That’s what makes the line so popular with parents who want to experience an enjoyable and relaxed family holiday. Child-friendly cruise holidays are the perfect choice. Cruise lines such as Princess ensure that from the minute a family steps on board both adults and children have all the activities and amenities they could possibly want.

Part of the bliss of a family cruise holiday is the knowledge that while parents are relaxing, their children are having the time of their lives without them.

On most Princess ships there are fully equipped activity centres, even for teenagers, who are notoriously difficult to please. As well as the usual amusements such as games tables, splash pools and movies the Teen Centres also have jukeboxes and video games. On some ships there are also computers – after all teenagers do suffer withdrawal symptoms when parted from their PC.

 

These dedicated areas aren’t available to adults (which pleases the teens no end) and have cool names like Cyberspace, Wired, The Fast Lane, and Off Limits. Off Limits is a particularly sophisticated venue for teens, offering discos, shipboard Olympics, and even dinner events exclusively for teenagers.

 

The Teen Centres aren’t as anarchic as they sound – they are fully supervised, but by specially trained fun-loving staff so there’s no sense of being back at school.

 

For younger passengers, the Princess Kids’ Programme is way ahead of some of its competitors. There are two age groups, with non-stop activities for both. For tinies (3-7s) there is the Princess Pelican Club. There is a good selection of art based activities…. Little ones just love paint! There are splash pools and a toddler play area, which are also open to under threes as long as they are accompanied by a parent.

 

The Princess Pirateers cater for the 8 – 12s, and the activity programme is similar to the Pelican Club, but with the addition of movies, tee-shirt painting, scavenger hunts, sports mornings etc. As with the Pelican Club, the Princess Pirates are well supervised. There is a paging system in the event of an accident, or a child being distressed.

 

The party scene for all kids is hectic, with pyjama parties, ice cream parties, and kids-only meals. For budding entertainers there are talent shows, and special parties for anyone celebrating a birthday.

 

For their junior passengers Princess Cruises have provided a mock-up of the ship’s kitchen and there they can try their hand at making ‘fun’ items such as sushi, or pizzas, or cake decorating and interested parents are actually allowed to attend this one.

 

There is also a serious side to the kid’s activities too. Older children can learn about the ocean, marine biology, endangered species or land based environmental issues, all organized by knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff.

Not all of the children’s activities mentioned are available on all Princess ships, so it’s advisable to check out the facilities when looking for cruise deals . If you choose your holiday cruise ship carefully both parents and children should be guaranteed a great time.