Great article -- "Taking the Kids"
Taking the Kids
by <http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/bio.php?id=eileen> Eileen
Ogintz - March 17, 2008
What's not to like? The way the kids see it, a cruise ship is vacation
heaven, better even than a theme park.
There's all the food-and free room service. "You'll be stuffed when you
leave," says 11-year-old Matthew Moris.
There are all the other kids onboard (more than one million children cruise
every year, reports the Cruise Lines International Association, with more
than 1,000 on each Disney ship) and organized kids' and teen activities from
morning until night. "You'll find a friend on the first day," promises
Brooke Abzug, 10, (LYNN KORN'S GRANDDAUGHTER) who likes the shipboard
scavenger hunts staged by the kids' clubs.
There's all the freedom to roam as they please, sun by the pool, hit the
arcade, watch a movie, or grab a slice of pizza or an ice cream cone. Alyssa
Baron, (LISA BARON'S DAUGHTER) 15, says she would never be permitted to be
on her own as much at home or at a resort. "When I come in to our cabin, my
parents are already asleep!"
"You don't have to be with your parents, except maybe at dinner," said
Allison Clayton, 12. (LISA CLAYTON'S DAUGHTER)
Clayton, Abzug, and Moris, all from South Florida, were chosen to be on a
panel I moderated recently in Ft. Lauderdale at cruise3sixty, the cruise
industry's annual conference for travel agents and cruise lines, sponsored
by the Cruise Lines International Association. The kids in the group,
ranging in age from seven to 15, were all cruise veterans-some had sailed 10
times (thanks to a family member in the travel industry) and clearly knew
what they were talking about. Their charge: Give the grown-ups a
kid's-eye-view of cruising. They weren't the least bit fazed by the more
than 1,000 people in the audience. A cruise, they agreed, beats a theme park
any day. At a theme park, "There's not as much to do, or as much good food,"
said Mathew.
The cruise lines, including the most upscale, for their part, are doing all
they can to keep these young cruisers happy. They know (just as any adult
who has ever traveled with a child knows) that if the kids are happy, the
adults will have a good time too, especially when they don't have to pay
every time a child wants a snack. That's why this year you'll see more kid-
and teen-friendly shore excursions, shipboard water playgrounds and
theatrical productions, and enhanced programming and facilities.
* Royal Caribbean <http://www.rccl.com> has just announced
Nickelodeon-themed cruises starting this summer on Freedom of the Seas,
which kids love because of the FlowRider surf simulator and H20 Zone water
playground.
* Carnival <http://www.carnival.com> , which expects to carry 600,000
kids this year, is adding WaterWorks aqua parks (complete with 300-foot-long
corkscrew waterslides, water spray park, and double-lane racing slides) as
part of its $250 million "Evolution of Fun." Look for them first on the
Carnival Inspiration and Imagination "fun ships," while a new "Circle C"
program is unveiled on the line for 12- to 14-year-olds. (Look for deals
that start at $199 for the third person in a stateroom.)
* Norwegian Cruise Line <http://www.ncl.com> has more connecting
staterooms-penthouses to small cabins-than any other cruise line. Families
also like the "Freestyle Dining" option offered in every NCL onboard
restaurant. Now there's no need to get dressed up or eat with others if you
don't want to.
* Disney <http://www.disneycruise.com> provides day care (at an extra
fee) for infants and toddlers too young for the organized kids' clubs. The
line will debut a stage adaptation of Toy Story aboard the Disney Wonder
this spring, complete with a new eight-song score and a nearly
nine-foot-tall Rex the dinosaur as the Wonder sails from the West Coast to
Mexican ports-of-call.
* Regent Seven Seas <http://www.rssc.com> offers an "Ambassadors of
the Environment" youth program on certain Alaska and Tahiti voyages, created
by Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of Jacques). The program is designed to provide
awareness and skills for environmental sustainability. (Ask about
third-person-sails-free deals in Tahiti.)
* A record number of ships will sail Europe and the Mediterranean this
year. More families are realizing, despite the weak U.S. dollar, there is no
easier or economical way to show kids the great sights than from the deck of
a cruise ship. Your food, lodging, and transportation costs are all paid for
in U.S. dollars. There's a pool, the food is familiar, and there are plenty
of organized kids' activities. Princess Cruises <http://www.princess.com>
and Holland America <http://www.hollandamerica.com> will each have six
ships overseas this summer.
There's just one downside to showing kids the cruising world, said
seven-year-old Brandon Abzug. (LYNN's GRANDSON) "You have to go home when
it's over."
"I wish I could live on a cruise ship," said Allison Clayton.
