• Family cruises offer a range of activities for all ages.cruise ship image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
  
  Cruises make excellent family vacations. Larger cruise ships cater to all ages and provide academic and age-specific children's programs. With hundreds of cruise ships to select from, choosing the perfect cruise line is a difficult task. The best family cruises offer a variety of family-friendly facilities, daily activities for children younger than 18 and even babysitting services.
  
  

Carnival's Splendor and Conquest Cruises

• Carnival cruises divide children into age groups and offer a mixture of entertainment and educational activities. Toddlers engage in arts and crafts, whereas older children participate in scavenger hunts and T-shirt painting. Teenagers have access to teen-only shore excursions, video game stations and disco evenings. Parents can take advantage of Carnival's babysitting services from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. for children 6 months to 11 years old. Carnival provides family-friendly dining options, as well. Passengers may order ice cream, spaghetti, hot dogs and pizza through 24-hour stateroom service.
  
  

Royal Caribbean's Voyager and Freedom Cruises

• Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean youth program divides children and teens into subcategories. Children ages 3 to 5, for example, participate in story time. Kids 5 through 8 play soccer, create surfboards and take introductory science courses. Pre-teens play capture the flag and conduct science experiments, and teenagers participate in karaoke contests and group skating. The ships are equipped with miniature golf courses, roller-blading rinks and other recreational facilities suited for families. The ships' indoor promenades serve as hubs for special events and parades. Parents with small children can visit the toddlers-only splash pool or a crafts workshop. Royal Caribbean provides such activities at no cost for toddlers and infants under 3.
  
  

Disney's Magic and Wonder Cruises

• Disney Cruise Lines is one option for families with children age 12 and younger. Disney divides children for supervised activities into categories that span a few years. Three- to 4-year-olds, for instance, have separate agendas from 5- to 7-year-olds. Mickey's Pool, suited for small children, is situated on the opposite side of the adults-only pool. Goofy's family-friendly pool is in the center of the pool deck. A Walt Disney theater plays a wide selection of movies and shows. Disney's unique rotating dining system enables passengers and table guests to rotate between one of three restaurants each night, while servers follow them from venue to venue. The cruise has an online service that allows passengers to pre-order infant supplies and have them delivered to suites.