Children’s programs on ships used to be just a place for parents to park their kids while mom and dad went off to do some important adult relaxing. Today, the best family ships devote a huge amount of resources, acreage, and innovation to making sure kids are having as good a time as their parents — or even better. For families traveling with kids, here are some of our favorite ships.

Disney’s Disney Dream: Arguably the best ship at sea for families with young kids, Disney Dream offers the biggest and best children’s facilities, a nursery for kids 3 months to 3 years, separate teen and tween centers, a kids’ pool with waterslide, a toddler-friendly splash zone, and a 765-foot water flume called the AquaDuck (if you can’t view the video above click here) — and those are just the highlights. There are also the best standard family cabins at sea, fantastic family oriented shows and movies, and lots of high-tech magic to make kids go “Oooh!,” plus some secluded adults-only areas to make parents go “Aaah.” You can even pre-order diapers and other baby supplies that’ll be in your cabin when you arrive. A near-identical sister ship, Disney Fantasy, will launch in 2012.

On Disney Cruise Line, the fun is not limited to the ship. Disney owns its own private island, Castaway Cay.

Disney’s Disney Magic & Disney Wonder: Though not quite as amazing as the newer Dream, Disney’s two original ships aren’t far behind, offering an almost identical experience at an only slightly scaled down level. There’s no AquaDuck, but there is different scenery outside, with Magic scheduled to sail from New York and Galveston next year, and Wonder doing Alaska and Mexican Riviera voyages.

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas & Allure of the Seas: The biggest cruise ships in the world, these two sisters are also the only ones that give Disney’s ships a run for their money in the family category. Each offers a huge open-air family area styled like an old-time boardwalk (there’s even a carousel), 28,700 square feet of kids’ playrooms, a nursery for kids 6 months to 3 years, extensive teen centers with their own outdoor deck, a pool deck with three different pools and a fun water park, a sports deck with surfing simulators and rock-climbing walls, an ice-skating rink, 3-D movies, fun dining options, and more. Courtesy of a deal with DreamWorks Animation, there are also costumed characters like Shrek and the Madagascar penguins, who participate in a parade and other activities throughout each cruise. As with Disney, you can order diapers and other baby supplies and have them ready in your cabin when you arrive. To view the video “A Teen’s View of Allure of the Seas” click here.

Also see Family Cruise Advisor’s Top Ten Family Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic: NCL’s biggest ship, Epic is also its best for kids, with one of the cruise world’s best waterslides, a splash pool for younger kids, a rock-climbing wall, a trampoline, a 24-foot “spider web”–style climbing cage, a basketball court, a batting cage, a two-story video screen in the atrium that’s great for watching sports; and meet-and-greets by costumed characters from Nickelodeon. The kids’ center offers Wii and Playstation II games, a dance floor, a big-screen TV room full of beanbag chairs; a great play structure with a crawling maze and ball jump. Teens get their own club/hangout, located up a “secret” hideaway staircase. Bonus: Kids under 2 sail free when sharing a cabin with two paying guests.

Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas & Liberty of the Seas: Once the world’s biggest cruise ships but now also-rans after fleetmates Oasis and Allure, these sister ships offer tons for families, including a huge playroom and video arcade, a teen club, a nursery for kids 6 months to 3 years, puppet shows created by Emmy and Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia, a water park, a surfing simulator, an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall, 3-D movies, a basketball court, and a miniature golf course. For fun enrichment, there are educational programs offered in collaboration with Fisher-Price and Crayola; for kiddie celebrity sightings, there are character parades and photo ops with DreamWorks movie characters; and for sugar highs there are Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream parlors and fresh-baked cupcake shops.

