Is a cruise vacation right for your family? Chances are, the answer is yes - especially if your youngsters are the kind of kids who like to have fun!
Would your kids like to slither down a water slide, sing karaoke, or play pirate with a dozen new friends? Would they like to dissect a squid or maybe dance all night in a teen club? Well, then, welcome aboard. These are just a few of the activities that modern cruise ships offer families looking for a new way to spend their vacation.
Shipboard life: Play hard, eat well, rest easy
A cruise ship is basically a giant floating, all-inclusive resort. Rooms, meals, activities, and entertainment are all included in the cruise fare, and the itinerary is already set, so planning and budgeting are easy. And parents and kids can pursue their own interests, so everyone can have a good time. Is there any better recipe for great family cruise vacation?
Most cruise lines offer cabins that can sleep four, and most offer discounted fares for kids sharing their parents' stateroom (cribs and guardrails for bunk beds are readily available). Some ships have staterooms that sleep five or six, but if your kids are older, you might want to book adjoining cabins, which offer more space and privacy. Outside cabins are more appealing than inside cabins, especially if they have a veranda, where parents can relax during kids' naptime, but they are more expensive.
When it comes to food, cruising is hard to beat. Almost every ship has a special menu of kid-friendly dishes, but kids can also dine from the main menu just like Mom and Dad. On some lines, kids can eat at tables staffed by youth counselors, leaving parents some quiet dinners to themselves.
Kids' programs: Fun for all
Gone are the days when the ship's Children's Room was a glorified babysitting operation. Today's kids' programs are usually run from specially outfitted 'clubhouses' staffed by specially trained counselors. Think camp, not daycare.
Programming is usually available for kids 3 to 17 (some cruise lines accommodate younger children, provided they are potty-trained). The kids are divided by age-groups, and the list of things they can do is mind-boggling. Movies, games, arts and crafts, and contests are offered by nearly all cruise lines, and some also offer special programming like language classes, etiquette instruction, cake decorating, and shore excursions just for kids. Outdoor fun includes amazing pools (some come with a gigantic movie screen), as well as basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Some ships even offer miniature golf course and bowling. Babysitting is available when the children's centers are closed, and some ships issue pagers to parents so they can keep in touch with their kids when they are apart.
Two new trends are changing kids' cruising a lot. The first is 'edutainment,' a concept enthusiastically embraced by Princess Cruises, which has partnered with the California Science Center and the National Park Service for some kid-sized educational fun. For example, kids can build a model of a roller coaster, dissect a squid, or learn about glaciers and grizzlies in the Junior Ranger Program. The second trend is exclusive programming for teens, who can now hang out with new friends in large, comfortable spaces equipped with video games, computers, and air hockey tables. Some new ships even offer teens their own refreshment areas and whirlpool.
What to know before you go
Shipboard facilities and programming for children vary widely, so it's important to choose the right cruise and to let the kids know what to expect. Keep the following tips in mind.
* Know that older ships and luxury cruise lines usually have less children's programming, while newer ships and mid-price cruise lines usually have the coolest kid facilities.
* Look over the various destinations that your family would prefer, and aim for summer or school vacations, when there will be plenty of other children to play with.
* Talk to your kids about proper shipboard etiquette, and go over basic safety precautions. Establish a buddy system for older children who want some independence aboard ship, and be sure that all children know they can get help from a uniformed crew member at any time.
Family cruise vacations are easy, delicious, exciting, and fun. Best of all, you'll never hear that dreaded vacation complaint, Mommy, I'm bored!, because on a cruise ship, there's something fun to do every minute.
Our identities, how we perceive ourselves, and present ourselves to others, stem from life as we know it now. The job we have, the way our family life is made up, and the homes we live in are all extended parts of our psyche. So are moods, emotions, even how we relate and talk to ourselves, these are all part of who we are in life at this very moment.
Whenever we are faced with any sort of change, whether it's a job, or home, or inner/self changes, we have to let go of something old first. That also means releasing our identity created from that thing we are looking at leaving. Sometimes we think ?Good Riddance? and are very happy to leave whatever it is we're making the change for and the part of us that was related to that thing. We move on easily and never ever look back. More often though, we have become entrenched with that part of us that we are leaving. Usually it's the security and familiarity of what we are leaving, more than the thing we are leaving that is hardest to let go of.
Taking some time to put away what you are leaving behind can allow you more freedom for opening your heart to something new. There are a million books and articles about getting over a relationship break-up. Let's look at some of the other break-ups that happen in your life.
Lets look at the chance that you are leaving your job or career. Update your resume right away while the duties and responsibilities are still fresh in your mind. Or, if you are retiring, burn your resume; you'll no longer need it! Request a special lunch on the last day to effectively say good-bye to your coworkers. Even if you will be socializing with them on a personal level later, making this special time will help you say good-bye to work as you know it and the routine you were used to when you were there.
Even if you are leaving work with bad feelings, perhaps you were downsized or fired, there still might be coworkers that you can make sure and thank for whatever they did to make your work environment better for you. Keep your head up and bite your tongue about anything that is not in your best personal issue to address. You don't want to have anything haunting you when the initial feelings of hurt and anger begin to cool off. Leave the job and close the door. This part of your life is over.
Now, if you're moving, you might want to thank your neighbors if they were good neighbors for you. Clean the house or apartment thoroughly to remove the energies that have lingered from your time within the walls. Complete change of address forms before you move; you can pick those up at the Post Office, or buy a nice set of note cards for this. That way you'll get used to attaching yourself to your new address and begin to leave your identity with your old address behind.
What if it's an inner change? Maybe you want to move on from old harmful patterns such as negative thought patterns or playing the victim of your life's circumstances. (Congratulations for finding things that no longer serve you and your willingness to replace them with healthier habits!) Please note that the habits you are letting go of are habits you chose because something about them served you in your life. Take some time and write about what you are letting go of. Write about how the negative habit impacted your life, what lessons you have learned from it, why you are letting it go. Then take the letter and burn it as a final farewell. Please make sure you are safe about burning it.
When you have effectively put away and said good-bye to what you are leaving behind you are free to move on to new life's adventures! Keep your eyes forward and take your time acclimating to what is new in your life. Even the best of life's changes can be scary or stressful and might seem overwhelming at times. It's okay to feel all of those feelings. Make sure and talk with others and take it easy on yourself. Give yourself small treats and breaks along the way towards whatever change it is that you are making. Soon that change will be ?old news? and you will be looking at another new change. Life is a wonderful adventure that way!
The last tip I'll leave you with is never underestimate what your tomorrows may bring. Remember this when you are faced with leaving other things behind, you might be more than pleasantly surprised! If you need help letting go of things, or would like tips more specific to changes you are making in your own life, please email me at anytime!
Both Anita Dunham-potter & Tracy Togliatti are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Anita Dunham-potter has sinced written about articles on various topics from Dental Practice, Cruises and Travel and Leisure. Anita Dunham-Potter is a Pittsburgh-based travel journalist specializing in cruise travel. Anita is a weekly travel columnist for