Family cruises are an excellent way to spend quality time with your loved ones, offering the chance to share new experiences, explore fantastic destinations and enjoy a wide range of activities and entertainment. But with so many family cruise holidays to choose from, it can be challenging to know which cruise line is suitable for you.
In this blog, we highlight some of the best cruise lines for families, what they offer and some of the best family cruise destinations that they sail to.
Food on family cruises
One of the most important aspects of any family holiday is the food; it can make or break an enjoyable time away, and a family cruise is no exception. The good news is that most cruise lines offer various dining options to suit every taste and preference.
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean is one of the best cruise lines for food variety. From casual cafes to upscale restaurants, Royal Caribbean undoubtedly offers a family-friendly cruise experience when it comes to meal times. They also have a partnership with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has created a range of menu items for their ships and whose restaurants are proving to be a firm family favourite.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line is another great option for families looking for delicious food. Their ships feature a great selection of restaurants and eateries, with Big Chicken and their Far East street food eatery, Lucky Bowl popular family choices.
They also offer a variety of themed dining experiences, including Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast based on the whimsical world of Dr Seuss®.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is another excellent option for food on family cruise holidays. With up to three main dining rooms and several speciality restaurants on board, there’s no shortage of choice! For example, Beyond Buffet is a real crowd-pleaser, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a range of international dishes.
Norwegian Cruise Line even offers a 24-hour pizza delivery service.
Entertainment and activities on a family cruise
When it comes to entertainment and activities, the best cruise lines for families offer a wide range of options to keep everyone entertained. From shows and movies to water parks and sports facilities, there’ll be plenty of fun things to do on board.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is an obvious choice when looking for the best family cruises, particularly for entertainment on a family cruise. Specialising in providing magical experiences for kids of all ages, Disney has designed its ships with families in mind and offers fantastic fun-for-all activities and entertainment options.
Expect live shows featuring your favourite Disney characters, themed dining experiences, and movie theatres showing the latest Disney films.
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean has to get another mention for having some of the best family cruise ships. With numerous thrilling onboard activities, they cater to all ages, meaning there’s no chance of anyone getting bored while at sea.
Their family cruise ships feature incredible water parks, rock climbing walls, zip lines, and ice-skating rinks, as well as kids’ clubs for younger travellers. Royal Caribbean also offers Broadway-style shows, live music, and comedy performances for adults.
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises also ranks highly for delivering some of the best family cruises. When exploring their entertainment on family cruises, they offer everything from live music, theatre productions and their infamous Movies Under the Stars.
But it doesn’t end there; discover activities for your family cruise, such as basketball tournaments, dance parties or learning how to spot cosmic constellations with Stargazing. For families with children and teens, Princess Cruises also offers Camp Discovery, uniquely themed centres with age-specific fun activities.
Where is the best place to cruise as a family?
One of the attractions of cruises for families is sharing the discovery of new, captivating destinations and all they have to offer. So, which itineraries are suitable for family cruises and which cruise lines go there?
A Mediterranean family cruise
The Mediterranean is one of the most popular cruise destinations for families, thanks to its stunning scenery, family-friendly attractions and rich culture. Furthermore, the Mediterranean is an excellent option if you are looking for great family cruise deals or family cruises from the UK.
P&O Cruises offer Mediterranean family cruises from Southampton, visiting spectacular destinations, including Lisbon, Malaga and Barcelona.
Other cruises that offer Mediterranean family cruises for 2023 include Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and MSC Cruises.
A Caribbean Cruise
The Caribbean is a classic family-friendly cruise destination with crystal-clear waters, white-sand beaches, and a variety of water sports and activities. Many cruise lines offer Caribbean itineraries, including Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line.
While there are fully all-inclusive family cruises in 2023, these tend to be with the smaller, high-end cruise lines. However, more mainstream cruise lines such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean tend to be more family-focused and still offer some great family cruise deals to the Caribbean that include accommodation, select dining, basic drinks and most onboard entertainment in their cruise fares.
An Alaska cruise
Alaska is amazing for family cruises, especially for those who love the great outdoors. From whale watching and hiking to zip lining and dog sledging, there are plenty of one-in-a-lifetime activities to keep everyone entertained, not to mention the most breathtaking landscapes you get to take in as you sail on your family cruise.
Cruise lines offering family cruise deals around Alaska include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Are kids cheaper on cruises?
When seeking cheap family cruises, a good place to start is the cruise line promotions that offer free cruises for kids. Although these limited-time deals often mean two adults sharing a cabin with one or more children, it usually makes family cruises much more cost-effective.
Cruise lines regularly running these promotions include Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Cunard Cruises and Holland America. Make sure to check the age limit for these offers, as it can vary from under 17’s (MSC) to under 12’s (Royal Caribbean).
If you are unable to find any ‘free cruises for kids’ promotions that work for you, you can still get a great family cruise deal. Cruise lines will typically charge less for third or fourth passengers in a cabin, where the first two pay the full fare.
Sometimes these fares can be as much as half the price, providing an outstanding family cruise deal.