On Carnival Magic, kids and adults alike enjoy the SkyCourse, the first-ever ropes course at sea. Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival’s Carnival Dream & Carnival Magic: These two sister-ships — one already in service (Dream) and the other debuting next month — are Carnival’s best for families with kids, especially kids who love water slides, since they come armed with twin 80-foot racing slides; a 104-foot enclosed spiral slide; and a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high enclosed corkscrew waterslide. There are also kids’, teens’, and tweens’ centers, a basketball court, and a miniature golf course, and Carnival Magic will add a “ropes” course, in which kids (and adults) can strap into a safety harness and work their way along 230 feet of beams, rope bridges, and swinging steps suspended above the top deck.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Pearl & Norwegian Gem: These ships were the most recent generation from NCL before its new Epic, and are just all-around fun vessels. For kids, they offer huge, brightly colored play and crafts area; a big-screen TV room full of beanbag chairs; a huge play structure with a ball jump and crawling maze; a computer room; a video arcade; a teen center; and a small outdoor play area. The buffet restaurant includes an adorable “Kid’s Cafe” section with chairs, tables, and serving stations scaled down to pint size, and with kid-friendly food to match.

Princess’s Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess & Ruby Princess: Kid-wise, the best thing about these ships is the fact that their kids’ center includes a large, attached, fenced-in outdoor play area with a splash pool, lots of plastic trikes, a kids’ basketball setup, and kid-size tables and chairs. It’s a great place for energetic kids to work off steam while their parents relax nearby. Inside, the bright, cheerful kids’ centers have toys, games, computer stations, and organized activities. The teen centers have computers, video games, and a dance floor. The line’s “Movies Under the Stars” outdoor movie experience is great for families, with lounge chair seating and free popcorn.

MSC Cruises’ MSC Fantasia & MSC Splendida: Though the children’s programs at Italian line MSC aren’t in the same league as those offered by Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival, it still makes this list for one primary reason: because kids 11 and under sail fare-free when sharing a cabin with two paying guests (though government fees and taxes still apply). The line’s recent ships all have smallish children’s centers with games, arts and crafts supplies, PlayStations, and activities, plus an enclosed outdoor area with a wading pool, play structure, and tube slide. The new Fantasia and Splendida add a 4-D movie theater (with moving seats) and a Formula One racing car simulator.

Click the links below to read full ship reviews of the vessels featured in this article.

Disney Cruise Line

• Disney Magic
• Disney Wonder
• Disney Dream

Carnival Magic

Carnival Magic will offer family cruisers plenty of new and exciting features.

My first cruise was in 2000 when my daughter (aged 2) was just old enough to enter Camp Carnival. We choose Carnival Cruise Lines because they had an award-winning children’s program (accepting children in diapers) and the price was right. I never regretted my cruise line choice; in fact, Carnival Cruise Line is one of my favorite cruise lines when traveling with my family.

A lot has happened in the cruise industry since my first cruise. Ships keep morphing into floating resorts and onboard amenities and activities keep getting bigger and better.

Set to debut May 1, 2011, Carnival Magic will offer family cruisers many cruise industry-firsts that will have kids of all ages begging for a vacation at sea.

Topping the list of cruise industry-firsts on Carnival Magic is the ropes course.

Carnival Magic, will have over 19,000 square feet of family oriented spaces inlcuding the first ropes course at sea. Located in the expansive SportsSquare recreation complex, the ropes course, called SkyCourse, will offer adventure-seekers, magnificent views of the sea nearly 150 feet below while strapped in a safety harness and traversing rope bridges, swinging steps and beams.

Those that are not as willing to go full-throttle may choose from a variety of other fun activities in the SportsSquare complex. Families can spend hours playing popular video games on a large plasma screen TV, pumping-iron (think Venice Beach in CA) at the first outdoor weightlifting area on a cruise ship, or playing mini-golf at Carnival’s first two-level miniature golf course.

Rounding out the SportsSquare menu of activities are: the Vita exercise course; a lighted multi-purpose court for basketball, volleyball and soccer; and tables for ping pong and foosball.  With all this action, cruisers are bound to want to cool-off at the WaterWorks aqua park.

WaterWorks aqua park will feature an exhilarating "Twister" spiral water slide

Carnival Magic’s WaterWorks aqua park will feature an exhilarating “Twister” spiral water slide, as well as the new Aqua Play splash park designed for youngsters and their families, featuring a gigantic, 300-gallon “dump bucket.”

It’s not all about the action on the open decks, Carnival Magic offers new and exciting dining venues as well.

