Family friendly bars and lounges
Family cruising with Cunard
Exploring ashore as a family
Exploring a new place with children can be challenging, but Cunard takes away a lot of the unknowns. Save little legs getting tired and enjoy the use of a complimentary shuttle bus in port. Check your Daily Programme for easily accessible things to do ashore. And you can always return to the ship for lunch, if you’re worried about finding family-friendly cuisine ashore.
3 min
15 Jul 2024
Getting into the heart of the port
In larger ports, where the centre of the destination isn’t within walking distance, you’ll enjoy the use of a complimentary shuttle bus. These run regularly throughout the day to and from a central location.
This is the case for places like Lisbon, Barcelona, Funchal, and Hamburg, among many others. Simply disembark the ship and you’ll find transport waiting, ready to take your whole family to the heart of the action.
In some ports, you’ll find yourself in the thick of it almost as soon as you’ve left the ship, for instance in Amsterdam or Valletta. In these ports, there’s no need for a shuttle bus.
There are some other ports which are located further out from the region’s main attractions. For instance, to see Rome you’d dock in Civitavecchia, which is just over an hour’s drive or train ride away. For this you’d need to book transport through the Shore Experiences team, or you could find your own way using public transport.
Helpful port information
Whether your itinerary includes destinations you’re already familiar with, or you’ll be docking in all-new places, it’s useful to be armed with local information – especially when travelling with little ones.
Check your Daily Programme
When your Daily Programme is delivered to your suite or stateroom the evening before you arrive, be sure to read it to find out some helpful local information. This will include your estimated time of arrival, the weather forecast, currency, and entry requirements. There will also be a short passage detailing some local highlights.
Talk to experts on board
The teams in the Voyage Sales office and at the Shore Experience desk are more than happy to answer questions and offer their advice about things to do in port. They’ve visited many of the places numerous times and are well placed to make suggestions for things like family-friendly eateries and activities for children.
Read the ‘On Your Own’ tours in My Cunard
Before you even step on board your Cunard Queen, you can glean a lot of useful information from My Cunard. This is where you can book Shore Experiences (you can also book on board), and in the same place you’ll see ‘On Your Own’ tours listed. These contain some great suggestions of things to do in the ports you'll be calling at.
General hints and tips
When exploring a new port with children, consider the following:
- Don’t try to pack too much in. While it’s tempting to try to do as much as possible, you’re likely to have a more enjoyable experience if you choose just one or two things to do.
- Allow extra time. Travelling with children usually means that everything takes a little longer, so be sure to factor in some extra time – especially when it comes to returning to the ship. If you’ve not made it back before ‘all on board' time, the ship could depart without you.
- Bring extra snacks and drinks. You never know where the day might take you, so it's wise to bring some provisions for when thirst or hunger strikes unexpectedly.
- Consider the weather. Depending on where you are in the world, items like sun cream, a sun hat, and sunglasses could be useful. Or, in less favourable conditions, an umbrella, waterproof coat, and waterproof shoes.
- Bring spare clothes for the children. Whether it’s spilling their drink, dropping their spaghetti, or getting soaking wet splashing in piazza water fountains, you never know when your children might need an extra set of clothes to change into.
There’s nothing quite like opening your children’s eyes to new and exciting experiences, and introducing them to the great big world around them one port at a time. On a holiday with Cunard, you’ll find this is even simpler than you might have imagined.
