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Best Luxury Cruise Lines for Families: Which Ones Take Kids, From What Age, and in Which Suites

The best luxury cruise lines for families: minimum ages, which ultra-luxury lines run kids' clubs, and which big-ship suite enclaves give you privacy and a club.

By Wijet Editors

At a glance

Luxury cruising with children: the published rules

Explora Journeys
Nautilus Club, ages 6 to 17
Ages 3 to 5 attend at set times with a parent, per Explora, November 2026
Regent Seven Seas
Club Mariner, ages 5 to 17, select voyages
Groups of 5 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17, per Regent, November 2026
Seabourn
Infants from 6 months
12 months on crossings and remote itineraries; 6 years on expeditions, per Seabourn FAQ, November 2026
Silversea
Infants from 6 months on Classic cruises
5 years on Expedition cruises, per Silversea ticket contract, November 2026

The best luxury cruise lines for families split into two camps. Explora Journeys is the ultra-luxury line with a published kids’ club for ages 6 to 17, per Explora. Regent Seven Seas runs Club Mariner for ages 5 to 17, but only on select voyages, per Regent. Silversea and Seabourn will carry children, but their published terms describe age limits, not a kids’ program.

If you want a suite with privacy and a full children’s program under the same roof, the answer is usually a big-ship enclave: The Haven on Norwegian, Royal Suite Class on Royal Caribbean, Concierge on Disney. Suite sizes below are attributed to Cruise Hive, June 2026.

Luxury Lines and Children: The Rules

Luxury lines write their child policies as a minimum age first and a program second. Read them in that order. A line that accepts a 6-month-old may still have no club, no sitter and a spa that is closed to under-16s.

LineMinimum ageKids’ programSource
Explora JourneysNot statedNautilus Club: ages 6 to 17, with ages 3 to 5 at set times when accompaniedExplora, Nautilus Club page, Nov 2026
Regent Seven SeasPage lists age groups from 5 to 17Club Mariner, complimentary, select voyages onlyRegent, general questions page, Nov 2026
Seabourn6 months at embarkation; 12 months on crossings and remote itineraries; 6 years on expeditionsNo official program foundSeabourn FAQ, Nov 2026
Silversea6 months for most Classic cruises; 5 years for Expedition cruisesNone listed; only a “Vessel-organized minor care program” is mentionedSilversea cruise ticket contract (US), Nov 2026

Verdict: only Explora and Regent publish a kids’ program, and Regent’s runs on select voyages, so ask which sailings include it before you pay.

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For the adult ranking of the same lines, see our guide to the best luxury cruise lines.

Best Ultra-Luxury Lines for Families

Explora Journeys

Explora is the clearest answer for a family that wants an ultra-luxury ship with a club. Its Nautilus Club hosts children aged 6 to 17, and children aged 3 to 5 may attend only at set times and “if accompanied by a parent or guardian,” per Explora. The club is open every day from 9:00 to midnight and offers video games and VR consoles, foosball and a pool table, board games and sports sessions. Younger guests also have reserved sessions at the Sports Court and one of the heated pools.

On fares, Explora’s additional guests page says children aged 2 to 17 receive “up to 50% savings” and infants aged 6 to 23 months sail free, on selected journeys featured on that page. The page says the offer may be withdrawn at any time and is limited to the journey fare, so hotels, transfers and onboard purchases are extra.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Regent describes Club Mariner as “a complimentary youth program offered on select voyages,” with three groups: 5 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17. The page does not list the sailings; it tells you to ask a cruise expert. Regent’s page gives no minimum age for infants and no kids-sail-free offer, so confirm both before you book.

Silversea and Seabourn

Silversea’s US cruise ticket contract says infants must be “at least six (6) months for most Classic Cruises but five (5) years for Expedition Cruises,” and that a guest under 21 is not booked in a stateroom unless accompanied by an adult. It mentions only a “Vessel-organized minor care program,” with no ages or hours.

Seabourn’s FAQ says infants must be at least 6 months old at embarkation, 12 months on trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries with more than two consecutive sea days, and 6 years old on expeditions. Seabourn publishes no kids’ club, so treat these two as lines that accept children, not lines built around them. Check the line’s terms for the exact ship and sailing date, because expedition ships set higher age limits than classic ships, as Seabourn and Silversea do.

Best Big-Ship Suites for Families

A big-ship suite enclave gives you a private lounge, a concierge and a larger room, while the children use the ship’s regular club. The catch is that the suite buys you privacy, not a better kids’ program.

The Haven on Norwegian

Cruise Hive, in a June 2026 article, lists the Haven Family Villa at 468 to 658 square feet. The article’s own figures are inconsistent on the number of bedrooms, so confirm the layout and the club age range with Norwegian.

Royal Caribbean

Cruise Hive lists the Ultimate Family Suite at 1,346 to 2,476 square feet sleeping up to 8, and the Ultimate Family Townhouse at 1,772 square feet, also up to 8. The same article lists the Surfside Family Suite at 269 square feet for up to 4.

Disney Cruise Line Concierge

Cruise Hive puts Disney’s Concierge suites at 608 to 1,781 square feet, and says the Concierge Royal Suite sleeps 5 to 7. These are the article’s figures, not Disney’s.

Family Cruises From Florida

To find sailings from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral, open each line’s itinerary page, filter by homeport, and check the sailing date against school holidays, which is when a line’s kids’ program is most likely to run. For arriving by air, see private jet charter for the nearest executive airports to the Florida ports.

Booking Tips: Connecting Suites and Third-Guest Fares

Silversea’s contract requires a minor under 21 to be accompanied by an adult in the stateroom, and Explora’s discount applies to the journey fare only. Before you pay, ask four questions in writing: is the third-guest fare discounted, are the cabins connecting or merely adjacent, does the kids’ club run on this exact sailing, and are the infants’ age limits stricter because of sea days.

Regent’s page lists Club Mariner only on select voyages and says nothing about care outside it, so ask Regent what happens on sailings without the club, and whether the spa is open to teenagers.

For the cruise type that fits older children, see our small ship cruise lines comparison, and for suite sizes across lines see luxury cruise suites. Alaska is a strong family route: see the best luxury Alaska cruises. For land-based options, see luxury family vacations. The full list is in the cruises and yachts hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cruise company is best for families?
For luxury, Explora Journeys is the line that publishes a kids' club for ages 6 to 17, per Explora. Regent runs Club Mariner on select voyages. For a suite with a full children's program, look at Disney, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.
Which cruise line is best for families of all ages?
Among luxury lines, Regent groups children into 5 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17, and Explora covers 6 to 17 with set times for ages 3 to 5. Neither is a toddler line; check infant minimums before you book.
What is the most highly rated luxury cruise line?
Ratings depend on who ran the poll and in which year. Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, reported on October 18, 2026, ranked Virgin Voyages first among large ships and Princess first among megaships, both mainstream classes. See our guide to the best luxury cruise lines for the lines compared on ships and fares.
Which cruise line is ranked #1?
There is no single ranking. Each award names an edition and a year, and results differ by ship class, so we do not name one winner. In Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, Princess led the megaships and Virgin Voyages the large ships.

Sources

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