Family Cruise Advisor

There is a science to mastering the waterslide. I learned this from my 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, both deft descenders of waterslides and other water-oriented features found on cruise ships today. On your belly, feet first, allows for the fastest descent, my son told me. “I switched positions halfway down, rolling over on my belly,” my daughter bragged. “It was way cool.”

Three months after our cruise, the kids were still talking about it: the friends they made, the kids’ program, the places they explored ashore, and, of course, the waterslide. As a friend of mine who recently cruised with her husband and two sons said: “Family cruises must be one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.”

Perhaps so, but informed families are flocking to cruise vacations. Family cruising has proven to be tremendously popular because every member of the extended family is enjoyably engaged during the day, with lots of together time at the dinner table or around the pool.

One of the best regions for family cruising is the Caribbean. Nearly all of the major cruise companies operate ships in the Caribbean, with the majority departing South and Central Florida, which makes it convenient for families to combine cruises with visits to theme parks before or after the cruise.

Cruises in the Caribbean often visit three to six ports on a weeklong itinerary. Eastern Caribbean itineraries depart South Florida for visits that may include the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. John. A Western Caribbean cruise vacation typically visits Key West, Mexico and either the Cayman Islands or Jamaica.

Deep or Southern Caribbean cruises may start in San Juan, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and ports in New York and Florida, charting a course for the Leeward Islands and beyond.

Southern Caribbean cruises visit the idyllic and diminutive islands from Antigua south to Trinidad, and along the northeastern coast of South America. These voyages offer cruisers port-intensive itineraries that take in some of the Caribbean’s lesser-known and most pristine islands.

Some Caribbean cruises include stops at private islands operated by the cruise lines (Labadee, CocoCay, Half Moon Cay, Castaway Cay, or even Grand Turk for a similar experience). These are consistent winners with families.

In the Caribbean, my kids have climbed Mayan ruins, snorkeled in crystal clear waters, explored the wonders of Atlantis (the sprawling Bahamian resort), and walked on uninhabited tropical islands. “Daddy, I just rubbed a stingray,” my son told me during one beach excursion in the Bahamas. Then, he added reflectively, “They’re nice.” Precious moments.

Our Caribbean cruise tapered down with a day at sea on our return back to Port Canaveral. We spent most of the day out on deck, soaking up the sun and swimming in one of the four pools, situated at the end of the waterslide. My children dragged me to the top of the blue slide and dared me to descend. I braced myself at the edge and lowered myself. “No,” my kids commanded, instructing me to turn over.

Down I went — belly down, feet first. “Way cool.” - Ralph Grizzle