For those who have not experienced the joys of luxury cruising, imagine your favourite five star resort. Now, picture waking up each morning and finding your resort has arrived as another exotic or sun-drenched location – all without the challenges of international air travel. Add to that attentive service and you get the picture of what it is like to travel on a luxury cruise.

Popular destinations include: the coasts of Alaska, Scandinavia, South-East Asia, Europe, Australia, and New England; China, Egypt, North America; and numerous other places.

As for ship facilities, all luxury ships have at least one swimming pool and comfortable deck chairs aplenty. Cruise ship entertainment includes: comedians, Vegas style musical shows, magicians, new release movies, etc. Most ships have a complete gym and some ships now offer putting greens, golf simulators, and basketball/tennis courts. For travellers who enjoy a bit of pampering, extensive spa facilities are available on all cruise ships.

All luxury cruise ships have high guest to staff ratios – to ensure discrete attentive service and response to your every whim and need. You also find luxury cruises have greater private space for guests, greater numbers of tables for two as well as on-board hosts to ensure all women guests never are in need of a dance partner to dance the night away.

A daily roster of activities is planned for each ship. These might include art auctions, cooking schools, lectures, language lessons, book clubs, arts and crafts, plus much more. All ships have extensive libraries to while away the hours in comfortable chairs enjoying great novels and non-fiction books.

With regards to food, luxury cruises have exceptional dining choices. You can choose to dine at the main dining room, or one of the more exclusive speciality restaurants on board ship. There are also a number of coffee shops and juice bars on most ships to help cater to those needing high tea or a latte.

Cabins on luxury cruises tend to be generously proportioned, with multi-room suites available with private decks and balconies, exquisite bathrooms, lounge and bar areas, and your own private waiter.

When onshore, the shore excursions office offers a variety of sightseeing tours and activities such as cultural tours, snorkelling, museum tours and more, at each port of call.

There are many fabulous luxury cruise lines to select. Cunard Lines are the most well known for their liners which allow people to travel in supreme luxury.

The Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth provide the highest class of ocean travel. The interior design and fit outs of each of these cruise ships hark back to a bygone era and complement the on board experience where people dress for dinner in black-tie and cocktail gowns and enjoy elegant soirees with some of the premiere world entertainers. Priceless art works enrich the senses, while Oxford Professors and guest expert lecturers enrich the mind with their seminars and lectures.

Cunard voyages include Transatlantic, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe and luxury Around the World cruises and range from as little as 4 days to extended stays.

For more relaxed elegance you may enjoy travel on Crystal cruises, with all of the amenities of a luxury resort. Teak decks, silk wall hangings, crystal chandeliers and polished marble all add to the ambience.

Silversea Cruises have a well deserved reputation for exquisite dining and all inclusive fares. The meals on Silversea Cruise lines rival the top Michelin starred restaurants in the world, with a non-sell atmosphere common on many other cruise ships.

The Holland America line also provides classic luxury, fabulous food and understated elegance. Teak desks, impressive state rooms, and exceptional service define the Holland America line. It cruises to destinations including Alaska, Panama Canal, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Australia and the Asia Pacific.

North Star Cruises offers luxury cruises around the remote northern parts of Australia through the Kimberley region, and comes complete with its own private helicopter to allow guests to explore this rugged wilderness in comfort.

Other exceptional luxury cruises can be found on Fred Olsen Cruise lines, The World of Residensea, Wings Nile Cruises, Princess Cruises, Hebridean International Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Orion Expedition Cruises.

Play Areas Many cruise ships have special play areas with a number of toys, games, and activities that children can enjoy. These play areas are usually staffed by individuals who have special training in youth protection and they also love working with children. This provides your kids with plenty to do, while being supervised by people trained specifically to keep them safe and entertained.

Swimming Many cruises have an onboard swimming pool, giving passengers a chance to relax in the water while enjoying the sun and ocean air. A number of ships have additional kid-friendly pools as well, providing a more shallow area for children to play and swim with other kids their own age.

Organized Children’s Activities The majority of cruise ships have organized activities for children just as they have for adults. These activities can include a variety of different things from games and crafts to storytelling and the showing of kid-friendly movies. These can be attended by anyone within the age range specified for the activity. Most ships with children’s activities have several sets of related activities, letting the kids who attend participate with children within a similar age group instead of having all ages grouped together in a single activity session.

