2025 Family Vacation Trends & Ideas: Family Cruises

Parents‘ 2024 Family Travel Awards, released in December, recognized several cruise lines for their family-friendly offerings.

• Disney Cruises was Named Best Family Cruise Line
• Royal Caribbean – Won Best Entertainment Cruise Line and Best Private Island for CocoCay
• Carnival Cruises- Highlighted for their “Seuss at Sea” program, which “adds whimsical fun with parades and story time starring recognizable characters from some of their favorite Dr. Seuss books.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney is making waves with two major launches this year. The Disney Destiny, as reported by Travel Pulse, will be “decked out with a ‘heroes and villains’ theme.” The 4,000-guest ship is scheduled for her maiden voyage on November 20, sailing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Later in the year, Disney will debut the Disney Adventure, specifically designed for guests in Asia. This impressive 6,700-guest vessel will depart from Singapore on December 15.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the second vessel in the new Icon Class designed with families in mind, will debut from Port Canaveral this August.

As one of the largest cruise ships in the world, it will feature the biggest water park at sea and a gravity-defying obstacle course. This comes after the successful launch of Icon of the Seas last year, which was named “Best in Cruise Ships, Overall” by Travel Weekly’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

MSC Cruises

The MSC World America will debut in April, showcasing several family-friendly features. Travel Pulse reports that it will have “the largest kids’ area in the entire MSC Cruises fleet” and offer “19 cabin options.” Additionally, it will feature “the only Eataly restaurant at sea.”

Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises is expanding its Nile River fleet with two new vessels for families interested in Egyptian adventures. The Viking Amun will begin sailing in September, followed by Viking Thoth in October.

• Where do you want to go? Most people envision cruises to warm destinations like the Caribbean, but you can truly explore the world through cruises!
• What type of ship do you want to cruise on? You can choose from large ships or smaller boutique-style ones. The larger ships tend to offer fun activities for kids, water sports, and kids’ clubs, while river cruises are typically on smaller, more intimate boats.
• How many days do you have? You can take a short cruise of 3 to 4 days or choose a week-long or longer cruise.
• What do you want to do? Cruises offer endless activity Options. Thinking about the activities everyone in your family will enjoy can help you determine the best ship and itinerary.
• What’s your budget? Cruising can be an excellent value for your family vacation. The costs typically include accommodations, sailing between ports of call, all meals, and onboard entertainment.

A few more tips…

• Make sure to compare cabin options carefully since new ships provide many more choices to accommodate families.
• Holiday sailings tend to fill up quickly, so make sure to plan ahead.
• School break periods, such as holidays and summer, usually have higher rates. For better deals, consider the off-peak seasons.

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Be sure to check out the other 2025 Family Vacation episodes in this series, including International destinations, the U.S., the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Caribbean.