Family Cruise Advisor

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Selecting an Alaska cruisetour can be daunting for the uninitiated. With more that 50 cruisetours offered by the major players, how do you sift through the options to find an Alaska cruisetour that’s right for you? To find out, we sat down with Paul Allen, vice president of sales for Holland America Line. Continue Reading »

Magda and Larry Slayton (pictured above) say they were “not cruising people originally,” but when Magda’s mom insisted on a cool-weather destination for her 50th wedding anniversary during the dog days of August, an Alaskan cruise seemed to be just the ticket. And so 10 adults and nine children boarded Holland America Line’s Westerdam for a seven-day cruise, roundtrip Seattle. Continue Reading »

While a cruise is a vacation that provides a lifetime of happy memories for the entire family, it’s not all fun and games for Mom and Dad, who, no matter how much they may be enjoying themselves, can never entirely escape their parental responsibility for the group’s overall happiness, good manners and, of course, safety. Continue Reading »

Awesome Overview
A bit more upscale and premium than most of the cruise lines that call themselves family friendly, Holland America Line has expanded its youth programs as well as its shipboard facilities for kids.

A byproduct of its multi-million-dollar Signature of Excellence initiative, Holland America Line’s new ships and facilities have noticeably lowered the average age of its passenger list. The growing family contingent, particularly on Caribbean itineraries offered by the more contemporary and somewhat less formal Vista class ships in the Holland America Line fleet, has been an important part of attracting families — and keeping them happy.

The four Vista-class vessels and the line’s new Signature-class vessel boast Holland America’s most comprehensive Club HAL children’s facilities. Continue Reading »

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. Continue Reading »

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.

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