2) Royal Caribbean

Not to be outdone by Disney, Royal Caribbean has taken 6 of its ships and contracted with DreamWorks—creator of the films Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Royal Caribbean offers families 3-D film showings, meals with characters, karaoke nights, theme nights, surprise appearances, a surf simulator, rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, RipCord by iFly, mini golf, and zip lines just to name a few of the onboard activities for families. Royal Caribbean offers a breakdown of activities for the whole family, just for teens (12-17), just for kids (3-11), and just for babies and tots (6-36mos) which is very useful when planning which cruise is right for you.

A complimentary award winning Youth Program, Adventure Ocean, will have your kids talking for days. Every member of the youth team holds a four-year degree in education, recreation or a related field and has extensive experience working with children. Kids and teens are broken out into age groups so they can enjoy specialized programs made to expand their imaginations. For adults you ask? How about Casino Royale, Tony Award-winning entertainment, fitness classes, glass-canopied Solarium pool, high class tax-free, duty-free shopping, and more!

3) Norwegian Cruise Lines

What makes Norwegian so unique to families? They have perfect the “free-style” cruising concept. That simply means you can cruise on your terms. Do what you want, when you want, including dinner. So, if you have a slight temper tantrum happening, no need to stress. You won’t be late for your dinner seating. Norwegian also offers youth programs. From dodgeball to cupcake decorating, Circus School to Nickelodeon entertainment, bowling to sports tournaments, Norwegian covers all activities to keep your kids happy and best of all, it’s complimentary and supervised. The onboard family accommodations truly set Norwegian apart. Whether your crew is small or large, you have the option to choose from multi-room Suites or interconnecting staterooms. All ships have family mini-suites, balconies, ocean views and inside staterooms. Almost all Norwegian ships have 2-bedroom family suites conveniently located near the kid’s area so your little ones don’t have to go far to play.

With freestyle dining, your family can sit down to eat a fresh hot pizza or slide over to the made-to-order buffet. Kids age 3 and under always eat for free and kids 4-12 can order from a complimentary kid’s menu. Norwegian does it right when it comes to families being on a budget. With their age appropriate complimentary youth programs, kids can meet other kids and enjoy their own special places onboard the ship at Splash Academy and Entourage. Adults can enjoy up to 22 bars and lounges, comedy clubs, a casino, spa, the largest multi-level ropes course at sea, and the plank experience where you’re way above the ocean and 8 feet over the side of Norwegians Breakaway Class ships. Talking about thrilling!

4) Holland America

Holland America might not offer the big names or cutting-edge attractions like other cruise lines but there’s a lot to be said for Holland’s onboard activities. Club HAL, swim parties, Olympic-style competitions, karaoke and pajama parties, and classic family fun for kids without over-the-top simulation. Holland America is especially a great cruise line for teenagers. Accessible by a secret passageway, The Loft is an entire deck devoted just to teens, with nightclub events, waterfall-lined swimming pools, and a juice bar.

Adults on Holland America Line cruises can learn how to display and share their vacation memories through the Digital Workshop powered by Windows. This program, available on all ships, offers free, informative sessions that are led by a Microsoft-trained Techspert. How about a signature cooking class wine tasting, or mixology lesson? Each culinary art center features a theater-style venue with two large plasma video screens and a large cooking display counter where guests can learn from Holland America Lines’s own professional culinary staff. In conjunction, the Holland America Line Beverage team offers a Signature Cocktail program where guests can learn how to prepare world class cocktails from one of the ship’s bartenders. Wine tastings are hosted by the Cellar Master and offer two different unique tasting levels. Need we say more about Holland America?

5) Celebrity Cruises

Known for their sophisticated cuisine, upscale ambience, destination-focused itineraries and themed cruises focusing on art, food, and wine-families cruise Celebrity because it’s actually more low-key than its sister Royal Caribbean and the line offers popular kid’s programming. Incredibly unique to Celebrity, the cruise line has introduced a new (and free) program called iTake where aspiring young directors learn to shoot and edit video using the latest technology. iTake is available on all ships with a Celebrity iLounge.

Celebrity also offers a Fun Factory program which is available for kids ages 3-11 from 9AM-10PM every day. The programs feature crafts, treasure hunts, theme parties, the latest gaming and more. Celebrity has a partnership with LeapFrog Schoolhouse, and there is special LeapFrog Edutainment designed exclusively for Celebrity Cruises that allow kids to virtually explore the ports they’re visiting. There are late-evening activities ($6/hour per child), and kids can eat with counselors at least once during a cruise. Ships are outfitted with Xbox stations for players of all ages. Free play time is also available during certain times for Xbox 360 and Kinect for Xbox 360. Teens ages 12-17 have their own X-Club with gaming consoles, late-night dance parties, and sports. There’s also a special YSpa program for teens featuring massages, spray tans, styling sessions and more.

Adults can enjoy food and wine pairing workshops, dance lessons, presentations by expert speakers, language classes, pool volleyball, adult trivia contests, and a Dancing with the Stripes competition. Participants partner with various ship's officers and compete in elimination rounds featuring different dance styles and live music. A panel of judge’s votes on the couples until a winner is found. So, go on and experience Celebrity life!