When it comes to multi-generational kicking back and relaxing for the summer, nothing beats a family cruise in Croatia.
Picture it…
Your boat anchors off the Pakleni Islands just before lunch, and by the time the plates are cleared, there’s nothing to do but relax. The kids splash about and explore the shallows while the parents and grandparents lounge on the sundeck, drinks in hand.
Slow, experience-rich afternoons like this one are what a family cruise on the Adriatic is built around. You share a family meal, chat with a few fellow travelers, explore old harbor towns… and maybe glimpse another boat or two as you move towards your next harbor.
Nobody is driving. Nobody is cooking. Tonight it's Hvar, tomorrow Korčula, the day after is Mljet. And you've only unpacked once.
It's easy to picture a week like this... but it can be hard to book. That's why we put together this guide that tells you how to plan a small boat Croatian vacation for your entire family, no matter how many people you count in it.
Three Ways to Book a Family Cruise in Croatia
Depending on the size of your group, there are three ways to book a family cruise in Croatia.
One household, or several booking together, takes cabins on a scheduled small-ship departure, sharing their week with up to 36 guests in total.
But if you're a big extended family, chartering the whole ship becomes an attractive option. That means that you have a say in the sailing itinerary and stops, with fixed first and last ports, and are consulted on the daily menus. Large groups benefit from this arrangement because they get to shape the experience so that everyone in the group gets something out of it.
| One household | Several households | Extended family | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you book | Cabins on a scheduled departure | A block of cabins on one departure | The whole ship |
| How it's priced | Per person, from €1,890 | Per person, same fares | By the ship, from €50,000 a week |
| Who else is aboard | Other guests, up to 36 in all | Other guests share the rest of the ship | Only your group |
| Route | Šibenik to Dubrovnik or the reverse, Saturday to Saturday | Same | Shaped around your group ( first and last port pre-set) |
| Meals on board | Breakfast daily, six lunches, two dinners | Same | Breakfast and lunch daily plus a welcome dinner, menus set with you |
| Dates | Published departures | One departure for everyone | By arrangement |
| Settle first | Who sleeps where | Who pays, and enough cabins | Dates and the guest list |
Croatian Family Cruise for One Household
One household books cabins on a scheduled departure with Zantium Travel and shares the ship with other guests, up to 36 in all. Lower-deck cabins start at €1,890 per person. Grandparents and anyone who finds stairs hard should book main-deck cabins. We confirm cabin arrangements for children before you book.
The one choice that really matters when you're booking for a diverse group is the deck.
Main-deck cabins are on the boarding level, so you don't climb any stairs to get to bed. The lower deck is always down a staircase, but it stays cooler and quieter, which suits parents and teenagers who don't mind the steps. Judging from the reviews, our past guests agree: if you're 55+ — or your knee is giving you trouble — the slightly higher main deck fare is money well spent.
Teenagers get evenings of their own. Vis and Hvar are free nights in town, and Hvar's nightlife is unrivaled on the Adriatic coast.
Vacationing with toddlers? Children of all ages are welcome on our cruises, and we set no minimum age. However, kid’s clubs are not a feature on our boats. For a big family with small children, a private charter is the better fit: you can tailor the week toward the kids, with special tours and rentals like floating islands and trampolines.
Decide in this order:
- Count heads, and note who needs the main deck.
- Pick a season. Pricing changes from low to high season.
- Ask how the children will sleep. The section on ages further down covers it.
- Choose from our small boat cruise departures in Croatia.
Several Households Booking a Cabin Block
Several households booking a block take cabins together on one scheduled departure, each paying the per-person fare. A family of twenty needs about ten cabins, more than half the ship, so decide on your departure date first and book early for the best cabins and rates.
This is a reunion-shape vacation: siblings, their kids, the grandparents, and one person with strong organizational skills tasked with managing the spreadsheet. That organizer has two jobs:
- get everyone onto the same week, and
- settle who pays what before booking (have that conversation early).
Once you're aboard, it's almost like an intimate house party on a ship. Our cruise manager briefs everyone on the day's plan each morning after breakfast. On the four evenings ashore — Vis, Hvar, Korčula, and Slano — ask where to eat, and our cruise manager can recommend a place and help book a long table. Some households peel off for dinner and find each other again at a café on the harbor.
Decide in this order:
- Name one organizer.
- Agree on the departure, and who pays what.
- Count the cabins (check main deck preference).
- Ask us whether your cabins can be together, and we'll tell you what's possible on your departure.
