Selling Cruises: Family Cruises
by John Hawks

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If your clients plan to bring an infant on the cruise, check ahead for the cruise line's rules. While Disney accepts children as young as 12 weeks, Princess sets a minimum age of six months and Windjammer says six years! Though every OSSN agent will have his or her own preferences, four cruise lines -- Carnival, Cunard, Norwegian, and Disney -- are well-known for their baby-friendly policies and programs (on most of their ships, that is).

On the other end of the spectrum, many Carnival and Princess ships offer special amenities and programs targeting teenagers (including teen nightclubs, spa services, and pools), and Holland America's newly remodeled ships will have a teens-only area.

If your parent clients want a night out, leaving the kids in the cabin with a babysitter, your best bets will be those cruise lines -- including Celebrity, Crystal, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean -- that permit you to hire an in-cabin sitter via the purser's desk. Remember that Carnival and Princess do not permit in-cabin babysitting.

If your clients say they want a family suite, compare the cost of two adjoining cabins. The pricing may be better that way, and the parents may appreciate the chance to give their older children their own space!

What about dining? Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean (especially with its Johnny Rockets restaurants on board) make it a point to offer family-friendly menus and alternate dining arrangements if your clients have children in tow.

When you're reviewing actual itineraries, keep in mind two factors. First, cruise lines that offer private islands (e.g., Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean) may appeal to families who will appreciate the safe environment for their kids to roam a bit more freely. Plus, parents with smaller children will prefer port stops where they can walk off the ship directly onto the pier (as opposed to transfers via tender).

Now, the $64,000 question: Which cruise ships do the best job with families? Every OSSN agent will have a different list of favorites, but here's a quick roundup of ships that you should consider from the start:

Carnival: "Carnival Valor," "Conquest," "Glory," "Legend," "Miracle," "Pride," "Spirit," and "Victory"

Celebrity: "Constellation," "Infinity," "Millennium," and "Summit"

Crystal: "Harmony" and "Symphony"

Disney: "Disney Magic" and "Disney Wonder"

Norwegian: "Norwegian Dawn," "Norwegian Star," and "Norwegian Sun"

Princess: "Caribbean Princess," "Golden Princess," "Grand Princess," and "Star Princess"

Royal Caribbean: "Adventure of the Seas," "Explorer of the Seas," "Mariner of the Seas," "Navigator of the Seas," and "Voyager of the Seas"

* John Hawks -- OSSN's news editor -- was the founding editor of "Bank Travel Management," the national trade magazine for bank loyalty program directors.