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Family Cruising
With the rise in family vacation popularity, the cruise industry is
riding the wave with an exciting array of family-friendly activities
that cover the waterfront - so there's no better time than now to
pack up the kids and explore the world abroad on a cruise.
Cruise lines now feature a cornucopia of family fun, including
sports, art activities, planetarium shows, disco parties, pizza
fests, ice skating, youth Olympics, rock climbing, scavenger hunts,
wildlife exploration, and much more.
Family travel is on an upsurge, according to the Travel Industry
Association, with one in four household trips - or more than 170.1
million - including children under 18. Most trips with children (91
percent) are for leisure, nearly half of which are taken to visit
friends or relatives.
"Variety, fun, value and safety are among the top reasons your
family should go on a cruise together this spring or summer," said
Julia Ryan, vice president of Travelers Advantage and
Travelersadvantage.com. "Families looking for convenient,
stress-free and economical vacations are heading out to sea, and
discovering more than a memorable cruise," she added. "Our family
cruising tips will help you pick the right cruise for your family."
The experts at Travelers Advantage offer these tips and trips for
the ultimate family cruise:
Family Cruise Tips:
Be sure the Kids' Programs are operating on the dates of your trip.
Check the size and location of the cabin, and the guardrails on the
bunks.
Some ships have cabins that can sleep five; some have adjoining
cabins, some
give special rates for a second cabin for teens.
Check required documentation for your children (ID, etc.) Be
especially careful if our child is crossing borders and only one
birth parent is on the trip.
Don't forget to budget for gratuities.
Buy a "soda package" if your kids drink soft drinks - these are
typically not free.
You never know when illness might hit your household and change
plans: check cancellation fees and fees for changing dates. Trip
cancellation insurance may be worth the price.
Family Cruise Trips
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival will host 100,000 kids this year on its "Fun Ships." These
vessels offer parties, special performances by entertainers, ship
tours for kids and teen shore excursions; face painting, scavenger
hunts, talent shows, photography workshops, art classes;
waterslides. Camp Carnival - complete with friendly youth staff that
delivers top-notch care and supervision - has morning to night
activities for four ages: toddler (2 to 5), juniors (6 to 8),
intermediate, (9-11), and teens (12-17). Also offered area playroom
stocked with toys and games and electronic game rooms. Sail the
Carnival Conquest from Galveston, Texas, from $499 for seven
nights*. Free upgrades are available on select cruises.
Disney Cruise Line
As you'd expect, families will find special facilities and
activities with Disney Cruise Line, all beautifully executed.
There's an entire deck for kids, with a large staff, age-specific
programs, and hands-on activities. Parents receive pagers when
dropping kids off at the Oceaneer Club (ages 3-8) or Oceaneer Lab
(ages 9-12). Babies get laid back at the Flounder's Reef Nursery (at
an extra charge.) For teens, there's Common Grounds, a New-York
style coffeehouse with music, large screen TV, and coffee bar;
programs in photography, film-making; teen outings; and more. Live
shows are a special highlight on Disney cruises, and so is Disney's
private island, Castaway Cay. The latest program in the
character-filled lineup is the Carribbean outings. A 3-night Bahamas
cruise aboard the Disney Wonder departing from Port Canaveral, Fla.,
is available from $429.
Holland America Line
Club HAL for ages 5-17 has supervised programs for youngsters,
tweens, and teens; full-time youth coordinators; bingo, karaoke,
t-shirts painting, tournaments, swimming pool activities; special
dinner menu; special infant and children's fares; kids-only
excursions in Alaska. Jump into a 7-night Alaskan Explorer trek from
$749 abroad Zaandam, departing from Seattle.
Celebrity Cruises
Offers a three-tier program for kids 3-17, and features special
youth counselors trained in child psychology, child development,
education and recreation. Programs for children 3-6 (Ship Mates),
7-10 (Celebrity Cadets), 11-13 (Ensigns), and 14-17 (Celebrity
Teens): treasure huts, magic shows, junior Olympics, karaoke, talent
shows, and lots more. On sailings when the Family Cruising Program
is operational, Celebrity offers group baby sitting for kids 3 and
up from 10p.m. to 1a.m. for a nominal charge. Sail on a 7-night
Bermuda cruise from $650 abroad Zenith, departing from Cape Liberty
(Bayonne), N.J.
Royal Carribbean International
Fun and educational complimentary programs: "Adventure Ocean" is a
program for ages 3 to 12 and teens from age 13 to 17 with special
meals and play areas; supervised activities for day and night;
Educational entertainment programs, lots of play equipment, special
menus, "Creative Creations", and more. A 7-night Riviera and Italy
cruise is available from $799 aboard Voyager of the Seas, departing
Barcelona.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Jr. Sailor (Ages 3-5) has storytelling, indoor games, outdoor
sports, arts and crafts, parades and parties; First Mate (ages 6-8)
has Olympic games, magic shows, arts and crafts, balloon sculptures,
circus at sea; Navigators (9-12) has Olympic games, circus at seam
scavenger hunt, private bridge tours, Nintendo, magic shows, ship
tours, arts and crafts, parties, dances, Koosh games; Teen Club
(ages 13-17) has parties, movies, volleyball, basketball, ice cream
social, T-shirt painting, The Newly Met Game, scavenger hunt, trivia
contest, photo hunt, dancing, talent show. Dive-In shore excursions,
shows, pool party, Liar's Club. Also: playrooms and a special kid's
menu at every meal. Sail on a 7-night Bahamas and Florida trip
aboard the Norwegian Spirit from $649, departing from New York. Free
upgrades are available on select sailings, and if you book a
balcony, you get a $50 shipboard credit.
*All rates are cruise only, per person, double occupancy and do not
include non-commissionable fares and $19.95 processing fee.
About Travelers Advantage
Members of Travelers Advantage (
www.travelersadvantage.com or 1-877-841-1335) can save
money on air travel, cruises, car rentals and accommodations as well
as earn five percent cash back on eligible travel booked with
preferred providers through the service. Travelers Advantage is
offered by Affinion Group, a leader in the membership, insurance and
loyalty marketing businesses, providing products and services that
touch the lives of millions of Americans.
About Affinion Group
Affinion Group is a leading affinity direct marketer of value-added
membership, insurance and package enhancement programs and services
to consumers. With more than 30 years of experience, Affinion Group
currently offers its programs and services worldwide through more
than 4,500 affinity partners. Is diversified bas of affinity
partners includes leading companies in a wide variety of industries,
including financial services, retail, travel, telecommunications,
utilities and Internet. Affinion Group also has a growing loyalty
solutions operation which administers points-based loyalty programs.
Based in Norwalk, Conn., Affinion Group has approximately 3,600
employees throughout the United States and in 13 countries across
Europe.
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