Taking family cruise holidays can provide some of the best memories you can wish for and there is little doubt they are one of the ultimate family holidays.

Are they expensive? Well, the truth is, they used to be but today, with competition fierce for the cruise dollar it’s hard to determine what expensive really is. Let’s put it this way, you can get some special deals most of the time when it comes to any type of cruise and family cruises are included.

The same rules apply - cruises are more expensive during peak season. In the northern hemisphere, this includes spring, summer and fall but winter time provides some great opportunities at discount prices.

Book Through A Travel Professional

The drawback with family cruises is school holiday times usually means peak season and this is where you should enlist the services of a travel professional. Sure, you can plan a cruise holiday yourself organize bookings on your own but just keep in mind the benefits you’ll fore go not using a travel professional.

The biggest one is peace of mind. A travel professional is someone you can fall back on for help should your schedule strike problems. In effect, they become a sort of security blanket. They can take care of most of the “little things” leaving you to simply head for the cruise departure point and enjoy your vacation.

Family Cruise Tips

Some tips are useful and some are essential when planning for family cruise holidays. Some of the important tips to remember are:

- Be sure that any kids programs are up and running during the dates of your trip;
- check the size and location of the stateroom and the guardrails on the beds;
- know that some ships will have cabins that can sleep five while others have adjoining cabins — some cruise ships will even offer special rates for a second cabin for teenagers.

As well, you should always check that medical service personnel will be available; double-check what kind of documentation is required, and be especially careful if your child or children are crossing borders and only one parent is on the trip.

Don’t forget to budget for gratuities, as this bit of pre-planning is sure to come in incredibly handy during your trip should you encounter any difficulties.

Two of the most popular family cruise holidays are Disney Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. Both offer a wide array of activities and programs for children and teenagers, and Disney cruises even supply the parents with pagers after they drop their children off at certain playgrounds, while babies can get laid back at the Flounder’s Reef Nursery.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 9:11 pm and is filed under Family Cruises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.