The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Why Royal Caribbean is the best cruise line for families
As TPG's cruise team lead, Gene Sloan oversees the site's cruise content and also writes many of TPG's main cruise guides. He has spent nearly 30 years writing about cruise ships and cruising, and he is one of the world's best-known authorities on the topic.
March 17, 2026 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
A recent evaluation has named Royal Caribbean the top cruise line for families, surpassing previous leaders in the category.
The line's newest ships, including Star of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, offer an extensive range of family-focused amenities and sailings from Port Canaveral.
Royal Caribbean has expanded its exclusive private island and beach destinations, such as Perfect Day at CocoCay and new Royal Beach Clubs, enhancing family vacation options.
Ships are designed with multigenerational appeal, offering diverse accommodations, activities and venues suitable for all ages.
What to consider
Royal Caribbean's latest ships provide both short and longer cruise options from Port Canaveral, allowing flexibility for pairing with Orlando theme park visits.
Many private destinations are exclusive to guests, with new locations opening in the Bahamas, Mexico and Greece, some with phased rollouts through 2027.
Accommodations and onboard experiences cater to a wide range of budgets and age groups, supporting multigenerational travel.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of how Royal Caribbean's family offerings stack up against other major cruise lines and insights into specific attractions on new ships and private islands.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
The world's largest cruise line, which TPG just named the Best Cruise Line for Families as part of the 2026 TPG Awards, has — in our opinion, at least — pulled ahead in the race to provide families the ultimate family-friendly vacations on the high seas.
It's a competitive market, for sure. Family-focused Disney Cruise Line also provides a wonderful experience for families — so much so that we named it the Best Cruise Line for Families just last year. Three other big brands with ships that are loaded with family attractions — Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises — also are strong choices for family travelers. The latter two, in particular, are notably good choices for family travelers on a budget.
But Royal Caribbean in the past year has been upping the ante in the battle for family vacationers in a way that our 2026 TPG Awards judges could not ignore.
Here is a closer look at the reasons why we just named Royal Caribbean the Best Cruise Line for Families.
Its new ships offer the ultimate in family-friendly fun
The pool deck on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas. ASHLEY KOSCIOLEK/THE POINTS GUY
Royal Caribbean in August unveiled its most family-friendly vessel yet — Star of the Seas — and deployed it to Port Canaveral, Florida, the ultimate family cruise port mecca.
Featuring more family-focused amusements than any other ship, including a stunning water park with six waterslides, Star of the Seas arrived just a year after Royal Caribbean debuted another family-focused vessel, Utopia of the Seas, at the same port.
The arrival of the two ships at Port Canaveral represents a major expansion of Royal Caribbean’s family-focused offerings in Central Florida — long considered the family vacation capital of the world.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
With Star of the Seas operating longer seven-night sailings and Utopia of the Seas operating shorter three- and four-night sailings, families now have a wider range of cruise lengths to choose from at Port Canaveral that can be paired with visits to the nearby Orlando theme parks, creating the perfect family getaway.
Disney also offers a wide array of wonderful family-focused sailings out of Port Canaveral that can be paired with park visits, of course. But when it comes to the sheer range of family-friendly offerings on a cruise, Royal Caribbean’s are now difficult to match — unless, of course, you're the sort of Disney lover who never wants to stray from one of the company's many resorts on land and sea.
For more on why Royal Caribbean's two newest ships are so amazing for families, see our coverage of the arrival of the two ships:
It's opening the most family-friendly destinations
The Thrill Waterpark at Royal Caribbean's CocoCay in the Bahamas. ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Royal Caribbean, in recent years, has expanded Perfect Day at CocoCay, its private island in the Bahamas, into one of the most activity-packed cruise destinations in the region (on sea or land). It now features the largest water park in the Bahamas and the Caribbean — a true family crowd-pleaser with the tallest waterslide in North America and a giant wave pool, as well as the region's largest family pool zone, kiddie splash and play areas, and long stretches of pristine white sand beaches for relaxing with family.
But CocoCay is only part of a major rollout of new and expanded family-friendly destinations exclusive to Royal Caribbean guests, and it's changing the face of family cruising in the Bahamas, the Caribbean and beyond.
Opened in December, the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is home to multiple beach and pool areas, including the family-focused Family Beach area with beach games, a kiddie-focused zero-entry pool and a one-of-a-kind, two-level Ultimate Family Cabana with its own private whirlpool and slide.
Scheduled to open this fall, the Royal Beach Club Cozumel will offer similar beach and pool experiences, along with snorkeling, kayaking and private cabanas. And it's just the first of two major private destination projects Royal Caribbean is developing along the coast of Mexico — the other being a far bigger resort complex called Perfect Day Mexico that is coming in 2027.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean is building a new family-friendly destination in Santorini, Greece — the Royal Beach Club Santorini — that's expected to open this summer.
Add it all up, and Royal Caribbean soon will have, by far, the most alluring array of private island and beach destinations of any major cruise line catering to families. On pretty much all the line's upcoming sailings to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, passengers will visit at least one — sometimes several — of these destinations.
It has multigenerational appeal
Izumi Hibachi onboard the reimagined Mariner of the Seas. TIM AYLEN/ROYAL CARIBBEAN
In designing its newest family-friendly ships and exclusive beach destinations, Royal Caribbean is not just focusing on kids and teens. It's thinking about their parents and grandparents traveling together.
The line's newest vessels and land-based projects are loaded with activities, restaurants, bars and other venues that have a "something for everyone" appeal. This includes a wide range of accommodations, from spacious, family-focused cabins that are great for mom, dad and the kids to swankier, adult-oriented suites where grandma and grandpa can stay.
All the line's newest and biggest vessels, including its giant family-geared Icon Class and Oasis Class ships, have an array of more than two dozen different categories of cabins and suites, with something for every budget, whether spending a few hundred dollars or more than $1,000 a night.
This also includes areas and features that cater to parents and grandparents just as much as kids. This includes adults-only lounge areas such as the indoor-outdoor solariums found on many of the vessels and higher-end, extra-charge restaurants aimed at an adult crowd. Royal Caribbean's newest, biggest ships also are packed with some of the best bars at sea.
The Ultimate Family Suite on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. ROYAL CARIBBEAN
But what truly sets the brand apart is the incredibly wide array of attractions and venues on its newest and biggest ships that are designed for families to enjoy together.
Each of Royal Caribbean's new Icon Class vessels, for instance, feature seven separate pools (a new record for cruise ships), most of which are open to passengers of all ages; a water park with six waterslides (also a record), where adults and kids can have a blast together; and other fun-for-all-ages attractions such as surfing simulators, a miniature golf course, a basketball court and even a zip line. And that's just what you'll find on the top decks.
Inside the vessels, you'll discover some of the best shows at sea in entertainment venues hosting Broadway-style shows, indoor ice skating rinks and ice skating performances perfect for all ages.
As a result, it may be the ultimate cruise brand for a multigenerational vacation.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
