Small ship cruises for families

Some of the most popular small ship cruises for families are in fact sailing vacations. Croatia makes for easy (and impossibly scenic) sailing, thanks to its Venetian cities, islands trimmed with sandy beaches and clifftop restaurants. Many can be totally customised to your needs – look out for vacations with the ‘tailor made’ tag.

Sailing trips usually have a minimum age of four years, but that may be flexible depending on the ship’s accessibility and whether you’re heading for ocean or bays. Yachts often fit a maximum of eight people, so they’re ideal if you want to invite the grandparents and cousins along, too. Suggested itineraries are just that – suggested. So you can let the tour operator know if you’d like extra days in Split or as few days at sea as possible.

Showing your children another way of life doesn’t mean tugging them around museums and losing them among people-packed capital cities. Cultural small ship cruises take an altogether different turn in Turkey, where you can join a small group cruise on a traditional two-masted gulet. You’ll hop off along the Turquoise Coast – which does exactly what it says on the tin – for a wander through Roman ruins or across an uninhabited island where imaginations can run wild. Sunken ruins and night bazaars are other ways to guarantee both wide eyes and jaw-cracking smiles.

If your children are currently obsessed with the Ancient Egyptians, then give them a walk through history on a Nile cruise. You’ll usually spend around a week on a felucca, a traditional white-sailed sailing boat. They’ll soon learn that it’s not all pyramids and papyrus, and gain a deeper understanding of lives still lived along the river.

Dianne Muldoon, from our small group adventure specialists Intrepid, says that children as young as five can go on a sailing vacation: “On our scheduled departures we have a minimum age of 15. However, we do run private sailing departures for families – either they book onto a scheduled departure and we close it off to other travelers, or we organise a one-off charter for them. For these trips we cap the minimum age at five, install safety netting around the boat and have child-sized life vests on board. Most kids love the water, and the chance to snorkel over coral reefs, swim with turtles and try their hand at kayaking or paddle boarding is a highlight. And when the kids are happy so are the parents!”

Adventure ahoy

“I think it is perfect for families, because there is a lot to do on the boat. When we dock the boat, we put a dinghy in to go and visit little beaches or go and see the seals, so the children can learn a lot. They can catch fish for dinner. We say a minimum age of seven, not because the boat is dangerous, but because the children are so small. They cannot use the toilets or sinks so easily.”

Fresh faced

“It is lovely to see young children on board, who are so fresh, enthusiastic and wanting to learn and anticipate. On a couple of occasions, we had teenagers on board who were about to choose their university degrees, and after discussing things with Michael, the skipper, they changed their minds and did something else! And they wrote to us later on to tell us, which was wonderful.”

Waterproofs for all

“Do remember to bring waterproofs. Sometimes, families bring a few waterproofs to share, and don’t have enough for everyone. And so there is always somebody who is stuck without them! And really, you can’t go on a dinghy without your waterproofs.”