Family Vacations

Last summer, my husband and I brought our kids along on a cruise to Alaska. The group numbered six adults and one precocious five-year-old: our grandson, Pax Marolda. We’d chosen the NCL Encore specifically because of its itinerary and its plethora of kids’ activities, including a go-kart track, laser tag and hologram gaming. Pax loved everything, especially the ice cream parlor. (He wasn’t that thrilled when his grandfather introduced him to billiards, though. Maybe because no screens were involved.)

            He wasn’t the only child on board, by a long shot. Cruise lines have offered specialized fare for underage travelers for years, with some lines, like Disney, catering especially to families. But land resorts have lagged somewhat behind cruise lines in children’s offerings. Caribbean and Mexican resorts have traditionally attracted couples who were more than happy to escape the winter back home and leave the kids in the care of their grandparents or aunts and uncles for a week.

            That’s changing, though. Travel Weekly reports that resorts have been investing heavily in kid-friendly activities and play centers. This is good news for parents who didn’t really want to leave their kids behind. And the best news—the trend is to educational fare along with traditional playtime activities, which means no computer screens. (Cue the hallelujahs!)

            The all-inclusive Club Med launched Children’s Clubs way back in 1967, but it has built on and expanded its offerings ever since. Now, it’s adding a Baby Club to its Club Med Marrakech La Palmeraie resort in Morocco. The company says Baby Clubs will cater to the growing number of “millennial families with young children” who have been flocking to the resort. Children account for about 21% of Club Med’s guests in Europe and Africa, a percentage that’s gone up since 2019, the last year of pre-pandemic travel. Americans are especially kid-heavy, with 41% of Club Med’s U.S. guests comprised of families.

            At the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam, parents will see an amazing playland for their kids, Vooc Village, over 5300 square feet of fun. Among its 58 activities are a jungle gym and a splash area, and indoor offerings include organic gardening, yoga, Little Mixologist and Junior Photographer classes. Kids can also opt for spa treatments like foot massages and herbal ball compresses, plus a “make your own body scrub” session. Local artisans help teach Vietnamese origami, Hoi An lantern making and native musical instruments. Perhaps best of all, the Village is WiFi-free.

            Closer to home, Viceroy Hotels recently introduced its V Team Kids platform, designed to look at things from the kids’ perspective. There are plenty of projects waiting for kids in Viceroy’s resorts in Los Cabos, St. Lucia and even their property in Serbia. Viceroy resorts without dedicated kids spaces are also implementing the program with available space. Each V Team Kids activity is designed to fall under one of four “core pillars”: creativity, community connection, exploration of the local terrain and, of course, playfulness.

            Kids clubs are no longer just places at the resort or the hotel where parents can leave their children for a couple hours while they go to dinner or a show. The new kids clubs offer traditional games and toys, of course, but also engage kids in immersive, educational and cultural activities. Disney got a leg up on this some years ago; when our son Jim was 11, we took him to Disney World, where he spent time at Epcot in art classes, giving us a welcome break from the hectic theme parks. But what Disney offered kids in the 1990s is a far cry from what many other properties are providing today.

            Interested in a family trip? Give us a call, and we’ll help you get you to the place where parents, and their kids, can all have a great time!