The latest Dream-class ship, Carnival Magic will debut new dining venues:  Cucina del Capitano and Red Frog Pub.

Cucina del Capitano, ("The Captain's Kitchen") will offer dinnertime options with made-to-order Italian favorites in comfortable, relaxed surroundings

Cucina del Capitano, (“The Captain’s Kitchen”) will offer dinnertime options with made-to-order Italian favorites in comfortable, relaxed surroundings. Cruisers may dine on hand-made pastas, risotto and fresh-from-the-oven Italian specialties – many served family style. Many of the dishes and recipes were hand-selected by Carnival’s captains. Dinner will carry  a nominal fee. During the day, the space will be utilized as a casual made-to-order pasta bar with items offered on a complimentary basis.

RedFrog Pub will offer a Caribbean island-inspired environment, which will serve snacks and drinks, including ThirstyFrog Red, a private-label draught beer brewed especially for Carnival Magic.

RedFrog Pub will offer a Caribbean island-inspired environment, which will serve snacks and drinks, including ThirstyFrog Red, a private-label draught beer brewed especially for Carnival Magic. There will be seating for 100 in an indoor/outdoor venue. The menu will feature Bahamian conch salad, grouper fingers, firecracker Jamaican chicken wings, as well as other Caribbean inspired fare.

Young cruisers will enjoy the “Fun Ship” treatment when it comes to eating on Carnival Magic. Families can look forward to expanded children’s menus offering a variety of kids’ favorites, as well as a “daily junior special.” The new menus are included on the back page of a fun coloring/activity book.

To be among the first family cruisers to experience Carnival Magic, book a cruise during the inaugural season.

Carnival Magic will operate a series of Mediterranean cruises departing May 1 to mid October, 2011 from Barcelona. After her European cruise season, Carnival Magic will reposition to Galveston, Texas to launch seven-day Caribbean service.

A unique exhibit commemorating the National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s (NASA) Mercury space program and the historic 1962 splashdown of the Friendship 7 capsule off the coast of Grand Turk is now open at the Grand Turk Cruise Center.

“Splashdown Grand Turk” is a 3,500-square-foot attraction celebrating the unique relationship of the American human spaceflight mission and its importance to Grand Turk’s history.

Located on the south side of the Grand Turk Cruise Center, the free exhibit features amazing replicas unique to the Mercury space program, including a scaled 20-foot-tall Atlas rocket and a full-size, three-dimensional replica of astronaut John Glenn in spacesuit, and, of course, a detailed replica of the Friendship 7 capsule, which splashed into the Atlantic in 1962, a few short miles from the island of Grand Turk.

Storyboards at the exhibit depict the accomplishments of the NASA space program and detail the differences in space equipment of yesterday and today while offering an overview of the current space program and future plans.

Opened by Carnival Corporation & plc in 2006, the Grand Turk Cruise Center serves as a gateway to this unique destination and encompasses a state-of-the-art pier and a 14-acre complex offering a variety of shops and restaurants.

The 2011 cruise season will bring 285 ship calls to the Grand Turk Cruise Center carrying approximately 625,000 visitors who will have an opportunity to learn more about Grand Turk’s involvement with the NASA space program.

A million years ago cruise ships had basic pools with four sides and a ladder. Then three decades ago, things started getting interesting when Carnival introduced its first real water slide on the Festivale, a basic L-shaped slide about 10 feet high. The rest is history.

Along with amenities like multiple restaurants and huge spas, water parks and elaborate multi-deck-high slides with catchy names like Super Bowl and Twister are becoming standard aboard ships carrying more than 2,000 passengers. In 2009, the new Carnival Dream debuted with four water slides, one currently the longest in the biz at 303 feet. This year the Norwegian Epic will turns heads with a slide that has a big bowl feature that users spin around in, though the Disney Dream will take the cake when she debuts in early 2011 with a truly theme-park-style water flume ride that shoots guests over the side of the ship. As far as water parks, Royal Caribbean is the leader. Its Freedom class ships boast an impressive pool deck water park as well as the industry’s first surfing simulator, called the FlowRider. When Royal Caribbean’s newest class of ship rolled out earlier this year, the gigantic Oasis of the Seas had not only a sprawling water park, but two FlowRiders.

