Just when you think it's gone for good, they pull it back in.

With apologies to The Godfather's Michael Corleone (yeah, we know the quote isn't quite right), that's the story for a beloved Royal Caribbean ship that will be returning to the line's fleet this year after an eight-year absence.

The Miami-based line over the holidays confirmed that the 2,020-passenger Empress of the Seas would return to the fold to sail short cruises out of the city starting in April.

Unveiled in 1990, the 48,563-ton vessel left the Royal Caribbean fleet in early 2008 and has been sailing ever since for Spanish line Pullmantur. Pullmantur is owned by Royal Caribbean's parent company.

It’s not uncommon to book a family cruise one year or more in advance and given the incredible experiences children can have, like learning to juggle, exploring medieval history and creating ocean murals, you’d be wise to book well in advance in order to snap up the best staterooms.

Excerpts:

Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean program for kids has long been a favorite, enabling children ages three to 11 to participate in scavenger hunts, dig for fossils and conduct science experiments on-board the ship.

Carnival’s new Carnival Freedom provides children with various opportunities for on-board learning, including Camp Ocean, a sea-themed camp for kids ages two to 11.

Not only does Norwegian Cruise Line offer Splash Academy (for kids) and Entourage (for teens), but the at-sea Cirque du Jour circus school couldn’t be more popular.

Disney Cruise Line is offering cruises along the coast of Norway on the Disney Magic ... giving families the opportunity to explore fjords, cobblestone streets, local flavors and medieval history.

Princess Cruises' on-board Junior Ranger program educates children about the local environment and wildlife as the ship makes its way through Alaska’s Inner Passage. On cruises to most

Paul Gaugin Cruises offers an Ambassadors of the Environment youth program for kids ages nine to 17, which offers children first-hand opportunities to explore coral reefs, volcanic islands and marine life.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is less than two weeks away from her arrival in the New York City area and many  fans are excited to check out what this brand new ship offers.

Royal Caribbean has packed Anthem of the Seas with innovations, activities and technology that all contribute to give guests that "WOW" factor the company is well known for.

There is a lot of exciting options onboard and in anticipation of Anthem of the Seas' arrival, we are counting down the top five coolest features onboard.

Is newer better when it comes to Disney ships? Readers, we want to hear what you have to say!

In this, the sixth of our new series of Cruise Ship Smackdowns, we're pitting one of Disney Cruise Line's two new vessels, the Disney Fantasy, against one of its original two ships, the Disney Magic.

Click through the photo tours of the two vessels in the carousels above and below, then go the comment area to tell us: Which one would you prefer for a cruise vacation -- and why?

Disney Cruse Line is altering its alcohol policy, adding restrictions to what passengers may bring onboard to consume during their voyages.

Starting with cruises that leave Sept. 30, Disney Cruise Line guests will be allowed to bring a maximum of two bottles of unopened wine or champagne — no larger than 750 milliliters — or six beers — no larger than 12 ounces — on board at the beginning of the trip and at each port-of-call.

These beverages must be packed in carry-on bags or luggage. They cannot be in checked-in luggage.

Bringing liquors and spirits onboard will be prohibited.

After our latest fun and relaxing cruise with our kids, I've come to the realization that I wouldn't mind cruising with them at least once a year. This is our third cruise as a family, my 10th in general, and, I have to say, each year cruising together gets easier. I think it's partially because the kids are getting older and I'm getting wiser. My secret to planning a fun cruise with my boys is to board the ship with a few loose goals that we've discussed as a family before we set sail.

My wife and I have taken our 2 children on many of our cruises over the years.  I agree with the author of this article that it is one of the best vacations that can be done together with a little pre planning. Here are some of the tips we used when cruising with our children.

• Luggage - each person had their own suitcase.  As we mainly drove to the cruise port this was not an issue and kept the suitcases smaller and would fit under the beds while on board.  Each of my children also were allowed to have their own carry on bag to bring what they wanted to keep themselves amused although my wife had final say on what they could bring.
• Onboard entertainment - realize that what you may think to be fun to do or watch may not be the same for your children. Plan accordingly.  My children loved to play mini golf and also participate in some of the trivia contests.
• Excursions - while it is great if you can find excursions that everyone wants to do, sometimes it is not possible.  My son and I like to snorkel and my wife and daughter do not.  We have on occasion split up and did different excursions while at a port of call. My daughter loved helping pre cruise to look at the excursion options for where we were going and was usually a topic of discussion at dinner. My daughter has found some very nice excursions for us like a zoo on Aruba.

Royal Caribbean are set to add the first Boomerango water slide at sea to Liberty of the Seas.

Liberty of the Seas will be undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation in January 2016, as she settles into her new homeport of Galveston, Texas in 2016. The Sports Deck will be re-imagined and the three new water slides will be a focal point of it.

Liberty of the Seas will have three slides, a Boomerango and double body racer slides.

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas Boomerango water slide looks like a lot of fun.

Have you ever been on a cruise?  As part of our European trip, we booked a Western Mediterranean Cruise with Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas.

A couple of months ago I was thinking about back packing through Europe. Then I got turned off by the idea of staying in hostels and traveling for weeks with all my stuff. Booking hotels in various cities was looking expensive and that’s when I thought about the cruise.

I chose Royal Caribbean’s  7-Night Western Mediterranean cruise because it made stops in the same cities I wanted to visit.

Here is a very nice write-up of a couple that sailed on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas to the Western Mediterranean. Some very nice picture of the ship and ports. I have been on this ship when it was sailing in the Caribbean and it is one of my favorites.

Also see Cruiseable writer Carrie Finley-Bajak's take on this fantastic ship 

https://cruiseable.com/cruise-line/royal-caribbean-international/allure-of-the-seas

You can get a good workout during your cruise at the best fitness areas on Norwegian Cruise Line ships. The ships, like Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, have a wide variety of activities to challenge you.

Freestyle cruising means you can enjoy your vacation the way you want. On your own schedule. If you're like me, that schedule is going to include a daily workout or at least some physical activity to let you know you properly enjoyed a complete day. Norwegian Cruise Line offers freestyle "Cruise like a Norwegian" sailings that its legions of fanatics enjoy so much. And Norwegian Cruise Line includes a range of cool fitness options onboard its ships -- especially its newest vessels. 

Cruise veterans are going to think I am crazy; I am pretty much resigned to that fact. Our family however has NEVER been on a cruise before, not just a Disney Cruise Line cruise, but any cruise. So when my husband and I decided we would like to try one for our next “Disney trip” I hit the internet like a madwoman soaking in as much Disney Cruise Line knowledge as I possibly could.

There were a lot of things I knew just from being in the Disney trip planning community (yes there is a community and it’s awesome! ha ha) but there were so many things that, as a Disney Cruise Line rookie, I had no idea about.