This past June, my family and I sailed to Alaska! We are Walt Disney World Annual Passholders, and our family vacations typically center around Disney Parks and warmer destinations, but it was time to set out on a new adventure. We love cruising as a family, so here are 5 tips for cruising with kids that have been helpful for me over the years!
If you’re ready to plan your next cruising vacation, contact me or one of the knowledgeable travel advisors at Kingdom and Cruise Travel!
1. Take time to enjoy the city you’re sailing from
For this sailing, we departed from Seattle and while we didn’t have a ton of time before we embarked the ship, we had a few hours that morning to explore. It made the most of our time to stay the night before the cruise at a hotel close to Pike Place Market. We made a quick stop for breakfast and walked through some of the stalls. The kids (and adults!) really enjoyed watching the fish being thrown at the Pike Place Fish Market, walking down to the gum wall, and taking in the views from the decks behind the market.
2. Secure an early boarding time
When you check in for your Royal Caribbean sailing, you can select your port arrival time during the process. It’s important to start your check in process as soon as you are eligible in order to have access to the earliest times to get onboard. Once onboard, you can have lunch, use the pool, play in the SeaPlex, and more!
3. Register for Adventure Ocean
Adventure Ocean is the name of the kids’ clubs onboard Royal Caribbean. These clubs host games, crafts, painting, and more for kids while onboard. To save time, it’s best to register the kids for the Adventure Ocean program during the open house hours on day 1 of your sailing.
4. Check the daily activities schedule in the Royal Caribbean app
There are so many daily activities offered onboard! From bumper cars to roller skating, to Harry Potter trivia, to Broadway-style productions and more; there’s so much to see and do on a cruise. Staying up to date on the additions to the daily scheduling means that you’re bound to have a good time.
5. Book an afternoon flight home and store your bags
It’s bittersweet to think about the last day of vacation, so why not prolong it a little? Most cruises will have you back to the original port city by early morning. If you book a late afternoon flight home and use a service such as Luggage Hero, you can have almost a full day to explore! We took full advantage of this and had a late breakfast at Top Pot Donuts and visited both the Space Needle and the Seattle Aquarium before it was time to head to the airport. Be sure to account for plenty of time to pick up your bags and commute to the airport!
Cruising is a great way to vacation with kids. Seeing multiple destinations and only unpacking once is so helpful when you’re packed for multiple people. Do you have any more tips you’d add to this list? We want to hear about it!
When you’re ready to plan your next cruise vacation, contact us at Kingdom and Cruise Travel to get started!
By Kingdom and Cruise Travel Advisor, Katie Gabbard