If you have managed to read ‘My Life In Cruise’ Blog then by now you will have realised I have a real love for holidays at sea, and I had been travelling with my partner for many years. After the birth of our twins, holidays felt like the impossible until they were at least out of nappies with travelling anywhere becoming a military operation! And lets just say we never travelled light! 

In 2009, I added a new dimension to my cruise experience when I embarked on my first every family cruise with my then 18month old twins. Where else could I take a holiday armed with 150 nappies, 6 packs of wipes, 2 tins of formula and 56 swim pants, three suite cases and a double pram without paying a single penny for excess luggage? What’s more, two travel cots, a baby bath and bottle sterilizer in my cabin came at no additional cost.

Eating on board was never a problem as 2 high chairs, children’s cutlery, plates, bowls and drinking cups were always readily on hand when the twins were served a freshly prepared children’s feast. To top it all, the twins could enjoy an early night each evening supervised by qualified nannies in the night nursery, leaving my partner and I the opportunity to enjoy a quite meal for two, followed by a show, which is rare for most parents. 

The children were welcome anywhere across the ship with the exception of one bar which was a cigar room, so not an area we would be likely to visit as a family anyway. They were welcome to watch the shows with us and dine with us, but as you can imagine the biggest hit for them was the childrens club. It was ideal as the club was divided into various age groups, which meant the twis were playing in an area  with other children of a similar age. Although being under 2 years old, they were  invited to all activites including a staff Captains disco, a bridge visit, an American diner day, plus they were a favourite with one of the ships onboard characters ‘Noddy’!

The real beauty of this 2 week Mediterannean cruise was that it really was a holiday for all four of us. The twins were free to explore and build their confidence by trying new activities, and my partner and I could relax knowing they were having a great time, enjoying some time in the evening to ourselves. I would highly recommend a cruise to anyone with young children, and sailing from the UK really took the preassure off from packing, knowing we could take everything we really needed. 

There is only one draw back to the whole experience…we now have 3 year old twins that have a taste for cruising!