Andrew Mowatt, a vice president at WhiteWater West Industries, the firm that manufactures and designs most of the cruise industry’s water slides, says cruise ship water features will only get wilder, larger and more exciting. Mowatt says viable ideas include a slide that drops 10 stories in a 15-second free fall while zipping through the ship’s main atrium. Zowie, that’s amazing. So much for shuffleboard and pina coladas.

Here are the most fun and thrilling water features at sea.

Carnival Dream
Twister & Drain Pipe

As part of its “WaterWorks,” Carnival’s new 3,646-passenger, 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, has a pair of twin 80-foot-long racing slides, a 104-foot-long enclosed spiral slide called the DrainPipe, and a huge 303-foot-long four-deck high enclosed corkscrew waterslide called Twister. Tamer water pursuits include squirting fountains, splash zones and dump buckets.

The Carnival Splendor and six of Carnival’s eight Fantasy-class ships have all been retro-fitted with Waterworks features that comprise a Twister slide, dual racing slides and water spray toys. Elation and Paradise each have 2-deck-high Twister slides and are slated to get Waterworks installed within the next few years. The rest of the Carnival fleet all have 3-deck-high Twister slides, ranging in length from 72 feet on the Spirit class to 214 feet on the Conquest class ships.

Norwegian Epic
Epic Plunge & Super Bowl

When NCL’s new 4,200-passenger, 153,000-ton Norwegian Epic debuts this summer, one of its most talked about features will be 240-foot-long “Epic Plunge” bowl slide and a slide called the “Super Bowl, ” a four-deck high slide that starts with a ride down a covered tunnel in an inner tube before riders land up in a the “bowl” to do some spins. There are also water slides aboard NCL’s four Jewel-class ships, the Norwegian Jewel, Jade, Pearl and Gem.

Disney Dream
Aqua Duck

The 2,500-passenger (double occupancy), 128,000-ton Disney Dream will debut next year with a massive 765-foot-long, four-deck-high flume ride called the AquaDuck. Clearly the most theme-park-ride-like of any cruise ship water feature so far, passengers will board a two-person inflatable raft and get swept away on a high-speed ride around the perimeter of the ship’s top deck propelled by high-powered water jets. Part coaster and part water slide, passengers ride 13 feet out over the ocean inside a transparent acrylic flume, 150 feet above the sea. Part of the ride even zips past windows in the “tweens” kids’ club. The ride ends with passengers zooming through a 335-foot-long stretch of river rapids before a final splashdown.

Freedom of the Seas & Oasis of the Seas
H2O Zone and FlowRiders

Instead of major water slides, the most notable water features aboard the Freedom ships and the Oasis of the Seas are the whimsical H2O Zone water parks that are equipped with various water sprayers and Wave-Loch’s FlowRider surf simulators. The surfing machines give passengers a very realistic surfing experience. Thousands of gallons of water per minute shoot out to create a wavelike flow on which boarders can (try to) ride.

Costa Cruises
Waterslides

Though not as over-the-top as the theme park slides on the above ships, Costa does offer serpentine-style 200-foot-long slides aboard seven of its ships, including Costa Fortuna, Costa Magica, Costa Concordia, Costa Serena, Costa Pacifica, Costa Mediterranea and Costa Atlantica.

For me, the beauty of a cruise is that I can have my cake and eat it too. There’s plenty of opportunity for family togetherness and much-needed time apart as well. If you’ve got little ones, it’s key of course to know the cruise lines’ age policies for kids programming. You don’t want to show up at the gangway only to realize yours are too young for the drop-off playroom (nightmare!). For those of you with older teens, it’s equally as important to know when your young adults can (and can’t) drink and gamble. Click here if not redirected in 5 seconds.

Overheard in the elevator, a boy, perhaps 8, says to his mother, “I love this ship mommy. You know how much I love it?”

“How much?” she asks.

“So much that I’m going to live on it.”

Perhaps the kid should take a look at ResidenSea’s live-aboard ship The World if he plans to pitch camp at sea for good, but for vacations, it’s easy to see why kids would love Carnival Dream.

