• Cruises can offer reduced-stress vacations to families.cruise ship image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
  
  All-inclusive cruises can be one of the least stressful types of vacation. After paying up front, many cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages, where food, accommodations and entertainment are taken care of. Guests are free to roam the ship and to participate as much or as little as they want. And, with the logistics of the vacation already worked out for them, guests can kick back and make some memories. For families with children, there are a number of these cruise lines that cater to kids.
  
  

Disney

• With three separate cruise boats and a destination island owned by Disney called Cast-Away Cay, the Disney Cruise Line offers some of the most extensive cruise packages around. And, unlike most cruise lines, Disney cruises are aimed specifically at entertaining kids (grown-up ones, too). In addition to providing buffet meals with plenty of kid-friendly options, Disney Cruise also provides a number of entertainments and diversions. From playrooms and youth clubs to character greetings and broadway-style shows, Disney's family-themed cruises offer something for kids of every age. There is also a movie-theater on every boat screening Disney classic movies (some of which are in 3-D) and a pools with a themed slide in each. The decor of each ship is also meant to entertain kids, with each boat filled with hidden Mickey-Mouse silhouettes. With cruises that travel in the Caribbean and to Europe, Disney Cruise Line offers a chance for kids to "see the world," while being constantly entertained.
  
  Disney Cruise Vacations
  
  P.O. Box 10238
  
  Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0238
  
  800-951-3532
  
  disneycruise.disney.go.com/
  
  

Carnival

• Carnival is another all-inclusive cruise that is great for families with kids. Offering plenty of adult entertainment options (including spa packages and casinos), Carnival goes to great lengths to ensure that children are just as entertained as their parents. Parents can drop off younger children in a youth day camp (ages 2-11), where there are crayons, board games, story-time, face-painting, dance parties, video game consoles, and many other diversions. For older children and teens, kids-only lounges offer a reprieve from parents and allow kids to play sports, dance, and do karaoke with their peers. Deck-side, kids can play mini golf, swim, slide and watch movies on a 12 foot-high, pool-side movie screen. And, at every port of call, Carnival Cruises offers memorable shore excursions, including snorkeling and rafting, that may be great fun for older kids. Carnival also offers kid-friendly options at every meal.
  
  Carnival Cruise Lines
  
  3655 NW 87th Avenue
  
  Miami, FL 33178
  
  1-888-227-6482
  
  carnival.com/
  
  

Holland America

• Although once an adults-only cruise line, Holland America has expanded and begun to design cruises with families and kids in mind. Now featuring youth programs for children of all ages, Holland America offers many activities for kids. Younger children (ages 3-12) are supervised by permanent, full-time staff with early childhood development certification. Here, kids can tell stories, play indoor games, participate in drawing contests, have pizza parties and ice-cream parties and pretend to be pirates in scavenger hunts. Older kids and teenagers can learn to play mini golf, and have dance parties. They are also given access to on-deck sports, video games, movies, and trivia contests.
  
  Holland America Line
  
  300 Elliott Ave. West
  
  Seattle, WA 98119
  
  1-206-626-9000
  
  hollandamerica.com/main/Main.action