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With so much to do for kids aboard today's jam-packed megaliners, your brood — from toddlers to teens — would have every right to be miffed if they were left behind while you sailed the Seven Seas.
Kids at sea are not an afterthought. For many lines they are an essential part of the cruise picture.
Carnival Cruise Lines, for instance, expects to carry more than 600,000 kids aboard its fleet of 22 ships this year — a six-fold increase from just a bit more than a decade ago.
More than a third of the passengers aboard each Disney Cruise Line sailing are kids under 18. In fact, Disney built its fleet of two 2,700-passenger ships primarily around kids and its family of trademark characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Goofy. But even lines you might not expect to be especially kid- friendly, such as upscale Celebrity or Crystal Cruises, have initiated special programs and allocated separate spaces for the current generation of millennials.
Among the grandest playpens at sea will be Carnival's two-level 5,500-square-foot kids area aboard its new Carnival Splendor, which debuts in July. This will be the largest play area ever featured aboard a "Fun Ship," according to the line.
As part of a retrofit program, Carnival also is rolling out a new aqua park on select ships featuring a 300-foot-long twister water slide, dual-lane racing slides and water spray apparatus.
Special services
Though focused on fun, Carnival has not forgotten that kids don't necessarily care about fine food and, consequently, has created a special menu for its younger passengers, with such items as chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly. The line even has a children's turn-down service offering freshly baked chocolate chip cookies at bedtime....
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