Tips For Finding A Family Friendly Cruise

Making memories

There is no better remedy for combating the short, cold days of winter than planning a family cruise vacation. For some reason, just looking at itineraries and ship diagrams is enough to lift the spirits. But before long what started as a fun search for your next family vacation quickly becomes a nightmare as data-overload sends you over the edge.

To help keep things in balance, Family Cruise Advisor has put together a few tips to help make the cruise buying process a little more user friendly.

Think Value, Not Price

Although price is a good motivator, value is a better indicator that a cruise will be a success.

Consider what is included in the cruise price.

• Does the ship have adequate care for infants? Some ships charge for babysitting infants because they do not have facilities for babies.
• Does the ship offer kids programming for the ages you need?
• Are soft drinks and juice included in the price? Disney Cruise Line has generous soda fountains and juice available around the clock. Other cruise lines do not.

Consider A Slightly Older Ship, But Watch The Size

When looking at price make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples. New ships typically have a higher price tag than slightly older ships.

Although Royal Caribbean International’s new Oasis-class ship Allure of the Seas has a lot of great features, pricing is significantly lower on Liberty of the Seas and her sisters in the Freedom-class. The cruise experience is almost the same: great kids programs, specialty restaurants, surf simulator, rock climbing wall, ice-skating rink, arcade, etc.

Royal Caribbean

Speaking of Royal Caribbean, watch the size of the vessel you select. For example, there are many features that are not available on Monarch of the Seas due to her smaller size. This is an example of too much of a good thing. Savvy shoppers will notice some great cruise fares on Monarch of the Seas, but this ship does not have the bells and whistles found on the larger ships in the fleet.

When to spend money for a cruise on a new ship

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship Disney Dream is fetching top dollar for a product that is completely different than Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. The updated technology and innovations on Disney Dream are well worth the additional investment in vacation dollars.

Destination

Disney Cruise Line

In most cases when cruising as a family, the ship is the destination. However, families must also consider where the ship sails. Popular family cruise destinations for 2011 are: Europe, Alaska, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Depending on the age of your children and their tolerance for long flights, a realistic destination will become obvious. I say go for gold and head to Europe. But I am also the same person that took a three-month old baby on an six-hour flight to Hawaii.

Show Me The Money!

A lot of people think that if they wait long enough, cruise lines will offer deep discounts. Although this could be the case, when traveling with a family it is better to plan ahead to avoid disappointment.

Remember that there is little risk to putting down a deposit in advance. In most cases (Disney concierge class suites exempt) deposits are refundable. Final payment is due 90 days before the cruise. Some travel agencies and cruise lines will guarantee the price, which means that if the cruise fare goes down before final payment, you are entitled to getting the lower price.

Family Cruise Basics

• Planning your family cruise
• Age Minimums: The ABCs
• Top Tested Tips for Cruising with Babies and Toddlers
• Family Affair: Cruising with the Whole Crew, Grandpa, Grandma & The Kids
• Choosing A Family Stateroom
• Cruise Ship Kid Programs
• Cruise Ship Safety and Security For Families

Beautiful Norway: Made For Cruising

I cruised with my family last summer aboard the Costa Atlantic round-trip out of Copenhagen to the Norwegian fjords. In a word: ohmygod.

My boys were six at the time, and the stunning scenery even kept their attention on all-day bus tours and long hikes. The 7-night itinerary called on five ports, with a convenient sea day at the start of the trip. We called on Flam, Hellesylt /Geiranger, Bergen, Stavanger and Oslo, with long 9- to 12-hour stays in each port, with the exception of a five-hour stay in Stavanger.

Among the many things I love about Norway is that it’s very tourist-friendly, with great roads, infrastructure and guides, but yet with a population of fewer than 5 million, the place never feels over-crowded or over-developed.

Unlike many other popular ports of call in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean (St. Thomas comes to mind of course), in Norway, you won’t get stuck in a traffic jam or breathe polluted air. In my book, Norway is a dream destination for families and a great place to explore by ship.

