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Cruising with KidsBy Marilyn ZeitlinThe streets may be covered with snow in some parts of the country, but the calendar says summer is approaching. That means family vacations. How about taking a cruise--and taking the kids? Even though TV commercials for cruise ships show a happy couple dressed in formal wear sipping champagne on deck, cruising isn't just for grownups anymore. The couple in the commercial might be smiling because they've left their children in the ship's nursery while they enjoy a romantic moment together. Family travel is the latest trend in the cruise industry. Many cruise lines have added family activities to their schedules, and with 35 new ships on the horizon in the next five years; intense competition is growing for tourist dollars. Taking a cruise offers families opportunities to do things together or apart. While the parents attend a lecture on food and wine, their teens are at the movies, younger children are at arts and crafts and the baby is asleep in the nursery. The Sumner family from Georgia have taken their children -- ages 2-25 -- to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, India and Africa. Recently they took their family on a Royal Caribbean cruise to South America. "World travel makes children aware of how the world works," say Randy and Susan Sumner, both physicians, "and the best thing about seeing the world on a cruise is taking the hotel along with you." Kids who travel do better in school, according to parents. Subjects like history, geography, social studies and languages are more meaningful after students have actually been to the places described in textbooks. Younger kids have more to offer at show and tell: "I saw hundreds of dolphins in their natural habitat," says Anna. "I was at the end of the world in Tierra del Fuego," says John. Pamela rode a camel in Egypt and Lynn saw "octopusses--octopi???" from a glass-bottomed boat. It's common to hear adolescents casually discussing their personal tales trekking the Andes Mountains, the Black Sea and African safaris. The Mahoneys and Wahlmeiers--four generations of relatives from California--have taken three cruises together. Chris Mahoney, 15, and brother Tim, 12, had recently won their schools' geography contests sponsored by National Geographic, which, as Chris says, "Wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't traveled." Cousin Christie, celebrated her 9th birthday on board--"The waiters sang 'Happy Birthday' and there were balloons all over." Sister Libby, 7, enjoys formal teas and dinners "so I can wear my green velvet dress." Their 87-year-old grandfather added, "Kids are like little sponges, they soak up so much." Travel agents report growing numbers of families are becoming sea-soned travelers with the most popular family destinations being Alaska and the Caribbean. Kathy Keithley, a Cruise Specialist with a major travel agency, advises parents to make their vacation expectations known--"the more specific, the better." With so many cruise lines to choose from, she says, the more the client says, the easier the agent's job in choosing the right cruise for the passengers. And frequent cruisers can negotiate better discounts and upgrades. A doctor and nurse are on board in case of illness, but parents are advised to inquire of their own doctors regarding medications and possible shots for specific destinations before embarking. The most frequently asked questions of cruisers is: "Didn't you get bored?" The second: "Weren't you seasick?" My response to both: "No!" If I'm not listening to a lecture or attending cooking class, I'm listening to the pianist in the lounge, working off last night's fabulous buffet in the gym or sunning on the deck with books borrowed from the ship's library. From my interviews with children, only 14-year-old Tim was bored: "I had to hang out with my brother's friends (2 years older) because nobody was my age...but they were more interesting and mature." Ships' doctors say that most people don't get seasick unless the water is unusually choppy. If you get queasy the ship's drugstore has various remedies. The following is a partial list of cruise lines that cater to families:
A word about excursions: Land touring adds to the cost of a cruise, and may not be worth the $35-$125 per tour as tour guides are not hired by the cruise line and you are tightly tied to a tour schedule or find (as I did) that you're riding a bus for most of the adventure--seeing sights from windows. Advice: Read up on your destination, make choices, then seek out other shipmates to share a cab and chauffeur.
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