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Why Families Are Choosing Vacations At Sea for the New Holiday Tradition

Keep Your Teens and Tweens Close for The Holidays – 7 Hot & Cool Reasons to Cruise

DETRIOT, MI (October 21, 2010)–As any parent knows, the tween and teen crowd can be particularly hard to please, regardless of circumstances. A family vacation, then, presents a unique challenge. Your children want fun, freedom and space, and parents want them to be happy, safe… and close at hand.

Today’s budget-friendly cruise vacations offer fantastic amenities and kid-specific programs, all within the inescapable confines of the cruise ship!

The experts at CruiseCompete offer seven reasons to consider a cruise for your next family vacation:

1. Truly festive atmosphere- After Thanksgiving, the cruise lines get in the holiday spirit by decorating their ships from bow to stern. Some cruise lines spend in excess of $100,000 annually on holiday decorations. Christmas trees, lights, garlands and even artificial snow bring the festive season alive at sea. Hanukkah customs and celebrations also are observed. Religious services of all types are often held aboard.

2. Special guests- Christmas-time cruises would not be complete without guest appearances from Santa, Mrs. Claus and their elf friends. They make appearances on many ships during the holiday season in the spirit of fun and relaxation leading up to Christmas Day. As expected, Santa's bag of goodies is full for the kids on board.

3. New Year's fun- Ringing in the New Year is a splash aboard a cruise ship. Elaborate parties take place at sea for people of all ages and tastes. Special food, entertainment, toasts, party favors and more make the night memorable. For sports fans, many of the cruise lines offer special all-day tailgate parties to watch New Year's Day football.

4. True relaxation- Leave the hustle and bustle (and accompanying stress) of the holidays behind and enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere with the family on a cruise vacation. There is no better way to spend an afternoon in December than lying poolside while sailing across the ocean, or snorkeling through a secluded reef on a cruise line private island.

5. Unique gifts- A cruise vacation is one holiday gift that will be truly appreciated. Plus, there is interesting shopping onboard the ship (The Jackie Kennedy Jewelry Collection on board the Golden Princess is quite reasonable and very beautiful) and in various ports. Special shipping arrangements can be made to get the gifts home. If Santa is going to visit the kids, the cruise lines recommend small token gifts that are easy to hide and transport. Leave big gifts at home to open before or after the trip.

6. No snow- A holiday cruise is ideal for people looking for a change of scenery as colder weather moves in at home. With Caribbean temperatures in the low 80s during this time of year, the closest you’ll come to cold weather on a cruise ship is the air conditioning. (Some ships do feature snow falling in the ship's atrium, but it is manmade- and wonderfully designed to melt before hitting the floor.)

7. Great food- Nobody goes hungry on a cruise vacation, especially during the holidays. A variety of eats are available 24/7. Cruise menus fit the season, with world-class chefs preparing traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, plus special kosher foods during Hanukkah. There are no shortages of gingerbread, cookies, pies and other deserts. Even better… you don’t do the cooking!

There are a number of outstanding sailings for families with teens and tweens. The specialists at Cruise Compete offer their picks for a high-seas family holiday:

1. Celebrate Christmas on a cruise ship! Princess Cruises is offering Christmas on a cruise on theEmerald Princess, round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale on December 18, 2010. This 10-day Eastern Caribbean cruise visits the Princess Cays, St. Thomas, Antigua St. Kitts, Barbados, and St. Lucia. The Emerald Princess has excellent facilities for teens; the onboard program, called Remix (for 13-17 year olds), offers favorites such as dance and jacuzzi parties, along with karaoke, sports competitions and late night movies. The Emerald Princess also caters to the younger crowd with its expansive teen center, which comes equipped with ping-pong tables, juke boxes, and all the latest video games.

2. Enjoy Christmas at home, and New Year’s in the sun! Holland America invites families on a leisurely 10-day Caribbean/Virgin Islands cruise aboard the Maasdam. The cruise, which departs Ft. Lauderdale December 27^th, visits Grand Turk, St. Thomas, Philipsburg, St. John, Frederiksted, Santo Domingo and Half Moon Cay. Teens traveling on HAL cruise ships can enjoy the Loft, a special lounge area for kids 13-17, designed to resemble a New York artist’s studio. The setting includes music and videos, comfortable furniture, Internet access stations, video games and karaoke, big screen TVs and more. Kids will love the secluded passageway that leads upstairs to the Oasis, a teen sundeck featuring a nine-foot waterfall and cooling cave; they can sunbathe during the day and dance under the stars at night to the beat of a state-of-the-art sound system and laser show. HAL also offers a Teen Culinary Arts Center Program where kids can learn about basic cooking techniques, kitchen safety, ingredients and how to follow recipe instructions. Kids up to age 15 can participate in this program, teens 15 and up may participate in the standard classes.

3. Or, take a quick holiday trip on Disney Cruises, always a popular favorite with families. Disney is offering a 5-night New Year's cruise aboard the Magic, sailing December 29, 2010. Ring in the New Year on this Bahamas cruise that visits Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, and Nassau. Disney has a reputation for having fantastic amenities for kids, and they don’t disappoint with their teen programs: The Magic offers Ocean Quest, an interactive play space constructed to look like the ship's bridge- kids 11 to 13 years of age can steer a virtual ship, play videogames, watch television and participate in arts and crafts. The Stack lounge, designed for older teens (ages 14 to 17) is a trendy spot for teens to play videogames, listen to music, surf in the Internet Cafe and enjoy social activities throughout the day. Activities on the ship run into the wee hours…perfect for the teen crowd.

Don’t see information on your favorite cruise lines teen program here? For a comprehensive listing of the teen/tween programs aboard the cruise lines, please visit the AllThingsCruise.com. Will you be expecting during your holiday cruise travel? Make sure you know the cruise line pregnancy policies. If traveling with younger kids, check out the rules for traveling with infants and younger children.

To book any of these teen-friendly cruises or for more information about other great family cruises available this holiday season, please visit CruiseCompete.com.