TIPS FOR THE BEST FAMILY CRUISING - PART TWO

As you discovered in our "Tips for the Best Family Cruising - Part One"
article, taking a cruise is an exceptional way to enjoy good, quality
time.  To ensure the cruise is a great time for everyone, certain steps
should be taken.  Just as a quick example, many cruise lines cater to very
young children, offering wonderful programs.  However, cruise lines
such as Celebrity Cruises has a youth program only during the summer
months and major holidays while Princess Cruise Lines no longer caters
to children two years and younger.  Therefore, you will need to ask
specific questions regarding programs for children.

When taking older children onboard a cruise ship, you will want a way of
keeping in touch with them while also giving them some freedom.  Most
cruise ships have two-way radios that can be rented for a nominal fee.
Even on large cruise ships, these radios work quite well, giving you the
opportunity to reach your child when you need to - just remember to take
or buy additional batteries in that they run out relatively quick.
Considering these have a range of two to five miles, you will have no
problem getting in touch with the kids.

Another consideration has to do with the actual cabins.  If you plan to
When traveling with a toddler, you need to remember that cruise ships do
not provide bed rails for small children.  Therefore, you might
consider buying a set of rails that can be folded up and packed away in the
suitcase.  These are not expensive and can be found at many retail stores
or medical equipment stores.  In addition, consider that some of the
smaller cabins include upper berths for children, which of course
would not be appropriate for the smaller child.

If you have a small child and are in need of a crib, then at the time you
book
the cruise ship accommodations, you want to reserve a crib.  However,
prior to boarding the ship, that reservation should be confirmed,
whether by the travel agent or by you.  Depending on the type of cabin
chosen onboard the cruise ship, you might be offered a crib that also
folds out into a playpen, which is very handy.  However, the majority of
cribs for standard cabins are metal, which meet safety standards.  If
cribs are not available, the other option is to have the child sleep in
bed with you or take a chair that can be pushed against the wall to create
a safe enclosure for sleeping.

You will also find that many of the larger, family-oriented cruise
ships are set up for private babysitting.  The individuals offering the
service are members of the cruise line staff, trained, and highly
professional so you have 100% confident that your child is in great
hands.  Typically, you will want to try to reserve this type of service
prior to embarkation but if you have a last minute request, you would
need to check in with the guest services desk, understanding that you
may or may not get a sitter.

Then, if you want to bring a child stroller aboard the cruise ship so you
can take your child on the deck and on various excursions, cruise lines
recommend you bring a smaller, fold-up umbrella style.  Although they
will not provide as much storage room as a large stroller, remember the
cabins are simply not large enough to accommodate the bigger styles.
The other option is to choose a combination stroller/car seat, which
also folds up nicely onboard the airplane and cruise ship.  With this,
you can resolve two issues in one.  There are other considerations for a
family cruise with small children to include bath time and swimming.
Since cruise ships do not allow diapers in the pool because of health
issues, you will need to purchase swim diapers.  For baths, some cruise
lines have bathtubs in all the cabins while others only offer showers.
Therefore, if you have several children that will need to bathe rather
than shower, you would need to make sure your cabin has the right
accommodations.

Finally, the excursions are an important part of any cruise and the good
news is that most cruise lines offer nice discounts for children.  The
degree of the discount will vary from one cruise line to another but
regardless, you will save some money.  Generally, experts recommend
you avoid paying for a childs excursion unless it is significantly
discounted.  For one, the child will be too young to enjoy it or even
remember it.  For this reason, if there is a specific excursion or tour
that you are interested in, plan to secure a cruise ship sitter for that
particular day so you can let the child enjoy time onboard while you take
a break on land.