We recently went on our first cruise with the girls and I was surprised by how many of my friends asked me if cruising was suitable for children.  I took my first cruise when I was 10, it was the year of the solar eclipse and we went on the pre-maiden voyage of NCL’s Norwegian Sky.  To this day I am still in touch with one of the friends I made on board that boat.  Almost every summer holiday growing up we went on a cruise, so I’ve always seen it as a family friendly holiday.

Earlier this year we took our first cruise with the girls and I was so excited to share one of these holidays with them, and luckily they loved it! Roll on next summer when we go again with ALL my family!

Anyway, if you’re reading this you probably want to know how and why cruises are family friendly. We’ve only ever been with P & O Cruises so this is what we know based on their service.

1. They have all the gear – cots, high chairs, even fun under the sea themed bedding for April! The only thing we did bring with us was April’s bed guard, I’m not sure if they provide these but we didn’t ask.   
   
2. Kid’s club!!! From the age of 2 and up there is a FREE kid’s club on board the ship. It’s filled with loads of fun activities, friendly staff and they even have pagers to give you so that if your child gets upset and needs picking up they can contact you no matter where you are on the ship.  April has never ever been to a kids club alone before and she’s usually too anxious and nervous to go, but she loved it so much that every day she would be begging to go! On the last day they let her choose a gift to take home and gave us a folder filled with all the art work she had done during the holiday.
   
3. The family room. If you have a child under two all is not lost.  There’s a family room which you can go to for them to have a run around and a play with lots of toys.  You can’t leave them there but it’s a nice change of scenery and a place for them to release some energy.
   
4. Night nursery. We didn’t use it but if you fancy dinner in the evening without the children you can drop your baby/child off in the night nursery where they can sleep in cots or on mats whilst you have dinner or some drinks at the bar.  The only caveat is that you child is settled or already asleep when you drop them off.
   
5. Children’s menu. Okay, so it was the same menu for every restaurant pretty much every day, but if your child wants something off the menu just ask, the waiters and chefs are always happy to help.  On the first day we arrived there was a buffet set up in the restaurant, there was nothing there April liked so they made pasta with tomato sauce just for her.
   
6. Kid’s tea. If you dread the idea of taking your children to a 3 course meal every night in the main restaurants then there’s one that offers kid’s tea. It’s a buffet style restaurant with child friendly options which starts at about 5/5.30pm.  We decided to only visit the main restaurant on “formal nights” (when they ask you to dress up in a suit and tie and a nice dress).  On the other nights we got ourselves something from one of the fast service restaurants and gave the girls kid’s tea so they could have a play in the kid’s club afterwards then head to bed on time.
   
7. The pools. There are several pools on board the ships, some are for everyone, others are for adults only, other for children only.  This is perfect as you know where’s best to take your children and you don’t have to worry about annoying any grumpy adults that don’t like children. Win!
   
8. Shows and cinema. Every evening there’s usually a theatre show on board, the ships have fully decked out theatres with professional lighting, props and performers.  The shows vary but if you have an older child who loves musicals there will no doubt be at least one show on board the ship they would enjoy watching. 

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Depending on the age of your children there’s a few big screens on board the ship which show films at various times of the day. April loved sitting by the pool watching Wreck it Ralph 2 and the Greatest Showman.  

1. Toy shops! At least one of the shops on board the ship will stock children’s toys and other things to keep them busy.  We bought the girls some Lego each and a huge pack of crayons for their colouring books. 
   
2. No flights (for most). Most cruises in the UK start in Southampton and return to the same place.  This means you don’t have the ‘dreaded flight’ with your children before you can settle into the holiday.  You check your baggage in and it gets delivered straight to your room, no airport carousel to battle with, hurrah!

April enjoyed the cruise so much that when our holiday was over she was already asking when she could next go on the ‘big boat’.  Luckily we already have another booked so we were able to give her something to look forward to.

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Hopefully the reasons above will help you decide whether or not cruising is for you. However there are a few things that you should note:

1. If you’re over 20 weeks pregnant you might not be able to cruise.  Check with the cruise company. (The bonus is, if you weren’t pregnant when you booked then you get a full refund, so accidental babies won’t cost you anything haha)
   
2. Some companies won’t accept babies under 6 months.  Again, check with the company you’d like to travel with. 

If you have any questions that I haven’t answered here please drop me a comment 😊