I typically avoid bus tours, but in Norway, I took a chance and couldn’t have been more pleased and impressed with the two excursions we signed up for aboard the Costa Atlantica.

In Norway, most tours involved a scenic bus drive along winding switchback-y roads and through long tunnels blasted through the steep granite mountains. The buses were state-of-the-art and super comfortable, the guides articulate and clear, and the scenery though the huge windows was so breathtaking that even my 6-year-old twin boys were mesmerized. The spectacular landscape was one long reel of majestic fjords, wild flowers, waterfalls, shiny lakes and charming fishing villages. Needless to say, your camera will get a work out.

No trouble finding trolls in Norway

Fun In Flam

In Flam, we signed up for the “Flam, Voss and Stalheim” excursion, a 6.5-hour tour by both bus and local train ($180 USD per adult and $125USD per kid). Highlights were a stop at the Tvinde Waterall, where my boys promptly raced out of the bus and up to the terraced falls, hopping over pools of crystal clear mountain water, scampering across rocks and getting as close to the cascading falls as possible. They loved it, even with my nagging to not get too close or too wet, and mom and dad were impressed by the lovely waterfalls as well.

Another highlight was the drive along Norway’s steepest road and most hairpin-y road, Stalheimskleivane. Flanked by numerous waterfalls, the bus makes 13 turns on the road while passengers are glued to the windows gasping at the pastoral green landscape and rustic houses all framed by dramatic fjords and mountains. There were several stops for picture taking and snacks, so there were never uncomfortable, long stretches in the bus.

The other half of the tour was a 45-minute train ride on the charming Flam railway, slowly chugging past gorgeous landscape, through tunnels and up super steep slopes between the mountain station of Myrdal and Flam.

The boys enjoyed the views as we did, and the fun of riding on a train. We all hopped out to have a look at the Kjosfoss waterfall, not paying mind to the mist and light rain. The entire ride was again a surreal montage of mesmerizing scenery. As modern-day Luddites, we had no electronic toys with us, so our boys had no choice but to join us in admiring the emerald-green farmland, snow-capped peaks, canyons, wild flowers and waterfalls our train passed through. They loved it as much as us.

Going With The Flo

On to Hellesylt /Geiranger, the ship ship makes a 1-hour stop in Hellesylt to drop off passengers for shore excursions; the main port of call is up the coast a bit at Geirganger. We hopped off at Hellesylt for one of the best excursions I’ve ever taken (and I’ve taken hundreds) – “Hiking Across the Flo Mountain.” We traveled by both bus and our good ole feet for the 7.5-hour tour; the cost was $171 USD per adult and $120 USD per kid.

Hiking along the fjords

After a short ride in the bus, we were dropped off in the village of Vollset and were left to trek at our pace along the 10-kilometer (6 miles) path across the Flo Mountain. There was a tour leader bringing up the rear just in case any one needed assistance, but for the second half of the walk, the group of 40 or so had stretched out enough that we were alone to enjoy the truly unbelievable landscape.

These three hours were the highlight of my entire week (and that’s saying a lot because there were a lot of highlights). We followed a well-worn earthen path dating back to medieval times that weaved along a river and hugged cliffs, and meandered though wind-swept fields, past wild-flower strewn summer farms and tree-lined cow paths.

Wonderful Views, Even From The Bus

Around every bend was a view better than the last, from snow-capped peaks in the distance to the region’s ubiquitous rustic cottages with turf-lined roofs (for insulation). During the last 30- to 60-minutes of the walk, the view ahead was of the huge and gorgeous bright turquoise Strynsvatnet Lake.

High Above Geiranger Fjords

At the end of the hike, we hopped back on the bus and headed for a local feast of salmon and potatoes, before embarking on the second half of the tour. Just when I thought the scenery couldn’t get any better, we started a zigzagging drive up to the mountain peak called Dalsnibba, at about 5,000 feet. Up top the terrain was rocky and moon-like with patches of snow; we were bowled over by the absolutely stunning views of the Geiranger fjord way down below.

