cage, a trampoline with harness cables, and an onboard water park with slides, including a 303-foot-long corkscrew tube and the Drainpipe, a 104-foot tube that empties into a giant funnel. There are also two pools, five hot tubs, a wading pool and a separate little kids pool with a slide. Kids can also enjoy a game of hoops on the basketball court, which doubles as a soccer field or hit a few balls in the batting cage.
There are also special kids programs for different age ranges including 2-5, 6-9 and 10-12. With these programs, kids can play Wii and PlayStation 3 games and teens can hang out at the teen nightclub. Another perk is that kids under two can sail for free if they're with two adults in one cabin.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's ships are definitely kid approved. Just to name a few fun activities, these ships have rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, miniature golf, roller-blading and more. The Oasis-class, some of Royal Caribbean's biggest and newest ships, has even more to offer. Allure of the Seas has four pools, 10 hot tubs, and even a zip-line. Both Oasis and Allure have surfing simulators, water parks, and even a carousel. Many of these ships also have Ben and Jerry's ice cream shops, Johnny Rockets burger joints, and shops catered to the kiddies.
Royal Caribbean has programs for kids from ages three to 17. Younger kids can enjoy arts and crafts, video games, and more. Some activities for the older kids include karaoke, rock wall challenges, toga parties, nightclub sessions, and skate sessions. Childcare is also offered for the younger tots.
Royal Caribbean has also teamed up with DreamWorks on their Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. This means that kids can meet characters like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda right on the sea.
Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Dream and Carnival Magic
The new Carnival megaships have 19,000 square feet of kids' facilities. Their Camp Carnival suits kids of all ages between age 2 and 17. Most of Camp Carnival activites take place on Deck 11 while older teens and pre-teens hang out in the teen clubs on Deck 4.
Some of the fun features include a pair of twin 80-foot-long racing slides and a 104-foot-long enclosed spiral slide called the DrainPipe. There's also a huge Twister corkscrew slide which measures 303-feet-long, or four-decks high. Kids can also play mini golf or shoot hoops on a basketball court. Kids can also watch movies on a 22-foot outdoor LED screen.
On Carnival Magic, kids can adventure around a twisted rope course, the first at sea.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
