Let’s face it. Traveling with kids is never easy. Although you can have some incredible memories on your trip, there’s always stress when children are involved. Fortunately, some vacations are much less stressful than others, and that’s exactly what we love about cruise vacations. Find out how cruising could be the key to a stress-free family vacation and learn how your local LGBTQ travel agency can help to make your vacation the best one yet.
Less Time in a Plane or Car
If you have kids like mine, they don’t like to be contained. Sitting on a plane or in a car for hours on end isn’t pleasant for anyone. After the first 30 minutes, you probably get peppered with, “Are we there yet??” When you go on a cruise, you don’t need to spend hours or days traveling in a small vehicle. Instead, you just need to make your way to the port!
Once you’re onboard, you can say goodbye to the car for a few days. While you’re en route to your destination, your kids can have fun. In fact, the trip to your destination might be more fun that the actual destination! Because you don’t need to spend extra time driving to a destination, you can maximize your time.
Think about all the travel involved in a plane trip. After you get to the airport, you have to kill time waiting for the plane to leave. Then you have the plane ride, and then more time to waste while you wait for transportation to your hotel. After that, you still need to rely on transportation to get to your activities. It’s A LOT for someone with young kids. Meanwhile, cruising is simple.
Built-In Babysitting
Another major advantage of a cruise vacation is the babysitting. If you fly or drive to one destination on vacation, you probably don’t have a local babysitter. And even if you do, hiring someone can get expensive. If you’re on a cruise, you have free babysitting for most of the day.
Typically, cruise lines have kids clubs. You can drop off your kids at the kids area and they have hours of entertainment. If you want a late-night sitter, you can pay a little extra for the kids to have a pajama party. On Royal Caribbean, there’s even a dinner program that has staff come and collect the kids during dinner so you can enjoy a romantic meal.
One of the best parts about the babysitting is that it’s fun for everyone. Even if you have a clingy kiddo, the kids club could be appealing enough for them to want to stay. Most kids areas on cruise ships boast awesome toys, activities, and events. Your kids won’t feel like they’re being stuck with a sitter - they’ll be having a blast while you have adult time.
Food Is Plentiful
Not everyone has picky kids. However, if you do have picky kids, you know how difficult and expensive it is to travel. When you go to a restaurant in a new place, there’s a huge risk your child won’t eat anything on the menu. And, you could end up ordering two or three different meals as you attempt to find something your child will tolerate.
A cruise ship is a dream to the parents of a picky eater. Every meal, your kids can enjoy a huge variety of foods. If your kid wants pizza, they have pizza. Plain bread? They probably have that too. As an added benefit, your child may even be inspired to try something new. Full disclosure? I’m the mom of a very picky eater, and the dining options made my life so much easier.
Whether or not your kids are picky, you’ll probably appreciate the fact that you don’t need to spend a full day planning out snacks for the trip. Most cruise ships have all-day dining options, so your kids always can find something to munch on. Planning a vacation is much easier when you’re not trying to decide how many snacks to bring!
It’s Realistic for Most Budgets
No matter what your vacation budget might be, a cruise probably fits somewhere within your requirements. If you want a luxury experience, you can book on a high-end ship. Or, if you don’t have much money to spend, you can pick a more affordable ship or a shorter cruise window.
If you have a port nearby, cruising is even more affordable. When you don’t need to pay for plane tickets, you have more money to spend on the actual vacation. You could pay as little as $171 per adult per day, and kids sometimes cruise for free. When you compare this to the cost of a hotel, airfare, and meals, you can see why cruises are so budget-friendly.
You Actually Spend Time Together
Although you do have the option of dropping the kids off to play in the kids area while you’re cruising, the experience is very family-oriented. Because the internet is spotty if at all available, your kids won’t be glued to their devices. They might actually spend time talking to you. Shocking, I know.
While there is TV available in the rooms, there’s so much else to do that a TV is more wall art than entertainment. Whether you’re sitting on a lounge chair by the pool or playing mini golf together, you can spend quality time with your loved ones.
In this day and age, it’s hard to escape from work and electronics. But on a cruise ship, you have an excuse to leave it all behind. Your boss can’t access you when you’re in the middle of the Caribbean, and your kids can’t play their favorite computer games while they’re zip-lining.
Make Family Memories with an LGBTQ Travel Agency
If you’re trying to plan the perfect family vacation, it’s time to look into cruising. Here at Rainbow Getaways, we’re ready to help you plan the perfect cruise vacation. Our LGBTQ travel agency doesn’t just ensure that you’re safe while you’re traveling - we also maximize your fun and family time. Reach out today and schedule an appointment to start planning!