Navigating a Successful Sailing With the Kids : Cruise companies with youth programs are offering great deals to lure families to sea.

Nine-year-old Josh Simon, who lives in Las Vegas, can’t wait to go on another cruise. “It was the best vacation I ever had,” he declares.

Jason and Alex Kirchmann, from San Rafael, Calif., only had one criticism of the Alaska cruise they took with their grandmother last year. The 8-year-old and 6-year-old didn’t want to watch the scenery as much as she did. “It was spectacular, but it got kind of boring for them,” says their grandmother, Pat Lowey of Santa Rosa, with a laugh. Otherwise, the boys gave the cruise a definitive thumbs up. “They loved it and I was able to relax, too,” said Lowey.

“Cruises are fun for kids because you get to be with other kids and you don’t have to be with your parents all of the time and have good manners,” adds 8-year-old Alexandra Routenberg, a veteran cruiser from suburban Chicago. “I only get tired of it when it’s raining.”

Parents may complain about the constant motion of the ship, the discomfort of being surrounded by hundreds of strangers, the cramped staterooms or the annoyance of being over-scheduled. But put a kid on a ship for a few days and he’ll likely leave a walking advertisement for the cruise industry. That’s what the cruise lines hope, anyway.

Already, a lot more families are road-testing ships. The numbers of parents and kids on board are up 50% just in the last two years, the cruise industry reports.

“We’re seeing that the median age for cruising--now 42 or 43--is getting younger every year and one of the big reasons is because more families are cruising with their kids,” said Royal Caribbean spokesman Lloyd Axelrod.

As a result, cruise lines are working harder than ever to keep all of the parents and kids coming and happy once they’re on board.

“Everyone is competing for families these days,” observes Kathy Joseph, who runs the Los Angeles-based family travel information service, Let’s Take The Kids. “Cruising is becoming a better bet for families all of the time.”

Virtually all major cruise lines now offer children’s programs, though they don’t necessarily operate on every sailing (check before booking).

And to coax families into taking a cruise now, during the recession, there have never been so many deals. Drive to your ship’s port, or use frequent flier miles, and you can save several hundred dollars. Book early for more savings. And there are discounts for large family groups traveling together, for senior citizens, for single parents.

“It’s unprecedented for there to be such rampant discounting,” says Don Lansky, spokesman for The Cruise Line, Inc., a national Miami-based cruise information center and one of the oldest discount booking companies in the country. “There has never been a better time to try a cruise.”

Though still not exactly cheap, cruising does give families a lot of bang for their vacation buck because everything from meals to (often) plane fare to entertainment are figured in the upfront cost. For many parents, that’s the biggest attraction. There are few extras to pay for on board ship--and no credit card bills to open months later, no matter what activities the kids choose or how much they eat.

Even better, parents and kids can go their own way and meet for meals. There are no fights about where to eat or whether to swim or play tennis. “It’s the ideal way to get away,” says Gael Routenberg, Alexandra’s mother.

A family of four can cruise the Caribbean this spring, including air fare, for under $3,000; Alaska this summer for $4,000, according to Lansky. That’s considerably less than a year ago. But, he cautions, “The way the market is going, the deals change daily. You must ask someone who really knows cruises.”

The same advice holds for assessing the dizzying array of children’s programs. From Premier’s Big Red Boat, which combines a cruise to Nassau with a trip to Walt Disney World, to Carnival’s fleet-wide “Camp Carnival,” to Royal Caribbean’s special kids’ menu and activities, the cruise lines are adding constantly adding something new.

There are special kids’ discos, teen nightclubs, talent shows, off-ship trips and daily printed activity schedules just for them.

Take a Premier cruise in the coming year and there will be, among other things, new Disney entertainment, more activities for families to do together and more Disney characters around.

Premier, for one, has so many programs for kids that counselors will keep them entertained--whether they’re 2 or 16--from morning until they drop from exhaustion at night.

“Our older ones disappeared in the mornings and we didn’t see them except for meals,” says Robert Martin, a Chicago engineer who recently returned from a Premier Cruise with his four kids.

But it wasn’t quite that easy with his 3- and 5-year-olds. Despite all of the activities available, he warns, “It was a lot of work with the little ones. There wasn’t much time for my wife and me.” Still, he says his family would try another one.

While Premier has organized activities for kids as young as 2, other cruise lines may offer less for the youngest passengers. Royal Caribbean, for example, concentrates its programs on kids aged 5 and up, though baby-sitting is available for the younger set. Named the best family cruise choice by readers of Family Circle, Carnival offers organized activities for 4-year-olds and older. Again, baby-sitting for younger children can be arranged.

It’s wise to check ahead for baby-sitting, though. Even Premier, known for its family programs, doesn’t offer organized day care for infants. And make sure to arrange for a crib, high chair or special foods, as well.

To help you plan, Travel With Your Children, a New York-based family travel information center, publishes an annual guide to family cruising that details everything each cruise line has available for children, from major programs to small details such as highchairs. (It is available by sending $20 plus $2 postage to TWYCH, 45 West 18th St., New York 10011.)

In Los Angeles, Let’s Take the Kids provides family cruising information customized for each family for a nominal fee. Call (800) 726-4349.

It doesn’t matter what kind of family either. Cruise ships are ready to accommodate all varieties. In fact, growing numbers of families spread across the country think cruising is a great way to get together for a reunion.

“You can spend time with them, but you don’t have to be with them all the time,” explains Michael Ostrander, a Chicagoan who recently took a Carnival cruise with his siblings and their families. They’d gathered from Montana, Georgia and Illinois to make the trip.

“A lot of the decisions that cause stress and fights are already made,” adds Michael Routenberg, a teacher who is planning a summer Alaska cruise with his parents and brother. He loves cruising so much--he’s taken more than two dozen--that he’s begun working for a travel agent on the side. His secret to a successful family cruise? “Always ask a lot of questions about the kids’ programs before you book,” he says. “And then keep in mind what the kids want.”