During my two decades of cruising, I’ve learned that family vacations can take one of two tacks: Either they are full-on disasters or they go down as one of the “best vacations ever.” Over the years, I’ve experienced both.
On the full-on disaster side, my wife and I had been a little too ambitious, hauling our daughter, not yet six months old, to Walt Disney World and, only a few months later, across six time zones to England. What were we thinking?
Compare that to the “best vacation ever,” of which there were many, both here at home and abroad. Quite simply, my kids (and yes, your kids too) love to cruise. And why not? After all, where families are concerned, a cruise ship is little more than a floating, self-contained family resort, with all the features and activities that adults and kids could ever wish for.
This site is designed to help you make the best choices for your family cruise vacations. I took the liberty to provide my top ten personal favorites starting with the cruise line that I felt offered the best overall family cruise vacation.
You should know, however, that I had a tough time ranking the cruise lines, I applied no formal methodology. Rather, I relied on my personal experience, input from others, advice from travel agents, and of course, the final word from the experts: kids, and especially my two children.
The rankings, in fact, are not that important. My kids, for example, had a tough time choosing between the many cruises they’ve been on. You won’t go wrong choosing any of these cruises. They are the top ten of several hundreds ships and possible cruises.
Please participate and share your own experiences. In doing so, you help other families like mine and like yours choose their perfect family cruise.
Bon Voyage!
Ralph Grizzle
Editor, The Avid Cruiser & Family Cruise Advisor
Top Ten Family Cruises
- Best Overall Family Cruise Experience: Disney Cruise Line
- Best Non-Disney Family Cruise: Carnival Cruise Lines
- Best Cruise For Adventure Seekers: Royal Caribbean – Freedom-Class Ships
- Best All-Over Home-Away-From Home: Princess Cruises
- Best Low-Key Family Cruise: Holland America Line
- Best Upscale Family Cruise: Celebrity Cruises
- Best Family-Style Luxury Cruise Experience: Norwegian Epic – Suites And Villas
- Best Niche Cruise Experience: River Cruising AMAWATERWAYS
- Best Adventure Cruise With A Purpose: Lindblad Expeditions
- Best Multiple Generations Luxury Cruise: Crystal Cruises
2010 Winners: