A cruise vacation can either sound like a dream, or seem completely overwhelming when you add young kids to the equation. Since hubby and I were big fans of cruises before our twins came along, I just (wrongly) assumed that we would continue on with a couple extra travelers tagging along. Luckily, he knew that cruising with young twins would be a challenge and convinced me to hold off until after their 3rd birthday. When you have a few cruise booking tips, you’ll be better prepared for all the fun (and challenges) that are ahead!
Cruising with twins, toddlers, or preschool age kids is a fun way to vacation with a little work. The price for all of your meals, entertainment, hotel & daytime childcare is included! We traveled aboard Royal Caribbean‘s Anthem of the Seas, and I’m excited to share with you what we learned in this second post in my series of Cruising with Kids. Once you’ve booked the cruise, head over to get some great tips for getting on & off the ship easily!
7 Cruise Booking Tips for Your Trip!
Tip #1: Look for Discounts or Deals
I am always a sucker for a good sale. When you are traveling with kids (even babies!), you still have to pay for them to cruise. The 3rd & 4th guests are typically at a discounted rate if you are all sharing a room. Keep your eyes open for discounts like “Kids sail free!”, or “60% off the 3rd & 4th guest!” These deals can help you to cut down costs. We lucked out by using points from our Royal Caribbean credit card to earn our trip for free, which meant we only had to pay for the kids! HUGE money saver!
Tip #2: Think About the Departure Port
Where do you want your cruise to leave from? We were a little hesitant to combine the cost and stress of flying and cruising together, so we picked a cruise port within driving distance. Depending on where you live, this may be a great option to save money and/or time. Your departure port may vary depending on where you would like to cruise to as well. For our first cruise with twins, we wanted to make things as easy as possible! We decided to sail out of New Jersey since we could drive there easily from our home in Massachusetts.
Tip #3: Consider the Ports of Call
Do you have a destination or activities in mind? Remember that when cruising without kids you have endless options for shore excursions, but kids will complicate that. You can’t bring a toddler scuba diving or off-roading in a jeep, and hiking some crazy mountains may be a little unrealistic. Think of destinations with kid friendly activities that you can enjoy. I love that Royal Caribbean has it’s own island with lots of great options for kids including an inflatable waterpark and lots of beach space to swim & play. We didn’t go there on this cruise, but I kind of wish we did!
Tip #4: Avoid School Vacations
If you are able to, avoiding school vacations is a must for a few reasons. You’ll save money, since most airlines, cruise lines, and resorts all know this is prime vacation time for families and hike up the costs. Avoiding school vacations also means the boat will be a little less crowded with kids! If you have young kids, it’s really nice to not have school age kids plowing them down at the pool, or having the kids club fill up quickly.
Tip #5: Carefully Pick your Room Location
When you are choosing your room, you want to pay attention to the floor, end of the ship and proximity to the elevator/stairs. Take a look at the ship layout, and think about where you might spend most of your time. Do you think you’ll spend most of your time at the kids club? Want to be closer to the kids pool? The buffet? Think about the time you might spend on elevators or stairs going up and down floors to get there, and see where you would ideally like to land. The ship layout will also show you where the stairs and elevator are located. Don’t pick a location too far away or you’ll be carrying heavy, tired, preschoolers back to their room after a day of fun.
Tip #6: A Room with enough beds
Think about your sleeping arrangements. Most rooms that accommodate 4 people have pull down bunk beds. We knew that wouldn’t fly with 3 year old twins, so we needed a pull out sofa bed. Luckily, there are rooms with this option, just make sure your travel agent knows the bed set-up before you pick your room. We knew that they would need to get up and go to the bathroom, and didn’t want to worry about them falling from a high bunk bed in the process. The sleeper sofa was a perfect spot for 2 little ones to sleep, and was tucked off to the side so we still had a little “privacy.”
Tip #7: Early Dinner Time
Typically, when you book your cruise, you’ll be asked what time you would like to eat dinner. Many cruise lines offer 2 standard seating times for dinner, some also have flex times where you can change it on a daily basis. Our 6pm dinner time was perfect to get the kids fed before the crazy came out. A sit down style dinner in the main dining room was definitely what we preferred, since juggling 2 toddlers at the buffet can be a little tough. The timing of the dinner lines up perfectly with the open hours of the kids club too, in case your kids want to party after dinner. You can enjoy a little alone time at a show or a bar before being exhausted yourself (you are a parent of young kids, right?).
I can’t wait to share with you more about the cruising tips and hacks we learned throughout our trip cruising with our twins! Now that your trip is booked, check out my post on the tips you need for an easier arrival & departure. Start picturing yourself on that boat, because next I’ll be giving out all the cruise tips for while you enjoy your time on board! Visit me on instagram for some peeks into our travel and everyday twin life. Happy Cruising!
[…] born to let us go on a cruise with our twins. I’m glad I listened to him and we waited to book a cruise until they turned 3. We went on a short Bermuda cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the […]