A Dozen Ways To Make Your Luxury Cruise Ship Family Friendly
It's not often we get excited about a new cruise ship, especially a luxury one coming from Hapag-Lloyd, better known for their bright orange freight containers stacked at most of the...
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Family Travel Trends For The Year Ahead
Family Travel is no longer a travel niche; findings from the two Family Travel Conferences held in 2012 prove that this market, overlapping...
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Family-Friendly Cruises On Cunard Line
The famous luxury Cunard Line recalls the Golden Age of transatlantic cruising, offering families a very different experience from other major cruise...
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Multigenerational Cruises Aboard Holland America Line
While undoubtedly a favorite cruise line of the more distinguished crowd, Holland America Line hosts 25,000 kids a year on its 15-ship fleet, and has been making an effort to appeal...
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Family Cruising in Turkey and the Greek Islands
I have just returned from a two week cruise in the south of Turkey, spending time on board a gulet rented out to me from TurkYacht boating company. It was an amazing opportunity for me and my family...
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Norwegian Cruise Line Adds New Family Programs To Fleet
Norwegian Cruise Line has launched two youth and teen programs, Splash Academy and Entourage, which debuted in February on the Norwegian Gem...
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Staying Healthy At Sea: How To Avoid Norovirus
After several recent outbreaks of norovirus in which hundreds, if not thousands, of passengers on major cruise lines became ill, the now legendary cruise ship "mummy tummy" is back in the news.
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Travel Professionals Reveal What Industry Can Do To Improve Family Vacations
Attendees at the recent Family Travel Conference reveal that hotels and cruise lines must try harder to meet family travelers' needs for a stress-free, healthy and engaged vacation.
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Top 10 All-Inclusive Resorts For Family Vacations
Want to go on a vacation where you don't have to carry your wallet around? Here are FTF's winners of our "Top 10 Getaway" awards in the category of Top All-Inclusives. Want to go on a vacation where...
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Custom Itinerary: 75th Birthday Celebration That’s Cheaper by the Dozen
Q. Cynthia B of New York City asks "Can you help me plan a vacation to celebrate my 75th birthday? I would like to travel with my family...
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From Norwegian Cruise Line, A New Dawn
To say that New Englanders are excited to have the newly renovated Norwegian Dawn plying the waters off Boston Harbor to Bermuda is an understatement. Formerly served by the smaller Norwegian...
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Dream Big – Win An Adventure Cruise To The Galapagos Islands
Families dream big about how to spend their precious vacation time; that's why we're giving away a
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U.S. Regulations For Special Groups Crossing U.S. Borders
The latest regulations from U.S. Customs and Border Protection explain some of the exceptions being made for Special Group travel, such as teen and school group tours. U.S. border crossing...
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Canada And US Partner To Clarify Border Regulations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency recently joined efforts to remind travelers of document requirements to travel into both countries.
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Cruise Quebec and the Canada Coast with Family Values
At a recent gathering, staff from Cruise St Lawrence discussed the many ports available to cruise passengers on the St. Lawrence River...
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Grand Princess At Sea
Check out the renovations coming to the Grand Princess, one of Princess lines' most awesome ships with a kids program that makes families sail the seas. The most significant transformation...
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It’s One Happy World at the Disney Dream Christening
Doing things better than most, the Disney company today launched their newest ship, Disney Dream. With a cast of dozens representing Disney characters from their greatest hits -, Aladdin,...
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Bar Mitzvah Cruise Makes Smooth Sailing
When Maritza and Jeff Weiss of San Antonio, Texas, began to plan son Warren’s Bar Mitzvah, they considered the traditional format: a temple ceremony followed by a celebration near home.
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Carnival Cruises’ Fun Ship Family Programs
Taking a cruise with your family is a great way for everyone to spend time together and also to enjoy individual interests, or so I discovered on my family's recent multigenerational Carnival cruise.For...
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10 Travel Trends: Families Redefining Themselves, Getting More For Less
Trends Report Dec. 1, 2010. As the family market boosts the travel industry's bottom line, expect more free perks and consumer demands for 2011.Trends Report Dec. 1, 2010. As the family market boosts...
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Norwegian Epic, The Big Story At Sea
Here's a case where bigger is better, because the stylish Norwegian Epic, one of the world's largest cruise ships, knows how to deliver heaping portions of family fun.With the launch...
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Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Of The Seas – How It Fared
Our cruise specialist reports on whether size matters on the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas - the largest cruise ship sailing the seas today.As a family travel specialist, I often preview...
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Smooth Sailing Without Seasickness
Feeling Sick at Sea? FTF's Doc Holiday has tips on how to prevent it, and if that's not possible, how to make it go away quickly so you can enjoy your sea cruise. Onboard, at last!...
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Crystal Cruises And The Smithsonian Sail The Panama Canal
A luxury Crystal Cruise includes the super teaching skills of the Smithsonian Museum staff to offer families at sea a sailor's life of learning.Take one magnificent ship, add a dash of mouthwatering...
