FAMILIES AFL AT Cruising
Child-friendly ships, novel onboard attractions and fresh itineraries are spicing up the long-haul family cruise market, says Sara Macefi eld
N
orwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International will be setting the pace in 2014 with the launch in January of Norwegian Getaway, featuring an aqua park, waterslides and even a plank that you can walk pirate-style out from the side of the ship. Not to be outdone, Royal’s Quantum
of the Seas follows in November with bumper cars and a skydiving simulator! After initially calling into Southampton, both ships will be based in the US and sail to the Caribbean, with Getaway homeporting in Miami and Quantum in New York. Norwegian predicts 2014 will see more British families taking a cruise, with Vice President and International General Manager Francis Riley adding: “The UK family cruising market is as strong as ever and the average age of cruisers is falling.”
62 December 2013 He points to increasing numbers
of multi-generational family groups, a trend that has prompted Norwegian to look at new ways of accommodating them. “It has also resulted in the introduction of new family cabins on the Breakaway-class ships, which can hold up to fi ve guests,” he added. America and the Caribbean tend to dominate long-haul family cruising, especially as sailings from Florida enable families to enjoy a few days in theme parks at either end of their voyage. Thomson Cruises has bolstered its Caribbean cruise programme with new ports of call this winter and a return to Cuba. It is also introducing fl ights aboard the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft that connect with its cruises from Barbados and Jamaica, where it will homeport from December 2014. Meanwhile, Disney Cruise Line is basing the newly-revamped Disney Magic out of Puerto Rico for the fi rst time in autumn 2014. Holland America Line is keen to attract more families onto its Eastern Seaboard sailings between Boston
www.sellinglonghaul.com
and Québec City, and has two ships offering weekly departures on the route from May to October. As families become more
experienced cruisers, crossing mainstream itineraries such as the Mediterranean and the Caribbean off their list, rising numbers are opting for less obvious itineraries. Cunard reports signifi cant growth among families on its transatlantic routes aboard the Queen Mary 2. It also claims the choice of different departures from Southampton, Hamburg and New York is encouraging more international family business. Said Carnival UK Youth Programme Manager Richard Iles: “A transatlantic crossing is very much an experience, and combining it with a few days in New York offers a truly fantastic family holiday.”
This is something I experienced
fi rst-hand with my husband and 10-year-old twin daughters during the summer when we fl ew to New York for two nights, before joining the Queen Mary 2 for a seven-night sailing to Southampton.
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