Have you ever considered a cruise holiday? As a family we’ve been on many cruises in recent years, and as journalists we’ve been lucky enough to visit many amazing new cruise ships. To us, it’s the perfect vacation … you have a comfortable cabin where you unpack just once. While you are entertained with shows, clubs, fine dining, spa sessions, the ship is taking you from port to port, where you can hop off to explore at leisure, or attend an organised tour. You can be as laid back and relaxed as you’d like, or a 24-7 disco queen! There are cruise ships to suit everyone, and we recommend a cruise holiday as being a fantastic adventure.

But it’s not just us – here’s five travel bloggers, with their thoughts on cruise vacations.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas

My three-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas was the first cruise ship I’d ever set foot on and it didn’t disappoint. We took three children with us (the littlest wasn’t born yet) and we docked in France and Belgium. We made sure we went up on the North Star (observatory type ride above the ship) during both daylight and at night, for a bird’s eye view of this immense ship. The standards of service, the food, the room service, the shows, the leisure facilities, the children’s facilities … All absolutely superb. Everything surpassed our expectations and three days simply wasn’t enough to explore it all. I can’t fault anything on that ship and I’m itching to go on a longer cruise with all four children, preferably somewhere sunny!

Emma, from South West Reviews

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

As a couple, and then as a family, we have been on many cruises – many different locations and using many different cruise lines. Our most memorable cruise was back in 2010 when we took my mum and dad to Florida to board Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. At the time this was the biggest cruise ship in the world, and it was a fantastic place for my non-travelling parents to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary. Both brothers came too. We spent 7 nights on a Western Caribbean cruise, and we loved every second. My children were 4 and 2 at the time, and they loved the kid’s clubs, making friends with children from all over the world. My parents loved the fine dining every night – a real luxury – and the cruise was talked about for many, many years. We are really keen to book on a cruise soon – we fancy the Far East, a great way to see some of the highlights in a part of the world we’ve not really explored.

Tracey, from PackThePJs

Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Silhouette

I have been on three cruises now. First, mum and I did the Eastern Mediterranean on Celebrity Reflection, which was simply stunning. Imagine sitting in a hot tub with a cocktail in your hand overlooking the stunning Greek Isles. Next, we did the Western Mediterranean on the same ship. This was less laid back and more exploratory; imagine spending a day exploring the sights and sounds of Barcelona then going back on board to three-course fine dining and an evening of luxury entertainment. Our third cruise was by far my favourite. We sailed the Norwegian Fjords on Celebrity Silhouette. The views were incredible. The food on both Celebrity ships was outstanding both in the sit-down restaurant and the buffet. I’d highly recommend the Celebrity brand for anyone who is looking for luxury, good food and limited numbers of children.

Lisa, from ALIESHIA

Carnival Vista

I went on a Mediterranean eight-day cruise with Carnival, on their Vista ship, and if you ask the kids their favourite ever holiday, they will all tell you the cruise (it even beat Disney World). The facilities on board made sure you are never bored. We loved the opportunity to visit several countries / cities in a matter of days and the kids adored the kids clubs, as well as all the other activities. The food was amazing too. We would go on another cruise in a heartbeat and are planning a Norway / Iceland one for 2022.

Kara, from Are We Nearly There Yet

Disney Magic and Disney Dream

We sailed to Norway on the Disney Magic. This was our second Disney Cruise after sailing on a four-night Caribbean cruise on the Disney Dream. It was on my Disney bucket list for many years to sail on a Disney ship from the UK. It was an amazing holiday. There is a whole deck dedicated to the younger kid’s clubs and the theming in there is amazing. The Disney ships look after the adults too with adult-only areas which are like stepping into a different world. It was one of our best holidays ever – I would even dare to say better than visiting Disney Parks. We will be sailing again on the Disney Magic this summer, hopefully, or we will move it to next year. We have lots of their itineraries on our wish list now.

Jane, from Our Little Escapades