5 Reasons Kids Are All About Royal Caribbean Cruises

NON-STOP THRILLS

However your child defines top-notch adventure, they’re sure to find it on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Little minnows who love water will soak up the Splashaway Bay℠ aqua park and H2O Zone℠ Water Park, where geysers, cannons, waterfalls and pools spell loads of sopping-wet fun.

Older children will flip over twisting, turning, deck-defying water slides such as The Perfect Storm℠ and its twin racer slides, Typhoon℠ and Cyclone℠. Booking a cruise from the UK? Onboard Anthem of the Sea®s, you’ll find a classic favourite: the Flowrider® surf simulator. With its 113,562 litres of rushing water, it’s the wave-carving thrill kids can’t get enough of!

If heights are their thing, your children are in for a fest-a-thon of high-flying choices. There’s the virtual skydiving exhilaration of RipCord® by iFly®, the first ride of its kind on a ship. And the Guinness Book award-winning North Star®, the highest viewing deck at sea. Of course, only the crazy courageous dare tackle the spine-tingling Zip Line, speeding 10 decks above the Boardwalk® – or the towering Rock Climbing Wall and its sheer 12-metre ascent!

Ready to stay closer to deck without pumping the brakes on excitement? Look no further than the huge indoor SeaPlex® – a buzzing hive of thrilling bumper-car action, basketball, rollerblading and much more!

While activities vary by ship, the common denominator is bow-to-stern surprises that take your holiday to the next level.

FAMILY CHILL TIME

While you’ll discover endless ways for the youngest family members to burn off energy, there are also plenty of experiences so chill that even Great-Aunt Gertrude can get behind them! Like chart-topping Broadway shows or dazzling multi-media original productions. Poolside movie nights which – if you are on a European cruise sailing from Rome or Barcelona – include the magic of a moonlit Mediterranean sky. And visiting cover bands playing live concerts with varied genres.

For great reads and good-old-fashioned board games, the library is the go-to family destination. Of course, taking a class with the kids is another wonderful way to create memorable bonding moments – and there are plenty to choose from, including cupcake or jewellery-making and scrapbooking. There is even a Trapeze School for airborne daredevils looking to pick up circus-ready moves (sorry Great-Aunt Gertrude).

AGE-APPROPRIATE ADVENTURES

Kids just want to have fun – and there’s tons to be had in our award-winning Adventure Ocean® Youth Program (AO) for 3-12 year olds! Aquanauts (ages 3-5), Explorers (ages 6-8) and Voyagers (ages 9-12) enjoy a wide variety of activities, from experiments to games, and puzzles to themed parties. As a matter of fact, if one of your children is having a birthday, you can coordinate a cool celebration with AO staff, all of whom have degrees in recreation or education!

There are also wonderful programs for babies and tots under the care of highly experienced and trained staff, as well as interactive classes you can take with your little ones. Older kids will gravitate towards the teen-only lounge or teen-only nightclub, and showcasing their skills at karaoke or the the arcade.

CRAVEABLE CREATURE COMFORTS

Because, just like mum and dad, children crave their creature comforts, we go the extra nautical mile (!) to ensure that our food offerings and accommodations hit top marks with young guests.

Located next to the children’s pool, Splashaway Café is an eatery conceived especially for pint-sized epicureans. Here kids can tuck into such classics as chicken tenders, sesame fried chicken and mini hot dogs, or explore Asian entrees like Chinese Rou Jia Ma, thought to be the world’s original hamburger!

A restaurant children find especially enchanting (parents too!) is Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine. The fun begins brushing the menu with water to reveal dinner options, and continues as picture-perfect plates are presented – fanciful creations like Baby Vegetables in the Garden with “soil” and “pebbles”. Experience this standout on a cruise from the UK onboard Anthem of the Seas® or on European cruises onboard Symphony of the Seas®.

Although we’ve singled out two eateries popular with little foodies, most restaurants onboard Royal Caribbean either provide children’s menus or, in buffet style services, incorporate a wide array of kid-approved selections.

Accommodations are also a big deal with the little ones and nothing wins more raves than the incredible two-storey Ultimate Family Suite – packing its own game room, movie theatre, in-suite slide, balcony with jacuzzi and much more. But even interior staterooms can offer chill surprises, including virtual balconies with real-time views of the ocean and destinations!

EXCEPTIONALLY EXCITING EXCURSIONS

When planning your 2023 cruise, check out shore excursions. You’ll find such kid-pleasing options as lessons in gladiator combat – part of a tour back in time through the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Or the children can step into Christopher Columbus’ shoes, sailing out of Madeira, Portugal, onboard a magnificent replica of the 15th-century Santa Maria…

Learn to make mamma-mia good pizza in Naples. Go on fun-filled scavenger hunts, or try jet-skiing and snorkelling – even paintballing. And if your cruise takes you to Cozumel, Mexico, don’t pass up laser tag in the jungle battling Mayan guards amid ancient ruins!

From Adventure Ocean® to the ultimate wow-worthy accommodations, and chill family-bonding experiences to the most thrilling rides at sea, this is kid-friendly sailing at its finest. Welcome to the cruise line voted Best Overall 19 years running by Travel Weekly readers!