Each member of the family can have the fun they want on a cruise
Cruise travel means different things for different families. A cruise might be full of off-ship excursions or packed with on-board activities. How a family engages with their cruise experience also depends on their interest, temperament, what they want out of their vacation, and the ages, interest, and reliability of their kids. Family cruise tips can help you get more out of your cruise, your way.
Our family of four’s first cruise was a 14-night trans-Pacific crossing from Seattle, USA, to Tokyo, Japan, on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas. As you can imagine, we had a lot of time to understand what we liked about being on a cruise, and what we learned about how each member of the family could have the fun that was right for them.
Why our family of geeky introverts decided to take a cruise in the first place
Whether RVing across the USA or experiencing cultures from Malaysia to Mexico to Morocco, our family of four loves to travel. While we’ve flown plenty, taken heaps of trains, driven tens of thousands of miles, and enjoyed (and sometimes just plain endured) some bus rides, we had yet to take a cruise.
So we decided it was time to change that.
Now, you may also wonder (as I did at first) why in the world we thought for one moment that cruising could be a good idea. Our family enjoys quiet spaces. We are highly introverted (we can be quite social, but we need to withdraw to our own space to recharge). Parties, loud spaces, and constant excitement are not our jam.
However, most marketing and advertising around cruising is quite to the contrary. If you only go by ads, social media, and typical marketing, it’s easy to think that most cruise experiences are nothing but all-night dance parties with endless booze, and daytime adventures that never stop. They certainly have that. But they also have much more.
A range of family friendly and introvert friendly experiences drove our cruise choice
Family cruise tips: Different cruise lines have their own personalities. Some lines do indeed cater more to the all-party all-the-time crowd. Other cruise lines focus strictly on adults. Some don’t even allow children.
Ultimately, we chose a Royal Caribbean sailing on their Quantum of the Seas for our first cruise. Activities galore? Yes. Excitement? Abounding.
Yet the ship had lots of quiet nooks, beautiful spaces where we could catch our breath, and a range of activities. Sure, there were parties, live music, and big ole group events. There were also presentations on aviation, forensic psychology, and the art of Dali. Or, with our preference for smaller gatherings, we could join more low-key groups, such as a daily half-hour period where various members of the crew gathered for discussion and Q&A with guests. (Technically, one of those sessions just started as I’m writing this, and I might meander that way shortly.)
Our kids could freely enjoy a teen center and a space just for younger children (a cruise offering that Royal Caribbean pioneered back in the late twentieth century).
To our mind, picking the right cruise line was like any of the other decisions we’ve made as part of our global travels. The ship’s atmosphere, food, family friendliness, and ease of finding both social and solitary spaces made our Royal Caribbean pick a great fit for our family.
Before you go on a cruise with kids
In the months leading up to our cruise, we approached our preparations in a similar way to how we get ready to go to different countries Here are some family cruise tips for when you’re planning to cruise:
- Watched videos on YouTube about the ship and its amenities (more on that below), so we could gain perspective and familiarity (and above all, know where we could find the free soft-serve ice cream stand)
- Talked about how the ship would have some kids, but we didn’t know how many (turns out it was around 60, from toddlers to teens)
- Identified areas of the ship and services that were just for kids and teens, so each child knew they would have opportunities for independent time that was right for their ages
- Discussed how there would be times we would all be together, times when we would do our own thing, and how the kids could get help or find their way back to our cabin
In our experience traveling with kids, having some sense of place boosts our confidence and calms our nerves, long before we ever arrive. The kids also gained the opportunity to imagine things they’d want to do, or how they’d want to spend their time. They felt all the more excited to get on board, and were all the more eager to cooperate on embarkation day.
Other resources we parents used to prepare for our first cruise
Other family cruise tips that helped? For our Quantum of the Seas sailing on Royal Caribbean, Jodie joined a few QotS Facebook groups that were about the ship and sailing on it. Plus, specific FB groups dedicated to particular sailing dates usually crop up too.
I also dug into videos about cruising in general, especially Gary Bembridge’s excellent Tips for Travellers cruising videos. Here are a few I found especially useful:
- Smart Cruisers Stay On Board On Port Days More Than Ever. Here’s Why
- Hardly Any Cruisers Know Cabin Stewards Can Do This
- Cruise Buffet Dining: What SMART Cruisers Do (And DON’T Do!)
- Cruise Main Dining Room: What to Do (And What NOT to Do)
- Offbeat Cruise Tips ALL Seasoned Cruisers Swear By
Family cruise tips: The little things our entire family enjoyed on our first cruise
Every cruise line and each cruise ship are different, naturally. What we enjoyed might or might not be available on your cruise. The lovely thing? Even if something we liked isn’t an amenity on your ship, you’ll find others that dial things in just right for you and your kids.
1. Soft serve and snuggles
Just about every afternoon on board our Quantum of the Seas cruise on Royal Caribbean, Aster would ask if I wanted to go for ice cream.
Pro tip: Whenever your kid wants to go for ice cream, especially with just one parent, yes is always the right answer.
