Fun Family Vacations Experience on a Royal Caribbean Cruise |
Our family cruised on a Royal Caribbean Cruise in May 2004. All 6 of us went on the four night cruise which left from Port Canaveral, Florida. We cruised to Nassau, Bahamas with a stopover at Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay.
What we were looking for on this family vacations stop, was to give the kids a cruise experience without spending a huge amount of money in the process. Since my husband loves to drive, we drove to Port Canaveral... about eleven hour drive from our home. There are many hotels in the Port Canaveral area that offer free parking and a shuttle to the cruise port... so we took advantage of that.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines did not offer a cabin large enough for our entire family on the ship (Sovereign of the Seas) , so we opted for two three-person cabins. I will not brag on the size of the cabins, but we had a place to lay our heads at night.... and in reality, how long would you spend in the room when on a family cruise vacation anyway!
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Highlights |
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Coco Cay - Royal Caribbean's Private IslandOne of our favorite parts of this cruise was Royal Caribbean's
private island, Coco Cay.
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The Towel Animals A very favorite was the towel animals that awaited us in the cabin each and every evening. You just never knew what you were going to find on the bed in your cabin after dinner. As you can see, this particular evening, the animal is an elephant. We saw such animals as monkeys, lobsters, and fish. The towel animals were a particular favorite of the kids on this family vacation. |
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The Children's Pirate Invasion
The photo on the right is of my son, Andrew, dressed as a pirate. He really enjoyed the cruising experience on this trip, and being a part of the children's activities. |
We had a wonderful time, and "talk about relaxing"... there were
absolutely no demands on your time other than enjoying the beach and , of
course, the food. An island Bar-B-Q was served on the beach during
our stay.... The kids enjoyed swimming, and snorkeling (in the shallow
water) with masks and snorkels, while David and I just lounged nearby. 
One
evening, the children aged 5 - 8 dressed as pirates, and "invaded" the
ship. The kids had a great time dressing up as pirates, and then
touring the entire ship singing out their "AHH's" and "ARRGG's".
Other Favorites
The
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Rock Climbing Wall
The
pizza - available from 11:00 AM every day - My son was in heaven.
The
onboard entertainment - absolutely wonderful!
The
"coke card" - purchased separately, but allows the holder to have unlimited soft
drinks while on board. We bought one for each child.
Our Recommendations
Take
advantage of free parking at area hotels if you drive to your cruise port.
Persuade your children to try the children's activities. Our children
enjoyed eating meals with us, but visited the children's activities each evening
after dinner for a few hours. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines gives points to
children for each activity they attend. The kids can then redeem those
points for prizes on the last night of the cruise.
