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

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.

Round up granny, grandpa and the cousins and head for the Last Frontier. Princess Cruises has announced a new 12-night cruisetour option geared to families, with more than 25 departures offered between  May 15 and Sept 6, 2010. The cruisetours include family-fun stuff to do, from a jet boat ride to panning for gold.

Offered at a 25 percent discount for all occupants of a cabin, fares for the Alaska “Family Fun” cruisetour (#FUN) start at $1,743 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,191 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers in the cabin.

“This is really the ultimate family vacation,” says Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “Alaska is a wonderful travel destination with kids, so we wanted to make it easy and affordable to plan the perfect Alaska experience for everyone in the family.”

The Family Fun cruisetour includes a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise plus a five-night land tour featuring one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.

On sea days, families can also take advantage of Princess’ onboard programs geared to children, including a special Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.

In addition, special tour extras included in the fare are

• Daily breakfast
• “Direct-to-the-Wilderness Rail Service with Lunch” (gets families to wilderness lodge faster)
• Three Rivers Jetboat Tour (an alternative to taking a motorcoach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge)
• Arctic Blast (in Denali, experience a special chamber chilled to wintertime temperatures)
• Music of Denali Dinner Theater (musical comedy show plus family-style meal featuring smokehouse ribs and Alaska salmon)
• Experience Alaska with Alaska Geographic Tour (intimate tour of Denali National Park)
• Denali Sourdough Expedition Breakfast (over a family-style breakfast, learn about Denali through breathtaking images from mountain climber Laurent Dick’s Climb Denali book)
• Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour (from Fairbanks, travel on an authentic sternwheeler for a fully-narrated cruise along the Chena River and try gold panning).

Awesome Overview
For jaw-dropping views of marine and land-based wildlife and nature’s most dramatic scenery, an Alaskan cruise is hard to beat. But if at all possible, get off the ship and into the interior.

You can make the most of an Alaskan cruise by combining time at sea with a land portion that provides views of the Alaskan interior. Simply put, not all of Alaska can be seen from a ship. While Glacier Bay National Park can be appreciated from the deck of a cruise ship, for example, Denali National Park must be visited on a cruisetour.

All the major cruise lines offer Alaskan itineraries, but for cruisetours, look to Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Each of these cruise lines offers family friendly ships and an excellent selection of cruisetours.Age Appropriate
If your kids are curious about nature and are occasionally interested in or fascinated by wildlife, they are old enough for this cruise. Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America have first-rate youth programs should the kids’ enthusiasm for natural beauty occasionally dwindle. If the kids are up to it, families can make the most of an Alaskan cruise on active shore excursions such as kayaking, bicycling and hiking.

Too Much Fun
Ships stopping in Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier bring some of nature’s most awesome beauty up close, as passengers experience the thundering echo of a glacier calving a short distance from the ship. You’ll most certainly spot whales and possibly bear. And if you are lucky and don’t mind staying up late, you might get to enjoy one of nature’s most magnificent displays, the Northern Lights, particularly in the shoulder season months, May and September. Fairbanks, visited on cruisetours, is a popular destination for viewing the Northern Lights.

Best Adventure, or THE attraction
The destination is the attraction, which means that you can look forward to a week’s worth of calving glaciers, lobtailing or breaching whales and spectacular mountain vistas. It is impossible to exaggerate how stunningly beautiful all of this is, sure to impress even the most jaded teenager. Cabins with balconies always enhance a cruise, but on an Alaskan cruise, a balcony becomes your family’s own private viewing station. Make the most of your Alaskan cruise: Book a stateroom with a balcony.

Keep’em Happy/No Shuffleboard, Dad!
Alaska is a place where you want to stay up late, even kids who normally bunk down early. The sun sets late, and the sunsets can be stunning. Most kids don’t need to be told that they are seeing something special, and they will quickly become amateur whale watchers, learning to look not for the breaching body but for the blow, which occurs just before the whale expels air, fully surfaces and dives again.

Timing is everything
Alaskan cruises are available from May through September. If you can go earlier or later in the season, you may be able to save some money or at least not compete for your preferred cabin. The sacrifice you make in cruising early or late in the season is the days will not stretch out for 22 hours as they do nearer the summer solstice. One advantage of the shorter days is that the animals typically graze or hunt at dawn or at sunset, increasing your chances of seeing bear and other wildlife. Also, you will want to pack more layers of clothing if you are traveling in May or September.

Avoid the Crowds
Alaska, the Last Frontier, is enormous. At 586,412 square miles, it’s more than twice the size of Texas, with just a fraction of the population. However, if you are just looking for a quiet respite from all the folks on your cruise, lace up your hiking boots and find a trail. They are available at just about all the stops your ship will make, more so on the land portion of your trip.

