Kids can make or break your family cruise. If they’re bored and hate the food options, they will loudly and repeatedly express their displeasure. Pick the wrong cruise ship, and parents will feel as trapped as if they were stranded on a deserted island … with biting crabs underfoot.
The best cruises for kids take advantage of ships with endless fun for the under-18 crowd, plentiful dining that appeals to both young palates and bottomless teen tummies, accommodations and ship services that keep families in mind, and opportunities to meet and hang out with peers. No matter your family size or price range, you can find some incredible vacations at sea that will have kids exclaiming, “Best cruise ever!” by the end of the week.
Find the top ship for your next trip with our list of the six best cruise ships for kids (and their parents).
Disney Treasure
No one is surprised that Disney is such a kid-friendly cruise line — but what might be surprising is how much there is for adults to do and enjoy, too. That’s especially true on the new Disney Treasure, which debuted in late 2024.
Disney Treasure has four kids clubs divided by age, and the main Oceaneer Club for 3- to 10-year-olds has an exciting grand entrance. Kids get to enter the club by slide — and once inside, can explore the club’s spaces themed to “Star Wars,” fairy tales, Marvel and Disney Imagineers.
Along with the kids club on Disney Treasure, junior cruisers will find two movie theaters showing first-run Disney movies, Broadway-caliber shows telling the tales of “Moana” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and dining experiences themed around the movie “Coco” and the Worlds of Marvel.
In addition to fun bars themed around Disney rides (Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise) and adults-only fine dining restaurants, grown-ups will appreciate the little touches on Disney Treasure that make family cruising easier — split bathrooms in most cabins, a drop-off nursery, a splash area for toddlers and restaurant staff members who will offer high chairs and cut up your kid’s food.
Disney Treasure sails weeklong cruises to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida (near Orlando). They include a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, with its family beach, supervised child care, splash pad and strollers to borrow.
Related: How to save money on the cost of a Disney cruise
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A nearly identical sister ship, Disney Wish, sails short Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral, and the third ship of the trio, Disney Destiny, will debut in late 2025 to offer four- and five-night Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which debuted in January 2024, is the largest ship afloat and definitely one of the top cruise ships for kids. Young cruisers will never be bored on a ship with a six-slide water park, a surf simulator, a rock-climbing wall, a sports court and Surfside — a half deck of watery play spaces and restaurants devoted to little kids and their families.
Kids (and parents) who like a good show can gasp as ice skaters land jumps on a rocking ship, and acrobatic divers flip and splash in the AquaTheater, now up high on the ship under a glass dome. Don’t miss pizza and parades on the Royal Promenade, Icon’s indoor shopping strip, or Royal Caribbean‘s take on “The Wizard of Oz” in the main theater.
The kid-friendly cruise ship debuted innovative new family cabins and suites, some with separate kids’ rooms, to better accommodate guests of all ages. The Ultimate Family Townhouse is a massive three-floor living space with a screening room, a karaoke machine, an in-suite slide and a backyard that leads out to the Surfside family neighborhood.
Related: Best Royal Caribbean ships for kids
Icon of the Seas sails weeklong Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Miami. A nearly identical sister ship, Star of the Seas, debuts this summer and will also be a hit with families.
Norwegian Encore
Norwegian Encore has a more grown-up vibe than many of the family-focused ships on our list, but its onboard attractions make it a huge hit with teens. Its top decks lure older kids with one of the biggest go-kart tracks in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Indoors, a huge virtual reality playground features rides and games that blow the standard cruise ship arcade out of the water.
Note to parents: Cruiselong passes for the go-kart race track and virtual reality games do not come cheap. Be prepared to pull out your wallet to keep the teens happy.
At night, teens can feed their growing bodies with milkshakes, international street food, hibachi and barbecue, plus 24/7 burgers and comfort food at The Local. Afterward, they’ll agree to be seen in public with their parents at a show as cool as “Choir of Man.” It’s an easy concession, as they know they can always escape to the teen club, Entourage, to hang out with the cool kids late at night.
Related: Best cruise lines for families
Norwegian Encore’s best cruises for kids span multiple oceans. The ship spends its summers in Alaska and winters in the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, with a handful of Panama Canal and Pacific Coast sailings in between.
