Families Travel
PLANNING A CRUISE OUT OF BRISBANE WITH KIDS 10 Things You Need to Know About Cruising With Kids Recently we had the opportunity to enjoy a 4 Night P&O Cruise out of Brisbane to experience the facilities aboard ‘Pacific Dawn’. Read our 10 Top Tips to discover how this might be the most relaxing family holiday you’ll ever have…
1. Book your cruise well in advance.
Choose your dates, arrange your time off and book well ahead. Last minute deals rarely exist for families – so bite the bullet and get organised now for 2016! When booking directly through P&O use their website to check prices, itineraries and other variables. r www.pocruises.com.au Once you become a regular cruiser, remembe to enter your Unique Passenger ID to get a repeat customer discount.
2. Use a reputable travel agent to sort out and book your travel.
They can get you great cabins close to each other that keep your large family/party together. Pacific Dawn now has interconnecting family cabins, so do check those out. Travel agents can sometimes get you a better deal than you can get yourself including cabin credit and potentially a few little ‘extras’. They can also apply your Unique Passenger ID for further discount. Families Magazine - Brisbane loves www.justcruises.com.au who are located in Brisbane and are professional and helpful. They are experienced with family bookings too! (Ask for Zoe!)
3. How Much is a Cruise Out of Brisbane?
Cruises vary in price as the price is dependent on season, availability and length of your trip. We travelled in March 2015 for 4 nights and paid $77 per person per night. We booked through Just Cruises and used our ‘previous passenger discount.’ We had three people per cabin – 2 adults and 1 child. Our 4 night family cruise holiday in March 2015 cost us $924 and included accommodation, food, soft drinks, entertainment and Kids Club.
4. What is Included in the Price of a Cruise?
Nearly everything! Food & soft drinks in the buffet style restaurant as well as the more formal dining room. The vast majority of the entertainment, live shows, live music, activities and the Kids Club is also included. There are around 40 activities a day designed just for kids as well as a variety of adult activities and family activities! Trust me, your family will not have a chance to be bored!
5. What is This Kids Club You Speak Of?
There are kids clubs for 4 age groups – Turtle Cove for 2-6 years, Shark Shack for 7-10 years, HQ for 11-14 years and HQ+ for 15-17 years. These are all included in your cruise but charges do apply for group babysitting in the Kids Clubs after 10.30pm until 1am. Children from 2 years can attend Turtle Cove as long as they are toilet trained. Children less than 12 months are not able to cruise at all as there are limited neo-natal facilities aboard and at ports of call.
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Your Local Families Magazine – Brisbane Issue 12 - October/November 2015