The Costco Connection

By Wendy Irvine

A CHILD IS A mouth wreathed in chocolate ice cream, the first firefly of summer, a Fourth of July bike parade. Children are magic.

Still, herding magical creatures is exhausting. Many parents would fork over a premium price for a wand.

Thankfully, the clever folks behind cruising know which amenity parents most yearn for: a luxurious break. In response, today’s ships sail our big blue marble adorned with ice rinks, zip lines, inline skating, four-story waterslides and much more.

Yet when parents analyze a cruise, they tend to focus on the destination, cabin size and port location and assume a boatload of kid action is a given. Big oops. A wise parent’s wand in the real world? Kid research.

Turns out, different cruise lines—even the different classes within a line—have widely varying arrangements for kids. Some have surf simulators. Many have rock walls. Most have a movie theater (some even with first-run movies in 3D), but only Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships have bumper cars, surfing and indoor skydiving. How can you get the most break for your buck? Match the ship to your child’s maturity and age.

Baby, I’m yours!

Take Disney. While all lines now require
babies to be 6 months of age to cruise, Disney
offers one of the poshest infant-care facilities
at sea, for kids 6 months to 3 years of age,
Pools are a no-go on the majority of ships
if your child isn’t toilet-trained (swim diapers
and pull-ups don’t count). However, Disney
and Royal Caribbean (Freedom- and Oasis-
class ships) have splash pads for the diaper set.

And give Royal Caribbean, Crystal and Celebrity a hand! They offer in-stateroom babysitting for infants at least 12 months of age (with fee).

Never-never land

Once children are in the elementary years it becomes serious business to select a ship class that offers age-appropriate activities. While mega- and kid-oriented ships buzz with possibilities for young family members, others may not cater to your kids’ age range. An incredible play care for little ones will leave the over-8s yawning. Rule of thumb? If varying ages are lumped together, the grumpiest dwarf will likely appear.

Hero alert!

Kids thrill to meet their favorite celebs. Five Norwegian Cruise Line ships feature Nickelodeon characters (kids can greet SpongeBob and Dora) and seven Royal Caribbean ships boast DreamWorks friends (from movies like Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon). And in November 2015, Tangled: The Musical opens on the Disney Magic.

“Teachable” cruises

Many ships’ play cares provide STEM
(science, technology, engineering and math-
ematics) activities, like Super Sloppy Science
and Anyone Can Cook (Disney), Jr. CHEF@
Sea and Science on the Seas (Princess) and a
Junior Ranger Program (available on several
lines’ Alaska cruises).

Splish splash

Norwegian’s Epic delivers a 200-foot plunge into the largest bowl slide at sea, while the Breakaway-class sports five multistory waterslides. Disney’s Dream and Fantasy boast a four-story high, 765-foot-long water coaster that careers over the ocean. And Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships feature the Aqua Theater, with a spectacular dive show synchronized to music and lights.

Good to know: Disney is famous for being the first (and still the only) line to station a lifeguard at every pool.

Older teens kickin’ it

What about your 18-year-old who turned “adult” last week, but is still in high school? Ages 18 years and higher can’t chill in teen clubs, so choose a line with a high-activity class, like Royal Caribbean’s Oasis or Quantum, that delivers endless older-teen excitement.

As a blaze of coral shades sweeps the evening sky, chatterboxes will reappear brimming with excitement. You’ve waved your cruise wand: The kids are happily tuckered, the adults recharged. Time for family—the most wondrous of life’s excursions. C

Wendy Irvine lives with her family in Atlanta—five hours from the nearest port.

The Costco Connection

Costco Travel offers a variety of cruise lines and ships catering to families and all types of travelers. For more information, click “Travel” at Costco.com or call;1-877-849-2730. Charting the waters for a successful trip