Snow At Dalsnibba

We could see our ship and it was just a tiny sliver from up there. As the skilled bus drivers carefully steered the buses back and forth across the steep and narrow mountain road to and from Dalsnibba, the views of the fjords below literally made you catch your breath. It was surreal.

Beautiful Bergen

An easier, slower day laid in wait for us in Bergen. The colorful yacht-filled harbor and Bergen’s easy-to-explore old town make it a great city for strolling on your own. We focused on the nearby 700-year-old Bergenhus Fortress and its restored five-story Rosenkrantz Tower dating back to the 1500s. We walked around the inside of the 16th-century stone tower, exploring the bed chambers, chapel and other rooms, imagining what it was like to have lived there hundreds of years ago.

At Bergen Castle

We ended up at the top, walking along the turreted terrace for city views. Afterwards, we happened upon a couple of young men in medieval garb that had set up a staging area for traditional jousting and axe throwing for tourists. My husband had good aim and landed all three axes on the tree stump target, while for my boys, dressing up in period vests and dueling with rubber swords and shields was a thrill. If we had taken a tour and gone further a field, I would have made sure we had a look at the home of Edvard Grieg, Norway’s most famous composer and pianist.

No Stranger In Stavanger

Another short tour day, but no less satisfying, was our call in Stavanger. The ship docked on the waterfront right in town and within minutes we were walking amidst Stavanger’s quaint 18th and 19th century wooden homes.

We spent an hour at the Stavanger Maritime Museum (which incidentally, is right next store to a modern art gallery displaying graphic paintings of nudes). The museum is set in a well-preserved shipping merchant’s home.

Walk through the living quarters, an office and a general store, part of which houses a collection of ship models and another part, an interactive area for kids, with a mini old-time ship and general-store props that kids can touch and play with. Upstairs we explored the living quarters, which remain as they were a century or two ago. Best part, we practically had the place to ourselves.

Stavanger Cathedral

Otherwise, we strolled around the small city, past the imposing 900-year-old Stavanger Cathedral, beautifully framed with brilliant pink and red flowers. What the boys will remember most about Stavanger, though, is the street market where we bought them their first official knock-off soccer jerseys (Liverpool and Brazil). They were absolutely thrilled.

Awesome Oslo

We were bowled over again, this time by the capital city of Oslo. This beautiful easy-to-navigate 1,000-year-old city at the northernmost end of the Oslofjord was the perfect place to tour solo. We got on board a local hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus called City Sightseeing (about $90 USD for a family of four) right outside the ship terminal and crawled past the city’s highlights, including the gorgeous stately homes near Slotts Park and the Royal Palace.

Oslo's Vigeland Park

We hopped off the bus to have a look at the famous Vigeland Park, where some 212 bronze and granite sculptures of humans in different stages of life by Gustav Vigeland are set in the sprawling green park. The bulbous rounded sculptures of babies, children and adults thoughtfully and sweetly portray the cycle of life.

After lunch at the park’s visitor’s center, we hopped back on the bus and headed toward the Viking Ship museum, where three excavated ships from the 9th century are on display. Needless to say, my boys loved the place.

Next, it was a short walk to the nearby Kon-Tiki & Fram Maritime Museum, a tribute to the explorer Lars Heyerdahl. In 1947 he built and traveled 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to French Polynesia with a small crew on a balsa wood raft called the Kon-Tiki to prove it had been done by ancient Peruvians hundreds or thousands of years before. I’ve always been fascinated with his story and my children enjoyed seeing several of his expedition vessels. Afterwards, it was a 15-minute walk to the ferry (included in the bus fare), which took us across the pretty harbor and back to the town center, within walking distance of our ship. Another great day.

Pre-Cruise: Overnighting In Fairy-Tale Copenhagen

Now, before we hopped on our cruise, we spent two days and a night in Copenhagen, another very family-friendly European city. We arrived a day early in the Danish capital and checked into The Square Hotel, a cute, well-run three-star hotel conveniently set in the center of town just a few blocks from the 19th-century Tivoli Gardens amusement park.