There's no minimum group size for a charter, so the whole ship is an option too, and we explain it below. With a strong headcount, booking the whole ship can easily turn into a more economical option.
What Your Croatia Cruise Booking Covers
On a scheduled departure, the fare covers your cabin, breakfast daily, six lunches and two dinners on board, guided walks in four towns, the Ston oyster tasting, the Blue Cave entrance fee, swim stops, and transfers on the first and last day.
The dinners ashore are by design: your entire group gets to sample the rich culinary treats of several Croatian islands, each one different and unique, and you pick a place the kids will actually eat at. For every line of what the pricing includes, season by season, see what a Croatia cruise costs in 2027.
The Extended Family on a Private Charter
A big extended family, often with friends along, can charter the whole ship. Only your group is aboard, the route and menus are shaped around you, and one contact handles everything from inquiry to embarkation. Charters start at €50,000 for the week, priced by the ship, with no minimum group size.
These charters are a great choice for larger families, groups of friends, and multi-generational trips because everyone travels aboard the same ship while having their own private cabin.
In this case, the week bends to your group: ports, swim stops, excursions, and the daily plan. Only the first and last ports are fixed.
Menus are set with you, and a milestone dinner on board becomes the celebration that the whole week — and everyone on board — works toward. The charter includes the ship and crew, breakfast and lunch daily with a welcome dinner, daily housekeeping with a midweek linen change, and Wi-Fi. Airport transfers, excursions, and extra dinners are arranged on request.
Decide in this order:
- Fix the dates with the core family.
- Confirm the guest list.
- Agree how the cost is split.
- Tell us who's coming.
The Zantium Sailing Route Stop by Stop
Our sailing route runs Šibenik, Vis, Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, Slano, and Dubrovnik over eight days, or in reverse. Mljet and Korčula win over every generation, Hvar and Vis give your antsy teenagers a night on the town, and there are daily swim stops.
Flying into Split early? Diocletian's Palace and nearby Trogir make a brilliant bonus day, though neither is part of the cruise. For more on the islands, see our island-by-island guide.
Šibenik
We start the day with a guided walk of about an hour: from the harbor through the park to the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of St. James and its square, then into the old town core, with some history and a feel for everyday life in Šibenik. The city’s towering fortresses—St. Michael's and St. Nicholas’ in particular—are a sight to behold and worth exploring if the time allows.
Vis
Closed to foreigners from 1945 until 1989, Vis kept its villages as they were, and both teenagers and adults are fascinated by its military past. The Archaeological Museum is in an Austrian fort on the shore (check it's open). From Vis, the whole family gets into a small boat to visit the Blue Cave on nearby Biševo island.
Hvar
On the way to Hvar, you get a few hours of swimming off the Pakleni Islands after lunch on board. Then a local guide walks you through Hvar town, and you get to plan your own evening entertainment. Teenagers make for the waterfront, which is buzzing by dark. Our recommendation? Book the whole family into the family-owned Hora estate on the UNESCO-listed Stari Grad Plain, for local wine and a traditional Dalmatian dinner.
Korčula
We start exploring Korčula after a swim stop and lunch on board. In the afternoon, a local guide walks you through the old town, which claims to be Marco Polo's birthplace, with plenty of stories and legends along the way. Grown-ups love it because the old town is small, easy to walk, and full of restaurants. Dinner is ashore, so ask our cruise manager for a recommendation, and catch the Moreška sword dance if it's on.
Mljet
Mljet National Park works for every age: two saltwater lakes for swimming and bikes to rent to get around them. Don’t forget to take a boat out and visit a 12th-century monastery, perched on its own little islet in the middle of one of the lakes. Park entry is extra (price list).
Slano and Ston
On the way to Slano, the ship stops for a swim in one of the bays along the coast. Then it's on to Ston, whose medieval walls (built by Dubrovnik Republic in 1333) still stretch more than 5 km. A short boat ride takes everyone out to an oyster farm in the middle of the bay, where oysters have been farmed since Roman times. Of course, you get to sample the oysters and wine. If you’d rather skip the oysters, there are mussels cooked buzara style, prosciutto and cheese platters, marinated anchovies, and local olives and olive oil. Tell us about any allergies before you sail.
Dubrovnik
The Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik, is the last full day. A local guide walks you through the UNESCO-listed Old Town and down Stradun, its main street, and teenagers will know these streets as King's Landing from Game of Thrones. The afternoon is free for gelato, souvenirs, or the city walls (tickets and hours). On the last morning, cabins are cleared by 9:00, and you can leave your luggage on board until your airport transfer.