For starters, more than 19,000 square feet of space is dedicated to children, ‘tweens and teens. Next, there’s Carnival WaterWorks, the largest aqua park at sea. WaterWorks features a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high Twister water slide, the longest at sea, and a 104-foot long spiral water slide known as the DrainPipe. It leads into a giant funnel for an exhilarating conclusion down the slippery slope. There’s also a pair of dual-lane 80-foot-long racing slides and various water spray apparatus with squirting fountains, splash zones, “dump buckets” and more.

Supervised programs cater to thee age groups: Camp Carnival (ages 2-11), Circle “C” (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17).

A new category of accommodations features deluxe ocean-view staterooms with two bathrooms (one with a junior tub). And many accommodations can sleep up to five guests.

Carnival Cruise Lines carries more than 625,000 children annually aboard its 22-vessel “Fun Ship” fleet.

That’s equivalent to filing six of Carnival’s Fantasy-class vessels for an entire year, or to put it another way, roughly half of the total number of kids carried by the entire North American cruise industry.

Carnival Dream will sail year-round from Port Canaveral, Florida, on eastern and western Caribbean itineraries, including new calls at Mahogany Bay, Carnival’s new port in Roatan.

Photos provided courtesy of Andy Newman.

With more than 19,000 total square feet of space catering to children, ‘tweens and teens – from expansive indoor and outdoor play areas to a sprawling aqua park housing the cruise industry’s longest water slide – the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, due out in December, is designed as the ideal family vacation.

The focal point of Carnival Dream’s children’s activities will be an expansive play area encompassing 5,000 square feet of space and offering ocean views. Located on Deck 11, Camp Carnival will be divided into three distinct sections, each catering to a different age group.

The first area, designed for children ages 2-5, features an arts and crafts center and a variety of age-appropriate toys and games; the second, aimed at six- to eight-year-olds, offers video game consoles such as PlayStation2 and Wii linked to the latest plasma TV screens; and the third, catering to kids 9-11, includes a karaoke machine, air hockey and foosball tables and PlayStation2 and Wii video game consoles. A reception desk will provide parents with a convenient and inviting venue to check their kids in and out of the program.

Sure to be a big hit with older kids are the modern, high-tech Circle “C” and Club O2 facilities, catering to 12- to 14-year olds and 15- to 17-year olds, respectively.

Located on Deck 4, the 1,075-square-foot Circle “C” center gives ‘tweens a place to call their own, with a dance floor, DJ, a video jukebox and Internet workstations, providing the perfect place to just kick back and relax.

Adjacent to Circle “C” is Club O2, a 2,740-square-foot teen club where older kids can make new friends, and dance to the latest hits cranked out by a high-energy disc jockey.

Designed as the ultimate “chill” space, this expansive room also includes a soda bar, music-listening stations and a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system.

Both the Circle “C” and Club O2 programs have a dedicated director who oversees a host of fun activities, including late-night movies, video game contests and pool parties.

Located next to the teen club is The Warehouse, an expansive game room featuring the latest video and arcade games. Teens can also enjoy Carnival’s popular Y-Spa youth spa program offering a variety of soothing treatments.

As the largest “Fun Ship” ever constructed, Carnival has made maximum use of the Carnival Dream’s massive open decks, creating a variety of fun and inviting features, including Carnival WaterWorks, the largest and most elaborate water park at sea.

In addition to a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high corkscrew water slide – the longest in cruising – there will be another 104-foot-long spiral water slide that leads into a giant funnel, providing riders with an exhilarating and memorable conclusion to their journey. WaterWorks also includes twin double-lane 80-foot-long racing slides and various water spray apparatus with squirting fountains, splash zones, “dump buckets” and more.

While a cruise is a vacation that provides a lifetime of happy memories for the entire family, it’s not all fun and games for Mom and Dad, who, no matter how much they may be enjoying themselves, can never entirely escape their parental responsibility for the group’s overall happiness, good manners and, of course, safety.But Mom and Dad need to escape the herd occasionally, and more than any type of family vacation, a cruise provides the opportunities to do so, even if it’s just a few sunny moments by the pool.

