For me, the beauty of a cruise is that I can have my cake and eat it too. There’s plenty of opportunity for family togetherness and much-needed time apart as well. If you’ve got little ones, it’s key of course to know the cruise lines’ age policies for kids programming. You don’t want to show up at the gangway only to realize yours are too young for the drop-off playroom (nightmare!). For those of you with older teens, it’s equally as important to know when your young adults can (and can’t) drink and gamble. Read on for the skinny.

Carnival Cruise Lines

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries, such as transatlantic, Hawaii and South America)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 2 years old (Carnival does change diapers)
• Minimum age for drop-off group babysitting after hours: 6 or 12 months to 8 years old (Carnival does change diapers)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 25, unless you’re a married couple with a marriage certificate to prove it.

Celebrity Cruises

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries, such as transatlantic, transpacific and South America)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming and/or after-hours group babysitting: 3 years old (and completely toilet-trained)
• Minimum age for private in-cabin babysitting: 12 months old
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol (with the exception of Europe, South America and Australia cruises if parents cruising with their children sign a waiver allowing their 18 to 20 year olds consume alcohol)
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino (and 21 in some Alaska ports)
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 21, unless minor children are cruising with their parents or guardians and staying in an adjacent cabin.

Costa Cruises

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries, such as transatlantic, transpacific and world cruises)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming and/or after-hours group babysitting: 3 years old (and completely toilet-trained)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol on cruises departing from US ports and 18 from non-US ports
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 21 (exceptions include certain times of the year, like Spring Break, when passengers ages 21 to 24 must have one person at least 25 years old in the same cabin).

Crystal Cruises

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 3 years old (and toilet-trained)
• Minimum age for private in-cabin babysitting: 6 months old
• Drinking: 18 years old to drink beer and wine, and 21 to drink the hard stuff; however when the ship is docked or anchored in an American port, within the 3-mile limit, the drinking age is 21 for all alcoholic beverages
• Gambling in casino: 21 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 18 must share a cabin with a person over 21

Disney Cruise Line

• Minimum age to sail: 12 weeks
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 12 weeks
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: No casinos on Disney ships
• Occupying own cabin: 18 to occupy a cabin without an adult.

Holland America Line

• Minimum Aae to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 3 years old (and toilet-trained)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person 21 and over.

MSC Cruises

• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 3 years old
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: 21 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin, or be in connecting cabin, with a person 21 and over.

Norwegian Cruise Line

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 2 years old (if a diaper is soiled, parents will be beeped to changed it)
• Drinking: Passengers ages 18 to 20, with the written consent of their parents or guardian, can purchase beer or wine for themselves only when the ship is sailing in international waters (except in Alaska and Hawai`i, where you must be 21 years of age to consume or purchase alcohol or any kind).
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: At least one person must be 21 or older in the cabin or a connecting cabin (unless cruising with parents in an adjoining cabin or if you can prove you’re a married couple under age 21).

Princess Cruises

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 3 years old (and toilet-trained)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: 21 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 21

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

• Minimum age to sail: No official minimum, though for babies under 6 months, parents must sign a waiver
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 5 years old (programming offered on select cruises only)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing
• Gambling in casino: 21 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 21

Royal Caribbean

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries, such as transatlantic, Hawaii and South America)
• Minimum age to join drop-off kids programming: 3 years old (on Oasis of the Seas, it’s 3 months, since that ship has a nursery)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol, with the exception of Europe and South America cruises if parents cruising with their children sign a waiver allowing their 18 to 20 year olds to consume alcohol
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino (and 21 in some Alaska ports)
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 21 must share a cabin with a person over 21, unless minor children are cruising with their parents or guardians and staying in an adjacent cabin or if underage married couples can show proof of marriage certificate.

Seabourn Cruise Line

• Minimum age to sail: 6 months on most cruises (12 months on select longer itineraries)
• Drinking: 21 years old to drink alcohol (though in presence of parents wine may be served at meals to guests under 21)
• Gambling in casino: 18 to gamble in the casino
• Occupying own cabin: Those under 18 must share a cabin with a person over 18

*As for cabin age minimums, many cruise lines make an exception for parents traveling with children and occupying two adjoining (or nearby) cabin — even if it’s not officially condoned, it’s often overlooked.

*Only the lines where it’s mentioned offer private in-cabin babysitting.

Round up granny, grandpa and the cousins and head for the Last Frontier. Princess Cruises has announced a new 12-night cruisetour option geared to families, with more than 25 departures offered between  May 15 and Sept 6, 2010. The cruisetours include family-fun stuff to do, from a jet boat ride to panning for gold.