Ages, Kids' Fares, and What to Ask Before You Book
Ages, kids' fares, and cabin setups vary between Croatia cruise lines. Some set a minimum age, some discount children's fares, and some sell triple cabins. On our small ships there's no minimum age, so children of every age are welcome aboard. We confirm the rest for your family before you book.
Seeing Croatia with kids on a small ship goes smoothly when these are settled first:
- Child fares. Children under 3 sail free when they share a cabin with two adults. Children aged 3 to 12 pay 30% of the fare in a third bed, or 80% when they share a standard bed with one adult. These arrangements are subject to availability.
- A third bed in your cabin. An adult in a third bed pays 80% of the fare. Third beds are only in cabins equipped for them, and most ships have one or two triple cabins, so book early if you need one.
- Cots for babies. Cots are available, please ask for one in advance, when you book.
- Cabins side by side. Cabins can be booked next to each other, but none connect, and each has its own entrance.
- Life jackets. There's one for every guest, with smaller vests for children. They're for emergencies, not for swimming, so bring swim vests or floats for the youngest.
- Meals. Our chefs have cooked for gluten-free, vegetarian, and pescatarian guests. They take allergies and dietary needs into account, so tell us before you sail.
- Charters. A charter puts more of the week in your hands. There's no fixed itinerary beyond the first and last ports, so you can choose different stops and shore experiences, and tailor the week toward the kids.
Best Time for a Family Cruise in Croatia, and What to Pack
The best time for a family cruise in Croatia is June to September for sea swimming, with July and August the busiest months. Fares follow three seasons, lowest in shoulder season and highest in July and August. For warm water and quieter harbors, look at June and September first.
When Should We Go?
School calendars usually decide a Croatia family holiday. If school breaks up earlier in your part of the world, then late June and early July are open to you, and you get to enjoy a family cruise in Croatia before the peak. Generally, families with school-aged children book their Adriatic holiday in July and August. For current sea temperatures, see Croatia's national weather service.
Most mornings we set sail while breakfast is served, so the day's sailing starts before the kids are done eating.
What Should We Pack?
- Water shoes, for pebbly beaches and the paths on Mljet.
- Plenty of sun protection.
- Shoes with grip. Dubrovnik's limestone streets are beautiful and slippery.
- Some cash, for the bar tab and the port tax, both settled at the end of the week.
FAQ: Family Cruises in Croatia
Is Croatia suitable for families?
Yes, Croatia is suitable for families, and a small-ship cruise is one of the easiest ways to take a Croatia family holiday together. The coast offers short hops between islands, daily swim stops, and old towns you explore on guided walks. Before booking a family cruise in Croatia, confirm the cabin arrangement for your children and anything the youngest will need.
Which is the most family-friendly cruise?
The most family-friendly cruise in Croatia depends on your children's ages and the size of your group. Large ships offer kids' clubs and pools. A small ship carrying up to 36 guests offers daily swim stops and guided walks in four towns, and a big extended family can charter the whole boat, with no minimum group size.
Which Croatian island is best for a family vacation?
The best Croatian islands for a family vacation are Korčula and Mljet, because both suit every age. Korčula's old town is compact enough for grandparents to walk, and Mljet National Park has two saltwater lakes and a 12th-century monastery on an islet. Hvar is the pick for families with teenagers who want an evening in town.
Which month is the best to cruise Croatia?
The best months to cruise Croatia are June and September, when the water is warm and the harbors are quieter. The swimming season is June to September, and July and August are the busiest months. Cruise fares follow three seasons, lowest in shoulder season and highest in peak season.
Which cruise line is the best for Croatia?
The best cruise line for Croatia is one that spends the whole week on the Croatian coast. Large ships usually call at one or two Croatian ports on a wider Mediterranean itinerary. Our small ships spend all seven nights in Croatia between Šibenik and Dubrovnik, with guided walking tours in four towns.
The Last Night Aboard
On the last evening, everyone is back on board, sunburned and arguing about which swim stop was best. That last dinner, with the whole family at the table, is what you’ll look back at with a smile… and while quietly planning your next adventure with Zantium Travel. At least, that’s what our returning guests tell us.
That's what a family cruise in Croatia is for: one boat, three generations. A week spent together making memories and exploring the Adriatic coast.
Tell us how many of you there are and which week you're thinking of, and we'll work out the rest with you.