How To Have The Most Relaxing Family Vacations

Expert Travel Tips for a Relaxing Family Getaway

By Cynthia Drake | Published on May 30, 2023

If you're a parent, you may be skeptical of relaxing family getaways. Sometimes, typical family vacations are some of the least relaxing events. Between packing, shuttling everyone to the airport, dealing with upended sleep schedules and fielding arguments between siblings, you may not have a chance to kick back and soak it all in.

Is it even possible to plan a truly stress-free family getaway? I'm here to say that it is, especially if you're open to taking your crew on a cruise. In fact, cruises have been some of the most relaxing family vacations I've had — that's why we keep returning to them again and again. Here are some of my tips for making relaxation a priority on your next family cruise.

Planning A Relaxing Family Cruise

Easygoing Starts With Easy

Especially when traveling with babies or smaller children, I always recommend living by the motto: "Go with what's easy." Sure, you will have times in your life when you want to push the envelope on your family vacation and challenge your kids to camp in the woods or take daylong hikes or bike treks, but when you're parenting young children, easy is usually best for everyone. "Easy" is what gets you on.

This starts with booking your vacation. Do you want to have to make a decision for every single aspect of your vacation, from where you're sleeping to where you're eating, or would you prefer to click the button on your one-stop-shop vacation and spend your remaining mental energy dreaming up all the fun things you'll get to see and do on your cruise? I know what works best for my family — and family cruises are as easy and as fun as they sound.

Like me, you might also grapple with wanting to save as much money as possible to be a good steward of the family budget. Here again, the "easy" choice of a cruise tends to make the most sense, rolling all of your vacation costs into one price, often with added discounts for your kids (plus included child care services, which you probably won't get on that traditional vacation).

As you plan your vacation, continue to keep "easy" in mind as your guiding principle, whether it's booking your flights (nonstop, non-red-eye flights are vastly easier than those bargain flights that will deprive everyone of sleep and happiness) or your choice of stateroom. Splurge a little extra if you can on what makes the most sense — the extra space and amenities will go a long way in helping you relax. Also, cruise to the best relaxing family vacation destinations, like Perfect Day at CocoCay. Here, you can kick back with a cocktail on the overwater cabanas while your children splash at the epic water park.

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What Do You Do To Relax As A Family?

When traveling with family on vacation, keep in mind that relaxation can mean something different to each family member. If you're traveling with extended family, each person will likely have their own preferences and priorities as well. This is another reason why cruises are some of the most relaxing vacations. There is room to tailor your vacation to each person's needs, without making the rest of the family sacrifice what makes them happy. Raise your hand if you've ever waited in a hot, sweaty, hour-long line at a theme park just because it was your kid's all-time favorite ride. On a cruise vacation, there's no need for that!

"Relaxation" for mom might mean heading to the spa to indulge in a seaweed wrap or facial, while grandma and grandpa might want to play Bingo. Dad may want to unwind with a pint of IPA and watch the game at a sports bar. One of your kids might be really into video games while your more adventure-oriented kiddo wants to surf, rock climb, or play a pickup basketball game. There are very few vacations where all four of those scenarios can happen at the same time — but they can on a cruise. And that's what makes it such an ideal family getaway.
Some people in your family might want to do a whole lot of activities while others just want to decompress and read a book by the pool. You can imagine why a traditional vacation doesn't always work out for families with such diverse needs and interests, but a cruise can be the something-for-everyone accommodation. That doesn't mean you won't get a lot of quality time together. On days when your group splits up, make a game plan to meet up at night for a family dinner.
Is it even possible to plan a truly stress-free and relaxing family getaway? I'm here to say that it is.

Create Your Best Vacation Days

The perfect vacation day will vary from family to family, and over the years, the schedule will change as kids start sleeping in more (hooray for that!) and their interests change. The great thing about a cruise is you can customize your itinerary from day to day and trip to trip.

For example, your family might be filled with early risers that want to hit the breakfast buffet first thing and then head off to their individual activities. Or, you might be more likely to linger over a late breakfast while your kids splash away in the pool. My personal favorite ultimate cruise indulgence? Room service breakfast is delivered to my stateroom balcony while I sip coffee and watch the ocean and my kids watch cartoons in their pajamas. This is vacation, after all. There's no need to rush anywhere.

During the day, fill your itinerary with activities onboard the ship or in port, depending on your schedule. If it's a sea day, there will be plenty of planned activities throughout the ship, from trivia to family games, dance lessons, wine tastings and more. Or, create your own itinerary filled with the individual activities you know will allow your family to really relax.

If you're in port, you might pick an adventure that's new for your whole family to try, from all-terrain vehicle adventures to ziplining or swimming with dolphins. Or, you might choose to break off into smaller groups depending on interest and energy level. The great thing is that everyone comes back to the same place at the end, allowing you to swap tales over a shared meal together.

Throughout the day, make sure to plan some time when you can be together as a family, laughing and creating new memories, whether that's meal times, shore excursions, or onboard family games.

Take Advantage Of All-Inclusive Child Care

Still not sure how to relax on vacation with family? I'll share my number one tip for making a cruise relaxing. This doesn't get as much attention as I think it should, but onboard child care is an excellent option for parents on vacation. Initially, I didn't know how well my children would take to spending time at these programs, but any worries quickly melted away.

Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean kids clubs have offered high-quality, engaging child care for my kids starting when they were babies and throughout the years now that they're older. Not only are there fun new toys for various ages, but the staff has always engaged my kids with fun games and crafts.

Dropping our kids off in a safe, friendly environment means that my husband and I can head to one of the adults-only spaces onboard and relax by the pool or head to a quiet bar to reconnect and recharge for when we're back with our kids. When I think of truly relaxing family vacations, those are the scenarios I think about — ones that allow me to spend quality time with my kids while also mixing in time for myself and my partner.

Written By
CYNTHIA DRAKE

Cynthia J. Drake is an award-winning freelance writer in Austin, Texas, whose work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Wine Enthusiast, House Beautiful, Southern Living, Cruise Critic, AAA, Texas Monthly, and others. She specializes in writing about food, cruise travel, family travel, and off-the-beaten-path destinations.

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