Offered at a 25 percent discount for all occupants of a cabin, fares for the Alaska “Family Fun” cruisetour (#FUN) start at $1,743 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,191 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers in the cabin.

“This is really the ultimate family vacation,” says Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “Alaska is a wonderful travel destination with kids, so we wanted to make it easy and affordable to plan the perfect Alaska experience for everyone in the family.”

The Family Fun cruisetour includes a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise plus a five-night land tour featuring one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.

On sea days, families can also take advantage of Princess’ onboard programs geared to children, including a special Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.

In addition, special tour extras included in the fare are

• Daily breakfast
• “Direct-to-the-Wilderness Rail Service with Lunch” (gets families to wilderness lodge faster)
• Three Rivers Jetboat Tour (an alternative to taking a motorcoach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge)
• Arctic Blast (in Denali, experience a special chamber chilled to wintertime temperatures)
• Music of Denali Dinner Theater (musical comedy show plus family-style meal featuring smokehouse ribs and Alaska salmon)
• Experience Alaska with Alaska Geographic Tour (intimate tour of Denali National Park)
• Denali Sourdough Expedition Breakfast (over a family-style breakfast, learn about Denali through breathtaking images from mountain climber Laurent Dick’s Climb Denali book)
• Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour (from Fairbanks, travel on an authentic sternwheeler for a fully-narrated cruise along the Chena River and try gold panning).

Awesome Overview
For jaw-dropping views of marine and land-based wildlife and nature’s most dramatic scenery, an Alaskan cruise is hard to beat. But if at all possible, get off the ship and into the interior.

You can make the most of an Alaskan cruise by combining time at sea with a land portion that provides views of the Alaskan interior. Simply put, not all of Alaska can be seen from a ship. While Glacier Bay National Park can be appreciated from the deck of a cruise ship, for example, Denali National Park must be visited on a cruisetour.

All the major cruise lines offer Alaskan itineraries, but for cruisetours, look to Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Each of these cruise lines offers family friendly ships and an excellent selection of cruisetours.Age Appropriate
If your kids are curious about nature and are occasionally interested in or fascinated by wildlife, they are old enough for this cruise. Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Holland America have first-rate youth programs should the kids’ enthusiasm for natural beauty occasionally dwindle. If the kids are up to it, families can make the most of an Alaskan cruise on active shore excursions such as kayaking, bicycling and hiking.

Too Much Fun
Ships stopping in Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier bring some of nature’s most awesome beauty up close, as passengers experience the thundering echo of a glacier calving a short distance from the ship. You’ll most certainly spot whales and possibly bear. And if you are lucky and don’t mind staying up late, you might get to enjoy one of nature’s most magnificent displays, the Northern Lights, particularly in the shoulder season months, May and September. Fairbanks, visited on cruisetours, is a popular destination for viewing the Northern Lights.

Best Adventure, or THE attraction
The destination is the attraction, which means that you can look forward to a week’s worth of calving glaciers, lobtailing or breaching whales and spectacular mountain vistas. It is impossible to exaggerate how stunningly beautiful all of this is, sure to impress even the most jaded teenager. Cabins with balconies always enhance a cruise, but on an Alaskan cruise, a balcony becomes your family’s own private viewing station. Make the most of your Alaskan cruise: Book a stateroom with a balcony.

Keep’em Happy/No Shuffleboard, Dad!
Alaska is a place where you want to stay up late, even kids who normally bunk down early. The sun sets late, and the sunsets can be stunning. Most kids don’t need to be told that they are seeing something special, and they will quickly become amateur whale watchers, learning to look not for the breaching body but for the blow, which occurs just before the whale expels air, fully surfaces and dives again.

Timing is everything
Alaskan cruises are available from May through September. If you can go earlier or later in the season, you may be able to save some money or at least not compete for your preferred cabin. The sacrifice you make in cruising early or late in the season is the days will not stretch out for 22 hours as they do nearer the summer solstice. One advantage of the shorter days is that the animals typically graze or hunt at dawn or at sunset, increasing your chances of seeing bear and other wildlife. Also, you will want to pack more layers of clothing if you are traveling in May or September.

Avoid the Crowds
Alaska, the Last Frontier, is enormous. At 586,412 square miles, it’s more than twice the size of Texas, with just a fraction of the population. However, if you are just looking for a quiet respite from all the folks on your cruise, lace up your hiking boots and find a trail. They are available at just about all the stops your ship will make, more so on the land portion of your trip.

