We’ve been on two of these mega-ship cruises in the last couple of years and another one next week. My kids love the kids’ clubs, which are lively and seem to

We’ve been on two of these mega-ship cruises in the last couple of years and another one next week. My kids love the kids’ clubs, which are lively and seem to be well run. The younger one was excited to go every morning and always came back happy. She’s a normal, friendly, smart kid. My teen boy had more freedom and used the teen club as a central meeting point, where he also made friends easily. Unlike at a resort or camp, where kids come and go and cliques form, these kids are mostly strangers on day one and it’s only for a week—they are literally in the same boat. This seems to produce less pressure and more fun. As for the adults, yes, there’s expensive, banal, crowded “activities” aplenty. There’s also (as others have mentioned) our Kindles, a quiet balcony with a nice view, OK food if you choose wisely, and transport to some interesting destinations. Ship-sponsored excursions are bus tour hell. Pro tip: Don’t do those. Organize your own day out. There’s this thing called the Internet, and it’s loaded with info. I bet it catches on! We had an amazing private expert-guided back-alley tour of Pompeii for half the price of the cruise line chain gang slog. My son and I found an ancient/modern graffiti tour of Athens, zero tourists. Etc. Even at a completely fake port like Costa Maya, you can get a small group bus trip to Chacchoben and it’s just as amazing as if you virtue-hitchhiked there. Bottom line, if you have kids, and if you use it as a base, and if you can deal with a few annoying crowd moments, a cruise can be fairly relaxing.