Our room was stylish in that cool minimalist European way, and it had a pull-out sofa bed for our boys and a slick bathroom with tub. Rates include a breakfast buffet and start at about $300 USD per room (note, everything is expensive in Copenhagen; it’s consistently ranked in the top 10 most expensive cities in the world).

After a night flight from New York, we arrived mid-morning, checked in early, and then napped for a few hours to shake off our jet-lag. We awoke just before lunchtime and spent the rest of the day exploring Copenhagen.

Near the hotel, we boarded the orange #11 hop-on/hop-off City Cirkel tour bus for a one-hour overview of the city, hopping off for a look at the Amalienborg, the Royal Palace, to see the changing of the guard at noon and to admire the colorful boat-lined canals nearby, Nyhavn.

Back at Town Hall in the city center, we strolled past a statue of the city’s most famous scribe, Hans Christian Anderson, sampled the ubiquitous Danish sausage (the popular version stuck in half a bun) from a cart in the town square.

At Copenhagen's Tivoli

Then we spent several hours at the legendary Tivoli Gardens, a lovely throw-back to an era before big-eared mice and over-the-top marketing. We enjoyed the 167-year-old park’s nostalgic carnival games and century-old wooden roller coaster, as well as a few of the modern machines, including The Demon roller coaster, which one of my twin sons was tall enough to ride (the other, just a smidge under). For dinner, we enjoyed a delicious meal at an Asian restaurant nearby.

The next morning after a filling breakfast, we set out to see Copenhagen’s most famous statue, the Little Mermaid. This time we took a pedi-cab, pedaled by a friendly English-speaking local who was happy to answer our questions. The statue is, as we had heard, much smaller in person than most people envision. Cameras flashed and people posed in front of the rock where she sat.

By lunchtime, we were ready to the board the ship. Because of our heavy luggage, we took a taxi to the pier, which was just a mile or two away from our hotel; though it would be possible to get there by bus or train if one’s luggage is manageable (taxis too are expensive in Copenhagen).

Once at the terminal, there were no big lines and check-in was very efficient, impressive considering we’d be sailing with 2,428 other passengers from around the world. And that’s another story (tune in), the multi-culti Costa Atlantica is a destination in and of itself.

With two new ships in the pipeline for 2011 and 2012, it makes perfect sense that Disney is expanding its horizons and cruising Alaska in 2011. This news comes on the heels of the announcement a few months back that the line is also heading back to the Med in summer 2010 and offering fist-time calls on Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Warnemunde, Germany, the gateway to Berlin and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Me and about a zillion other fans are thrilled the line is bound for The Last Frontier. Along with my husband and twin boys, who were four at the time, I sampled Disney’s new Mediterranean itinerary two years ago from Barcelona, and it was awesome. Before that, at 18 months old, we did Disney’s classic Bahamas route. Can’t wait for Alaska; at eight my boys will be the perfect age to enjoy all those hands-on, get-your-feet-wet family-friendly excursions like kayaking, hiking, fishing, biking and dog mushing. Not to mention the thrill of spotting a humpback whale and seeing giant glaciers close up. Oh, and what about those great playrooms on board, open all day until midnight at no extra charge.

The Disney Wonder will spend four months in the summer of 2011 doing 7-night sailings round-trip from Vancouver (a very family-friendly city, by the way) calling on Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. The first-ever Alaska cruise will depart on May 3 with the last cruise of the season scheduled for Aug. 30; fares start at $939 per person for a standard inside stateroom, based on double occupancy.

Before and after the 2011 summer season in Alaska, the Disney Wonder will sail 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.

Meanwhile, sister Disney Magic will offer 10- and 11-night cruises sailing out of Barcelona in 2011. For the rest of 2011, the Magic will sail out of Port Canaveral on 7-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries, both including a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

“We’re excited to offer this incredible choice of itineraries for 2011, with cruise vacation options for every family – whether that’s outdoor adventure in Alaska, the beauty and culture of Europe, folklore and pageantry of Mexico or tropical fun in the Caribbean,” said Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz.

