Cruise ships are an excellent destination for a family holiday. Many ships are designed specifically with families in mind. All you need to entertain the kids is on board parents, you then get a proper holiday too.

As parents, it is still your responsibility to ensure the children are safe while having a good time on the cruise ship. Here are some tips to keep your children safe while on a cruise ship:

Get a baby capsule

You can still go ahead and have fun in a cruise ship regardless of having a new baby. However, you have to ensure the safety of your newborn baby. A baby capsule is an essential item you will want to take onto the ship to make it easier to transport bubs to the different activities you are participating in.

Be sure you also have adequate sleeping arrangements though, as baby capsules are not recommended for overnight sleep.

A baby capsule can be used anywhere, starting from your car to the restaurant on the cruise ship.

Choose the right ship

Children need to be occupied with the right activities to prevent them from getting bored and misbehaving. While choosing your cruise ship, make sure that you go for one with children-friendly activities or programmes.

Your ideal cruise ship should have your kids occupied most of the day. For instance, many vessels have night entertainment for adults. Often there are programmes for the children running simultaneously, so as adults you can relax and enjoy an evening together.

Have curfews

This is for parents with children who are old enough to go out on their own. For instance, teenagers. Children would stay out all night and play if they could. It is for this reason that parents need to set a curfew to have their kids come back at a reasonable hour.

Most children night events will not run until late. Set the curfew at around the closing time of the events. Ask for assistance to trace your children if they do not come back at the agreed time.

Close supervision while swimming

There have been countless instances of children getting into difficulty while swimming on a cruise ship. Most cruise ships have guards to watch over children as they swim.

However, it is advisable that you still watch over your children to see their every move. The lifeguards might not pay enough attention to every child, especially if the swimming pool gets crowded.

Get a drowning alarm

Children can be sneaky at times; one minute you are with your child, the next you have no idea where they are. A drowning alarm will alert you when your child gets close to water. Make sure that your children wear the alarms during the entire period that you stay on the cruise ship.

Invest in walkie talkies

As a parent, know where your children at all times. Mobile phones could be expensive for most parents to buy for their kids and in the middle of the ocean, you are not likely to have reception. So, you could get reliable long-range walkie talkies at affordable prices.

What fun you could have with walkie talkies and other families on board the ship will be wishing they had thought of taking some too.

Family Time

Enjoy some quality family time together. Find activities that you can do altogether. Do not spend the whole time on the ship going off and doing your own things.

It might be that there are events organised during the day you can all take part in. Sit together at mealtimes and catch up with each other. Be aware of the timetable of events for the day and organise the family, so everyone is clear of what the day holds.

Above all relax, have fun and make the most of all that the dolphin cruises ship has to offer!

James Montano