Travelling abroad with kids can be rewarding and enjoyable, but it can also feel daunting to navigate the logistics required to plan for a family to see the highlights of Europe. Emerald Cruises says it has an easier way -- a Family River Cruise onboard one of its ‘Star-Ships.’

After hearing from guests that they would like the opportunity for multi-generational families to explore Europe in the summer months, the journey designers at Emerald Cruises created two dedicated family cruises departing this July on their most popular itineraries along the Danube and Rhine rivers.

Emerald says these sailings, crafted with guests ages 10 to 18 in mind, can be enjoyed across the generations. Special pricing on these two departures allows families traveling together to book two adjacent cabins and save 50% on the second cabin.

The eight-day Family Rhine River Cruise, sailing on the recently launched Emerald Luna from Basel, Switzerland on July 17, calls on ports in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Family-friendly excursions include a canoe trip on the Rhine, geocaching in Heidelberg, and an optional educational visit to Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Total starting fare for a family of four is $3,496 CAD per person inclusive of savings and gratuities.

The eight-day Family Danube River Cruise departs Budapest on July 15 onboard Emerald Dawn, and sails west along one of Europe’s most popular rivers—the blue Danube—through Slovakia, Austria and Germany. In Budapest, families can opt to visit the AM 3D gallery, a quirky museum where guests are encouraged to interact and pose with the art; while in Bratislava budding chefs will enjoy taking part in a cooking class on a Slovakian farm. This sailing can be booked for a family of four at a starting fare of $3,308 CAD per person, inclusive of savings and gratuities.

Onboard, guests ages 10 to 18 can look forward to dedicated pool activities with the ship’s wellness coach (Emerald Cruises is the only river cruise line that feature a heated pool with retractable roof at the ship’s aft), wheelhouse tours with the Captain, a selection of kid-friendly movies in the ship’s cinema, cooking demos with the chef, and even mocktail lessons with the bar team.

The locally-inspired dinner menus will feature options modified for younger guests’ tastes, breakfast and lunch buffets will include plenty of kid-friendly choices alongside adult favourites, and afternoon snacks and poolside ice cream will be served daily.

Emerald Cruises’ inclusive pricing includes all onboard meals, wine and beer with lunch and dinner for the adults and soft drinks for the kids, airport transfers to and from the ship, gratuities, port charges, daily excursions.