Cruising With Family: The Best Kid-Friendly Cruise Lines

So you’ve finally decided to book a family vacation on the high seas! Navigating through the options of various cruise lines can be challenging when it comes to finding the best one for your family. Allow us to assist you by providing a list of the top 5 cruise lines perfect for families with kids. To learn more about these cruise lines, keep reading! 

Disney Cruise Line

It’s no secret that Disney Cruise Line is a top choice among families with kids, and for good reason. This cruise line offers many experiences and dedicated areas tailored to different age groups, including adults! Among its notable features are several youth clubs catering to ages 6 months to 17 years old, such as a nursery, the Oceaneer Club and Lab, the Edge, and the Vibe. Additionally, young adults aged 18 to 20 have their exclusive space, The Hideout, available on select ships.

Disney Cruise Line is great for young children thanks to the countless character meet-and-greets scattered throughout the cruise. Their vessels also have a movie theater where you can catch new releases that haven’t even premiered in regular theaters yet, providing an opportunity to create wonderful family memories. The Broadway-style shows on every Disney Cruise Line ship are truly exceptional, featuring beloved family favorites such as Frozen, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and many more. Overall, Disney Cruise Line is a top choice for families with kids. If you’d like to learn more about this cruise line, visit Disneycruise.disney.go.com for more information.

Royal Caribbean 

Royal Caribbean is another fantastic choice for families traveling with kids and teens. Similar to Disney, they provide youth clubs catering to all ages and special meetups for young adults aged 18-20, ensuring an amazing experience for all passengers on their vacation. Additionally, Royal Caribbean offers a huge selection of entertainment options, ranging from comedians and magicians to acrobats and musicians. With a diverse fleet of ships, cruisers have numerous choices, from larger vessels packed with exciting features like water slides and rock climbing walls to smaller, easily navigable ships. Royal Caribbean accommodates all age groups, making it an ideal choice for multi-generational families. For more information about the awesome activities aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise, check out their website: www.royalcaribbean.com.  

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line is well known for catering to families. What sets them apart is their exceptional complimentary youth clubs and the availability of two specialized programs: Late Night Play and Port Play (for additional fees). Late Night Play ensures childcare services from 11 pm to 1 am, while Port Play offers club time until departure or 6 pm, whichever comes first. With the knowledge that your children are under attentive supervision, making new friends, and having the time of their lives, parents can relax and indulge in the adult-only areas onboard. Norwegian Cruise Line offers a remarkable array of 10 bars exclusively for adults aged 18 and over. In addition to these bars, there are numerous adult-only spaces such as pools, clubs, and lounges. However, this cruise line also has a wealth of entertainment options for the entire family. From splash pools and arcades to laser tag, go-kart racing, bowling, and more, there is no shortage of activities to keep everyone entertained. Overall, if you’re looking for a cruise line that caters to the needs and preferences of the whole family, be sure to explore what Norwegian Cruise Line has to offer at www.NCL.com.  

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line’s Vista class ships have some of the coolest amenities at sea. This cruise line has some of the biggest waterparks on the high seas. All the youth clubs have been recently upgraded and remodeled, so your kids will have the best in entertainment. Exclusive to this cruise line, Carnival Cruise Line offers guests a Build-A-Bear at Sea workshop! But the fun doesn’t stop there; this cruise line also offers Seuss at Sea, which includes multiple complementary events such as: Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast, the Seuss-a-palooza Parade and Story Time, and Dr. Seuss Bookville (a play and reading area). Whether you and your family decide to have an adventure-packed afternoon at the waterpark or take advantage of the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast, Carnival Cruise Lines is sure to entertain the entire family for the whole cruise.  To learn more about the amazing amenities on this cruise line, check out Carnival Cruise Line’s website at www.carnival.com.  

MSC Cruises

Last but certainly not least, MSC Cruises offers amazing itineraries for your family-friendly vacation. For the remainder of 2023, MSC Cruises is offering one of the best sales at sea: the Kids Sail Free program. This offer allows children under 18 to cruise for free as long as they stay in the same cabin as their parents (fees such as port taxes and flights are an additional cost). This cruise line also provides cabins that cater to large or small multi-generational families. Below are the cabin types to choose from: 

• Super Family Plus cabins: 3 connecting rooms with 1 inside cabin and 2 balcony cabins, accommodating up to 10 people.
• Super Family cabins: 2 connecting balcony rooms, accommodating up to 6 people. 
• Family Balcony cabins: 2 connecting cabins with 1 interior room with an ocean view and 1 balcony room, accommodating up to 6 people. 

MSC Cruises’ mega-ships are packed with endless entertainment options for all ages. With youth clubs that partner with LEGO, your children and teens are sure to have a blast during their vacation. Are you traveling with picky eaters? No worries, because MSC Cruises offers a Kids’ Corner at every buffet serving kid-friendly classics. Once your kids are done eating, staff will even escort them back to their designated youth club! Lastly, unlike other cruise lines, kids have access to a kid-only drink package! This package includes mocktails, soda, juices, hot chocolate, and more! If you’d like to learn more about MSC Cruises, please visit their website: www.msccruisesusa.com.  

Choosing the right cruise line can greatly impact the quality of your vacation. Whether you’re an active family seeking exciting excursions, adventurous individuals searching for exhilarating waterslides, or a combination of both, any of these cruise lines are guaranteed to create unforgettable memories for your family vacation. 

Have you sailed on any of the cruise lines mentioned above? Let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below!

By Danielle Morris