Can’t Miss
Any number of shore excursions can be categorized as “must see.” Among them, the Misty Fjords trip during the Ketchikan port call might seem expensive for a family at more than $250 each, but most who decide to do it come back raving about the mesmerizing beauty.

In Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier and wildlife boat trip is less expensive but thoroughly worthwhile, and the Mount Roberts tram is a wonderful afternoon, providing great views of the Juneau harbor and the surrounding mountains.

Best Dining
Find a seafood restaurant in Juneau to enjoy some really and truly fresh seafood or halibut. A couple of consistently popular places are the Twisted Fish Co. or Hangar on the Wharf, which offers waterfront views. Both are easy to get to from your cruise ship.

At Princess Denali lodge, in the area just outside Denali National Park that the locals call “Glitter Gulch,” don’t miss the Seafood Nachos, even better if washed down with an Alaskan Amber.

Anchors Aweigh!
There’s no question that an Alaskan cruise should go at the top of anyone’s “must do” list. Add a cruisetour for the complete package. And with departures primarily from Seattle and Vancouver, Alaskan cruises offer great pre- and post-cruise opportunities in two of North America’s most beautiful cities. Cruise into the wild, then return for a few days of fun in the Pacific Northwest.

When he was but a nine-year-old boy, my son Alex reached into the Windex-blue waters on a sandy Bahamian beach and quickly withdrew his hand to proclaim, “Dad, I touched a stingray.” He furrowed his tender brow and added thoughtfully, “They’re nice.”

In doing so, he had ascribed a sweet, if somewhat inaccurate, characteristic to the stingray. Yes, the stingray was nice indeed, particularly with its barb blunted for safety. None of tragedy that befell animal lover Steve Irwin here. Off the coast of Australia, a ray’s barb had pierced his heart and stunned the world.

Alex, my daughter and I were in a friendlier place, a paradise really, free of danger and removed from the real world, an idyllic island created for us by a cruise line.

A Day At The Beach
Talk about a Caribbean cruise, and one of the first images that jumps to mind is a sun-drenched beach where children splash in the clear, blue water while adults watch and relax, alternating between sips from refreshing beverages and dips in the gentle surf. Quite understandably, people love the idea of a peaceful tropical paradise where the only pressing concern is how much sand is stuck to their feet when they slip back into their sandals.

The idyllic beach day may be a favorite image associated with Caribbean cruising, but the fact is that the typical week-long cruise actually includes very little time dedicated to sun and sand. At major Caribbean ports like Nassau, St. Thomas or Cozumel, ships disgorge passengers for shopping, strolling or shore excursions. While some of the excursions offer activities that allow you to get wet, fairly few would be classified as “a day at the beach.” Enter the private island.

Only a handful of cruise companies feature a long day docked at a private island, providing one of the favorite days of the trip for many passengers. In fact, private islands have proven to be so popular that some itineraries feature two stops at private islands. These islands are owned (or leased) and operated by the cruise lines for the exclusive use of their guests.

Because private islands typically cater to only one ship a day, they serve as a perfect paradise that’s free of the crowds and the hassles that occasionally diminish the quality of visits to other ports of call. A day on a private island is a relatively hassle-free day, as there are no shuttles to meet or schedules to keep – other than catching the last tender back to the ship. Meals on the island are included, and anything else can be billed to the shipboard account.

A big plus for parents: The cruise lines run complimentary kids’ programs for each age group, making it easy for adults to grab a little time for themselves. The kids and teens are just as enthusiastic because they can hook up with friends they’ve made on board, joining a beach volleyball game or a treasure hunt. They can eat all they want when they want without needing money or parental supervision.

Besides providing a picture-postcard setting complete with beach chairs, umbrellas and shaded hammocks, the private islands are set up for every sort of fun that can be organized on a public beach. The cruise lines provide beachside bar service specializing in tropical mixes, and they also offer a multitude of water sports, ranging from snorkeling to parasailing. Frequently, there are massage and spa services available, and a band will provide a pleasant soundtrack.

But perhaps more importantly, the private islands are notable for what they lack. On the private islands, cruise passengers will get none of the hard-sell from street peddlers who are often working other stops on a Caribbean cruise. And as the islands accommodate one ship at a time, with few exceptions, congestion and overcrowding are not problems.

Here’s a thumbnail description of the islands operated by the major cruise lines.

Castaway Cay
Disney Cruise Line operates Castaway Cay, situated in the Abaco Islands, and the only private island where the ship docks, allowing guests to walk ashore without time-consuming tendering.

