How To Have The Most Relaxing Family Vacations
Expert Travel Tips for a Relaxing Family Getaway
By Cynthia Drake | Published on May 30, 2023
If you're a parent, you may be skeptical of relaxing family getaways. Sometimes, typical family vacations are some of the least relaxing events. Between packing, shuttling everyone to the airport, dealing with upended sleep schedules and fielding arguments between siblings, you may not have a chance to kick back and soak it all in.
Is it even possible to plan a truly stress-free family getaway? I'm here to say that it is, especially if you're open to taking your crew on a cruise. In fact, cruises have been some of the most relaxing family vacations I've had — that's why we keep returning to them again and again. Here are some of my tips for making relaxation a priority on your next family cruise.
Planning A Relaxing Family Cruise
Easygoing Starts With Easy
Especially when traveling with babies or smaller children, I always recommend living by the motto: "Go with what's easy." Sure, you will have times in your life when you want to push the envelope on your family vacation and challenge your kids to camp in the woods or take daylong hikes or bike treks, but when you're parenting young children, easy is usually best for everyone. "Easy" is what gets you on.
This starts with booking your vacation. Do you want to have to make a decision for every single aspect of your vacation, from where you're sleeping to where you're eating, or would you prefer to click the button on your one-stop-shop vacation and spend your remaining mental energy dreaming up all the fun things you'll get to see and do on your cruise? I know what works best for my family — and family cruises are as easy and as fun as they sound.
Like me, you might also grapple with wanting to save as much money as possible to be a good steward of the family budget. Here again, the "easy" choice of a cruise tends to make the most sense, rolling all of your vacation costs into one price, often with added discounts for your kids (plus included child care services, which you probably won't get on that traditional vacation).
What Do You Do To Relax As A Family?
When traveling with family on vacation, keep in mind that relaxation can mean something different to each family member. If you're traveling with extended family, each person will likely have their own preferences and priorities as well. This is another reason why cruises are some of the most relaxing vacations. There is room to tailor your vacation to each person's needs, without making the rest of the family sacrifice what makes them happy. Raise your hand if you've ever waited in a hot, sweaty, hour-long line at a theme park just because it was your kid's all-time favorite ride. On a cruise vacation, there's no need for that!
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Create Your Best Vacation Days
The perfect vacation day will vary from family to family, and over the years, the schedule will change as kids start sleeping in more (hooray for that!) and their interests change. The great thing about a cruise is you can customize your itinerary from day to day and trip to trip.
For example, your family might be filled with early risers that want to hit the breakfast buffet first thing and then head off to their individual activities. Or, you might be more likely to linger over a late breakfast while your kids splash away in the pool. My personal favorite ultimate cruise indulgence? Room service breakfast is delivered to my stateroom balcony while I sip coffee and watch the ocean and my kids watch cartoons in their pajamas. This is vacation, after all. There's no need to rush anywhere.
If you're in port, you might pick an adventure that's new for your whole family to try, from all-terrain vehicle adventures to ziplining or swimming with dolphins. Or, you might choose to break off into smaller groups depending on interest and energy level. The great thing is that everyone comes back to the same place at the end, allowing you to swap tales over a shared meal together.
Throughout the day, make sure to plan some time when you can be together as a family, laughing and creating new memories, whether that's meal times, shore excursions, or onboard family games.
Take Advantage Of All-Inclusive Child Care
Still not sure how to relax on vacation with family? I'll share my number one tip for making a cruise relaxing. This doesn't get as much attention as I think it should, but onboard child care is an excellent option for parents on vacation. Initially, I didn't know how well my children would take to spending time at these programs, but any worries quickly melted away.
Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean kids clubs have offered high-quality, engaging child care for my kids starting when they were babies and throughout the years now that they're older. Not only are there fun new toys for various ages, but the staff has always engaged my kids with fun games and crafts.
