Family Cruise Advisor

Awesome Overview
If you want to expose your kids to some international excitement without making them feel like strangers in a strange land, take a look at the Caribbean sailings by Costa Cruises.

Mixing Italian cuisine and style with some elements of Carnival, its sister company, Costa provides a cruise experience that’s distinctly more European to both children and adults without seeming to be a foreign experience.

The European staff celebrates the “Cruising Italian Style” motif with a smiling enthusiasm that is infectious, and unlike most major cruise lines working the Caribbean, Costa provides an international experience that requires a bit more friendly flexibility for American kids. On Caribbean cruises, the passengers will be about 75% American and 25% European. It all makes for a more international experience that all members of the family enjoy.
Age Appropriate
Costa’s youth program is available to children 3 to 17 years old. All Costa ships have a dedicated youth room that is colorful and welcoming. The youth program hours are more European than on other lines, running from 9 a.m. to noon; 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Most cruise line youth program hours are the same in the morning as Costa, but in the afternoon and evening they are 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.

Too Much Fun
Many elements of the Costa shipboard experience make you feel like you are touring Italy. In the glittering Costa atrium, the piazzas and palaces add to the fun and sense of cultural exploration. For kids, the Costa youth programs are among the best, most entertaining at sea. Most youth counselors on Costa ships speak three or more languages, and while there aren’t quite the high-tech toys and activities that you find on some ships, the youth counselors make every activity a festive event that draws smiles from even the shy kids.

Best Adventure, or THE attraction
One night of every cruise is designated as the popular Toga Party-at-Sea, when passengers show their impromptu ability to create a costume out of a bed sheet. It’s memorable fun.

Keep’em Happy/ No Shuffleboard, Dad!
The cruise staff, called Animators, is among the most active and entertaining at sea, which always helps when traveling with children. For shore excursions, the Canopy Adventure Tour at Roatan, Honduras, makes for an exciting jungle exploration with some elements of adventure.

Timing is everything
Costa sails Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale each winter.

Avoid the Crowds
Costa schedules its Caribbean season to take advantage of peak U.S. demand, but even when school is in session, Costa’s ships nearly always sail at 100 percent occupancy, even though there may be fewer kids in some seasons. However, for a quiet escape to help you and the kids gear down for a moment, find the Galileo Galilei Library on the Santos deck. Quiet time with a book prepares them for the next round of excitement.

Can’t Miss
Costa’s ships have strong themes. Costa Fortuna’s décor, for example, pays tribute to great Italian ocean liners of yore. In the Michelangelo 1965 Restaurant, a 20-foot long model of the liner Michelangelo is on display. It is believed to be the second largest ship model in the world.

Best Dining
Free hot pizza throughout the day will appeal to the kid in all of us, but for the gourmand within, pony up the $23 per-person charge at Costa’s alternative restaurants — worth every penny.

Anchors Aweigh!
Cruise Italian Style on Costa Cruises in the Caribbean. In a way, you get two great vacations in one: a cruise to the Caribbean and a stroll through Italy. To experience “la dolce vita,” give Costa a shot.