Cruising with kids is an increasingly popular form of family holiday. A resort-style boat can be good value when you include the endless food, onboard entertainment and babysitting services.
We recently went on our first family cruise – a short 5 night trip aboard the Golden Princess from Melbourne to Port Arthur and Hobart and back.
Here are my Top 10 tips for cruising with kids, especially for first-timers.
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Are your kids the right age to start cruising?
I think the best things about cruising with kids are the kids club and the pools – you’ll get a break and the kids will have fun too. If you can’t use those facilities then you’ll just spend your leisure time parenting on a boat!
The kids club on the Golden Princess is only open to toilet-trained children 3+ years. Some boats allow kids from 2+ years.
For public safety reasons, children in nappies (including swim nappies) and children who are not toilet trained are not permitted in the public swimming pools and spas. Some cruise ships offer splash areas for non-toilet-trained tots.
Note cruise ships will not have baby food or baby formula. You’ll need to BYO and ask them to store it for you. Cots are generally available, plus booster and high chairs. Baby baths, prams, nappies and baby wipes are not available onboard and not all cruise ships or cabins will have standard baths.
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Pick a cruise that caters for families
As with hotels and restaurants, there are levels of exclusivity with cruise ships and not all ships are suitable for kids. Cruise Critic is a good resource to start your research.
What you’re looking for is a kids club, numerous pools, possibly a kids play area, meal options (children’s menus or buffet). Also, consider the size and layout of staterooms. If your ship doesn’t have the right facilities – particularly if you spend days without docking on land – then you’re all just trapped on a boat together!
The kids club on the Golden Princess operates 9-12pm, 2-5pm and 7-10pm when at sea and 8-5pm, 7-10pm when at port. You can also book group babysitting 10pm-1am for an extra fee. You need to pre-register for kids club before boarding.
Lady AB and Baby 2.0 both love the kids club – activities include craft, movies, Tshirt colouring, mini Olympics, giveaway toys and ice cream parties!
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Pick a short route to start
I think with kids it’s best to pick a short route where a ship is not at sea for more than two consecutive days. While there’s a lot to do on board it does get a bit repetitive after a while. Also, you may experience unexpected motion sickness and if anyone gets seasick there is nothing worse than knowing that you can’t get off the boat soon!
Five nights is about right for us – the kids get to try kids club for the majority of the two days at sea and explore on shore for the other 2 days. Our schedule was:
Day 1 – embarkation (in afternoon)
Day 2 – at sea
Day 3 – Port Arthur
Day 4 – Hobart
Day 5 – at sea
Day 6 – disembarkation (in the morning)
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Pick the right cabin
If budget allows there’s an art to choosing the best cabin:
- Don’t pick an internal cabin. You think you’ll not be spending too much time in your room but with young kids, you’d be surprised. Especially if you want to sleep or read while the kids are at the kids club. It is very claustrophobic being in a cabin with no windows and disorientating not knowing if it’s night or day.
- The most stable cabins are mid-ship, closer to the interior and on a lower deck. The lower the level, the less rocking you’ll experience.
- Be VERY FAR from the laundromat. People hang around the corridors while waiting for their laundry to wash and it’s open 24 hours a day.
- Don’t stay near the lift/stairwells or service entrances. If you’re noise sensitive you don’t want to sleep near a thoroughfare.
- Avoid the same level as pools/sports venue/entertainment/all-night eatery areas. Sometimes the expensive, exclusive suites are actually on the same level as the noisiest part of the boat.
- Don’t stay near or below the galley. Expect bumping, rolling and talking all night as meals are being prepared and cleaned up.
Basically, the best passenger deck to choose is one between other passenger decks.
On the Golden Princess we stay in a ‘mini suite’ on the 9th level with a queen size bed, a fold out sofa, a bath and a balcony. It fits 3-4 people.
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What to pack
In addition to your normal holiday packing there are some cruise-specific items which are useful to pack in your luggage:
- Lanyards. Everyone is issued with a cruise card on embarkation. It is your room key and is also used for ID, charging items to your account and checking in at the kids club. It’s easiest to wear it around your neck and you’ll notice that everyone does it. Lanyards are not provided and are expensive on board so BYO.
- Bathers. My kids will want to go into the pool in any weather, so bring bathers no matter what! There are generally no shops on board selling bathers for kids.
- Motion Sickness medication. If you’re at any risk of experiencing motion sickness, discuss medication options with your doctor or pharmacist.
- Power pack. Cruise cabins do not have many power sockets so pack a power pack to charge electronic devices. Expect that mobile phone coverage may not be available or very expensive at sea.
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Eat at off-peak hours
The Golden Princess can fit 2000 guests. While there are numerous eateries there are bound to be queues for everything if you go at peak hour.
We eat lunch at around 12pm in the buffet restaurant (where there’s more room) and 5:30pm in the a la carte dining room. Note upscale restaurants require an extra charge and a different standard of dress and behaviour is expected, so it might not be suitable for young kids.
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Be prepared for waits to get on/off the boat
With 2000 guests to manoeuvre every procedure for embarkation and disembarkation is a finely tuned operation.
Be prepared to wait up to 20-30 minutes to disembark in timed groups. If you are getting into a tender boat (smaller boat for onshore excursions) then the wait may be longer. A good strategy is to explore the pools and other facilities while the ship is emptying out and get on a tender later.
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Stick to some sort of eating/exercise regime
With the amount of freely available food, it’s easy to go overboard! Take a pair of runners so you can visit the gym or walk around the decks for the fresh sea air.
Kids are offered soft drinks, juice and sugary treats at every turn so set expectations about what they are/are not allowed to eat.
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Be mindful of the dress code
Most of the time there is no dress code on board, but most cruise lines will have one ‘formal night’. On the Golden Princess guests dining in the a la carte restaurant are turned away if they were not dressed in ‘formal wear’ ie jacket for men, no jeans, thongs, shorts.
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Arrive at least the day before the cruise departs
Cruise ships wait for no man (or woman). If your departure port is not your home town then try to arrive at least the day before in case of flight delays, lost luggage etc.
For instance, T missed the embarking on the boat in Melbourne as he was delayed working interstate so he had to fly to Hobart (at his own cost) to board the ship.
Ready to cruise? Deck Chair Cruising offers family cruise holiday deals from Australia from all the top brands including P&O, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises and more!
Further reading:
- Best cruises for Australian families
- How to find the perfect cruise for families
- 19 Best Cruise ships for kids (mostly international)
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