A European cruise is ripe with learning and exploration opportunities for families. For children who are mature enough for a vacation that is not necessarily sun-splashed or a thrill a minute, a cruise may be the best way to do Europe because it’s not nearly as rigorous as most land tours.

As general rules, kids who are good students and who are fairly comfortable in unfamiliar, sometimes formal situations, are great candidates for European cruises. And even if your kids or grandkids aren’t bookworms, families who prepare for their trips by reading about the culture, history and landmarks of their destinations almost always have a memorable time – especially when the children can be the “experts” who share their knowledge of the Parthenon or ancient Greece, for instance.

European cruises are appealing for families and extended families, as cruises provide plenty of fun at sea as well as in port. Today, dedicated youth and teen rooms are priorities on cruise ships. Not only are they spacious, but they are out?tted with all the toys that kids love at home — computer games and PlayStation as well as some unique features that will be new to the even most well-equipped tykes. Having lots to do on board is particularly important for some of those younger travelers who are still learning some of the finer points of being a tourist.

Kids can be great company on a European cruise if they’ve shown they have the discipline and the intellectual curiosity for this type of trip.

For family cruises to Europe and Alaska, Holland America Line continues to provide an excellent experience that is entertaining as well as educational for both children and adults, helping everyone enjoy and appreciate the destination as well as the shipboard experience.

On top of all that, Holland America has been working to provide greater values to family groups cruising to Europe and Alaska. Obviously, Holland America Line knows how to get your family there and show all of you what’s important, whether you want to see glaciers and whales off the coast of Alaska or the great cities of Europe. And kids will soak up the background information like sponges, as Holland America Line has always staffed its ships with interpretive experts who can explain what you are visiting and why it’s important.

It is difficult to imagine a childhood vacation that could have more value for an impressionable mind than a cruise to either Europe or Alaska. And regardless of the destination, cruising is always going to be the travel-method that does the best job of defining and controlling costs for families while providing a safe and secure “home base” where parents don’t have to keep an eye on their kids every waking moment.

Holland America Line also offers several money-saving programs for families. The company always offers reasonable fares for families needing a third or fourth berth in their cabin. But for families booking eight or more staterooms for a reunion or some other special occasion, there are reduced fares available that carry several additional benefits. Besides the special group pricing, this program includes useful and valuable extras such as a Fountain Soda Card for every member of the family, each good for 20 glasses of fountain soda and a souvenir cup.

Also, each stateroom will receive a family portrait free, and the entire family will enjoy free lunch together at the alternative Pinnacle Grill Restaurant, which normally carries a charge. Finally, the Family Reunion Program for eight staterooms or more carries an upgrade from an outside stateroom to a verandah stateroom.

The beauty of a family cruise to Europe or Alaska with Holland America Line is that kids don’t have to be on high-alert all the time for the next once-in-a-lifetime moment. That kind of vigilance, which is usually required on land tours, wears kids out and makes them cranky. But cruises allow kids to take a breath and enjoy, and nobody does a better job of entertaining kids on a cruise than Holland America Line.

The line’s Club HAL program offers activities and dedicated rooms — fully equipped with computers, video, toys and crafting supplies — for kids age 3 to 12, and all ships feature a teen program for ages 13 to 17. The supervised and age-specific programs allow children to get involved with fun and creative activities while parents are able to pursue their own interests. Club HAL and teen activities operate all day during sea days with breaks for meals. The programs are also available during port visits if the kids reserve in advance.

With more than a century of experience, Holland America Line will show your family the wonders of the world in a style that no one else can.

Beginning today, you’ll be able to book Disney Cruise Line’s 2010 sailings in Europe. For the first time, Disney Cruise Line will offer a 12-night Northern European Capitals cruise, where guests can experience Scandinavian ports such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm, plus Warnemunde, Germany, gateway to Berlin; and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Departing from Dover, England, the Disney Magic will sail a total of four 12-night cruises to the Northern European capitals in June and July 2010.

Book-ending the summer season in Northern Europe, the Disney Magic will once again return to the Mediterranean with 10- and 11-night cruises, but with three new ports of call not offered when Disney Cruise Line last sailed the Mediterranean.

