jeanned

We have three sons aged 8, 14, and 15. We are considering a cruise to the Galapagos in July and would love to hear your recommendations as to the best cruise lines for children. Our boys are active but also fairly well behaved and are well traveled.

I am also interested in hearing if any of you went on a five day cruise and what you thought of this. We are hoping to head to Peru after this and are trying to figure out how to balance our time. A shorter cruise is one option.

Thanks.

jeanned

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MidlandTravel

Hello,

Well, by experience, the best cruise line in order to go to galapagos with children is to book a ship, capacity between 36 and 90 passengers, these cruise options allow you more stability on board so the children dont get seasick. Furthermore, these ships are safer for children, they have more space and social areas than in smaller boats. Also you can be confident that the crew members and naturalist guides of these ships have experience with children and are very friendly and pacient with them. In addition, these cruise ships always provide alternative activities for people travelling with children.
According to the length of the cruise, 5 days / 4 nights is the minimum recommended if you want to see a couple of very interesting highlight islands with lots of wildlife. There also exist 4 days cruises but in my opinion those are too short.
For Peru 5 days is recommended if you want to visit Cuzco, Machu Picchu and do a day tour in Lima.

I hope I could help you. If you need any other information do not hesitate to contact.

jeanned

Thank you MidlandTravel. I think that we have decided to do a 7 night cruise.

Any specific lines that you would recommend?

MidlandTravel

Well I could recommend ships like La Pinta, Isabela II, Galapagos Explorer II the service is just excellent and I said before they are very good with children a mean they give options and special attention.

I you have any other question I will be glad to help you.

ztsipapu

Ecoventura runs family cruises, particularly during school holidays. Their boats--the Eric, Letty, & Flamingo--get consistently high praise for accommodations and guides. The 20-passenger boats often sail together (although they space out the landings, so you don't all arrive as a 60-passenger lump) and Ecoventura groups travelers by "type": e.g., young adults, older adults, families. One nice thing about a 20-passenger boat is that, unless it's not full, you have a guide:traveler ratio of 1:10, since a boat can have no more than 16 passengers for each naturalist guide. I've heard especially good things about the skills the guides on the family boats have in keeping the kids in line, engaged, and enthralled. Although for most kids, it doesn't take much to be enthralled by this archipelago!

Tina
trip report at http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/

PuraAventura

Another option would be to do a land-based holiday to the Galapagos Islands. This is very good for families, or people who like to be more active and anyone who is on a tight schedule. You will be able to walk, bike, kayak and snorkel to get close to the islands’ wonderful and varied wildlife (sea lions, giant tortoises, marine iguanas and much more).

You can also find tour operators that do both destinations in one tailored package!