If you are considering going on a cruise with children or teen-agers, this section of www.smallshipcruises.com will give you a list of small ships that have specific family-related or kids/teens programs, usually held at spring break or summer vacation time so that the odds are in favor of there being other kids on board. But even without special programs most of the small ships are wonderful for families if the activities focus on nature and wildlife. What kid can be bored with close-up encounters with whales, seeing monkeys in a rainforest, walking on a glacier, or fishing for piranha in the Amazon? We’ve been on International Expeditions in the Amazon, and on Temptress in Costa Rica and Belize and on the little 13-passenger Discovery in Alaska, for example, and they all have wildlife encounters that are of interest to most people of any age.

Cruises also can give kids a sense of place and sense of history that they cannot obtain in a classroom. And on a small ship a family can experience the exchanges with other people and other cultures that occur traveling with small groups.

It’s not a good idea to take young children or teenagers on more formal ships such as Sea Goddess or Hebridean Princess, in fact, some of them have rules against taking children. And I would not take children on cruises with limited activity or that have a reputation for heavy drinking. But other than that, we would highly recommend cruising as a family experience.

GREAT CRUISES FOR FAMILIES

Here are some cruises that have good children or family programs or whose wildlife excursions would be of interest to families. Click on the name to read details about the ships.

AMAZON TOURS & CRUISES
Amazon

BAJA EXPEDITIONS
Mexico, Baja, Sea of Cortez