Anna wants to take her family on a cruise and wants to know which one is best.
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Q. Anna
My husband and I are avid cruisers and we would like to take our daughter and her family on a cruise with us, but they are not enthusiastic about the idea. They see it as boring and are worried about their kids getting seasick or claustrophobic. I think I have finally convinced them to give it a go, but I was wondering what cruises might best suit first-time cruisers.
A. Many non-cruisers are worried about seasickness and it is a lot of money to spend on a holiday if you are going to feel unwell the first time, or, worse still, spend time looking after kids who are going to be unwell. The solution to this is to consider a river cruise instead of an ocean cruise.
River cruises are also much more destination-focused, meaning that you spend far more time onshore, which removes a lot of the questions about being claustrophobic or boring, which they have also raised as concerns.
While river cruises sometimes don’t have the luxury and onboard amenities of bigger ocean liners, some are catching up in this regard.
If you do end up opting for an ocean cruise, remember most modern ships have stabilisers to limit passenger seasickness.
While ocean ships are less destination-focused, it is still an odd argument to suggest your daughter and her family will be bored. Look for an activity that the family already likes and then look for a cruise ship that offers suitable experiences.
Modern ocean liners offer all sorts of experiences from rock climbing to surfing, flying foxes, ice-skating, circuses and even skydiving.
Read here for some of the activities on offer on some of the world’s best cruise ships.
Have you ever had to convince friends or family about the benefits of cruising? How did you do it?
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