Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Some cruise lines are super-stuffy and expect the most proper of behavior. Some welcome wild fun and kids with open arms! Here are cruise lines that are very family friendly.

Carnival
If you've seen cruise commercials on TV, chances they're from Carnival. This line focusses on fun and party, not on elegant dinners and wine-tasting seminars. Carnival's ships carry around 2,000 people each - so even if a small percentage of cruisers are kids, that still ensures plenty of kids to keep your tykes company.

Disney
This one is a no brainer. Disney is completely geared towards kids - and even the private island helps ensure that your kids are safe when they are roaming around on land. They even offer combined packages that match a cruise with a trip to Disney WOrld.

Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian is famous for its casual freestyle cruising. The ship is often used by families - and their themed cruises have kid-friendly weeks such as 'martial arts for kids' and 'zoo / wild animal'.

Of course, most any cruise line will *take* kids - but if the cruise is very elegant, and the cruisers looking for a quiet, high-class experience, they may be grumpy with your child's natural energy. Also, if you go on a small ship, there might therefore be a tiny number of kids on board, meaning your child is stuck with only a few kids that are quite older or younger.

Be sure to look at your cruising time, as well. If you go during vacations, you will have lots of friends for your child to play with. If you go when most kids are in school, you risk having your child being the only child his or her age on the ship!