Looking for the best cruise for kids? Consider a family cruise aboard a small ship carrying only 12-250 guests. Trade big cruise ship arcades and casinos for nature and wildlife in exotic destinations worldwide. Here, we detail why cruises for kids are best aboard small ships, and then our experts will plan with you one-on-one to find the best family cruises.
ON THIS PAGE – Family Cruises:
Family Cruises – Small Ship or Big Ship?
10 Reasons Small Ships are the Best
Small, Kid Friendly Cruise Lines
The Best Family Cruises
Family Cruises – Small Ship or Big?
Simply put, big ships are focused inward on amenities aboard the ship. Small ships are focused outward, on the destination and environment you are traveling through. But let’s look a little closer:
Aboard big ships:
- Ample onboard distractions: water slides, unlimited ice cream stations, movie theaters, kids clubs and casinos.
- Cruise at night on a fixed itinerary.
- Spend the day on tours in port.
- Youth and adult activities are often separate.
Aboard small ships:
- Active off-vessel activities in remote locations right from the ship: hiking, kayaking, snorkeling…
- A flexible itinerary that stops to watch whales and wildlife.
- Visit small ports and coves/fjords inaccessible to larger ships.
- Experience all these things together, versus apart.
Learn more about the difference between small ships and big ships to decide if a small ship family cruise is right for you. But if this sound like your style of travel, read on to learn more about our unique style of family cruises. If you are seeking an active adventure with experiences that bring the family together, then a small ship family cruise is likely right for you.
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Family Cruises – 10 Reasons Small Ships Are Best
When researching a cruise for kids, it’s important to know what you’re getting the family into. Here are 10 reasons small cruise ships are the best cruises for kids that might answer some of your most common questions:
1. Experience
What will it be like? Small ships offer amazing, once in a lifetime experiences in extraordinary destinations. Kayak among icebergs in front of a massive tidewater glacier on an Alaska family cruise. Walk remote beaches where your footsteps are the only mark of civilization in Costa Rica. Snorkel for fresh lobster in Belize. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. View whales and bears from the deck or aboard a Zodiac in Glacier Bay National Park. Immerse yourself in a colony of penguins in Antarctica. View fearless endemic animals on a Galapagos Island family cruise. Expect immersive, fully guided experiences that maximize your learning, bonding and fun.
2. Activity
Expect to actively engage in the region where you are traveling. Guided off-vessel activities such as hiking, kayaking and snorkeling offer a chance to get away from the ship to experience nature and culture up close. Expert guides lead excursions and enhance your experience through learning.
Soft adventure options allow the whole family to experience the wilderness together on excursions like guided paddles through mangroves and skiff tours looking for wildlife. If your family is active and loves the outdoors, look no further for the best cruise for your kids.
Photos by Ralph Lee Hopkins aboard National Geographic Galapagos Escape
3. Choice
One of the best features of a small ship family cruise is the ability for each guest to choose their own adventure. Activities are scalable for different ability levels from kids to grandparents making small ships a great option for multigenerational cruises.
Choose from easy shore walks to challenging hikes in the wilderness. Hikes are often offered at varying distances and terrain difficulties, and there’s always a choice for quiet time on board if you choose.
For example, on a recent cruise in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, an AdventureSmith traveler was able to snorkel with her brother at a sea lion haul out, while her father took a guided skiff tour in the same zone, being able to photograph and wave to her while she was in the water.
4. Education
Expert naturalist guides and expedition crew lead all off-vessel activities. These professionals are trained to work with younger travelers and keep kids excited, engaged and educated. Small ship cruises are not simply an active vacation, but one where children will learn about wildlife, conservation and sustainability.
Onboard programs educate and entertain little explorers with presentations, slideshows, games and activities. Kids will learn about the wildlife they see and local people they meet. Shared family experiences on board and off instill a lifelong love of nature and travel creating memories that will last families a lifetime. Kids can even learn navigation from the captain with an open bridge policy aboard all ships.
