Credit: Susan Riley; Princess Cruises; James Morgan, Getty Images for Princess Cruises
Travel
Do kids and cruises mix? How a small family fared setting sail on a child-friendly cruise around the Med
By Susan Riley
6 months ago
9 min read
Do kids and cruises mix? Stylist’s head of brand & travel editor Susan Riley boards Princess Cruises’ most family-focused ship yet to find out.
What I love about a holiday – possibly as much as the destination itself – is curating it. I love planning, plotting and researching when taking my daughter on multi-destination trips and island-hopping adventures. These work for us because, as a smaller family of two, there’s a wonderful ‘we’re in this together’ discovery dynamic. That, and it means we don’t have to sit by the same pool for a week while other families ask “Is it just you two?” Always a blessing.
Credit: Princess Cruises
On the flipside, crafting these itineraries is very time-consuming, so when I was invited to join the inaugural sail of Princess Cruises’ new ship, Sun Princess, a ‘next generation’ ship built with the intention of luring more families onto cruises, I was curious. Would this type of on-the-move holiday work as well for us? Would I be happy to surrender my precision planning? And would I find true joy in sharing the experience with 4,300 other people? There is, as ever, only one way to find out.
Following a couple of days pootling around Rome gelato-ing and pretending to be a gladiator, we made the 75-minute taxi ride to the port of Civitavecchia to join the first six nights of Sun Princess’s 10-day Mediterranean cruise. The itinerary? Two days at sea followed by daily stops in Gibraltar, Cartagena, Palma, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa and La Spezia.
Checking in at Civitavecchia is of airport terminal proportions. We’ve already done a lot of the admin via the Princess app and printed off our luggage labels, so once the bags are through security and we’ve flashed our passports, we’re each given a nifty little gadget called a ‘medallion’ and get waved onto the gangplank.
Coin-like but with far more wizardry, medallions are like Willy Wonka golden tickets in device form. They open your cabin door from metres away, check you in and off the ship with a simple beep and let you pay contactless for drinks and snacks. They even track the whereabouts of your family if they go awol – an attribute that sadly doesn’t continue once the cruise has finished.
My daughter is visibly buzzing as we run up the stairs
The novelty of entering the ship – medallions swinging from our necks like Olympic medals – is huge. Possibly bigger than the ship itself, and that’s gargantuan (25 decks, 1,600 staff – the stats go on). Its newly finished interior, all gleaming and shiny, has immediate wow factor. Welcome drinks are circulating. The crew is here to greet us. Other passengers are starting to explore like they’re on an episode of Through The Keyhole. My daughter is visibly buzzing, squealing with excitement as we punch numbers into lifts and run up and down stairs to discover pool decks, hot tubs, a fitness centre, a beauty salon, scores of restaurants and cocktail bars and little treasure troves like an ice cream station and Aperol spritz pop-up. There’s even a jogging track on the top deck next to swinging hammocks and a giant Connect Four.
As first-time cruisers, it’s all a bit overwhelming so kicking off the trip with two full days at sea is just what we need to acclimatise and get our bearings. We hang out lazily in our (very stylish) cabin. We hot tub. I pilates and barre. We get lost a lot. We eat a lot. I eye up the Lotus spa but never make it (there’s an entry charge of $95). My daughter enrols at Neon Grove, the ship’s offering for tweens who want to craft, air hockey or Nintendo Switch, which she loves, checking herself in and out for an extra dose of independence. Indeed the only glitch in the matrix here is on port days when Neon Grove closes and the tweens get bundled in with the Under 7s in Firefly Park. Not a good look for a demographic currently obsessed with Sol de Janeiro.
The other hangout for kids (aside from the underground teen lounge for ages 13-17) is Park-19, a top-deck activity zone with outdoor games and a splash pad. It’s a lovely, welcoming space when it’s not a windy sea day, but it’s not quite as adventurous a feature as initially intended. The climbing wall, ropes course and suspended Sea Breeze harness ride – still to launch when we were there and the reason this particular trip piqued my interest – are sadly no longer opening at all.
Credit: James Morgan, Getty Images for Princess Cruises
In terms of other activities, they’re plentiful. And eclectic. Bean bag tossing, zumba, bingo, water pong, wine tasting, teeth whitening consultations, pub quizzes, ventriloquism… You name it, it’s on the 7am–1am schedule that’s on your app and in your room. Were most of them my bag? Honestly, no. Did it bother me? Again, no. Exploring (and eating) our way around the ship was entertainment enough. That and doing a post-dinner silent disco or Abba dance in the piazza, the always-on hub of the ship.