With the comprehensive children’s programs that the major cruise lines offer, it’s always reassuring to know that the kids are actively engaged and supervised by trained counselors, which allows parents to escape with a clear conscience.

And if two parents have successfully found a few minutes for their own amusement, they probably want to avoid other people’s kids, too.

Recognizing this, the cruise lines, even the ones that specialize in families with kids, set aside public areas for adults only.

• While the Disney Cruise Line brand may be the one most closely associated with children, the cruise line also features several spaces on each of its two ships where adults can have it all to themselves, including a “no-kids” pool, The Cove, which is a coffee shop and Internet café, and, for evening entertainment, a bistro. And at the Castaway Cay private island, Serenity Bay is an adults-only beach.
• For a quiet dinner out where the cuisine does not include French fries or macaroni and cheese, several cruise lines have intimate restaurants for adults only. On the Disney ships, it’s the intimate Palo restaurant, but the Carnival ships have exquisite supper clubs, some outdoors on the top deck. And Holland America Line’s Pinnacle Grill is always an elegant delight. Helping parents enjoy formal evenings, the Celebrity Youth Program hosts a, “Parent’s Night Out” in which children participate in a Pizza Party, evening activities, and complimentary Slumber Party, while their parents enjoy a romantic evening of fine dining and world class entertainment.
• For daylight activities, Carnival is staking out adults-only Serenity zones on its eight Fantasy-class ships. Located in a secluded aft section of the ships with spectacular ocean vistas, the Serenity zone is equipped with whirlpools and overstuffed chaise loungers, for sunbathing, casual meals and perhaps a frozen cocktail. Of course, many parents want to make the most of their free time, squeezing in a good workout or a spa treatment. While kids are not explicitly prohibited from most shipboard fitness centers, they usually do have to meet minimum age requirements to use the machines, and tomfoolery is certainly discouraged by the staff. The spa treatments, of course, are conducted in private rooms.
• Many ships offer in-room babysitting if Mom and Dad haven’t exhausted themselves chasing children all day, and the public rooms of a cruise ship feature wonderful entertainment best appreciated by adults. On Royal Caribbean, for instance, many ships offer another chance to sweat at Boleros, a Latin-themed nightclub where the dance floor is all yours if you can keep pace with the live salsa bands.

There is a science to mastering the waterslide. I learned this from my 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, both deft descenders of waterslides and other water-oriented features found on cruise ships today. On your belly, feet first, allows for the fastest descent, my son told me. “I switched positions halfway down, rolling over on my belly,” my daughter bragged. “It was way cool.”

Three months after our cruise, the kids were still talking about it: the friends they made, the kids’ program, the places they explored ashore, and, of course, the waterslide. As a friend of mine who recently cruised with her husband and two sons said: “Family cruises must be one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.”

Perhaps so, but informed families are flocking to cruise vacations. Family cruising has proven to be tremendously popular because every member of the extended family is enjoyably engaged during the day, with lots of together time at the dinner table or around the pool.

One of the best regions for family cruising is the Caribbean. Nearly all of the major cruise companies operate ships in the Caribbean, with the majority departing South and Central Florida, which makes it convenient for families to combine cruises with visits to theme parks before or after the cruise.

Cruises in the Caribbean often visit three to six ports on a weeklong itinerary. Eastern Caribbean itineraries depart South Florida for visits that may include the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. John. A Western Caribbean cruise vacation typically visits Key West, Mexico and either the Cayman Islands or Jamaica.

Deep or Southern Caribbean cruises may start in San Juan, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and ports in New York and Florida, charting a course for the Leeward Islands and beyond.

Southern Caribbean cruises visit the idyllic and diminutive islands from Antigua south to Trinidad, and along the northeastern coast of South America. These voyages offer cruisers port-intensive itineraries that take in some of the Caribbean’s lesser-known and most pristine islands.

Some Caribbean cruises include stops at private islands operated by the cruise lines (Labadee, CocoCay, Half Moon Cay, Castaway Cay, or even Grand Turk for a similar experience). These are consistent winners with families.

