Erica Douglas
Our first family cruise has changed the way we approach holidays forever. As parents of a single child (Erin, 8), holidays can be a challenge. Erin wants to spend time with other children, and while Alex and I aren't unsociable we don't want to spend our holiday latched on to other families. What we discovered was that a cruise holiday offers the balance we have been searching for. We spent a lot of time together, and when Erin got fed up of us she took herself off to her clubs. Erin and Alex had never swam with dolphins before so we booked an excursion to Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands. During our port day at St Martin, we took a taxi ride to Maho Beach to see the low flying planes. We had lunch at a beach bar and paddled in the clear blue seas – it was one of those perfect days.It was quite simply the best family holiday we've ever had.
Tara Cain
Travelling with pre-teens presents you with a whole new set of challenges as a parent. Certainly with my children, there has to be lots and lots and lots to do. So what is there for kids to do on a Royal Caribbean cruise? For sports-mad youngsters there is so much to join in with. There are two FloRider surf simulators, climbing walls, a heart-pumping zip wire, miniature golf, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, table tennis and ice-skating. I can't praise the kids' clubs highly enough. With rooms for specific age groups (my two were in the 9-12 years room) the activities were varied and well-thought-out, the staff engaging and the facilities spectacular. Horse-riding in the sea, a catamaran ride through crystal-clear water followed by snorkelling, swimming with dolphins, an airboat ride through Florida's Everglades. So, will your children like a cruise holiday? I think your biggest problem will be the same as mine – actually getting them off the ship at the end of it!
Becky Wiggins
Choosing a holiday with teenagers can be fraught with difficulty. If you can agree on the destination, you've then got to argue it out about the kind of holiday you want. Funnily enough, everyone was pretty happy with our suggestion of a Royal Caribbean cruise, and we took our two teenage boys, Sam (19) and Charlie (16) around the Eastern Caribbean in July.
We decided before the cruise that we would embrace our adventurous sides and make this a holiday full of fun and excitement (with a little chill-out time for us oldies). On the ship, the boys got loads of freedom and basically made their own itinerary every day, and on shore days we chose full-throttle excursions.And do you know what? We had FUN. We can't wait for our next cruise!
Book your cruise before the end of September and get beer, wine (up to $8 a glass) soft drinks and even your tips included in the price of your holiday. A 7 night Eastern Caribbean sailing from Florida on Freedom of the Seas from €1,379 per person including flights from Dublin. Price based on a two berth interior cabin. For more information see www.royalcaribbean.ie (tel: 1800 932 603 ).
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