In addition to popular ports in Italy, France and Spain, the Disney Magic will visit Tunis, in Northern Africa, the island nation of Malta, and Corsica, an island oasis off the southern coast of France known as the birthplace of Napoleon.

Departing from Barcelona, Spain, the Disney Magic will sail four 10-night and four 11-night cruises in the Mediterranean in April, May, August and September.

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

1. Best Overall Family Cruise Experience: Disney Cruise Line
2. Best Non-Disney Family Cruise: Carnival Cruise Lines
3. Best Cruise For Adventure Seekers: Royal Caribbean – Freedom-Class Ships
4. Best All-Over Home-Away-From Home: Princess Cruises
5. Best Low-Key Family Cruise: Holland America Line
6. Best Upscale Family Cruise: Celebrity Cruises
7. Best Family-Style Luxury Cruise Experience: Norwegian Epic – Suites And Villas
8. Best Niche Cruise Experience: River Cruising AMAWATERWAYS
9. Best Adventure Cruise With A Purpose: Lindblad Expeditions
10. Best Multiple Generations Luxury Cruise: Crystal Cruises

2010 Winners:

• Disney Cruise Line From Port Canaveral
• Family Cruising: Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Class Ships
• Family Cruising: Carnival’s Caribbean
• Cruising: Brilliance of the Seas’ Mediterranean Medley
• Family Cruising: Alaska Cruisetours
• Family Cruising: Mexican Riviera cruise review San Diego to Mexico
• Family Cruising: Holland America Line’s Caribbean
• Family Cruising: Norwegian Dawn’ Big Apple to Bermuda
• Family Cruising: Costa’s Caribbean
• Family Cruising: America’s Paradise

Celebrity Cruises is gearing up for its biggest season ever in Europe. Five ships, including the new Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox, will offer more itineraries in Europe than ever before for Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox will boast some great features, including staterooms and bathrooms that are quite a bit larger than on comparable ships; more than a dozen dining venues, including five alternative restaurants; and new AquaSpa cabins.

The new ships also will showcase a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass, and a glassblowing show and studio developed with The Corning Museum of Glass.

The 2,850-guest vessels will feature staterooms 15 percent larger than those on previous Celebrity ships, 90 percent of which will be outside, and 85 percent of all staterooms will have verandas.

Innovative cabin design for some categories allows families and couples traveling together to have separate cabin entrances as well secondary entrance doors that convert the cabins into a two bedroom/two bathroom configuration.

Celebrity Solstice will enter service in November, offering seven-night cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, with visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and Basseterre, St. Kitts., before crossing the Atlantic for its inaugural season in Europe, where it will be joined by sister ship Celebrity Equinox.

A couple of summers ago, my wife and I cruised with our kids on the Baltic Sea. We experienced wonderful ports and long summer days, with the sky never getting completely dark. Watching the sun set (at midnight!) from our veranda, it seemed that summer would never end.For nearly 10 years, a Baltic cruise had been on our list of “must-do” travel.

We debated whether our kids, ages 8 and 10, were too young for their first trip to Europe but decided that the Baltic was kid-friendly and had enough amusement parks to provide relief from the cultural and educational aspects of the trip (Copenhagen’s Tivoli; Legoland, on a shore tour from Arhus; and Junibacken, the Pippi Longstocking amusement in Stockholm.)

It turned out that we were not alone in bringing our children. Our ship was carrying 150 kids, and up to 300 on cruises in the following weeks.

The fact that there were so many kids on board was no coincidence. Increasingly, cruise lines are making more of a play for families looking to explore the Continent’s cultural centers. And the coming summer is no exception as the cruise lines are deploying record numbers of ships in Europe.

European cruising is appealing for families and extended families, as cruises provide plenty of fun at sea as well as in port.

Today, dedicated youth and teen rooms are priorities on cruise ships. Not only are they spacious, but they are outfitted with all the toys that kids love at home — computer games and PlayStation as well as some unique features that will be new to the even most well-equipped tykes. Having lots to do on board is particularly important for some of those younger travelers who are still learning some of the finer points of being a tourist.

