Top Family Cruises

Top Family Cruises
It’s impossible for anyone but you to decide which cruise ship makes the most sense for your personal vacation. Your budget, your family members’ personalities, and your ideas about ideal ports of call are going to be key factors in any cruise vacation you book.

Having said that, a few cruise companies are doing their darnedest to get your family vacation business, and they consistently rank highest in multiple surveys done by several sources throughout the industry. The reasons they tend to score highest include affordable pricing, good kids’ activities and clubs, good onboard facilities and areas for children, and good adult amenities within the context of the family environment.

These cruise lines are not typically known for setting the uppermost standards of excellence in terms of luxury and refinement, but they are usually favored when it comes to getting the best family-vacation value for your dollar.
The companies, in alphabetical order, are as follows:
Carnival Cruise Lines
Disney Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean

Holland America Line (HAL) is in the process of trying to push itself more consistently onto this list, and the cruise line is expected to continue adding family-friendly features to its ships in upcoming months and years- especially for children in the three- to five-year- old age range. You would be wise to include HAL in your search for a family-friendly cruise, as long as you pay attention to the particular programs and facilities offered by any specific ship that you choose within the company’s fleet. Also keep in mind that you may be among far fewer families than you would be aboard other cruise lines.

Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises also sometimes get high marks for family-friendly cruising. Still, they can cost more, and their facilities and services for children can differ from ship to ship within their fleets and from itinerary to itinerary. You very well might be able to find an excellent family cruise with Celebrity, Crystal, Princess, NCL, or Radisson Seven Seas. Each does have a children’s program, but you will need to do a tad bit more sleuthing on the particulars of your chosen dates, your destination, and the most suitable ship within each fleet. This little bit of extra research on your part could pay off with big dividends, though, in terms of your vacation enjoyment.

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