Cruise tips and deals for kiddies

So you’re taking a cruise with the kiddies? Well, make sure that you use the ship to give everybody in your family a happy holiday:

• Put the kidlets in the age appropriate clubs – it means that you get a proper break and they never hang around your deck chair saying ‘I’m booooored’ in that terrible whining tone that causes arguments.
• Let them eat cake – or ice-cream or whatever – it’s a holiday and for a couple of weeks it won’t matter if they stuff themselves with food you’d never feed them at home – while you enjoy gourmet offerings, let them run wild with sprinkles and sugary drinks.
• Let them stay up – instead of insisting on a regular bedtime, like at home, let them stay up until their eyelids won’t stay open. This will happen earlier every night, and when you can be enjoying a show or watching the stars, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a sleepy offspring dozing off on your shoulder, does it?
• Choose the ship that has a TV character your little ones love – Mr Men, Noddy, Bob the Builder … it all helps to make for a happy holiday.

Thomson offers free cruise places for kids, while Costa and NCL have both had offers allowing children to travel free in a family cabin – shop around for the very best deal.