Games and Tournaments A number of games are generally available on cruise ships, especially within a designated children’s activity area. These games include active games as well as board games, and some cruises will even organize children’s tournaments so that they can play their favorite games competitively. Since the goal is to have fun, of course, cruises that do offer tournaments generally try to ensure that the games are not too competitive to avoid potential hurt feelings or poor sportsmanship.

Sports Larger ships will generally have at least limited sports facilities that children can enjoy in addition to the swimming pool and play areas. Especially popular on cruise ships are basketball nets, since the game can be played on a relatively limited-sized court and there is much less danger of injury or damage than some other sports. Time may be dedicated each day to giving children access to sports facilities, and games may be organized in order to provide balanced teams for healthy competition.

Educational Experiences In addition to sports, a number of educational experiences may be available for children on a cruise. These experiences range from learning about ships and ocean navigation, to stargazing at night. They are designed to give kids something that they can enjoy doing while learning new things. If the cruise travels along migration routes for aquatic mammals such as whales, special learning experiences may be available during the portion of the year when these animals are migrating as well. This provides the children with a hands-on opportunity to learn while enjoying their vacation.

Kid-Friendly Excursions Cruise activities for children are not necessarily confined to time spent on the cruise ship. Many cruise lines offer a range of family-friendly excursion packages as well, letting parents and children visit exotic ports-of-call and take part in activities that everyone will enjoy. These excursions can range from visiting sites that are designed with children in mind to taking part in out-of-this-world activities such as swimming with dolphins or seeing local wildlife in their natural environment. Even if a cruise does not have excursions that are specifically identified as being child-friendly, most excursion coordinators can identify onshore activities that children tend to enjoy so that you can plan some family time off the ship that every member of the family can enjoy. If you are considering planning a family cruise, there are many great cruise lines available that provide trips for the whole family. Cruises have a variety of activities for children the activities available are often supervised by a trained professional that enjoys watching kids and keeping them safe. These kids can take part in a variety of board games, tournaments. If your kids are older, there may be sports activities available such as a basketball court, swimming pool. An event that the whole family can enjoy is a kid-friendly movie. When booking a cruise check the activities offered and you are sure to find something that your family can enjoy.

One of the biggest differences in family cruises is that there
is always something planned for the family, or children to do
that the family has the option of participating in. This allows
the family to spend time together but not get bored with no
activities planned. Even when you are not actively
participating, family cruises have many things to offer. They
almost always have a pool that is filled with kid-toys and is
very kid-friendly. They also have many other activities
including a game room, an arcade room, a media room, and other
activities for the kids.

All of the activity onboard the cruise will also allow parents
the time to enjoy each other and the cruise without their
children. The activities are always supervised and parents will
be able to roam around the ship, play a hand at cards in one of
the casinos, or enjoy a romantic date night in one of the
wonderful restaurants onboard! Meet back up with the rest of the
family to enjoy a wonderful game of bowling or skating!

If you are thinking about taking a cruise for your school
summer holidays, there are many to choose from but you must know
what to look for when you are comparing cruise companies. Be
sure to ask if it is a family cruise. The last thing you want on
your family vacation is ending up on the same cruise as rowdy
college kids away on their Spring Break! Ask what type of
activities they have planned for the children, and for the
adults, while staying on the ship. They should be able to name
four activities each for both children and adults to ensure that
your child, and yourselves will get bored while on the cruise.

Also ask how many activities will be planned on-shore. Most
often cruise ships won’t remain on the open sea the entire time
that they are away for. Cruising into ports and touring
different cities can add a lot to the quality of trip you end up
with. It can also be a great learning opportunity for everybody.
How many stops you will want to make depends on the length of
your trip so keep this in mind when booking your holiday breaks.

Also ask if the travel agency offers any package deals. Often
groups such as families will qualify for a group discount, or a
family discount. If the agency doesn’t provide any, find another
agency that will. Not only are family packages very convenient
but they are often an all-inclusive deal. This means that you
pay the money before you go and then you’re not left worrying
about change while aboard the cruise!