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Star Trekker: Zac Brown Band Cruises to Grand Cayman
On September 2, 2010, the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band will be taking the long way to Grand Cayman aboard the Carnival Inspiration. The country music ensemble will depart...
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Bahamas-Bound On The New Disney Dream
Innovative as ever, the Disney Dream sets sail with 4-night Bahamian cruises starting at just $3,500 for a family of four. Wow!Eight decades have passed since Steamboat Willie chugged...
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The Norwegian Gem Sets Sail – My Review
Read about our cruise expert's sneak peak at a brand new ship, Norwegian Gem, in her review of an inaugural "cruise to nowhere."
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The Riches Of France By Barge
For a different kind of "cruise" and an offbeat French experience, consider cruising around France with your family in one of Crown Blue Line's barges. "You could have picked a boat a little...
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Top Cheap Cruise Getaway: Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines' Freedom is a winner of FTF's Top 10 (Cheap) Getaways For Family Travelers 2008 award. Hitting the open seas may sound a little too luxurious for the budget-minded family. ...
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Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's newest and biggest ship plies the Caribbean Sea and gets a full inspection from FTF's cruise admiral and her kids.I admit it was the promise of on-board surfing that...
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Croatia, Sailing The Dalmatian Coast
Cruising the Croatia coast, where islands are just a few hours' sail apart and harbors welcome overnight boats, is a breeze for all ages. Croatia has long ago been discovered. Since Roman...
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Costa Rica Family Cruising
Exploring this coastline by ship provides a rich South America adventure and learning opportunities, without the hassles of getting around a foreign country. If you're looking for a family adventure...
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Carnival Gets Teens With At-Sea Programs
Carnival Cruise Lines has expanded its program offerings and facilities for that hard-to-please teenage market.Since the millennium, teens have been sought out by the cruise companies, who see...
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The Long View: Coping With Carry-On Regulations
FTF's cruising expert examines carry-on regulations and how family sailors can cope with leaving the liquids and gels behind.I haven't willingly checked a bag in 10 years, even for a weeklong...
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The Long View: Seeing Europe By Sea
FTF's cruise expert weighs in on the benefits of touring Europe by sea in an era of foreign exchange malaise and inflated prices.Back in our great-grandparents’ day, a trip to Europe...
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The Long View: Shore Excursions
FTF's cruise expert examines the whole business of shore excursions, and if your days in port by escort are worth their cost.Just as there are people who cruise and people who don't, a subset...
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Reunions Afloat
Extended Families find fun at sea with a Carnival Cruise Lines sailing up the New England coast to Canada.Everyone talks about how wonderful cruises are for families, but we recently put the concept...
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Exploring Australia: Hawkesbury River Region, New South Wales
The Hawkesbury River
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A Galapagos Eco-Adventure
Seven days in Ecuador's prehistoric landscape, cruising and watching unusual wildlife together with family, may be the ultimate bonding experience. After decades of travel, no other destination...
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Are Luxury Cruises Worth the Big Bucks?
FTF's cruise expert explains why luxury cruises cost so much and why they are sometimes worth every penny.If you've always wanted to wallow in the elegance of a super luxurious cruise, but...
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The Long View: Zipline Excursions – Safe or Scary?
FTF's cruise expert examines "adventure" shore excursions to determine whether they are good value or safe for families.As frequent cruisers know, a ship's optional shore excursions can make...
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Family Cruising: Catching Elusive Savings
FTF's cruise expert shares money-savings tips on with booking value cruises and discounted shore excursions. Cruise discounts and savings are still alive and kicking, but at a slower pace...
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The Long View: Cruising’s Specialty Restaurants
Hear what FTF's cruise expert has to say about what passes for "fine dining" aboard today's major cruise ships.Lately, when I mention cruising to friends and family, the topic of dining...
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Star Trekking: 07-08: 2009: Sail The Sea With Disney Stars
Disney Cruise Line is striving to give your kids what they want with their Disney Channel Summer at Sea Cruises. Many stars from popular Disney Channel shows will be on board the Disney...
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Cruising’s Special Kid-Welcoming Touches
Look with Family Travel Forum's cruise expert through her daughter's eyes to see what can make a family cruise truly special. During our six years of family cruising, we have always been...
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Feeding the Titanic Fever
If the Titanic story interests you, here are a few museums and exhibits around the globe that are dedicated to the notorious ship and its demise.Interest in the Titanic, Britain's "unsinkable"...
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Girlfriends on the Nile: Egypt for R&R
After a few months of work in Baghdad, I was ready for a break and decided to visit Egypt with my friend Tina, who is the Baghdad Bureau Chief for the LA Times, and New York friend...
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Cruising’s Cool for Tiny Travelers
Planning to cruise with a Tiny Traveler? Here's the information you need on babysitting and childcare options.While a cruise vacation is a dream for many families, those with infants and...
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Cruising for a Bruising? You Won’t Find It At Sea
FTF examines cruise kids' programs and offers tips on how to avoid a psychic and financial bruising when planning a floating holiday. Having been a guest on a Royal...
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