Disney Cruise Line is the best cruise line for families, according to U.S. News and World Report.
But for families who want fewer character breakfasts and more fine dining, MSC Group Inc.’s 922-passenger Explora I is making waves, Bloomberg reported.
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With fares starting at $1,000 per person per night, the cruise boasts Michelin-starred chefs and four swimming pools across its more than half acre deck, but its major selling point for those with young kids in tow is its complimentary, year-round staffed kids club, Nautilus Club.
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The club hosts children ages six to 17 and is open from 9 a.m. to midnight every day. The counselors, “who speak multiple languages for an international crowd,” lead activities and run additional playtimes for kids 3 to 5.
The ship also helps arrange kid-friendly shore excursions enjoyable for parents too, including private tours of Mazatlán in an open-air car or 41-foot super-raft rides around Kona for the “ultimate blend of luxury and adventure,” per the company’s website.
You won’t find any kids menus at the restaurants serving food that’s “largely European and indulgent,” but they do provide highchairs, according to Bloomberg.
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“Other cruise lines cater to a wealthy segment of retirees from North America,” Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the cruise division of MSC Group, told the outlet. “I want the busy guy in finance who says, ‘Dammit, look at this: I can go with my family, I can take a week and enjoy Greece or the Caribbean.'”
