Family Cruising
Have you ever thought about taking a cruise as your family holiday? The cruise industry has changed a lot over the last 20 years or so. Cruise ships have changed to provide more entertainment at sea, and the demographic has come down. In recent years the average age of a cruiser has dropped to 46, and 36% of cruisers worldwide in 2023 were under the age of 40. Millennials and Gen Zs made up 46% of all cruisers.
These adult cruisers are increasingly choosing to holiday with their children (rather than leaving them home with the grandparents). In fact, including grandparents is also an popular way to cruise with 28% of all cruisers in 2-23 travelling with 3-5 generations of their family! We have cruised with both sets of grandparents – with my parents on Disney and with my in-laws on P&O. So why is cruising so popular with families?
Firstly there are the destinations. Fancy sun, sea, and sand? Take your pick from the many cruise lines that operate in the Caribbean and Bahamas (44% of all cruises in 2023). Excursions include many water and beach activities, or exciting zip lines through tropical rainforests. Several cruise lines have their own private islands (such as Castaway Cay and Perfect Day at Coco Cay) and these are very popular with families wanting to feel safe on a beach, try some snorkelling, or take advantage of the water parks that have been built on them.
Perhaps you want to experience some culture with your children and take them to destinations they may have learnt about in school, or read about in books. Mediterranean cruises are perfect for this with stops in places like Barcelona, Rome, Napes, Athens, Dubrovnik, etc. Experience the medieval European cities which fill our imaginations and that have formed the societies we are surrounded by today. 18.5% of all cruises in 2023 were in the Mediterranean.
Want to stay a bit closer to home but see the world we live in like you never have before? How about a Norwegian Fjords cruise (Northern Europe accounted for 10.4% of all cruises in 2023)? Having cruised 4 times to Norway I have seen children stare in awe at the majestic mountains in the Fjords. Take them to a Viking village and learn about life in Scandinavia in the time of the Vikings. Cruising could also be a great way to see more of the United Kingdom, with a British Isles cruise, taking in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
From a practical point of view, who likes long flights with children? Cruises out of Southampton and other UK ports are fantastic as you just arrive at the port and are onboard within 30 mins. This also makes it much easier to travel with large family groups.
Then, of course, there are the ships. Cruising is not like flying somewhere. Your holiday starts the minute you embark with a ship packed full of activities. From water slides, to rock climbing. And from go-karts, to ice skating. If you pick the right ship, there will be something for everyone. Kids Clubs are a great way for your children to meet others their own age and on all cruise ships, teens have the freedom to come and go with the friends they make. Depending on your child you may rarely see them during sea days, or they may just dip into the clubs for an hour or so. However you want to holiday is up to you. A cruise allows every guest to do their own thing as much or as little as they want. Mum and Dad get some time to themselves without having to worry about the kids, but you can still enjoy activities and the entertainment together.
Of course key to all of this is finding the right ship. Some are great for families, some are not. For example, P&O, are positioning themselves firmly in the family market with their latest two ships, but don’t think they are all like that – they have a couple of adult only ships. However they also have ships that welcome children, but don’t have the big family facilities that the latest ships have. This is where I come in, as I can help guide you to the right ship for you. Don’t be like the guest who boarded an NCL ship and complained to guest services that they couldn’t find the water slide – their ship didn’t have one and the guests hadn’t done their homework! Cruising really can be a great alternative to a land-based family holiday.
