The joys of holidaying with the ‘entire’ family

Booking a cruising or any holiday for multi-generational families is increasingly popular and while holidays are a chance to get away from it all, holidays with the family are more about bringing everyone together, without having to spend all your time together and it’s great value for money…sounds appealing…. read on!

It’s becoming increasingly common for grandparents, their children and theirs to take a holiday together. Destinations that have been on the increase include Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, Europe and Vietnam.

It is still relaxing, affordable and guaranteed to create a lifetime of incredible memories, especially for the little ones to treasure.

Outlined below are a few of Cruise Express’ favourite suggestions to help grandparents, parents and children have the best cruise holiday possible!

1. Size Counts – Choose a larger resort-style ship that offers more facilities for kids and teenagers and more activities (including yoga, cooking and craft classes) for different age categories. Bigger ships also carry more kids so your brood can make friends more easily. Best of all, adult-only retreat areas on the larger family size ships offer a real-time out!

2. School Holidays – If you can and your grandkids/kids are young enough and not in senior years at school, take a cruise outside school holiday periods when there are more cabins available and fares (even airfares) are more affordable. You’ll be surprised at how many other kids there will be onboard for children to mix with.

3. Balcony – If there are young ones traveling with you on a multi-generational, a balcony cabin is not recommended for safety reasons. An outside cabin with a window or porthole will be just as exciting for the kids and you won’t need to keep an eye on them constantly. Some cruise ships now, like Royal Caribbean’s ‘Ovation of the Seas’, offer ‘virtual balconies’ in their inside cabins – live feed of what is occurring outside, dock or ocean!

4. Rooms – There are many options here including suites, sharing a 4-person cabin with bunks, interconnecting cabins, or you can opt to get neighbouring cabins – next to each other or one outside/balcony cabin and one inside cabin directly opposite the hallways to save money.  Grandparents also may want to look at treating themselves to a suite!

5. Activities – Many larger cruise ships today have water slides, rock climbing walls, wave-surfing pools and flying foxes which are huge hits with all children.

6. Package – Before you leave or as soon as you board, look into buying a soft drink/ice cream package for yourself and possibly for the children so they can enjoy unlimited refreshments during the cruise, saving you/them money in the long run.

7. Kid’s Clubs – Encourage the children and allow yourselves to take advantage of the Kid’s Clubs. That way they can have lots of fun and you can enjoy a relaxing time together, meeting up as a family as you wish.

8. Dinner Sittings – If your kids are under 12, opt for the first sitting dinner or book earlier dinner times if your ship offers open dining.  If you are travelling in a multi-generational group, we recommend making bookings as far out as possible to avoid disappointment, especially for the specialty restaurants.

9. Ashore – When ashore don’t try to pack too much into the day, particularly in hot, tropical zones, as the kids will tire quickly. A morning excursion could work best before returning to the ship for a late lunch and afternoon siesta!

10. Duration – Shorter cruises of under 10 days are better suited to multi-generational families. There are weekend and 5-day cruises from Australia or longer 7-10 day cruises to Queensland or through the South Pacific which the kids will love.

Call us today on 1300 766537 to find out what is available, where and when!

There are many cruise lines that offer great multi-generational cruising options, and we also suggest visiting our website to find out some current amazing discounts with Royal Caribbean this summer and get the most suitable options for your family holiday!