Can’t Miss
Any number of shore excursions can be categorized as “must see.” Among them, the Misty Fjords trip during the Ketchikan port call might seem expensive for a family at more than $250 each, but most who decide to do it come back raving about the mesmerizing beauty.

In Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier and wildlife boat trip is less expensive but thoroughly worthwhile, and the Mount Roberts tram is a wonderful afternoon, providing great views of the Juneau harbor and the surrounding mountains.

Best Dining
Find a seafood restaurant in Juneau to enjoy some really and truly fresh seafood or halibut. A couple of consistently popular places are the Twisted Fish Co. or Hangar on the Wharf, which offers waterfront views. Both are easy to get to from your cruise ship.

At Princess Denali lodge, in the area just outside Denali National Park that the locals call “Glitter Gulch,” don’t miss the Seafood Nachos, even better if washed down with an Alaskan Amber.

Anchors Aweigh!
There’s no question that an Alaskan cruise should go at the top of anyone’s “must do” list. Add a cruisetour for the complete package. And with departures primarily from Seattle and Vancouver, Alaskan cruises offer great pre- and post-cruise opportunities in two of North America’s most beautiful cities. Cruise into the wild, then return for a few days of fun in the Pacific Northwest.

When he was but a nine-year-old boy, my son Alex reached into the Windex-blue waters on a sandy Bahamian beach and quickly withdrew his hand to proclaim, “Dad, I touched a stingray.” He furrowed his tender brow and added thoughtfully, “They’re nice.”

In doing so, he had ascribed a sweet, if somewhat inaccurate, characteristic to the stingray. Yes, the stingray was nice indeed, particularly with its barb blunted for safety. None of tragedy that befell animal lover Steve Irwin here. Off the coast of Australia, a ray’s barb had pierced his heart and stunned the world.

Alex, my daughter and I were in a friendlier place, a paradise really, free of danger and removed from the real world, an idyllic island created for us by a cruise line.

A Day At The Beach
Talk about a Caribbean cruise, and one of the first images that jumps to mind is a sun-drenched beach where children splash in the clear, blue water while adults watch and relax, alternating between sips from refreshing beverages and dips in the gentle surf. Quite understandably, people love the idea of a peaceful tropical paradise where the only pressing concern is how much sand is stuck to their feet when they slip back into their sandals.

The idyllic beach day may be a favorite image associated with Caribbean cruising, but the fact is that the typical week-long cruise actually includes very little time dedicated to sun and sand. At major Caribbean ports like Nassau, St. Thomas or Cozumel, ships disgorge passengers for shopping, strolling or shore excursions. While some of the excursions offer activities that allow you to get wet, fairly few would be classified as “a day at the beach.” Enter the private island.

Only a handful of cruise companies feature a long day docked at a private island, providing one of the favorite days of the trip for many passengers. In fact, private islands have proven to be so popular that some itineraries feature two stops at private islands. These islands are owned (or leased) and operated by the cruise lines for the exclusive use of their guests.

Because private islands typically cater to only one ship a day, they serve as a perfect paradise that’s free of the crowds and the hassles that occasionally diminish the quality of visits to other ports of call. A day on a private island is a relatively hassle-free day, as there are no shuttles to meet or schedules to keep – other than catching the last tender back to the ship. Meals on the island are included, and anything else can be billed to the shipboard account.

A big plus for parents: The cruise lines run complimentary kids’ programs for each age group, making it easy for adults to grab a little time for themselves. The kids and teens are just as enthusiastic because they can hook up with friends they’ve made on board, joining a beach volleyball game or a treasure hunt. They can eat all they want when they want without needing money or parental supervision.

Besides providing a picture-postcard setting complete with beach chairs, umbrellas and shaded hammocks, the private islands are set up for every sort of fun that can be organized on a public beach. The cruise lines provide beachside bar service specializing in tropical mixes, and they also offer a multitude of water sports, ranging from snorkeling to parasailing. Frequently, there are massage and spa services available, and a band will provide a pleasant soundtrack.

But perhaps more importantly, the private islands are notable for what they lack. On the private islands, cruise passengers will get none of the hard-sell from street peddlers who are often working other stops on a Caribbean cruise. And as the islands accommodate one ship at a time, with few exceptions, congestion and overcrowding are not problems.

Here’s a thumbnail description of the islands operated by the major cruise lines.

Castaway Cay
Disney Cruise Line operates Castaway Cay, situated in the Abaco Islands, and the only private island where the ship docks, allowing guests to walk ashore without time-consuming tendering.

