If you’re looking for the best family getaway, one where EVERYONE including mum gets to relax and enjoy themselves, a cruise is absolutely the way to go. My family love cruising, in fact my husband and I have been on 11 Royal Caribbean cruises (totalling 95 nights at sea)! Since having kids, we’ve cruised 3 times, and I can happily say it’s an even better experience when you’re traveling as a family.
Royal Caribbean have some of the biggest and best ships in the industry, and while we aren’t quite lucky enough to see some of the mega ships here in Australia, Brisbane is a home port each year for a RCI ship which means easy access to your holiday. No flying to Sydney just to begin! For the past few years we have seen Quantum of the Seas located in Brisbane, so this article is mostly regarding this ship, however in the 25-26 season Voyager of the Seas will return to Brisbane instead – and I’ve been on this one a few times too and it’s actually one of my favourites!
From the moment you hop on board, you’re on holidays and you can feel everyone’s joy and excitement! If you need more convincing, here’s why you should book a cruise.
Budget friendly, and easy to budget for!
Cruises are one of the most budget friendly ways to take a holiday. There are sales going regularly, so I always strongly recommend signing up for their newsletters and taking advantage of their sales. We often book when it’s 50% off the second guest (tip – book 2 rooms for 4 people and you’ll get 2x 50% off!!), or sometimes they will have a Kids Pay Taxes only sale. They’re also easy to budget for, simply pay your deposit when booking and then they’ll give you a repayment schedule so you pay it off in instalments before you depart! If you’re looking to enjoy some alcoholic refreshments and worried about budget, you might consider a beverage package. We very rarely purchase one of these as it hasn’t been worth it for us, but it is available if you’re someone who wants everything paid off beforehand.
Food and drink
So what’s included? Breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus snacks. There are multiple dining venues catering to buffet style, quick service and table service – all of which are free. Free of charge quick service snack options onboard include a Hot Dog Bar, Pizza Parlour and two Cafés with sandwiches and cookies. The Windjammer is the Buffet restaurant on board and is open 15 hours a day, basically only closing briefly between services to clean and reset. The Main Dining Room is your table service restaurant, which serves breakfast and lunch on sea days, and dinner nightly. There is also juice, iced tea, traditional lemonade, water, tea and coffee available free of charge at drink stations across the ship.
Activities
When you cruise, you can “choose your own adventure”. From relaxing poolside with a book to rock climbing and surfing, there is something for everyone. Daily trivia, karaoke, scavenger hunts, destination talks, game shows, movie screenings, dance classes, pool tables, table tennis and napkin artistry are available for those looking for indoor activities. Or head out to the deck where you can go rock climbing, try IFly skydiving, Flow Rider surfing and body boarding, North Star observation arm, pool volleyball, bellyflop challenges, aqua aerobics, morning deck runs and shuffle board. The indoor sports courts have open play basketball, badminton, dodgeball and other games daily, plus extra bonuses like rollerskating sessions, dodgem cars and laser tag. All of this is FREE and included! (Note: IFly, Flow Rider and North Star are free on days when the ship is docked. On sea days, the sessions are longer and have a cost. The free sessions are released for bookings via the app each day at 6pm).
If you’re keen on swimming, Quantum of the Seas has 3 pools (an outdoor pool, indoor pool, and adults only pool). There is also a kids splash pad and 4 hot tubs. Be aware that if your child is in swim nappies they are ONLY allowed in the kids splash pad, they will be asked to leave if you take them in the main pool. The best part of Voyager of the Seas is the swimming pool is so much more family friendly! There is a family pool area called Adventure Beach which has children’s pools and a water slide, plus there is a massive two-deck high spiral waterslide for the brave!
Entertainment
Nightly theatre stage shows featuring the onboard cast or guest presenters are a great way to kick off the evening entertainment. Check out the bars for piano players, karaoke competitions, live music and DJ dance floors. Kids have a 10pm curfew, but up until then they are welcome at all venues on the ship! If you’re planning on checking out a show, make sure you get there at least 20 minutes before start time if you want to sit together. The StarWater show on Quantum of the Seas requires reservations through the app, but all other shows are open seating on a first come, first seated basis. Each ship has its own feature show that won’t change – they literally build the sets into the ship when it is built! So if you’re travelling on a ship multiple times you will see the same feature show, but all the other supporting shows will change. For those travelling on Voyager of the Seas in 25-26, be prepared to be amazed with an ice-skating show!! This is just mindblowing that they are able to perform an ice show while a ship is cruising and rocking around! Again, you’ll need to book your FREE tickets for this through the app.