But perhaps more than any destination, a cruise to Europe is all about the port visits, which provide access to great cities, historic places and marvelous museums to be found on itineraries in Northern Europe, the eastern and western Mediterranean, and the Baltic Sea.

A cruise to any of these regions is sure to create lifetime memories. What do our kids remember most about our Baltic cruise?

“The Ice Bar,” says my daughter. The Absolut Ice Bar, situated in Stockholm’s Nordic Sea Hotel, is made of mostly of ice imported from the Torne River in northern Sweden.

We donned thermal capes, gloves and shoes (provided with the cost of admission) before entering a set of air-lock doors that led into the icy realms of what must be one of the world’s most unusual bars. Once inside, I sipped Absolut vodka from a glass made of ice.

“Tallinn [Estonia],” says my son. “I like the Old Town and the church.”

Tallinn’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The church was St. Olav’s, the world’s tallest building until the late 1800s. We climbed the circular staircase for spectacular views of the Old Town below.
Lucky kids. They saw a part of the world that I had only dreamed of when I was their age. - Ralph Grizzle

Awesome Overview
If you want your children to see Europe early in their travel careers, a cruise is absolutely your best choice. A cruise is just so convenient, especially on the port-intensive itineraries available in Europe. Cruising eliminates the hassles and enhances the European visit for both parents and kids, especially when families can use a modern, well-equipped ship like the Brilliance of the Seas as home base during a Mediterranean cruise. After a day touring the cultural capitals of Mediterranean Europe, everybody returns to luxurious lodgings at the pier; the children can blow off a little supervised steam in the evening, and Mom and Dad can catch a rejuvenating cat nap before dinner and a show.

Age Appropriate
This trip may be challenging for children under 10, unless maturity and patience are strong traits. It is a trip for the intellectually curious child who has the fortitude to spend several days exploring historically significant cities. Parents should monitor energy levels carefully, taking advantage of in-port youth programs on the ship as needed. Royal Caribbean’s youth program is divided into age groups for children ages 3 through 17.

Too Much Fun
The destination certainly is special and edifying, but the ship-as-home-base will keep the kids happy and smiling. Brilliance is chock-full of family friendly features, such as the video arcade, Internet cafe, computers loaded with kids’ games and four play stations, all located in the youth rooms. Brilliance also has water slides, miniature golf, and basketball courts. These types of activities are excellent releases after long days of touring.

Best Adventure, or THE attraction
Every port call on this itinerary offers remarkable and memorable attractions, but either at the beginning or the end of your cruise, save time to explore Barcelona, a major cultural center with a fascinating history full of libraries, museums and buildings of interest. In addition to the Picasso Gallery, you’ll want to stroll along Las Ramblas, a wonderfully vibrant part of the city where street vendors and performers vie for your attention or explore the many churches and cathedrals of Barcelona and discover the city’s modernist architecture along Paseo de Gracia.

Keep’em Happy/ No Shuffleboard, Dad!
Moderation will be the key to happiness on this cruise. In other words, don’t turn it into a forced march. Take advantage of the ports you are visiting, but do not feel compelled to sign up for the full-day tour at each one. Instead, use a city guide to make your own plans for at least a couple of days; move at a speed that doesn’t exhaust anyone.

On the ship, do take advantage of gee-whiz features like the rock-climbing wall (kids must be at least 6 to climb). This is a fun and unique workout that everybody can dissect and discuss at dinner, and it doesn’t hurt the youthful ego that children tend to climb better than their heavier parents.

Timing is everything
Brilliance of the Seas home-ports in Barcelona year-round, sailing 12-day roundtrips that provide access to Monte Carlo/Nice, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Rome, Ephesus and either Athens or Venice.

Anchors Aweigh!
Forget the packing and unpacking as well as countless hours on a bus with your nose pressed against the window while trying to admire the landscape of age-old Europe. A cruise is the only way to go in Europe. Your ship serves as your floating hotel from one destination to the next, and best of all, you’ll be spending U.S. dollars on board, cutting the expense of travel in Europe.