Why Your Next Family Vacation Should be a Cruise

A cruise can be a sojourn for one, a romantic voyage for two, a fun break for a group of friends, or one of the easiest family vacations you’ll ever plan. Many popular cruise lines have incredible features that are well-suited to families who sail together, whether it’s parents and their kids or three or four generations of family fun. Here’s why you should choose a cruise:

Easy travel from place to place. A cruise vacation keeps you moving, with new things to see and do onboard or onshore every day. But you don’t have to worry about unpacking and re-packing as you go. Your stateroom or suite is yours for the duration, and the crew does the driving (or sailing, in this case), mostly while you are deeply asleep.

Everyone will be entertained. While your ship moves between ports or spends a day at sea, there will be onboard activities for family members of all ages. Depending on the ship you choose, there may be live shows, games and tournaments, lectures, films, libraries, fitness centers, spas, sport courts and running tracks, swimming pools and hot tubs, shopping, arcades, bowling, dance lessons, cooking demos, and ship tours. Some newer ships offer fantastic attractions like surf or sky-diving simulators, ice-skating rinks, ropes courses or zip lines.

Activities just for kids. For families with children, onboard kids’ clubs are a priceless amenity. Major cruise lines like Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney are rightfully proud of their supervised kids’ clubs, which offer age-appropriate activities and parties throughout the day and evening. Don’t tell the kids, but the activities often include some education with the fun.

Time for family bonding, too. If you’re worried that the kids will have so much fun in the kids’ club that you’ll never see them, be assured that you’ll have family time, too. Dinner in an onboard restaurant is a great time to share the fun of the day. And, there will be lots of options for family excursions on shore, where you’ll discover and enjoy new places together.

Great food. Speaking of dinner, your family will love the wide variety of fresh and delicious food available onboard, from gourmet fare to open-air buffets to pizza and burgers by the pool. Picky eaters, vegetarians and vegans, paleo eaters and foodies will all find satisfaction.

Find out where your family can go on a cruise vacation; talk with Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal expert.

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Cruising to Grand Cayman

Where the coral atop the Cayman Ridge peeks above the waters of the Western Caribbean, it forms the Cayman Islands, known for spectacular diving and other tropical pastimes. Of the three Cayman Islands – Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac – Grand Cayman is by far the largest, at about 76 square miles.

Grand Cayman is a popular port on many Caribbean cruise itineraries, and many visitors head straight for the island’s famed Seven-Mile Beach (it’s actually about 6 miles long, but that’s plenty). The entire beach is public property, meaning you can stroll the full length without having to avoid any private resort beaches. There are lots of lounge chairs shaded by umbrellas, beachfront bars and restaurants, and water sports vendors – everything you need for a great beach day.

Of course, if you prefer a quieter and more secluded beach, there are several on the western end of the island. If windsurfing is your passion, head the east end for some windsurfing.

Serious SCUBA divers flock to the Cayman Wall, a world-famous dive site. There are lots of opportunities to snorkel, too, including the wreck of a 1940’s schooner, the Cali. You can even try “snuba,” a combination of snorkeling and SCUBA (it uses long hoses attached to air tanks at the surface, rather than strapped to your back).

Lots of visiting families take an excursion to Stingray City, where you can swim with the playful, peaceful stingrays. It’s fascinating to watch stingrays glide through the water; those at Stingray City are accustomed to interacting with humans, and enjoy being hand-fed and petted.

If you like turtles better than stingrays, the Cayman Turtle Farm is a research and breeding center for five types of green sea turtles. If you’re there at the right time, you might see some new hatchlings.

Your day on Grand Cayman can also be a time to go straight to the town of Hell, at the edge of a collection of low, jagged black limestone karst formations. There’s even a red-painted post office where you can send a postcard from Hell.

There’s also some fine shopping in Grand Cayman, including hand-crafted jewelry and salvaged coins.

To find out about more attractions, museums and gardens that you can enjoy on a port call in Grand Cayman – as well as the variety of cruise lines and itineraries that can take you there – talk with Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert.

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Cruise Discounts for Military Members and Veterans

If you’re a current, retired or veteran member of the U.S. military, you may be eligible for significant discounts on some cruises. Many cruise lines offer discounts to military personnel, although the rules, qualifications, and the form the discounts take will vary. Your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert can help guide you to some attractive deals, but here’s basic information from some popular cruise lines to get you thinking.

Celebrity Cruises offers special rates on some sailings to active or retired members of the military, including the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard or National Reserves; and the Canadian National Defense. You’ll need to bring proof of active or retired military status to the port to show during check-in.

Royal Caribbean occasionally offers special rates to active, retired or veteran military personnel on selected sailings. The rate usually applies to specific types of staterooms. In addition, the cruise line sometimes offers onboard credits to military personnel. To qualify, you’ll be asked to provide proof of eligibility when you check in to board the ship.

Princess Cruises offers up to $250 in onboard spending money to veteran, retired or active members of the U.S. and Canadian militaries. The credit can be used on any Princess cruise, at any time of year. You’ll need to complete an application form and provide proof of eligibility at least two weeks before departure.

MSC Cruises offers active and retired personnel from the U.S. and Canadian militaries up to 10% off almost all of its sailings (police officers and firefighters also qualify under MSC's Civil Service discount program). The exact discount percentage depends on the category of stateroom you book; and, you may book multiple staterooms using your discount. You just need to present your military ID badge at the time of booking. Here’s a bonus: If you are on active duty and must cancel your MSC cruise within 15 days of the departure date because you are redeployed or your leave is revoked, MSC will provide a 100% future cruise credit, good for two years. To take advantage of this, your cancellation must be accompanied by a letter from your commanding officer.

Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line also offer occasional deals for members of the military. Before you book a cruise with one of these lines, ask Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert, to check on the available military discounts.

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