Family Time Onboard PRINCESS SEAWAYS

Our mini cruise to Amsterdam zoo is the first time that we have taken our three children abroad without bringing grandparents along to help us out and it’s fair to say we were a little apprehensive about how we would cope. It turns out we did not need to worry and our time onboard was completely stress free and enjoyable for all of our children, myself and my husband (we even managed a couple of cheeky cocktails).

Larger families are well catered for with comfortable five berth cabins meaning we could all travel together without booking separate rooms which was a huge plus point for me.

Our children were delighted from the moment they stepped on deck and were handed a balloon from Jack the pirate as we boarded. They immediately wanted to head to the kids club where other children were joining in with a craft activity. Our three seem to have endless energy and preferred to jump into the ball bool and play with soft play to taking part in the set activities but this was fine, there was no set schedule to keep to and they were having fun.

There is a lot to keep children entertained on board and we were made to feel welcome on every part of the ship. We spent some time together in the Sky bar on the top deck which offered glorious panoramic views. This was the perfect spot to enjoy a drink and we felt like real explorers as we spotted local landmarks when we were leaving port.

Children are well catered for in every restaurant on board too – whether it be the specially designed children’s buffet station in the 7 Seas restaurant or the Pirates menu (with free game) in the Explorer’s Steakhouse, everywhere is inclusive and welcoming towards families.

We were made to feel more than welcome in the onboard gift shop too and no eyebrows were raised as we all had fun trying on various hats and playing with the toys on display as our children decided how to spend their pocket money.

If we were to travel again we would make sure our dinner reservations did not clash with the family cinema times. There are two cinemas aboard PRINCESS SEAWAYS and newly released family films start at 7pm each evening (Spongebob and Shaun the Sheep on our trip).

In the evening there is the chance to join in with a mini disco or listen to live music in the Columbus lounge but by the time we had finished our evening meal we were all tired so elected for an early night instead. We had no issues with noise and all slept very soundly meaning we were refreshed and ready for our next day of adventure.