5. Connection—and Disconnection!
Televisions, movies and video games take a backseat to once-in-a-lifetime experiences aboard family cruises. On board most small cruise ships, your family can truly disconnect from devices, and reconnect with each other and nature. Trade cell service for hiking boots and WiFi for binoculars. Instead of a distraction, kids use phone cameras to document amazing encounters and life changing experiences. Disconnect from technology and connect with your family and your destination.
6. Camaraderie
Every day is a new adventure on a small family cruise, yet your crew and guides remain the same. The whole family can create a rapport over a week’s cruise with guides, who engage and educate. Plus, you’ll be on board with likeminded family travelers and kids of the same age, which enhances the experience, and everyone comes away with new friends.
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7. Price
Family cruises offer special child-friendly pricing. Rates vary across ships, but families can expect discounts for children under 12 years old. Teen rates, triple cabin rates and group pricing can further extend your family cruise budget. All excursions are included in the price, and your kids’ cruise memories are priceless. Ask our experts about the best time of year to travel and available family cruise deals to find the best price.
8. Custom
Choose a small ship cruise with designated family departures if you want an even more customized family onboard atmosphere. On these special kid friendly cruises, you will travel among like-minded families with children of similar ages and enjoy added value programs like crafts, pizza and movie nights, and more. These are often available around summer, winter and spring breaks from school. Or choose to further customize your cruise by chartering an entire yacht or small ship. AdventureSmith offers small ship charter options with as few as 6 guests.
9. Safety
Small cruise ships are a contained, controlled environment that travel to remote wilderness locations comfortably and safely. Small ships offer amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like paddling in front of a glacier and walking a remote beach with no other footsteps. Up-close wildlife encounters such as whale watching and walking among a penguin colony would otherwise be difficult for families to achieve in a safe, efficient way. For family friendly cruise lines, safety is the number one priority. Ask about interconnected cabins, available on many ships, for larger that want more space and easier access to each other.
10. Live an Issue of National Geographic
Small ships associated with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions offer some of the best family cruises available. Kid friendly cruises combine wilderness cruising with easy off-vessel activities in the company of naturalists and expedition leaders from National Geographic. Families are welcome on any departure with kids programs always available. Special programming for kids on all departures includes photo workshops, journaling, scavenger hunts, Zodiac driving lessons, hands on nature and science programming and child friendly menu options. Travelers under the age of 18 at the time of travel save $500, at double occupancy.
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Kid Friendly Cruise Lines with Small Ships
As small ship cruise experts we are often asked “What is the best cruise line for families?” Cruises with kids are unique and the best family cruise lines embody all of the 10 reasons listed above. Very few operate worldwide. Many are small family-owned companies, operating only in one region, and off the radar of most family cruisers. With that in mind, here are our picks for best cruise lines for families:
- National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions – Worldwide, with a kids Global Explorers program & other perks
- UnCruise Adventures – Alaska, Hawaii, Baja, Costa Rica – see all UnCruise cruises
- Aurora Expeditions – Alaska, Antarctica, Arctic, Northern Europe & Mediterranean
- Sea Wolf Adventures – Alaska
- Metropolitan Touring – Ecuador, Galapagos Islands
- Ecoventura – Galapagos Islands
- Belize Catamaran Charters – tested to be fun by AdventureSmith kids!
- SeaTrek Sailing Adventures – Indonesia – featuring select family departures
- European Waterways – family-friendly barges great as charters (as few as 6 guests)
- Delfin Amazon Cruises – Amazon River
- Coral Expeditions – Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Pacific Islands
- PONANT – Worldwide – luxury, with select Kids Club departures
- Antarpply Expeditions – Antarctica – 1 kid under 16 sails free when traveling w/ 2 adults
The Best Family Cruises
Find our selection of some of the best family cruises below, then contact our family cruise experts to talk one on one about the options. Ultimately, the best family cruise for kids is one that fit your interests, ability and budget. Our expert staff combines decades of family cruise planning with the experience of traveling with our own children to help you select the right ship and trip.
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