Travelling in the School Holidays
Beccy Miller
If you have children or grandchildren, or perhaps work in education, you will know all too well that planning a trip during the school holidays can be like a military operation. Luckily, we're on hand to help it go smoothly...
Decide when to travel
Most people will automatically pick the big summer holiday when looking for their cruise getaway, but think outside the box! The first thing to do is to look at your school calendars, you will find that depending on where you are located you may have weeks that fall slightly differently to the rest of the UK, and you can take advantage of these to get a great deal.
The half-terms are great for getting some sunshine when it's traditionally colder at home. The May and October half terms will still allow you to lounge around the pool in the Med. For Christmas, February or Easter, the Canaries offer year-round sunshine or head to the Caribbean or Pacific Coast for idyllic beaches.
Research your ships
Trying to decide what ship to sail on when travelling with children can be tricky, especially if you are going on a multi-generational trip or the kids are all different ages. That's where we come in! We can recommend ships that cater to all your needs, as it is easy to become overwhelmed with all the options and our team have first-hand knowledge of the pros and cons of each. It can be a good idea to get all the family involved in choosing what ship to pick from a shortlist and get everyone excited for the epic waterparks, incredible kids clubs or other fantastic amenities you can find offered in the school holidays. Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line are all great options for families.
Depending on your family, you might not need ships with whistles and bells, especially if you are a multi-generational group. Some of the cruise lines which tend to cater to older passengers during term time and don't offer kids clubs, often have special cruises during school holidays which will have activities planned to cater to younger guests, so you can still get a smaller ship experience for your family if that's what you are after.
Book early
Whilst term-time cruisers can throw caution to the wind and wait for late bargains to crop up, families who are bound by dates are best avoiding this if they want to guarantee a particular ship or itinerary. Cabins for 3 or 4 people tend to go quickly and some ships have a capacity limit for child travellers to ensure there are enough spaces in the kid's clubs.
Booking early means you get your pick of the best cabins and lots of early booking benefits are usually included, such as free or reduced drinks packages, onboard spend and free parking if sailing from the UK.
Or escape children completely!
If the idea of a cruise ship full of children fills you with horror, but you find yourself having to travel during the school holidays, then don't worry, a relaxing time still awaits. Most of the big family ships do include some adult-only spaces, such as a sun deck, solarium and the odd bar.
Or you can swerve kids by booking on an adult-only ship. All of Virgin Voyage's ships are child-free zones and P&O offers ships which are just for grown-ups, along with lines like Ambassador.
