From Disney to Royal Caribbean, cruise ships these days are kid-friendly, loaded with children's programs and amenities rarely found on land at any price.

But do children have fun on ultra-luxury cruise lines such as Crystal? Once thought of as the exclusive haven of well-heeled honeymooners and richly attired retirees, the 15 year-old Crystal Cruises with its luxurious staterooms and white-glove service is the last place on the high seas you'd expect to find children, much less happy ones, having the time of their lives.

Photos by ELINA FUHRMAN/Special (ENLARGE)
On a Crystal Cruise, the captain may invite kids to take a tour of the bridge, if time and security issues permit.
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A U.S. Park Ranger teaches children about glaciers during one of Crystal Cruises' Alaska excursions.
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"Think of it like taking your kids to the Ritz-Carlton," says Evan Eggers, a travel agent and co-founder of 02cruise.com, an Internet cruise business.

He says world travelers who want their children to experience the finest personalized service would be the happiest sailing on luxury cruise liners. But he cautions that those who want nonstop activities and parties would be disappointed.

Howard Moses, president of the Cruise Authority in Marietta, advises people to "ask a lot of questions" before choosing a cruise line and booking a trip. He suggests starting with "What do you expect from your vacation?" Take into consideration your family's size, personality, desires and limitations.

Parents who believe their kids would have a better time with all the children's programs available on a Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruise might be pleasantly surprised at what luxury cruise lines offer.

Some travel agents compare luxury cruise line programs to a private school environment.

"Kids that are not used to being in a room with 50 or even 100 other screaming kids, would not want to be on vacation with them," says Sylvia Berman, president of Post Haste Travel in Hollywood, Fla.

Crystal says its market is affluent families who want to vacation with the finest service, cuisine and amenities. The motto seems to be "just because there are kids activities, doesn't mean the parents have to give up foie gras and caviar."

On the larger Royal Caribbean ships, there is 22,000 square feet of dedicated kids' real estate. But Crystal's Surf Runner program uses the entire ship. Its enthusiastic 20-something "youth coordinators" keep young passengers engaged in crafts and physical activities throughout the day. Kids can also sign up for conversational foreign language classes or piano lessons.

On some trips, the captain invites the kids (no parents) on a tour of the bridge and will free up the executive pastry chef to teach them how to make and decorate cookies. In addition to a selection of children's books, the library on Crystal lends DVDs from a collection as up to date as any Blockbuster.

"They go out of their way to bring in some special people to take care of your children and put together some unique programs. It's really wonderful," Berman says.

It goes without saying that Crystal, Seaborn, Silversea and other ultra-luxury lines will go the extra mile for children simply because much of their primary clientele choose their ships as a refuge from ordinary life.

Keeping kids happy also suits those adults who've sought out a luxury cruise vacation to escape the shopping-mall feeling they've had on the megaships.

Crystal says it's answering the demands of its upscale passengers, but admits that the growth of its children's programs is not only to take care of the parents with kids, but also to make sure little ones don't bother guests without kids.

"Crystal is really the only luxury cruise line that made the biggest effort to attract kids," says Fran Golden, co-author of "Cruise Vacations for Dummies" (For Dummies, $21.99 paperback).

"They offer more of that bigship experience," she says, with roughly 1,000 guests. Seaborn and Silversea are much smaller ships (carrying fewer than 300 passengers), and parents who bring kids with them on those ships usually bring along their own baby sitter, Golden says.

It's worth noting that even the most family-friendly popular-priced cruise lines often partition entire pool areas as adults-only, creating a generation gap to keep both age groups happy on the high seas.

And most of the moderately priced cruise lines competing for families' dollars are upstaging each other with bigger rooms. You'll find a growing number of large suites that provide separate living and sleeping rooms.

For instance, Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Jewel launched last month with "courtyard villa" accommodations, exclusive suites sharing a private pool, sun decks and Jacuzzi. Up and away from the crowds below, each villa features private dining areas and butler's service and is marketed on NCL's Web page as "family-friendly."

But those who take the luxury cruise route are happy to bunk in tighter accommodations, betting their cruise dollars on superior food and service rather than personal space.

"Many of our clients will take a smaller stateroom on our ships, perhaps foregoing those larger suites they can afford on the big cruise lines, because of what we offer," says Philip Herbert, hotel director on Crystal Harmony.

"It's such a different market," says Wayne, Pa.-based travel agent Craig Martin, president of Cruisin' and Main Line Vacations. "Families who sail on Crystal and Silversea, will not consider Royal Caribbean."

Martin says up-market families tend to have more sophisticated and well-traveled kids, and admits his own children prefer luxury cruises because "they love to be waited on, they love popcorn delivered to their suite and they don't need someone to finger-paint with."

Travel experts agree that the key to happy cruising is finding the right balance for you.

If luxury is what you are accustomed to, your kids will enjoy it, too. If the thrill of new attractions and extraordinary maritime architecture gives you pleasure, your kids will never tire of the megaships' activities and opportunities.