Licensed Member of CLIA ~ Cruise Line International Association

The A, B, seas of family cruising

For many of us, family time has become a blur of making lunches, overseeing homework and driving kids to soccer or dance practice. But what if, instead, it meant clapping with delight from the comfort of a cruise ship as a glacier calves or watching in awe as a whale breaches next to you and your kids?

 It can, and the figures prove it. Since 1998, the number of kids cruising with their parents and grandparents has doubled and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) estimates that about one million youths under 18 years old were on the high seas last year. To accommodate this growth, cruise lines are expanding their family-friendly facilities and their free youth programs as well as adding to their fleet.

So why the appeal? Cruises are easy to plan, afford visits to multiple destinations while only necessitating unpacking once, and allow families time together and apart. Parents can unwind in the spa or work out in the state-of-the-art-gym while children enjoy active games, arts and crafts and scavenger hunts. Family cruising also gives parents that all-important quality time with their children — away from telephones, televisions, and VCRs. And for those with picky eaters, all the cruise lines with year-round youth programs offer extensive kids' menus.

Today's newest mega-ships attract most families with rock climbing, in-line skating, and even ice skating rinks along with more traditional facilities such as pools, video arcades, and water slides. Plenty of smaller, more off-beat cruises offer fun experiences ranging from windjammer sailing ships to old-fashioned river boats to jungle hikes just for kids in Costa Rica.

But before you book your cruise, here are some helpful hints that I've learned after 13 cruises with my nine-year-old daughter Alexandra and three with my toddler Ethan, to ensure smooth sailing all the way:

Youth programs

• Check to see if the cruise's youth program is offered year-round or seasonally during school vacation periods. Your child will have more fun if the youth program is operating. If you sail when most kids are in school, the year-round lines do offer activities, but more pre-schoolers than grade school children will be aboard.

• Verify the age a child needs to be to participate in the youth program. Do not assume that if your youngster is almost the required age — but not quite — that he or she will be allowed to attend.

• Most cruise line youth counselors (except for Carnival's and the nursery staff on Disney's ships and Cunard's QE2) do not change diapers. Many don't even allow those in diapers to participate in the program. A few, such as Norweigan Cruise Line, give parents a beeper to alert them to a dirty diaper that needs their attention.

• Make sure you are comfortable with allowing your child to sign herself out of the youth program, which is usually an option for those around eight or nine years old, depending on the cruise line. You may want to bring along walkie talkies just for reassurance.

• Most year-round cruise lines provide group baby-sitting (for a fee) in the youth room after 10 p.m.

Infants and toddlers

• Reserve a crib at the time of your booking. Your reservation or travel agent should verify that there is ample room to fit a crib in the cabin category you choose.

• You will have to bring along all the baby products you need for the duration of your trip. Calculate the number of diapers, wipes, baby food and formula you use daily times the number of days you will be away. Holland America Line is the only line to provide baby goods (for a fee) upon prior request.

• There won't be activities for your infant or toddler except in Disney Cruise Line's professional and well-equipped nursery for tots age six weeks to three years. QE2's nursery starts at age one. Check with individual cruise lines to see whether they offer private baby-sitting.

• Most standard staterooms do not have a tub unless you book an upper category cabin. The exception is Disney ships, which not only have tubs in each cabin but also split bathrooms.

Teens

• Encourage your teen to attend the organized activities to meet their peers. Teens love cruising because most parents allow them more freedom and later hours than they would at home because of the safe environment.

• If you have more than one older child, consider booking an outside cabin for yourself, spouse and any younger children and an inside (cheaper) cabin for your older children across the hall. That way you are not all sharing one small bathroom, yet you're near each other. You may want to bring a baby monitor to keep in the teens' stateroom for your own peace of mind.

• A few lines, such as Carnival and Disney, have teens-only shore excursions. These special tours or beach activities are age appropriate and usually cheaper than adult excursions.

• Royal Caribbean has the most extensive teen facilities at sea aboard the Navigator of the Seas, including three separate, dedicated rooms for young adults as well as teens-only deck space.

Booking options

You may think it's best to make your first cruise a short one (three or four days) to test the waters, but I suggest booking a seven-day itinerary instead. Kids thrive on familiarity, and I find my children just getting used to their new beds and the routine by day three. A seven-day cruise provides both youngsters a