Family Days Out in Dorset Before or After a Cruise Holiday

If you’re sailing from Southampton or Poole, Dorset sits right on your route to the cruise ship. Rather than driving straight to the terminal, it can be well worth stopping nearby for a family day out and letting the trip begin a little earlier.

Whether you’re boarding a large ocean liner or setting off on something further afield like an Iron Gate river cruise, a slower start makes for a happier crew and a better mood by the time you get on board. 

Why You Should Add a Family Day Out to Your Cruise Plans

A cruise holiday usually starts with hours in the car, followed by a few more hours waiting to board. Breaking that up gives your kids a chance to run around before being confined to a cabin. It also spreads the excitement of the trip across 2 days instead of cramming everything into one. 

Families with younger children tend to benefit most from a family outing before their cruise, since a morning outdoors before an afternoon of travel leads to a calmer and more settled start to the cruise itself. 

Visit Dorset’s Best Family Attractions

For such a small area, Dorset is packed with family attractions. And since they’re so close together, you won’t need to travel far between them.

Wildlife lovers can head to Monkey World near Wareham, which is a rescue centre for primates with keeper talks and play areas that are designed to help your little ones burn off energy. Along the coastline, you can also do a little bit of nature spotting, with rock pools and calm, shallow water at spots like Studland Bay.

History fans have plenty to explore, too. Corfe Castle is full of ruined towers and hidden passageways that children can scramble around rather than just read about, and its origins stretch back over 1,000 years. 

For something more hands-on, the Tank Museum at Bovington lets kids climb aboard vehicles and follow trails that are built with families in mind. None of these attractions needs a full day, which makes them easy to fit around your departure time. 

Enjoy the Outdoors Before You Sail 

Dorset’s coastline forms part of the Jurassic Coast, which is England’s only natural World Heritage Site. The shorter sections of it make for easy and manageable family walks rather than full hikes. 

You can head down a stretch near Lulworth Cove or Durdle Door for some gorgeous scenery without spending too many hours on your feet. When your little ones get tired, most car parks along this coast have cafes nearby for a stop or a quick bite to eat. 

If a walk feels like too much before travel, Dorset’s local parks and adventure playgrounds offer the same amount of fun (just with far less planning involved!). A couple of hours outdoors can turn into quieter, more content kids once you’re back in the car. 

Tips for Planning Around Your Cruise Schedule

If you arrive in Dorset the day before you sail, you’ll have a lot more time to enjoy the attractions without watching the clock. Ideally, you’ll want to pick something close to your accommodation or departure point so the final leg of your journey stays as short as possible. 

Remember to pack a small day bag with snacks and spare layers, since your main suitcases will already be packed for boarding. And try to build in extra time before you need to arrive at the terminal, while also having a backup plan ready in case the weather turns. 

If rain gets in the way, a soft play centre or museum works just as well as an outdoor stop.

Make Dorset Part of the Holiday

Your vacation doesn’t have to begin the moment you reach the terminal. A couple of hours with monkeys or exploring around a thousand-year-old castle gives your family something to do and talk about before you’ve even left dry land. 

Sometimes, it’s that morning in Dorset that everyone will remember long after the ship has docked and you’ve gone back home.