This is a personal story from 2017. Itineraries and cruise seasons change, so always check the current schedule and regional travel advice before planning your trip.
In 2016 I first heard about cruise holidays. A ship that is also your hotel. A different place every morning, without packing your suitcase each day. Restaurants, pools, evening shows and the sea outside the window.
I could not believe this way of travelling existed and nobody shouted about it from every corner. Honestly: why did people not talk constantly about how good it was?
We chose the Arabian Gulf for our first cruise
Our first cruise was in 2017 on TUI Mein Schiff. The children were almost two and four. If we were going to find out whether cruising suited us, we might as well do it with the whole family.
The seven-day itinerary included Dubai, Abu Dhabi, two ports in Oman — Khasab and Muscat — and one day at sea. The water was calm during our trip and we barely felt the ship move. That was our experience, not a promise of the same conditions on every sailing.
‘Ola, this is a nightmare’
One evening our departure was delayed. I went to bed with the children, while my husband — who does not cope well with motion — set off to explore the ship.
He returned to the cabin, shut the door and said:
— Ola, this is a nightmare.
My heart sank. I could already picture myself packing our suitcases and getting off in Abu Dhabi the next morning.
— The casino on this ship has nothing but slot machines! Not a single poker table!
I started laughing.
— Did you not notice anything else? We are moving.
Our two-year-old son sat by the window watching the port lights slowly disappear into the black sea. He kept saying, ‘How beautiful’. I think that was the moment I knew it would not be our last cruise.
What our first cruise with children gave us
The biggest discovery was not the pools or restaurants. It was the simple rhythm of a family trip: unpack once, return to the same familiar cabin each evening, and wake up somewhere new.
- no need to move suitcases between hotels every day;
- each new port is an adventure, while the ship remains a familiar base;
- children and adults can relax at their own pace;
- the ship itself is part of the journey, not merely transport.
That does not mean every ship and itinerary will suit every family. Check the number of sea days, time in port, cabin layout, the language used in children’s programmes and the cost of every extra.
Three cruises in one year
After the Arabian Gulf, things got slightly out of hand — in the best possible way. That same year we sailed around Europe with MSC and brought my husband’s parents, because they deserved to see how wonderful it was too.
In winter, we took my parents on a fifteen-day Caribbean cruise with AIDA. One experiment had turned into three cruises in a year.
Would I choose the same first cruise again?
For our family, yes. A gentle itinerary, warm weather and varied ports helped us settle into this way of travelling. Today, however, I would first check the current situation in the region and match the cruise to the children’s ages, dates, budget and number of sea days.
If you are just getting started, read the complete guide to your first cruise. If you would rather discuss specific options straight away, tell me who you are travelling with and when.