With long white-sand beaches, including a secluded cove just for adults, Castaway Cay offers snorkeling, jet-ski tours, kayaking, miles of bike paths, walking trails or just a relaxing day at the beach under the beach umbrella. Biking and hiking are so popular that a second nature trail was recently added. At the adults-only Serenity Bay, open-air cabanas serve as treatment rooms for massages.

Numerous excursions can be booked, with activity levels ranging from more passive glass-bottom boat tours to blood-pumping parasailing. One of the most popular is feeding and interacting with stingrays – whose barbs, as previously noted, are blunted for safety.

Of course Mickey, Minnie and the gang make frequent appearances for photo-ops, and the entire island is, typical of Disney, landscaped and equipped just right. For instance, the 12-acre snorkeling course, with separate areas for beginning and experienced snorkeling, are sprinkled with amusing Disney characters that the fish use as habitat.

Great Stirrup Cay
The original private island operated by a cruise line, Great Stirrup Cay is just as much of an island paradise as when it was acquired by Norwegian Cruise Line in 1977. The Cay’s white sand beaches are fringed by coral reefs and offer an ideal spot for snorkeling among the large schools of tropical fish.

Permanent facilities have been added to and improved during the past three decades, but the vegetation — bougainvillea, sea grape and coconut palms — continue to serve as colorful tropical backdrops.

To control erosion and preserve the environment, a sea wall was erected along the waterfront. A straw market, water sports centers, bars, volleyball courts, and food pavilion round out the facilities. Activities include kayaking, parasailing, hiking, ping-pong and volleyball. The massage hut near the beach provides a legendary shiatsu treatment, and the hammocks strung between the palm trees beckon to those who want simply to slow down and relax.

Norwegian Sky sails three-day and four-day Bahamas cruises with full-day stops at Great Stirrup Cay.

Princess Cays
Boasting 1.5 miles of beaches with some of the finest and whitest sand in the region, Princess Cays is the tropical paradise that Princess Cruises has been operating since 1992. This 40-acre stretch of beach provides shady hammocks and a full complement of watersports options, including sailboats, catamarans, kayaks and the always-popular banana boats.

Featured facilities include a dedicated play area, Pelican’s Perch, and a small shopping area that includes a hair braiding station. Three bars and live music complement the authentic Bahamian barbecue on the beach. There’s volleyball and basketball courts, in case anyone needs a diversion from the wide beach and the powdery soft sand. However, there is no adults-only beach.

Half Moon Cay
Little San Salvador, a Bahamian out-island, was renamed Half Moon Cay by Holland America Line to honor Henry Hudson’s ship, which is also depicted on the cruise line’s logo, as well as to reflect the beach’s crescent shape.

Even with development, the island is still so unspoiled that it has been named a Wild Bird Preserve by the Bahamian National Trust. Excursions include a guided kayak adventure on Bone Fish Lagoon, a protected habitat and home to numerous native species of flora.

Of special note, the Horseback Riding by Land & Sea excursion sets out on a ride along winding trails up to the highest point on the island for a panoramic view before your horse is “dressed” up for swimming in a special saddle pad and a rope halter (no saddle), after which you venture into the ocean for the sensation of riding a horse while it’s swimming.

Half Moon Cay also has a water park with waterslides for family fun, and air-conditioned private cabanas can be rented for your own beachfront retreat, with or without the services of a personal butler.

Coco Cay
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises guests have twice as many opportunities to relax in the sanctity of a private island, as these sister companies operate two.

First there is Coco Cay, a 140-acre island located in the Berry Island chain between Nassau and Freeport. Known originally as Little Stirrup Cay, the island is within view of Great Stirrup Cay (NCL’s private island) and the snorkeling is just as good, especially around a sunken airplane and a replica of Blackbeard’s flagship, “Queen Anne’s Revenge.”

Both kids and adults enjoy Caylana’s Aqua Park — the largest in the Caribbean — where you can jump on an in-water trampoline or climb a floating sand castle before digging into a beach barbecue or exploring extensive nature trails.

Labadee
The second Royal Caribbean/Celebrity island is actually a 260-acre peninsula. Labadee is situated on the secluded north coast of Hispaniola, commonly known as Haiti.

In addition to the usual array of swimming, water sports, a pirate-themed Aqua Park, and nature trails to explore, visitors to Labadee are treated to an authentic folkloric show.

A market, where you might find an interesting painting or a unique wood carving, features the work of local artists and crafters, but take note that vendors can be somewhat inclined toward the hard sell.

Naturally there are bars for refreshments, and a huge beach barbecue is served by the ship’s crew. Royal Caribbean is building a dock at Labadee to accommodate Oasis of the Seas and other ships in its fleet.