Cruising
with Kids

CocoCay exceeded every expectation. Royal Caribbean’s private island has been massively developed and it shows — pristine beaches, calm turquoise water, waterslides, a wave pool, floating obstacle courses, and enough space that it never felt crowded even with a full ship docked. We staked out beach chairs early and didn’t move for most of the morning. The kids alternated between the water and the slides while wife and I actually got to sit and do nothing, which feels like a small miracle on a family trip. The beach here is genuinely beautiful — soft white sand, crystal clear water, no seaweed, no hawkers, completely controlled environment. It’s the kind of beach day you plan a trip around. Lunch was included on the island. One of the best days of the entire trip.

Sea days are underrated. No schedule, no port logistics, just the ship and whatever you feel like doing. We climbed the wall in the morning — by this point it had become a daily ritual — and the boys spent the afternoon in the kids club while Wife and I had the pool deck almost to ourselves. That evening was Bollywood Night, which Wife and the other ladies on the sailing absolutely loved. It was one of those unexpected ship events that becomes a trip highlight. Dinner as always was the best part of the evening — by day three we had our rhythm down and the dining room felt like our table.

Falmouth is a port that rewards planning — the town itself near the pier is fairly touristy, but get out of it and you find the real Jamaica. We visited the Green Grotto Caves, which was the highlight of the port day and honestly one of the best excursions of the whole trip. The cave system is dramatic — stalactites, a subterranean lake, bat colonies, the works. The boys were completely riveted and Raynuv kept asking questions that made the guide visibly happy. It’s one of those experiences that sticks with kids in a way that a beach day doesn’t. We got back to the ship with time to spare for the climbing wall (of course) and another excellent dinner.

Nassau is the most developed of the three ports and the most familiar to most travelers. The port area has plenty to do — Atlantis is nearby if you want to splash out, and the downtown area has decent shopping and restaurants if you just want to wander. We kept it relatively relaxed after the caves in Jamaica, spent time at a beach near the pier, and used the afternoon back onboard. Nassau has more of a “check it off the list” feel compared to CocoCay and Jamaica, but it’s a fine port day especially with kids who just want water and sunshine.

Last full day — the one where you try to fit in everything you haven’t done yet and also do nothing at all. We did one final climbing wall session and entered the climbing competition, which was a genuinely fun ship activity that we hadn’t planned on. Raynuv held his own. Kids club one last time for the boys, who had long since stopped caring that they were on a cruise ship and just wanted to get back to their friends in the club. Final dinner was the best one — everyone was in a great mood and we stayed longer than usual.

Disembarkation is the part no one enjoys — bags outside your cabin by 10pm the night before, breakfast early, then wait for your group number to be called. The process is orderly but slow. We were off the ship by mid-morning with a 7pm flight, which meant a full day to kill in Fort Lauderdale. We’d thought about a hotel pool day pass but the prices were not reasonable. Instead we went to the Museum of Discovery & Science with the IMAX — and it was genuinely excellent. The kids loved every exhibit and the IMAX was a proper treat. Best part: our ASTC membership from our local kids museum back in Michigan covered the admission entirely. Free. That was a very good discovery.