Accommodation in family-friendly staterooms
There are a variety of rooms to choose from depending on your budget. Whether you pick an interior room (no windows, but they have virtual window so it feels like you’re looking out the window!), a balcony room, or a suite, you can fit a family of 4 easily. If you’re looking for a bit more room (teenagers!) or have more than 2 kids, you might want to book an inter-connecting room. We’ve also booked 2 rooms – one a balcony and the other an interior – that were across from each other, because it was cheaper than booking 1 balcony room! It’s a complex system, basically while all the rooms look the same, some are designed to hold 2 and some are designed to hold 4 due to passenger ratios. Most rooms will come with 2 Singles that can be kept separate or pushed together to make a King, plus a fold out Double sofa bed. Occasionally you’ll find a ship with pull down bunk beds, but these are becoming less common, and will mostly be found in interior rooms. One thing I love about Royal Caribbean is that all bathrooms are spacious and the showers have shower screens!! If you’ve ever had to shower in a cruise ship shower with a curtain, you’ll know what I mean by a shower screen is a true luxury.
Kids’ clubs
Royal Caribbean offers a free of charge kids club for children aged 3 – 11 years. Rooms are split into 3-5yos, 6-8yos and 9-11yos. Sessions run from 9am – 12pm, 2pm – 5pm, and 7pm – 10pm. You need to go and register on the first day, but then after that you just turn up and drop off whenever you want. We’ve travelled during school holidays and never had issues with capacity limits being reached, but just be aware that they do have limits so if you have an activity planned that you need the kids in kids club for, get there before the session starts! If you have a younger child, they must be fully toilet trained. Also, parents are not allowed past the entry gate, so if your child needs help settling in, unfortunately you are not able to go in with them. For children 6mths – 3yrs, they have the Royal Nursery, which is a creche that you pay for hourly (US$6 per hour until 8pm, US$8 per hour between 8-10pm). Teens aged 12 and over have access to The Living Room, which is a teens only hang out space with staff there to facilitate activities but teens are free to come and go as they please.
Adults only!
Dropped the kids off to Kids Club and got some free time on your hands?? Head to the Solarium, the indoor, adults-only pool and spa. There is a café, plenty of lounges to laze about on, and floor to ceiling windows at the front of the ship to watch the waves pass.
Extra tips for a great cruise
Use the app: the app is your go-to guide to everything on board. You can save your favourites to the calendar, make bookings, check opening hours and find out what’s on. You also have access to the ships messaging service that is free of charge. This is a great way for getting in touch with others in your group, as you will not get internet or phone service on the ship, and ships wi-fi is VERY expensive!
Tipping & currency: Royal Caribbean is an American cruise company, and as such all purchases on board are in US dollars. Be aware of this when ordering your cocktails, shopping in the Promenade, or booking an additional activity or tour!! While in the past tipping was required, RCI have changed their pricing structure for Australian cruises and if you book in Australia your gratuities are included and you no longer are required to tip on board.
Food & drink: If you don’t have a drinks package, note that you’re allowed to bring on board with you 1 bottle of wine or champagne per adult in your cabin. You have a small fridge that you can store it in, and we just ask for a bucket of ice and grab wine glasses at a bar. You can pour yourself a wine in your room and then take it with you to dinner – this is a great way to save money if you’re not a big drinker! We also usually take snacks like chips and crackers with us, as you won’t see these on board and sometimes the kids just like a little taste from home.
You’re in a giant metal box: which means, everything is magnetic!!! Make the most of your walls in your cabin and store things using magnets to keep the floors and limited bench space clear. We always take some heavy duty magnetic hooks to attach to the ceiling which helps when drying off swim wear and any wet clothes.
Cabin essentials: things I like to take to help in a small space include a hanging laundry basket for dirty clothes and hanging toiletries bags. Make sure you bring US adapters with you for any electronic devices. A pen and some paper is also really useful for leaving notes to your Room Attendant. A small magnet for your cabin door can be helpful for finding your room too!
Room keys: in days gone past you could get a hole punched in your card and attach to a lanyard. With the new technology, the cards can no longer be hole punched. Make sure you take a lanyard with a plastic pocket, or I really like those small phone bags that you can tuck your room key in too. You don’t need a bag on board, so this is great for holding your phone and room key – the only things you need to have on you!
