It pays to be familiar with what cruise lines offer for families before booking a brood

Just about every major cruise line offers a children’s program these days, especially those with mega-ships, like Royal Caribbean International’s new, 5,400-plus-passenger Oasis of the Seas. While that trend is making booking family cruises easier, you still need to qualify your clients to find the best line—and ship—that suits their needs.

“It’s gotten a lot easier with cruise lines going after the family market, particularly Royal Caribbean with the Oasis of the Seas,” says Jay Johnson, president of Coastline Travel Advisors in Garden Grove, Calif. “It’s made our lives easier, because there’s a lot more inventory.”

Yet he still advises his agents to book early—as long as a year in advance—to ensure that there are enough quad and adjacent cabins aboard a ship during high seasons, like summer and spring break. “Be very careful that you don’t split up families,” he says. “The cruise may be available, but the quads and adjacent cabins may not be.”