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It's
official. Cruising and children do go together.
Carnival Cruise Line reckons that more than
525,000 children will have taken a holiday on
its ships by the end of this year. Carnival
is just one cruise line, but if you add all
the children who have travelled with family-friendly
cruise companies this year you would have the
population of a Caribbean island.
There are many good reasons for making the family
holiday a cruise - not least the price. Some
cruise lines have discounts of 50 per cent or
more for children, and some even offer free
child places. However, you need to shop carefully
as on some lines children become adults somewhat
prematurely. Full marks, then, to the Italian
company MSC Cruises, which offers free cruises
to under-18s as long as they are sharing with
two paying
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adults.
Ships provide a safe environment so children can have
much more freedom than on a land-based holiday, which
is the nearest thing to heaven for most youngsters.
They can make new friends and often get to see several
countries on one holiday - although parents are probably
more impressed with that than their offspring. Parents,
meanwhile, can relax with a book or in the spa knowing
that their children are being well looked after. Pick
a truly family-friendly ship, with late-night babysitting,
and mothers and fathers can also have romantic nights
out together.
But all this depends on choosing the right cruise
line, which is not as easy as it sounds. Many will
claim to be child-friendly just to secure your booking,
so research is called for. Where young children are
concerned, for instance, don't choose a ship just
because it has a children's club; try and check with
the cruise line that there will be plenty of other
youngsters on board for yours to play with.
That means avoiding not only those cruise lines popular
with older travellers but also luxury lines that do
not want lively children spoiling the upmarket ambience.
On a Regent Seven Seas Cruise, in the summer, my 12-year-old
daughter, Ilana, was made to feel unwelcome by a note
we found in our stateroom on embarkation reminding
her to abide by the ship's dress code after 6pm and
be quiet after 10pm.
In fairness, Regent doesn't sell itself as a family
line, although it did have a club for the handful
of children on board. I don't think the club ever
met. When we were not ashore, Ilana amused herself
by watching her favourite films - thankfully there
was a huge choice of DVDs on board.
Most cruise lines have something for all ages, but,
again, you must choose with caution. Most can't care
for newborns, but Disney has a nursery for babies
aged from 12 weeks to three years old. It costs $6
per child per hour - a small price to new parents
in need of a break.
All the big American ships - and P&O Cruises and Ocean
Village - have clubs for children aged 12 and under,
each divided into slightly different age groups, but
all offering non-stop games and fun from early morning
until late at night. They also organise activities
for teenagers and have areas where young adults can
meet by day and dance at night.
Disney Cruise Line
This is about as good as it gets if you have
just discovered Mickey, Minnie and the gang. Lots
of favourite characters come out to play or sign autographs
during the cruise. The line has two ships, each with
almost an entire deck devoted to children of all ages.
Those aged three to five can disappear into the Oceaneer
Club at 9am and be carried out fast asleep at midnight
after a day of Disney-style fun - learning how to
do the Dance of the Seven Dwarfs with Snow White,
bounce like Tigger or yell like Tarzan - with time
out only to say hello to mum and dad over lunch or
dinner. Children under eight have to be signed in
and out, and parents are issued with a bleeper so
they can be summoned when needed. There are children's
menus in all the restaurants - except in Palo, which
is adults only - with activities to keep the young
ones entertained, character breakfasts, recommended
children's excursions (some not so child-friendly,
so be careful) and family staterooms with a dividing
curtain so parents can read after lights out.
P&O Cruises
So you thought you had to be heading past your
half-century before you chose P&O Cruises? It's true
that Arcadia and Artemis are for adults, but that
leaves three ships - Aurora, Oriana and Oceana - that
welcome children. And the cruise line says mothers
are boarding in ever-growing numbers, taking advantage
of the no-fly cruises from Southampton and the fact
that, on some cruises, even 16-year-olds travel free.
The club takes children from age two in the Toybox
if they are sailing on Aurora, the Treasure Chest
if they are on Oceana and Peter Pan's on Oriana. There
will be lots of playing, singing, colouring and drawing
in cushioned comfort, to keep even the liveliest toddlers
entertained. The Treasure Chest has its own splash
pool and there are videos so children can snuggle
down with their favourite movie after a hard day's
play. The club is open from 9am to 10.30pm, with breaks
for meals. The menu is rather predictable, with sausages,
fish fingers and pizza, but there are some soups and
salads, and you can order child-size main-course meals.
A night nursery runs from 6pm to 2am for children
under five, but you have to be quick if you want a
"night out" as space is limited and you can't book
ahead.
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