A couple of weeks ago we had our first foreign holiday with two children. It was a new adventure for all of us. Normally we holiday in the UK, either visiting my mum in Wiltshire or my father-in-law in Devon. We are so lucky to have family who live in beautiful parts of the country and we always have a great time. However, we decided it was about time we travelled further afield, so got the children their passports and booked with P&O cruises.

Cruising with the family on the Ventura

We’ve endured long car journeys with the children but never been on a longer journey than the Isle of Wight ferry before, so had no idea what to expect. It was a 5 day cruise, with 1 day at sea, 1 day at Zeebrugge (we booked a day in Bruges) and 1 day in Guernsey (we booked a trip to St Peters Port).

We really wanted to travel as light as possible as we knew our cabin would be compact. So I packed their clothes – everything needed for any weather, as well as clothes for the onboard Kids Club, swimming pools and evening entertainment. Each child was allowed their rucksack and we talked about what they might need. My 4 year old packed a blankie, soft toy and favourite bedtime story. My 6 year old also packed a soft toy, reading book and his DS. They each packed a few small toys. I bought them both a new magazine and colouring pens.

I’m glad we packed light as they both had such a great time with our day trips and the Kids Club that they never really sat down except to sleep. We had an amazing time and the cruse was totally geared towards families. They loved everything, from our cabin, to their bunk beds, the special kids dinner time and especially the Kids Club.

We spent a day walking around Bruges which they took to like seasoned travellers. The only hiccup was our boat not stopping at Guernsey due to the weather conditions. The children were so happy to spend an extra day at the Kids Club that it was really only us adults who began to feel a little bored!

There was plenty to keep us busy and we would recommend cruising with the family on a short cruise to see if you like it. It was the perfect length to try everything but leave us wanting more! We are already planning our next family travel adventure. The children loved travelling, trying new food and I really hope they have caught the travel bug.

I quite enjoyed researching travelling on a cruise ship with kids. You can find lots of travel essentials on the George website and the George blog also has some really handy tips on travelling with children, so make sure you take a look before you travel!

Have you ever taken your family on a cruise before? If so, why not leave me a comment below. And if you’re looking for tips or stories about travelling with children this summer, then just look for the #TravelwithGeorge on Twitter.