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Taking the Kids: On a cruise (once everyone is vaccinated)

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

And with children 5 to 11 now eligible for vaccines, the cruise industry is poised for the return of family cruising with the return of organized kids’ activities (on Disney ships for kids as young as three), as well as more family-centric ones — everything from game shows to new entertainment (think aerialists, even drones) to Carnival’s new SeaCoaster and RCCL’s SeaPlex complete with bumper cars and virtual reality games, innovative dining concepts. (Aboard Celebrity’s new Apex, for example, there are 10 different dining options, including (at an additional charge) Le Petit Chef; tiny animated characters took us through the seasons as they cooked with a server delivering each course just as the tiny animated chef completed the dish.

In the past few months, I’ve been on four cruise lines and three new ships: Carnival’s Mardi Gras, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, Celebrity’s Apex and an entirely different experience aboard a Windstar sailing yacht in Greece, which can carry just 148 passengers and has its own water sports platform — as compared to 6,500 passengers aboard Mardi Gras, 5,510 on Odyssey of the Seas and 2,900 on Apex.

What was striking was how glad people were to be vacationing again as were crew members from around the world equally glad to be back at work.

“There are no snide remarks … no politics … everyone here just wants to have a good time … it is a total escape,” said Gary Posavad.

“You can’t live in fear,” said Nancy Kneisel, a grandmother from Oregon aboard Windstar, who was recovering from cancer treatments but so glad that she and her husband Gary had opted to travel.

Cruising continues to appeal to a broad range of family travelers — grandmothers with granddaughters; extended family reuniting; newlyweds on postponed honeymoons and families taking their first vacation in two years.

 

There are new kinds of cabins (an “infinite balcony” on Apex that gives you more cabin space, A virtual balcony on Odyssey of the Seas that enables those in these interior cabins to have a view in real time, thanks to strategically placed cameras.

And there is a big focus on sustainability. The Mardi Gras is the first ship in the U.S. powered by eco-friendly liquified natural gas; Odyssey features shore power connectivity, removing emissions while connected at port.

Private islands are a big draw. RCCL’s Coco Cay offers everything from the largest wave pool in the Caribbean to a zipline, thrill water slides and splash pad for younger kids, snorkeling, kayaking and more. “They have a little bit for everyone here,” suggested Miguel Rojas, traveling with his wife, infant daughter, and dad from Miami.

These days, it is more complicated to book. Not only do you need to know the latest COVID protocols, including whether you can get off the ship on your own with unvaccinated kids, but what kind of cabin will suit and what activities your family will most enjoy — water slides, good music, comedians or big splashy shows; different kinds of food (an on-board sushi and raw bar on Apex), fine wine (the new wine bar on Odyssey of the Seas) or 24-hour made-to-order pizza (on Mardi Gras). Consider whether you want a cruise with sightseeing options, outdoor adventures or simply beautiful beaches.

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