Traveling with kids and trying to please everyone is like juggling fire, pineapple, and marshmallow.
One wants nothing but pizza, the other one wants to see high-rise buildings, and you just want to sip your hot coffee. Thankfully, there is a solution — this year, consider a family-friendly dinner cruise in NYC where the kids, parents, and grandparents can have fun.
A family dining cruise brings good food, amazing views, and family bonding time packed in a single, floating, lovable family experience. In a city that never sleeps, a little downtime is a very precious and necessary moment.
Food, Views, and No Fuss
The most important part of this cruise is the good food. A universal truth we can all agree with is this: hungry children + exhausted parents = a recipe for disaster. Enter: a dinner cruise. Typically, dinner cruises have menus that are suitable for adults and kids. The younger ones can have meals like sliders, pasta, and fries, while the grown-ups can enjoy seared salmon or a cold, crisp glass of white wine. There’s no need for three rounds of dinner reservations.
The views are amazing, and they should be part of your dinner enjoyment. After all, this is part of why you came on the cruise in the first place. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and New York City’s A-list skyline are only a few of the beautiful and awesome things to see. The best part is you get to see it without battling against prams and Times Square foot traffic.
It’s More Than a Meal—It’s an Experience
As opposed to eating at a restaurant, which tends to feel monotonous, there are a lot more things happening on a dinner cruise. For starters, you’re on a boat, on the water, moving and seeing all the landmarks around the city. The music in the background, the slight breeze on the top deck, and all the comfort make your kids feel like they are on an overseas trip. Whether young or old, cruising through the city is the best type of sightseeing you can get.
If you have an infant or a toddler, the excitement of being on a boat alone will last throughout the ride. For the young and the older ones, Instagram-worthy moments with the city’s skyline as a background are one of the perks. For you, take deep breaths in the moment and enjoy yourself, no matter how briefly.
Zero Planning, Maximum Fun
If your average family holiday itinerary looks like a multi-tab Excel spreadsheet, with backups upon backups, this is your chance to stop and relax. Book your spots as part of a dine-in-while-you-recline package, show up, and everything else is done for you. Once the cruise is over, you can just walk out and head home.
You’re not calling to ask if they have high chairs. You’re not frantically googling “best child-friendly restaurants in NYC.” Just enjoy the cruise. Most of these cruises offer indoor dining and climate-controlled boats.
Is It Really Kid-Friendly?
Short answer: yes. The long answer is that it depends on the cruise you choose. Look for cruises that specifically state they are family-friendly or suitable for younger passengers. Some will have early dining times, some might provide coloring pages or onboard entertainers, and others will run cruises for holidays, where your kids get to meet Santa while cruising past the Empire State Building.
You can book these cruises with Giftory, a brand that offers experiences as gifts instead of material things. They have excellent dinner cruises that meet all these criteria and more.
A Calm Moment in the Middle of Chaos
There is no other city like New York, with so many people, cars, and activities. So, a New York dinner cruise gives you one night to sit down and breathe, relax, and remember why you wanted to travel in the first place.
There’s no cab to flag down, no two-year-old to race after, and no complication that requires you to keep your eyes and attention in three different places at the same time. You’re on a boat and in one place. That peace is a rarity in a city that never sleeps.
A Memory That Lasts Longer Than a Selfie
In a few years, your kids won’t remember which building was the biggest or which statue was the greenest. What they’ll remember is the evening they ate dinner on a boat, watched the sun drop behind the skyline, and danced on the deck with Mom and Dad, and so will you.
A family-friendly New York dinner cruise isn’t about sightseeing. It’s about doing something different and making memories that last. The view is only part of the magic – how it makes you feel is what really matters.
