A trip to Universal Orlando coupled with a 7-day cruise on Royal Caribbean …

It was a surf and turf trip served family style.

Traveling is sometimes stressful under ordinary circumstances, so adding small children — adorable creatures that can turn even the most routine moments into Mount Everest-sized challenges — can be tricky.

But there’s something special about sharing shimmering topaz seas, adrenaline-pumping thrill rides and palm trees swaying gently in a tropical breeze with your family.

It was a new kind of vacation for my wife and me; we like camping and when the kids came along we discovered how convenient day trips could be when the little ones get tucked into their own beds at night.

This was bigger. Two days at Universal Orlando Resort and a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas with our 2- and 7-year-old daughters.

A partnership between Universal Orlando and Royal Caribbean offers savings and convenience for families who want to experience thrill rides for a few days, then enjoy a cruise. Package prices (which vary based on hotel choices, dates of travel, length and path of cruise) include a hotel for 2-4 nights on or off Universal property; theme park entrance to Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure; a cruise to the Bahamas or one that makes stops at several ports in the Caribbean; and all transfers between the Orlando airport, Universal Orlando, and your Royal Caribbean departure port.

Most of my family’s past vacations have been less about sticking to a schedule and more about soaking in the local scenery. Sailing on a massive ship that accommodates 4,500 other people and hitting crowded theme parks require planning, discipline — and a high tolerance for standing on line.

Not traits most 2- or 7-year-olds possess.

But there are ways to help keep a dream vacation from turning into a nightmare.

If a family is traveling with kids too small to safely board rides, almost every attraction at Universal Orlando boasts a feature called “Parent Swapping” — a separate room located at the end of an attraction’s line just a few feet away from where the ride starts and ends.

The waiting room — most outfitted with TVs playing video related to the ride (attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of the park, for instance, play parts of the film series on an endless loop) — is set up so that one parent can ride the attraction while the other can wait with a child.

When the ride is over, the parent in the waiting room can swap, boarding the attraction immediately without waiting on line again — that way the child is never unattended.

Other features that have helped Universal beat back the perception that it was mostly designed for older kids, teens and adults is that while big kids can shriek their way through thrill rides like the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (a roller coaster that climbs at a 90-degree angle and roars back to Earth at speeds in excess of 65 mph), Seuss Landing — a Dr. Seuss-themed area — offers attractions geared for small children.

“One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish,” inspired by the Seuss book, lets riders steer a colorful fish with the added attraction of fountains that spray water. Our 2-year old was not thrilled with that last part. “The Cat in the Hat” ride was more of a success with her.

Meanwhile, to the delight of our 7-year-old adrenaline junkie daughter, kids 48” tall and up can enjoy nearly all of the park’s attractions, including favorites like Revenge of The Mummy (an enclosed steel roller coaster), Transformers: The Ride–3D (an immersive thrill ride); and one of the park’s most popular, truly amazing and stomach-churning experiences, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

And if kids find out they’re too small for a ride when they get to the front of the line after waiting on it? Attendants give them a certificate to bring back when they’re tall enough to ride that will allow them to cut to the front next time.

While the biggest coasters are reserved for those over 54” for safety reasons, the big ships operated by Royal Caribbean — like the 1,112-foot long Freedom of the Seas that docks less than an hour from Orlando in Port Canaveral — can of course accommodate everyone.

We were lucky enough to have a stateroom with a balcony facing the sea.

Our 7-year-old loves to swim and the ship’s 10 pools and whirlpools and spacious water park for kids was her favorite part. Royal Caribbean offers award winning programs for babies, toddlers, kids and teens. In theory, that would free up some time for relaxation-craving parents, but our kids wanted nothing to do with these child care options.

And so we swam. We walked the deck. We took in shows, watched a parade, played games in the arcade — and ate fantastic Mexican food at the ship’s new “premium” (which means you pay extra) restaurant, Sabor.

Other options included playing on the ship’s FlowRider surf simulator, rock climbing wall, ice-skating rink, soaking in cantilevered whirlpools or putting on a mini golf course.

After setting sail from Port Canaveral, our 7-night Western Caribbean cruise made stops in ports at Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico.

In Labadee (a peninsula separated from the rest of Haiti by a fence and leased to the cruise line by the government), we played on the beach, rode a thrilling alpine slide and ogled a 500-foot-long zip line that people can soar high above the beach on.

Like at Universal, my kids were too small for the big rides. But it didn’t matter. The sun, water, tropical breeze — and the fact that one day soon they will be too big to want to go anywhere with us — made every moment together even more precious.

For more info on the Royal Caribbean/Universal Orlando Resort collaboration or to book, visit royalcaribbean.com or call 877-202-5090.

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VIEW FROM A 7-YEAR-OLD

Second grader Lily Kaplan (daughter of Daily News writer Don Kaplan) reviews the best and worst of her Universal Orlando Resort/Royal Caribbean trip.

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT

BEST

Revenge of the Mummy ride

If you like roller coasters in the dark, haunted houses and going backwards, this is for you. Lots of scary things to see.

Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls ride

Orlando gets really hot and you will get wet on this water ride that has a 75-foot drop. I recommend bringing extra shoes because they get really wet and it stinks walking around in squishy, wet shoes afterwards.

WORST

Transformers: The Ride–3D ride

There was too much going on. To be fair, I also don’t like Transformers to begin with.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

BEST

All the pools

I love to swim and it’s really neat to be in a pool on a big boat. This ship has a cool water park for kids and a swirly pool where jets of water make everyone go around and around like you’re in a washing machine.

Soft ice cream stands

There are ice cream stands around the ship. I love ice cream.

WORST

Feeling trapped

If you don’t go into the kids camp (I didn’t want to) or if you’re not swimming, it can get a little boring.