Cruises for Families
More parents are taking their kids with them on vacation, and cruises have become increasingly popular with families, including intergenerational gatherings: parents traveling with their kids and the grandparents too. The lines are responding with youth counselors and supervised programs, fancy playrooms, and even video game rooms to keep the kids entertained while their parents relax. At night, most ships offer baby-sitting (for an extra charge). Some lines offer reduced rates for kids. It's important to note that most lines discourage people from bringing infants.
Activities -- It's important to ask whether a supervised program will be offered when you plan to cruise, as sometimes the programs are only operated if there are a certain number of kids on board. Depending on the program, the youngest children may frolic in toy- and game-stocked playrooms, listen to stories, and go on treasure hunts; older kids can do things like arts and crafts, computer games, lip-synch competitions, pool games, and volleyball; and teenagers can mingle at teen parties or hang out at the video arcade. The megas have large playrooms with computer stations and video games as well as shelves of toys. There's usually a TV showing movies throughout the day and, for the younger ones, there are ball bins and plastic jungle gyms to crawl around in. Many megaships have shallow kiddie pools, sometimes sequestered on an isolated patch of deck.
Baby-sitting -- Baby-sitting is offered on most large cruise ships from around 8pm to 2am. Group baby-sitting is about $4 to $5 per hour per child and, if available, private in-cabin baby-sitting by a crew member is a steep $8 to $10 per hour per child, plus generally a dollar or two more for a sibling.
Family-Friendly Cabins -- A family of four can share a cabin that has bunk-style third and fourth berths, which pull out of the walls just above the pair of regular beds (some even have a fifth berth), but there's no two ways to slice it: A standard cabin with four people in it will be cramped. However, when you consider how little time you'll spend in the cabin, it's do-able. The incentive to share one cabin is the price -- whether children or adults, the rates for third and fourth people sharing a cabin with two full-fare (or even heavily discounted) passengers are usually about half of the lowest regular rates. On occasion there are special deals and further discounts. Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Olympic Cruises allow children under 2 to sail for free. If you can afford it, and if space equals sanity in your book, consider booking a suite, many of which have a pull-out couch in the living room. Families with older kids can always consider booking two separate cabins with interconnecting doors. Lots of ships, big and small, have them. You'll be close to each other, but separate.
Taking the Kids on Small Ships -- While there's no doubting the big new ships are best prepared for families, if your children are at least 10 or 12, some of the casual, alternative cruises can be loads of fun and educational to boot. While you won't find a kids' playroom stuffed with toys, the experience of visiting a culturally rich port of call every day will help keep you and the kids from going stir crazy on board.
Cruises for Single Travelers
A nice thing about cruises is you needn't worry about dining alone, since you'll be seated with other guests (if you don't want to be, seek a ship with alternative dining options). You also needn't worry much about finding people to talk to, since the general atmosphere on nearly all ships is very congenial and allows you to easily find conversation, especially during group activities. And the ship may even host a party to give singles a chance to get to know one another and/or offer social hosts as dance partners.
The downside is that you may have to pay more for the cruise experience than those sharing a room. Since cruise line rates are based on two people per cabin, some lines charge a "single supplement" rate (which sounds like a deal, but it's you who pays the supplement) that ranges from 110% to an outrageous 200% of the per-person, double-occupancy fare. As a single person, you have two choices: find a line with a reasonable single supplement rate or ask if the line has a cabin-share program, under which the line will pair you with another single so you can get a lower fare. You may not be able to get much information about your roommate before the sailing, although all lines match gender and most also try to match age. Some lines also offer a single guarantee program, which means if they can't find you a roommate, they'll book you in a cabin alone but still honor the shared rate. On some older ships (including the QE2 and Caronia) and a few small ships, there are special cabins designated for single travelers, and in some cases they carry no additional charge. But keep in mind that these cabins, originally designed on the older ships for nannies or maids accompanying passengers, are really really small, and that they tend to sell out fast.
To increase your chances of meeting other singles, book a cruise through a travel company that specializes in bringing singles together. These companies include Cruiseman (tel. 800/805-0053; www.cruiseman.com) and Discount Travel Club (tel. 800/393-5000; www.singlecruise.com). Such firms coordinate groups of as few as 30 or as many as 300 singles on specific sailings, and typically have a tour coordinator on board to organize mixers and make sure people get a chance to meet. Singles in these groups tend to be in their 30s to 50s (of course, some may be younger or older).