In the Caribbean, my kids have climbed Mayan ruins, snorkeled in crystal clear waters, explored the wonders of Atlantis (the sprawling Bahamian resort), and walked on uninhabited tropical islands. “Daddy, I just rubbed a stingray,” my son told me during one beach excursion in the Bahamas. Then, he added reflectively, “They’re nice.” Precious moments.

Our Caribbean cruise tapered down with a day at sea on our return back to Port Canaveral. We spent most of the day out on deck, soaking up the sun and swimming in one of the four pools, situated at the end of the waterslide. My children dragged me to the top of the blue slide and dared me to descend. I braced myself at the edge and lowered myself. “No,” my kids commanded, instructing me to turn over.

Down I went — belly down, feet first. “Way cool.” – Ralph Grizzle

Awesome Overview
Families have voted with their wallets, and Carnival is the clear cruise-line winner for family vacations. Kids obviously love the Fun Ships, judging from the more than half a million who cruise with Carnival each year, and it’s easy to understand why. Carnival’s ships are equipped with enough toys, games, excursions and shipboard programs to keep the fussiest tots or the most cynical teens happy, and Carnival is a consistently excellent value for families.

All of Carnival’s ships are outfitted with comprehensive family friendly facilities, but for a family friendly embarkation, step aboard Carnival Glory, the largest “Fun Ship” ever to sail from Port Canaveral, conveniently situated within driving distance of the Orlando theme parks and well equipped for families.Age Appropriate
No matter the age, Carnival knows how to keep them entertained and happy, and if the kids are willing, Camp Carnival has some “EduCruise” programs that help explain the places the children are visiting and seeing. The teen recreation center, Club O2, houses a large video-game room and dance club, with nonalcoholic specialty drinks, and there are large rooms and play areas for the younger ones, too, as Carnival’s children’s program is set up for kids 2 years and older.

Too Much Fun
No shortage of fun stuff on the Fun Ships. Even the most restless child can rent a GameBoy, if need be. But for simple, yet exhilarating, joy, nothing tops the 214-foot waterslide on the pool deck. You’ll see children make dozens of trips down these slides, their smiles nearly as wide as the slide is long.

Best Adventure, or THE attraction
For tweens and teens, there are discounted shore excursions – from kayaking and cave tubing to mountain biking or swimming with dolphins and stingrays – that are for teens only; they’re supervised by Carnival staff, but parents are not invited. For instance, one such excursion, available on Western Caribbean itineraries, takes the kids out to Stingray City off Grand Cayman, where they can swim with and feed the rays.

Keep’em Happy/No Shuffleboard, Dad!
While there is not shortage of activities for when kids and parents want to go their separate ways, Carnival organizes quite a few activities and contests for families who want to play together. In many of these games, the Dads wind up looking silly, often as the butt of the good-natured jokes of the activity director.

Timing is everything
When do you want to go? The Carnival Glory sails the Caribbean year-round out of Port Canaveral. Summer and school holidays will be particularly busy.

Avoid the Crowds
This is a big ship capable of accommodating nearly 4,000 people. The design and the facilities keep everybody from getting in each other’s way – most of the time. Getting on and off the ship does cause some chafing for those who can’t maintain their patience.

Can’t Miss
Maintaining Carnival’s tradition of Vegas-style revues blending elaborate choreography, big sets and exciting songs, Rock Down Broadway is considered one of the best and most entertaining shows ever produced for a cruise ship, with songs from high-energy productions like Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Saturday Night Fever, Footloose, and Rent, enhanced by lasers, pyrotechnics and great choreography.

Best Dining
Kids will love the multitude of choices available all day long, but Mom and Dad will want to spend an evening at the Emerald Room, Glory’s reservations-only supper club. The cost is $30 per person, but Carnival’s alternative restaurants are excellent, with top-notch food and service. Reserve early because the Carnival supper clubs are very popular.

Anchors Aweigh!
Forget what you’ve heard about Carnival. The days of party hearty are long gone. Carnival has had a tough time of shaking that 1970/80s image, but rest assured that today’s Carnival never fails to live up to its brand promise, which is to deliver fun for everyone on board.