The Family That Cruises Together…

 

Stingrays, Castaway Cay
Guests can experience an up-close encounter with stingrays on Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island.

What are some of the hot trends for 2011 regarding family cruise travel? Travel Agent sought out Stephen Tanzer, master cruise counselor and owner of OurCruiseAgent.com, who shared a bit of his expertise.

“Today, ships in themselves have really become destinations,” Tanzer says. “The old way involved the classic ports of call and a nice excursion off the ship here and there. Today’s cruise is much more casual, and much more family-friendly.” (Read about the Grand Turk Cruise Center on page 26.) Most recent heavy hitters like Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have so much to do on board.

For those families who are looking to get off the boat, private islands like Disney’s Castaway Cay are leading the game, according to Tanzer.

When booking a family cruise for your clients, Tanzer suggests gauging the ages of those traveling and finding out if they have done a cruise before. If so, ask key questions like “what did you or did you not like?” Above all, you want your clients to arrive home having experienced that ‘wow’ factor, and that comes from matching your family travelers to the right family cruise product.