Cruises for Travelers with Disabilities
If you are a traveler with a disability, it is important to let the cruise line know your special needs when you make your booking. If you use a wheelchair, you'll need to know if wheelchair-accessible cabins are available (and how they're equipped), as well as whether public rooms are accessible and can be reached by elevator, and whether the cruise line has any special policy regarding travelers with disabilities -- for instance, some require that you be accompanied by an able-bodied companion. We've noted this information in the cabin sections of the reviews in our online Cruise section (www.frommers.com/activities/cruise). Note that newer ships tend to have the largest number of wheelchair-accessible cabins. Old ships and small ships may be very difficult to maneuver.
Travelers with disabilities should inquire when they're booking whether the ship docks at ports or uses tenders (small boats) to go ashore. Tenders cannot always accommodate wheelchairs. Also, once on board, travelers with disabilities will want to seek the advice of the tour staff before choosing shore excursions, as not all will be wheelchair-friendly.
If you have a chronic health problem, we advise you to check with your doctor before booking the cruise, and, if you have any specific needs, to notify the cruise line in advance. This will ensure that the medical team on the ship is properly prepared to offer assistance.
A handful of experienced travel agencies specialize in booking cruises and tours for disabled travelers. Accessible Journeys, 35 W. Sellers Ave., Ridley Park, PA 19078 (tel. 800/846-4537; www.disabilitytravel.com), can even provide licensed health-care professionals to accompany those who require aid. Flying Wheels Travel, 143 W. Bridge St., Owatonna, MN 55060 (tel. 800/535-6790; www.flyingwheelstravel.com), is another option.
Cruises for Gay & Lesbian Travelers
There are a number of gay-friendly cruises and special chartered sailings for gay men and lesbians. For details, contact these specialists:
- RSVP Cruises, 2800 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (tel. 800/328-7787; www.rsvp.net)
- Pied Piper Travel, 330 W. 42nd St., Ste. 1804, New York, NY 10036 (tel. 800/TRIP-312 or 212/239-2412; www.piedpipertravel.com)
- Olivia Cruises and Resorts, 4400 Market St., Oakland, CA 94608 (tel. 800/631-6277 or 510/655-0364; www.oliviacruises.com); caters specifically to lesbians
You can also contact the International Gay Travel Association, 4331 N. Federal Hwy., Ste. 304, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 (tel. 800/448-8550; www.iglta.org), which has over 1,000 travel industry members. You might want to check out Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe, the well-known Out & About travel newsletter ($49 a year for 10 issues; to subscribe, call tel. 212/645-6922 or 800/929-2268; www.outandabout.com), or Our World travel magazine ($35 a year; call tel. 904/441-5367 to subscribe or visit www.ourworldpublishing.com) for articles, tips, and listings on gay and lesbian travel.
Cruises for Honeymooners
Most 1-week cruises depart on either Saturday or Sunday, although there are some exceptions. You'll want to look carefully at sailing times as you plan your wedding weekend. You will also want to make sure that the ship offers double, queen-, or king-size beds, and you may want to book a cabin with a tub or Jacuzzi. Rooms with private verandas are particularly romantic. You can take in the sights in privacy, and even enjoy a private meal, assuming the veranda is big enough for a table and chairs (some are not) and that the weather doesn't turn chilly. If you want to dine alone each night, make sure the dining room offers tables for two and/or that the ship offers room service (your travel agent can fill you in on these matters). You may also want to inquire as to the likelihood that there will be other honeymooners your age on the ship. Some ships -- among them those of Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa, Celebrity, and Holland America -- offer add-on honeymoon packages that provide champagne, a fruit basket, and the like. Most lines will offer special perks, like an invitation to a private honeymooners' cocktail party, if you let them know in advance that you will be celebrating your special event on the ship.
High-end lines, such as Windstar, Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn, Cunard, and Crystal, don't offer special cocktail parties and the like, but their ultra-deluxe amenities are especially pleasing to honeymooners. From terry-cloth bathrobes and slippers that await you in walk-in closets to whirlpool bathtubs, five-course dinners served in your cabin, stocked minibars, and high crew-to-passenger ratios (meaning more personalized service), extra-special touches are business as usual on these upscale lines.