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This Family-Friendly Cruise Could Knock Disney Off Its Pedestal, But It Costs $1,000 a Night — Here's Why The line offers on-board activities and excursions that appeal to adults and kids alike.

By Amanda Breen

Key Takeaways

  • Fares aboard the 922-passenger Explora I start at $1,000 per person per night.
  • Its complimentary, year-round staffed kids club, Nautilus Club, hosts children ages six to 17.
  • Families can enjoy off-ship activities like 41-foot super-raft rides around Kona.

Disney Cruise Line is the best cruise line for families, according to U.S. News and World Report.

But for families who want fewer character breakfasts and more fine dining, Explora Journeys' (under the MSC Group) 922-passenger Explora I is making waves, Bloomberg reported.

Image Credit: Anthony Devlin | Getty Images

With fares starting at $1,000 per person per night, the cruise boasts Michelin-starred chefs and four swimming pools across its more than half acre deck, but its major selling point for those with young kids in tow is its complimentary, year-round staffed kids club, Nautilus Club.

Related: Four Seasons Is Launching a Cruise Ship With 95 Suites as Demand for Luxury Cruising Goes 'Off the Charts' — Take a Look at the New Ship

The club hosts children ages six to 17 and is open from 9 a.m. to midnight every day. The counselors, "who speak multiple languages for an international crowd," lead activities and run additional playtimes for kids 3 to 5.

The ship also helps arrange kid-friendly shore excursions enjoyable for parents too, including private tours of Mazatlán in an open-air car or 41-foot super-raft rides around Kona for the "ultimate blend of luxury and adventure," per the company's website.

You won't find any kids menus at the restaurants serving food that's "largely European and indulgent," but they do provide highchairs, according to Bloomberg.

Related: Wealthy Travelers Are Flocking to a New Luxury Cruise Ship With a Rolex Store, Crystal-Infused Water, and a $190 Tasting Menu. See Inside.

"Other cruise lines cater to a wealthy segment of retirees from North America," Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the cruise division of MSC Group, told the outlet. "I want the busy guy in finance who says, 'Dammit, look at this: I can go with my family, I can take a week and enjoy Greece or the Caribbean.'"

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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