At the right/starboard midship area of Deck 14, just across from one of the hot tubs, a crew member is there throughout the day and evening to cone up vanilla, chocolate, or twist soft serve ice cream. Aster and I would each snag one. Just a little forward on the ship from there, we could go to a range of comfy, circular wicker… Actually, I don’t even know what to call them. Imagine a combo lounger, couch, satellite chair, and day bed. Aster and I would sit back, stretch out our legs, eat ice cream, watch the ocean go by, and talk about whatever was on our minds.
I treasure time with my children, especially because I understand far too well that they are kids for so short a time. These moments, just daughter and dad, are some of my favorites from the entire cruise.
2. Themed dinners in Main Dining
During my own childhood, my dad made sure that I had opportunities to be in fine dining spaces. I learned the manners and customs for those spaces, and understood that they were places where I belonged. As a parent, I want Connor and Aster to know that they belong in a fine dining restaurant in Bangkok or Paris, just as much as they belong at a street food stall in Oaxaca or Portland.
Our cruise ship’s main dining turned out to be just the right way to get them used to a finer environment. Now, we never went in for formal wear, and our Main Dining room was classy and elegant without being stuffy. During 2 weeks at sea, the kids got a better understanding of set courses, consistently having a napkin in their laps, and the joy of (decaf) coffee after dessert. They worked on understanding what silverware was for which dish or course (along with the default rule of thumb: start at the outermost silverware piece and work your way toward the plate).
Main Dining’s theme nights also brought us a range of dishes. Plus, the menu was expansive enough not to overwhelm, but to have other options outside of the theme. Whether fish and chips on Taste of the UK, French classics, and some excellent South Asian curries, we got to indulge in just-enough portions of delicious dishes from around the world.
3. Independent time at kid and teen centers
As Royal Caribbean expanded their sailing offerings and ship amenities in the 1980s and 1990s, they pioneered having dedicated spaces for kids and teens. Now, Jodie and I love every moment we get with our children. They are only children for a short time, and we understand all too well that their childhoods are our best opportunities to spend as much time with them as possible.
However, we appreciate that our kids need to practice independent choices, not to mention take advantage of opportunities to meet other kids. Since our ship had a teen center (called The Living Room) and a child space (Adventure Ocean, with separate spaces for different age ranges), we got each kid familiar with their space. Aster often spent all morning at Adventure Ocean, and occasionally nipped back in the afternoon.
With Connor on the cusp of teendom, he soon was spending nearly all day at The Living Room. During breaks when the center was closed, he’d spend time in the cabin (or finish up any schoolwork he didn’t complete before the center’s morning hours). He also got to know other teens, and they palled around the ship, eating pizza, talking, and heading to the game center for foosball and video games.
As for me and Jodie? We took these opportunities to have time together, or go to various onboard activities. And when we reconnected with the children for meals, breaks, or other times, we could converse about our respective days, all the while appreciating that the kids could have time and space of their own.
4. Evening performances
With our kids being 9 and 12 years old, we find that we can attend a greater variety of events, including in the evenings. From their first concert (AJR, in Norfolk, VA, in June 2024), to art museums (special shout out to Muskegon Museum of Art and their wonderful docent who helped the kids engage with many paintings and sculptures), we now can confidently take the kids to so many different events.
On board the ship, we had a range of entertainment. Granted, the kids were happy to let me go to presentations on my own (apparently they weren’t intrigued by the history of Royal Caribbean, or the nuances of aviation mishap investigations). However, they were plenty game for the evening entertainment. Whether a Laser Tag match or a magic show, a former US Olympic gymnast or Starwater, the ship’s signature song and dance performance, we got to share evening after evening of entertainment, together as a family, with our kids taking in new experiences.
5. Random conversations with fellow cruisers at the breakfast table
I’m going to point out a very deliberate choice: I did not say “strangers at the breakfast table.” I said “fellow cruisers.”
Sure, on board we don’t know all of our fellow 3,996 passengers. But we are all here due to some level of interest in cruise travel and visiting Japan. In my experience, any common experience quickly shifts someone from mere “stranger” scary land to the beautiful territory of a friend we haven’t met yet.
During breakfast (and occasionally at dinner), we were always happy to sit at tables that seated more than just our wee party of four. Our random conversations included folks who have moved from Hong Kong to Toronto, a retired couple from Albuquerque, NM (same city where Jodie grew up), and another couple using the cruise to move from Mexico to Japan.
Not to mention this morning’s interaction, where a person from North Carolina guessed that Connor was 17, much to his delight.
Each conversation has introduced us to new people. The kids have gotten to hear different stories of where people are from, why they chose this cruise, and what they’re looking forward to when we arrive in Japan.
The best family cruise tips? Each family member can enjoy a cruise their own way
Our family travels help us show the kids different facets of the world. We enjoy the things we like, and we challenge ourselves and push our capacity zones.
On board our cruise ship, we delighted in all the ways our ship was set up for the enjoyment of kids and adults, from deliberate spaces to simply enabling people to engage with one another.
Each day, we shared different experiences that we come together later and discuss. And each day, we knew we each parent and each kid had something to look forward to. Our family cruise tips? Relax, pursue your interests, and enjoy your cruise vacation, your way.
