7 Tips for Planning A Cruise With Kids

We’ve officially booked our holiday cruise for this year and it got me thinking about the boxes that had to be checked for us to decide which cruise was best. Here are our top tips to look for when booking a cruise with kids.

1 - Earlybird dinner seating

I love restaurant dinners and routine. When cruising with kids, we always choose the early dinner seating which is usually somewhere around 6:00. We eat around 5:30-6 when we’re at home and we like to put our kids to bed early. Some evenings the kids club also has a late night option - we like to get London fed before allowing her to go for the evening. Early seating also allows us to go back to the room or pool deck for movie time to help the kids calm down before falling asleep.

2. Paying for laundry service

Worth every penny every time. Kids are messy and kids have accidents. On our last cruise we did a full bag of laundry every day. Leaving the cruise ship with a suitcase of mostly clean laundry is a convenience I will now always pay for. I like to purchase this in advance if it’s available so I don’t forget about it and pay the inflated prices. (I will concede and say I wouldn’t prepay for this on a short weekend cruise.)

This was one of her favorite “smiles” during the trip.

3. Onboard Kids Club

Let’s face it - we need time away from our kids, and each other, while on vacation. While my kids are this young, I will never book a cruise without an onboard kids club. Even if it’s just a few hours a day, it’s a great way for kids to burn some energy and socialize with people their own age. Most cruise lines allow children 3 and older, that are potty trained, to hang out in the kids club. There are some cruise lines that have a 3 and under club, but a guardian is required to stay with them. This is still a great option for play time for little ones!

4. Pack for the unexpected

Fully stocked first aid kit - with extra band aids for when they find them and use them on their baby dolls and stuffies while on the cruise ship. 4x the amount of underwear you’d normally need and the same goes for diapers and wipes. (Otherwise you’ll be in Indonesia looking for Pampers while you’re supposed to be enjoying the day. This could’ve happened to us but I planned ahead and bought an extra large pack in Darwin, Australia.) One bathing suit more than you think is necessary. Prepackaged snacks from home.

5. Family friendly destinations or excursions

This one seems like a no brainer until you really look into some excursions that are offered. Since Millie is only 3 we’re sometimes limited on options. For instance, bike riding tours don’t always offer toddler seats. In some countries, kids under 6 can’t ride in tuk-tuks. Our upcoming cruise is a Mediterranean one and while I would love to spend the days in the vineyards sampling wine, I know that my kids won’t be able to handle 4 days of that. They also won’t enjoy cooking classes. Also knowing how your kids handle exploring new places in hot or cold weather is a big deal. I’m always willing to compromise on the excursion if it means that I won’t hear my children complaining all day long. You’re not only locked into shore excursions through your cruise ship either. It’s worth searching sites such as Get Your Guide and Viator for other options. (If you book a tour through either of those links, I earn a commission!)

Moreton Island, Australia, with sailboat in the distance.

6. Balcony cabin

THIS is where it gets expensive because balconies/verandahs/suites are almost always the more expensive option. However I guarantee that you’ll get use out of the balcony! Not so much to let your kids hang out out there, but if you have a toddler that naps, you can sit on the balcony. When the kids go to bed early, you can sit on the balcony. You don’t want to take your kids onto the main deck when pulling into or out of port? Sit on your balcony. You just need to get away from your kids for 2 minutes - sit on your balcony.

7. Public Bathrooms

Booking a room near a public bathroom. I know, sounds gross, but the public bathrooms rarely get used anyway and are always in immaculate condition. This is super convenient when someone needs to use the in cabin bathroom and someone HAS TO GO NOW. You can view ship plans online to get an idea of where the public bathrooms are. If you’re lucky enough to book a multi-bathroom suite, this is not something you need to plan for.

Family picture with a Komodo Dragon on Komodo Island, Indonesia

One last thing we like to do that is not necessary is have a surprise for our kids. On London’s first cruise, we ordered her a stuffed bear that was delivered on the first day. We had balloons decorating our door for our last trip. Our upcoming cruise is another long one so I arranged for chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate dipped pineapples to be delivered halfway through it, on one of the sea days. These little things are easy memory makers for kids, cost us about $40 and they’ll be talking about it for a long time.

Unless it’s an absolute necessity, I do not recommend taking a carseat on a cruise. They never fit under the bed or in the closets. We ended up storing ours in the bathtub most of the time. Stroller wise, take the smallest stroller possible that can handle the excursions you plan on doing. I highly recommend the GB Pockit Stroller but we’ve also taken an older version of the City Mini. The GB Pockit exceeded my expectations - you can read about it in this blogpost and this one too. It folds up so small that you can hide it under the bed or in the closet when you’re not using it.

Do you have any cruising with kids tips you’d like to share?