Taking the Kids: On a cruise (once everyone is vaccinated)
These days, it is more complicated to book. You need to understand the COVID protocols (Carnival, for example, has opened children’s programs only for vaccinated kids five and older,) Are you able to get off the ship on your own with unvaccinated kids or will you be restricted to the ship?
What activities will your family most enjoy — water slides, good music, comedians or big splashy shows; different kinds of food (an onboard 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).
Seek out a travel adviser who is a bona-fide cruise expert. The Cruise Lines International Association can help you find one; Cruise Critic offers comprehensive reviews and advice. Our Family Cruise Guide, created with our colleagues at Family Travel Forum, is also a good resource.
Even with all the bells and whistles, what families want most, said Mark Tamis, RCCL’s senior vice president of Hotel Operations, “is to come back together.”
Safely, of course.
Bon voyage!
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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)
©2021 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c) 2021 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
