Beach and Travel Tips for Family Cruise Vacations

momfamily fun & traditions

Growing up, I spent every summer playing in Mission Beach during my family vacations in San Diego, California. I didn't realize until I was an adult, a mom to be specific, how much preparation and planning went in to all of those vacays.

My family just returned from a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on board Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. While I didn't have to do nearly the amount of planning and preparation my parents did, thanks to the convenience of cruising, I did have to get ready for three days at port.

Here's my top three tips to enjoying successful back-to-back days on the beach with your family while on a cruise vacation:

  1. Bring the appropriate gear: a beach bag to carry everything in, swim suits and tops, lots of sun screen (with the proper SPF to avoid sun burns), towels, snacks, a filled water bottle for each person, hats, sunglasses, cameras with charged batteries and empty memory cards, extra battery for the camera just in case, a map of the island/country you're visiting, money for taxis and food, and lots of recommendations from online research and people you asked on board the ship.
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  2. Lather up: Make sure to put on enough sunscreen. Reapply at least every hour. The last thing you want to deal with the rest of the cruise is a sunburn!
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  3. Go off the beaten path: Cruise excursions are an awesome way to travel, because they are arranged for you. But, if you want to see some of the most gorgeous beaches and get more into the culture, take a taxi to a local beach and enjoy the day and the beauty of the island.
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  4. Go with friends: If you know people on the ship or make new friends, traveling together during day trips makes a lot of sense. We went with friends who had kids approximately the same ages as our kids. We shared taxi rides, shared experiences, and our kids played together. We would have enjoyed ourselves if we had gone just with our family, but friends make everything sweeter!
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  5. Take a ton of pictures: One of the best parts of traveling is reliving the family vacation over and over through pictures. The slide show below captures only a snippet of our days at the beach. Believe me! I had to delete a lot of pictures in the montage to keep it to under 9 minutes LOL! Enjoy!

Cruise provided by Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas. Pictures made possible by Kodak M350. Clothes provided by Down East Basics. Family made possible by Troy and Jyl Pattee and their way awesome & cute boys, Chase and Connor!

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An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.

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