Family cruise vacations are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. Not only are cruises a great way to expose kids to different cultures in an affordable way, but cruises are also very safe. Because of that, we see the number of families taking to the seas growing. As a matter of fact, of all areas within the cruise industry, family cruises is the fastest growing.

If you think about it, families run at 100 miles per hour in today’s society. Between work, soccer, baseball, dance, doctor’s appointments, homework, and all that is involved in running a family, parents look for options that provide them with relaxation while giving the kids tons of fun things to do. With kid-friendly cruises, this is exactly what you get ? a convenient, stress free, and fun environment for all ages.

Celebrity Cruises

If you think about it, it’s an extremely cost-effective and time-efficient way to take a holiday. Consider all the time you’d spend driving yourself to several different destinations, packing and unpacking at each hotel, and searching for restaurants and other services. On a cruise you don’t drive anywhere for seven, ten, fourteen days or even even more. Even if you were on a bus tour with no driving yourself, you haul your luggage or  at least one package and unpack it at every new stop. On a cruise, you check your luggage when you check in and it magically appears in  your cabin, stateroom, or even suite. You’re at home for the duration of the cruise.

Celebrity Cruise Lines offer some of the best deals in the business. Conde Nast Traveler consistently ratesCelebrity Cruises as one of the world’s best cruise lines. Services include informative lectures about your location, upscale boutiques, and Las Vegas style entertainment created for Celebrity by Cirque du Soleil. Try your luck in the Casino or collect fine art during an onboad auction.  The nightlife spectacular at The Bar At The Edge of the Earth.

Cruising - What You Should Know

Some people are afraid to use this great vacation outlet because they are feel they will get bored or feel confined while they are having a day at sea.  Nothing could be farther from the truth. There are activities all day, every day that cater to everyone’s interest.  And the best part of that is if you want to play bridge and your spouse wants to do aerobics, your both free to do what ever you like and meet up later for a margarita or rum punch at the pool. 

Another bonus to cruising is that you get to visit multiple destinations.  If you cruise the Caribbean you will go to several islands, depending on the length of the cruise. At night while you are sleeping peacefully in your bed the captain and crew are taking you to a new exotic location for you to explore the next day.  If you cruise in Europe (after you have flown to the port of embarkation) you will find yourself in whole new countries from one day to the next. For example, if you cruise the Baltic, you will be visiting Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia and either Croatia or Estonia.

Paddleboat Cruise

The clientele tends to be older, but, what a shame that the younger mature adults are missing out on all this fun.  It is steam boating in the true sense of the word.  The paddlewheel turns as you leisurely make your way up and down the rivers and through the many dams that have been erected since the time of Lewis and Clarke.  The ship is patterned after the river boats that plied the waters of Alaska, Oregon and Washington over 100 years ago and has a distinctly Russian flavor.

The “Portland Penny” is how Portland got its name narrowly missing being called Boston.  The partners Lovejoy and Pettygrove who had filed the claim staking the territory needed to come up with a name for the quickly expanding territory.  Lovejoy being from Boston, Massachusetts was adamant that this would be the name, while Pettygrove equally adamant wanted it to be called Portland after his beloved Portland, Maine.  Hence the “Portland Penny” when Pettygrove won two out of the three tosses.