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Destinations

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Recommended Hotels and Restaurants for Luxury Family Travel

Destination List

United States

MID-ATLANTIC

Baltimore, MD
National Harbor, MD
​Richmond, VA
Washington, DC​

FLORIDA

Boca Raton, FL
Deerfield Beach, FL
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Key West, FL​

BAY AREA, CA

ARIZONA
Scottsdale/Phoenix/Mesa 
Sedona

Tropical Destinations

Bahamas
​Bermuda
Eastern Caribbean
Western Caribbean

Hotel List By Brand

Accor Hotels

Hotel Sofitel Philadelphia

Fairmont Hotels

Fairmont Washington D.C. Georgetown

Hilton Hotels/Waldorf Astoria

Boca Raton Resort and Club ​
​​Waterstone Resort Boca Raton, A Curio Hotel
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock 

Hyatt Hotels

Hyatt Regency Washington DC Capitol Hill
​​Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center
​​Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch

Kimpton Hotels

​Hotel Monaco, A Kimpton Hotel
​Sir Francis Drake, A Kimpton Hotel

Preferred Hotels

Salamander Resort & Spa

Marriott Collection/Ritz-Carlton Hotels

​San Jose Marriott
​Gaylord National Resort
Hollywood Beach Marriott
​Richmond Marriott Short Pump

Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC
Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale
Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, VA

Rubell Hotels

Lord Baltimore Hotel

Sonesta Hotels and Resorts

​​Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel
​Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse
​Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa

Independent Hotels

Lago Mar Resort & Club

Restaurant List By Location

Baltimore, Maryland

​B&O Brasserie
​Explorers Restaurant and Lounge
​Rusty Scupper
​The French Kitchen

Boca Raton, Florida

​Abe and Louie's
​Another Broken Egg Cafe
​​Boca Landing
​Chops Lobster Bar
​Trattoria Ramona​

​For Boca Raton Resort Guests:
​the blue at Boca Raton Resort
Beaches Restaurant at Boca Beach Club
Seagrille at Boca Beach Club
501 East Kitchen & Bar at Boca Raton Resort ​

Las Vegas

Hell's Kitchen

National Harbor, Maryland

Old Hickory Steakhouse

Richmond, Virginia

Texas de Brazil
Mosaic

San Francisco, California

​Scala's Bistro
​Fog Harbor Fish House
​​Il Fornaio

San Jose, California

​Arcadia

Washington D.C.

Ritz-Carlton, Wash DC, Westend Bistro
​Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, VA, Entyse 
Carmine's
​Hill Country Barbecue Market

Choosing a Destination

Whether you select your cruise for the itinerary or for the ship, each port you visit should be an exciting experience. For our family, it's what we love the most about cruising. Board the ship at one port and you'll arrive at a new destination everyday.

When cruising the Caribbean, we personally enjoy boarding out of either Fort Lauderdale or Miami. Even though many East Coast ports have cruises to the Caribbean, keep in mind the Atlantic Ocean can get rough at times and the water is not nearly as tranquil when first departing. Although when cruising to Bermuda or Canada/New England, definitely head to Bayonne, New Jersey or New York City for a very easy embarkation process. ​​​

​​For Hawaii, Alaska or California cruises, the West Coast has some fantastic ports. They are in wonderful cities, so definitely make sure to allow at least a few days to explore these areas before boarding the ship.

​Virtual Hint: Check out my East Coast Cruise Guide for quick links to each port calendar for ships departing from an East Coast port close to you. Sometimes a short road trip is much easier than traveling through airports with the family.

View of NYC when leaving out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