A perfect family cruise

One of our travel colleagues, Julie, enjoyed a seven night cruise around the western Mediterranean on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

Read below to find out what the highlights were during the family's trip...

We flew from East Midlands to Barcelona and spent three nights here before joining our cruise.

The ship was huge (more like a floating resort) and carries over 6,000 passengers. We chose a bigger ship as we wanted to make sure there was lots of things to do to keep our 12-year-old daughter occupied. 

Many of the activities are free of charge on the ship. We tried body boarding, rock climbing, crazy golf, and even zip lining on a course nine decks high and 82 feet long! There were also four good-sized swimming pools and numerous whirlpools - perfect for cooling down while sailing in the hot Mediterranean sun.

We stayed in a Balcony cabin which was plenty big enough for the three of us. There was also lots of storage, which is great because I still haven’t worked out how to pack light!

Our itinerary was really busy and had ports of calls on five days of the week-long trip. We got off to visit Palma in Mallorca as well as Italy's Rome, Florence and Pompeii. 

Since we sailed on Oasis of The Seas, the ship has had new facilities added and now has a Caribbean-style pool deck, water slides, Splashaway Bay aqua park and the Ultimate Abyss slide - a dry slide at the back of the ship.

Highlights for adults:

• Family time

There was so much to see and do together, we were never stuck for a plan for the day.

• Being able to see so many places in one holiday

 In our 10 nights away we saw Barcelona, Palma, Rome, Florence and Pompeii.

• The food

We had so much choice - the ship has 20 dining experiences for you try (some with a charge).

• The entertainment

The shows were brilliant, West End style productions. I particularly enjoyed the water show at the Aqua theatre.

• Special occasions

We were invited to Sailaway drinks party when we left La Spezia. This was right at the front of the ship and part of a cruise ship that I have never seen before. The scenery was absolutely stunning.

Highlights for the kids:

• So many things to do

Kids on the cruise always had something to keep them entertained.

• Free ice cream

Speaks for itself!

• Soda package

Children can just go to the soda machine and refill their cups as and when they want to. Parents didn't need to worry about fishing their change out for cold drinks.

• The shops 

If all else fails, youngsters will always be kept busy by a little retail therapy.

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