Planning your next family vacation? Dreading spending ten hours in the car followed by five days dragging your kids to the beach, the hotel pool and a local restaurant that doesn’t offer a children’s menu?

If you’re looking for a vacation that will show both you and the kids a good time, cruising could be it.

To learn about the benefits and drawbacks of family cruise vacations, keep reading to find out the best tips for planning your first or next family cruise.

Why a Family Cruise Vacation?

Because so many cruise ships are targeted directly toward families, you’re getting a fully packaged vacation in a safe and contained environment.

There are daily, scheduled activities for the children along with parental getaways that both allow you to enjoy time with your children and also have your own private vacation.

Most cruise lines either offer “day camp” options with regularly scheduled, on-board activities or supervised day care facilities. Because your children are on a boat with you and under the care of a well-screened and professionally-supervised staff, you can rest a little easier.

Isn’t it Expensive?

Cruising can be expensive, but most family cruise destinations typically cost about $500-$1000 per person per week. Add up the cost of all the hotels, meals, souvenirs and mileage that your last vacation cost you and compare it to that figure. You’ll quickly see that a cruise vacation budgets in at about the same rate as a full, family vacation.

How do I a Book a “Family” Cruise?

Most cruise lines offer family-specific or family-friendly cruises that are geared specifically toward families with children. Ideally, you want to choose one of these rather than, say, a Senior’s cruise or a Single’s cruise.

Cruise lines like Disney or Norwegian also offer themed ships with full youth programs that are targeted to specific age groups from toddlers to teens. Again, this affords you the chance to take a break and enjoy the pool on your own.

When booking a full family cruise, you may want to consider a travel agent. Often, they’re able to discuss ship amenities, past client reviews and possible discounts.

However, if you’re searching alone and online, try reading past traveler reviews of each individual ship. This will provide you a clearer indication of the ship’s facilities and accommodations than the cruise line’s promotional website.

Things to Consider Before Departure

Make sure everyone in your family has their passport, travel health insurance and extra medication. Keep all of your documents in a safe and secure place with one person.

There are so many things to think about when making the choice to relocate long-distance. The obvious, employment, home and education concerns will long be answered by the time you start thinking of other little details such as will we pack on our own or pay the relocaters to pack for us? Which household items should we leave behind and replace when we get to the destination? Should we take the houseplants or find them new homes here in Florida? Then there is the question of relocating the family pet.

Shortly after you have gathered your quotes from the long distance moving companies, you’ll begin drafting out your moving checklist. Somewhere down around the bottom of that checklist, you will need to be sure the dog is covered. You will have to make sure you have obtained all the paperwork from the vet to carry on to the new one; you will have to ensure all vaccinations are current and up to date. You will need to think about whether the dog travels well or might he need to be sedated for the trip? Is there going to be a large temperature change? From Florida to Montana in the middle of winter, for instance, should have you thinking of adding a few pieces to your dog’s clothing.

This is sure to be a stressful time for the poor dog. You will want to ensure that he is as comfortable and happy as possible for the big drive to and the settling in process once you have arrived at your new home. Soon after your Florida moving company has relocated you from one end of the country to the next, you will need to start speaking to neighbors and new coworkers to get recommendations for a new animal doctor. Maybe plan to visit a few different veterinary offices with your dog before you make a final choice.

Have you updated your pet’s tags? Are there any dog parks closeby where your pup might make some friends and exercise? How about walking trails? You should think about starting or ending each day with a walk with your pet around the new area so he can familiarize himself with his new surroundings. Let him meet some of his four-legged neighbors (with the permission of their owners). It shouldn’t be long at all until he begins to feel as comfortable in his new environment as he once did at his old home.