With long white-sand beaches, including a secluded cove just for adults, Castaway Cay offers snorkeling, jet-ski tours, kayaking, miles of bike paths, walking trails or just a relaxing day at the beach under the beach umbrella. Biking and hiking are so popular that a second nature trail was recently added. At the adults-only Serenity Bay, open-air cabanas serve as treatment rooms for massages.

Numerous excursions can be booked, with activity levels ranging from more passive glass-bottom boat tours to blood-pumping parasailing. One of the most popular is feeding and interacting with stingrays – whose barbs, as previously noted, are blunted for safety.

Of course Mickey, Minnie and the gang make frequent appearances for photo-ops, and the entire island is, typical of Disney, landscaped and equipped just right. For instance, the 12-acre snorkeling course, with separate areas for beginning and experienced snorkeling, are sprinkled with amusing Disney characters that the fish use as habitat.

Great Stirrup Cay
The original private island operated by a cruise line, Great Stirrup Cay is just as much of an island paradise as when it was acquired by Norwegian Cruise Line in 1977. The Cay’s white sand beaches are fringed by coral reefs and offer an ideal spot for snorkeling among the large schools of tropical fish.

Permanent facilities have been added to and improved during the past three decades, but the vegetation — bougainvillea, sea grape and coconut palms — continue to serve as colorful tropical backdrops.

To control erosion and preserve the environment, a sea wall was erected along the waterfront. A straw market, water sports centers, bars, volleyball courts, and food pavilion round out the facilities. Activities include kayaking, parasailing, hiking, ping-pong and volleyball. The massage hut near the beach provides a legendary shiatsu treatment, and the hammocks strung between the palm trees beckon to those who want simply to slow down and relax.

Norwegian Sky sails three-day and four-day Bahamas cruises with full-day stops at Great Stirrup Cay.

Princess Cays
Boasting 1.5 miles of beaches with some of the finest and whitest sand in the region, Princess Cays is the tropical paradise that Princess Cruises has been operating since 1992. This 40-acre stretch of beach provides shady hammocks and a full complement of watersports options, including sailboats, catamarans, kayaks and the always-popular banana boats.

Featured facilities include a dedicated play area, Pelican’s Perch, and a small shopping area that includes a hair braiding station. Three bars and live music complement the authentic Bahamian barbecue on the beach. There’s volleyball and basketball courts, in case anyone needs a diversion from the wide beach and the powdery soft sand. However, there is no adults-only beach.

Half Moon Cay
Little San Salvador, a Bahamian out-island, was renamed Half Moon Cay by Holland America Line to honor Henry Hudson’s ship, which is also depicted on the cruise line’s logo, as well as to reflect the beach’s crescent shape.

Even with development, the island is still so unspoiled that it has been named a Wild Bird Preserve by the Bahamian National Trust. Excursions include a guided kayak adventure on Bone Fish Lagoon, a protected habitat and home to numerous native species of flora.

Of special note, the Horseback Riding by Land & Sea excursion sets out on a ride along winding trails up to the highest point on the island for a panoramic view before your horse is “dressed” up for swimming in a special saddle pad and a rope halter (no saddle), after which you venture into the ocean for the sensation of riding a horse while it’s swimming.

Half Moon Cay also has a water park with waterslides for family fun, and air-conditioned private cabanas can be rented for your own beachfront retreat, with or without the services of a personal butler.

Coco Cay
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises guests have twice as many opportunities to relax in the sanctity of a private island, as these sister companies operate two.

First there is Coco Cay, a 140-acre island located in the Berry Island chain between Nassau and Freeport. Known originally as Little Stirrup Cay, the island is within view of Great Stirrup Cay (NCL’s private island) and the snorkeling is just as good, especially around a sunken airplane and a replica of Blackbeard’s flagship, “Queen Anne’s Revenge.”

Both kids and adults enjoy Caylana’s Aqua Park — the largest in the Caribbean — where you can jump on an in-water trampoline or climb a floating sand castle before digging into a beach barbecue or exploring extensive nature trails.

Labadee
The second Royal Caribbean/Celebrity island is actually a 260-acre peninsula. Labadee is situated on the secluded north coast of Hispaniola, commonly known as Haiti.

In addition to the usual array of swimming, water sports, a pirate-themed Aqua Park, and nature trails to explore, visitors to Labadee are treated to an authentic folkloric show.

A market, where you might find an interesting painting or a unique wood carving, features the work of local artists and crafters, but take note that vendors can be somewhat inclined toward the hard sell.

Naturally there are bars for refreshments, and a huge beach barbecue is served by the ship’s crew. Royal Caribbean is building a dock at Labadee to accommodate Oasis of the Seas and other ships in its fleet.