Cruises Offering More for Children

With Carnival Cruise Lines expecting to welcome some 600,000 children aboard its ships this year –a six-fold increase from 12 years ago- and other lines reporting more and more families sailing with them each year, children’s facilities and programs at sea are seeing significant enhancements –everything from special enrichment activities to themed sailings to water parks onboard.

For Harry Potter fans, young passengers can enjoy a new Wizards Academy, an exclusive presentation from the award-winning California Science Center aboard Princess Cruises’ new Ruby Princess. The new program lets children explore the connection between science and magic in a fun and participative environment.

Children are also able to join in activities and project from popular arts and crafts company, Klutz, or participate in Yoga for Kids, a course designed specifically for children. All the new programs will eventually make their way to the rest of the Princess fleet but the line has not released a timetable yet. The Ruby Princess sails to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale this winter.

For Nickelodeon fans, Royal Caribbean International and Nickelodeon have announced plans to set sail together again in summer of 2009 after the sold-out Nickelodeon Family Cruise with Royal Caribbean this year. One of the family cruises will be on Mariner of the Seas from Los Angeles to the Western Mexican Riviera on July 26, 2009 and another one on the Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral to the Eastern Caribbean on Aug. 9. 2009.