Carnival Celebration
Passengers and crew members on Carnival Cruise Line ships come ready to meet new friends or share a laugh, a story and a drink with their shipmates. Social kids will fit right in and love the line’s huge Carnival Celebration. They can make friends at the Family Harbor Lounge, Camp Ocean and Dr. Seuss Bookville; older kids will enjoy the teen and tween clubs conveniently located near Guy Fieri’s burger stand and the video arcade.
If you’re looking for the best cruises for kids, Carnival Celebration and its nearly identical fleet mates, Mardi Gras and Carnival Jubilee, are the only cruise ships boasting a top-deck roller coaster called Bolt. A ride here is Instagram gold and the ultimate bragging rights for kids on vacation. The coaster dominates the Ultimate Playground area of the ship, where young cruisers can challenge their new friends to miniature golf, waterslide races, basketball and ropes course domination.
Kids who love a good food court can meet up with friends or family at several no-fee, casual eateries, including Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant and a trio of Street Eats venues featuring dumplings, meat on a stick and loaded french fries. Late-night pizza and ice cream will keep the whole family fueled up for the interactive “Family Feud Live” show.
Related: The ultimate guide to Carnival Cruise Line ships and itineraries
Carnival Celebration’s kid-friendly cruises include weeklong Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Miami. Its sister Mardi Gras sails similar Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida (near Orlando). Carnival Jubilee is based out of Galveston, Texas, and offers six- and seven-night Western Caribbean cruises and eight-night Bahamas cruises to the line’s two private beach destinations.
MSC World America
MSC Cruises will bring one of its largest ships to the U.S. in April 2025. The floating megaresort will have more family-friendly offerings than any other ship in the fleet, making MSC World America one of the best cruise ships for kids.
The ship stands out from its sisters because of its massive top-deck family-fun zone called The Harbour. It targets families like no other MSC ship with attractions including a giant water park with four waterslides, a two-level ropes course with “sky rails” (like zip lines), a 10-deck-high dry slide, a first-of-its-kind overwater swing ride to be called Cliffhanger and a playground modeled after the lighthouse at MSC Cruises’ private island in the Bahamas.
The Harbour isn’t the only family-friendly area on board. The Doremiland kids program zone will have seven rooms for kids of all ages to enjoy activities and crew-led programs. The MSC Sportplex will be an indoor, multiuse space for family-friendly activities such as bumper cars and rollerblading.
Around the ship, kids and their families can enjoy the ship’s multiple dining venues serving Italian, Greek, Mexican and Asian fare. But young cruisers will likely be most excited about Sweet Temptations, a dessert venue dishing out over-the-top milkshakes, make-your-own ice cream bars, crepes, doughnuts and candy.
Related: Cruise lines where kids sail free
When it debuts in April, MSC World America will sail weeklong Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean voyages from Miami. All itineraries will stop at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ chill private island in the Bahamas.
AmaWaterways’ AmaLea
The typical river cruise draws a lot of retirees — except when Adventures by Disney partners with AmaWaterways. The two travel companies have created a river cruise vacation that is fun for grown-ups and kids.
AmaLea makes our list of the best cruise ships for kids because it’s one of the ships AmaWaterways custom-built for family cruises. Certain twin balcony cabins sleep three, and suites sleep four to accommodate kids, with connecting cabin options for families who need more space. Unlike many river ships, AmaLea has a pool, as well as a surprise kid hit — giant outdoor chess.
While other AmaWaterways family-friendly ships sail the Seine and Rhine rivers, AmaLea travels the Danube through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Adventures by Disney makes the most of your time with shore excursions planned to entertain kids and adults, with options for supervised kid activities while parents head out on more grown-up tours. Your family might meet farm animals in Hungary, play hide-and-seek in a palace’s labyrinth maze in Austria and hang around in a treetop playground in Germany.
Related: Best river cruises in Europe
On board, kids menus are available, and the occasional pajama party whisks kids away for pizza and a movie while adults linger over dinner. Adventure Guides give everyone a helping hand to make traveling as a family as easy as possible.
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