Once sea days are over and you start hitting ports, the ship (never boat) takes on a different vibe entirely. You dock early, around 8am, and passengers are up and out, with strict instructions to be back onboard by 4.30pm or the ship will leave without you (my palms feel a bit sweaty just thinking about it). At each new stop, you can either head off under your own steam or book a Princess shore excursion – an option that’s generally higher in price but lower in faff. We did a mix of both, arranging our own (much cheaper) cable car tickets online to take in the rock of Gibraltar and its resident apes – do not miss the stalagmites and stalactites of St Michael’s cave – and joined a half-day kayaking trip with Princess in the lesser-known Cartagena. While in Palma, we abandoned tourism entirely, preferring to shop, hug inflatable pandas and inhale tapas.
If truth be told, I struggled to reboard the ship in Mallorca. Nighttime is my absolute favourite time to explore on holiday; it’s when towns and cities unfurl from the heat of the day and everything comes alive, so it was a particular wrench to leave the winding streets of Palma to meet our 4.30pm curfew. Not that I’m complaining about the food onboard, because it’s phenomenal. From the all-you-can-eat international food stations at the Eatery and the floor-to-ceiling ocean views of Horizons restaurant to the biggest Eton mess I’ve ever been served at The Catch by Rudy, our dining experiences were exceptional (although worth noting the kids menu remains the same whatever restaurant you are in). The quality and purity of the tasting menu at Kai Sushi by Makoto was exceptional considering we were floating in the middle of the Med.
In Barcelona we rolled our cases off slowly and reluctantly, agreeing that yes, wouldn’t three more nights be great. The sheer novelty, the glitz, the people-watching and the waking up in a different place every day for a new adventure is joyous and a teeny bit addictive. I also loved being able to switch the organisational side of my brain off and surrender the logistics (and the steering) to someone else.
Some general modernising of the entertainment schedule wouldn’t go amiss – less organised fun, more skills-based workshops that capture the zeitgeist – as well as some clearer family-approved offshore excursions. The kayaking trip we booked in Cartagena was lovely but not brilliantly catered for kids, with the guide telling us only as we stepped into the kayak that my daughter, 10, was too small to paddle herself and would have to sit and watch as a passenger. Cue a grumpy face and eventual seasickness.
The only other thing I would add is that as a solo parent, going on a cruise isn’t a low-key choice. It’s loud and proud and there are lots of big groups and multi-generational families around, which can be a little intimidating, especially if your child is off in a kids’ club. But aside from the slight Kellerman’s vibe (yes, I’m ending this review with a Dirty Dancing reference) the rest was plain sailing, and I won’t be ruling out another.
What you need to know
- There are three tiers of cruise package: Standard, Plus and Premier. I had Premier which gave me access to perks like a higher tier drinks package, meals in two speciality restaurants without having to pay the $45 per person surcharge and reserved seats at any theatre shows. My package also included wifi for up to four devices, whereas a standard package charges daily for just one. This guide breaks each tier down to see which is right for you.
- When budgeting for your trip, factor in all costs on and off the ship. There are day trips, onshore food and drink as well as lots of onboard attractions that aren’t included in your package. Special events like Spellbound, an experiential journey through a secret cocktail bar (with a 13+ rating) is an extra $145 per person. The Lotus spa day pass and access to the Sanctuary – an adults-only retreat space – is also extra. And warning to the wallet: there is a huge casino.
- Download and acclimatise yourself with the Princess app weeks before you go. The speciality dining experiences, like Umai Teppanyaki and certain off-shore excursions, are in demand and on a first come first served basis. So if there’s something you’re keen to do, book well ahead. Likewise, get a steer on what shows and performances are happening onboard during your stay to be in with a shot of a seat if you don’t upgrade your package.
- Princess Cruises is an American company so when you’re on the ship, you are on American ‘soil’. That means all prices are in US dollars. It’s worth noting though, that drinking rules abide by regional laws where the ships sail, so guests aged 18+ on ships in Europe can drink alcohol.
- Remember that a port isn’t always close to the centre (Rome for example is a 75-minute drive from the sights; in Palma, it’s a 45 minute walk from ship to cathedral). Do some preliminary research into where you dock and how far it is from what you want to do and see there so that you’re not caught out on time.
- Cruise dressing is relaxed but some evenings cite ‘formal’ attire, which in reality translated as everything from cocktail dresses and black tie to a smart pair of jeans. Whatever your formal vibe, pack accordingly.
- Add a couple of nights either side of the cruise if you can. We spent two nights in Rome before boarding the ship and if I’d stayed onboard for the full trip, I would have done the same from La Spezia around the Cinque Terre to give my sightseeing some extra depth.
Seven-Day Mediterranean with France & Italy, departing on Saturday 17 May 2025, onboard Sun Princess. Calling at Barcelona, Gibraltar, Marseille (Provence), Genoa, La Spezia (for Florence/Pisa) and Civitavecchia (for Rome).
Fares from £1,045pp for Princess Standard
Fares from £1,395pp for Princess Plus
Fares from £1,500pp for Princess Premier
Images: Susan Riley; Princess Cruises; James Morgan, Getty Images for Princess Cruises
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