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East Mediterranean or Australia cruises with 1-yr old baby (in December)?


NNpra
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Hello,

 

I'm wondering if anyone could help give pros/cons for the two locations for cruises in December.

 

I've been thinking about this and it seems that there are many serious pros and cons for each one that I just can't make a decision.

 

1) Flights: It's one leg, direct flight from my home town to Australia (it's also a bit cheaper). This may be better for a baby who never flies before? Europe flights ending at either Venice or Barcelona always require one stop, with some long transit. Changing diapers may be challenging + feeding etc.?

 

2) Prices: What attracts me the most for Europe is the significantly lower prices for the cruises (at the time I was looking, a balcony room in Europe cruises is about the same as an internal room in Australia cruises!). Nevertheless, this is with Costa (Luminosa). Is it generally considered to be a more economical class than Norwegian or Princess?? Or are they in the same league?

 

3) I imagine I would get sort of nature scenery for Australia (Coles Bay, Port Arthur, Hobart + Melbourne), while it is more architectural scenes for Europe (Bari, Athens, Katakolon, Kotor, Split). Is this true? Which one should be more appropriate for people taking a 1-yr old baby around?

 

4) Also, would the different seasons affect the consideration above? Like, I'm not sure if the weather in Europe in December + the fact that it tends to be windy on the ship would ruin the view? That is, the baby and my parents who are in the tropical zone may be unable to tolerate the weather on the deck to enjoy the scenes. On the other hand, Australia is in Summer in December and that should be not so different from where we live.

 

Thanks for any input :)

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My question is - are you going because you want to cruise or because of the destination ports? Realistically, Thailand has many cruises available and would not require long flights. Some little ones need their schedule and others 'go with the flow' and sleep anywhere. As a first time choice, I would sail from port that does not required a long flight and the weather would be assured.

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My question is - are you going because you want to cruise or because of the destination ports? Realistically, Thailand has many cruises available and would not require long flights. Some little ones need their schedule and others 'go with the flow' and sleep anywhere. As a first time choice, I would sail from port that does not required a long flight and the weather would be assured.

 

Hi. I think it's sort of both. While we want to cruise, we don't wan to get stuck here around Singapore, Malaysia, etc where we don't get so much different feelings. The only other choice is Shanghai - Japan, which is fine except that we expect to have a lot of Chinese people that we try to avoid.

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In December it's summer in Australia, and winter in Europe. I, personally, prefer WARM weather!

 

With a baby, I'd take a flight with the least amount of stops! Just much easier that way!

 

Thank you! I imagined nice, sunny (which may still be the case?) around Italy and Greece, only to realize later that ti's winter and may not be that pleasant. Like I said, the cost is the only thing that attracts me to Europe.

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We did an Eastern Med cruise (Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Izmir, Cairo) after Christmas some years back and the weather was perfect for sightseeing. I'd actually much rather be there when it's cooler than in the summer when it's hot/humid/packed. It wasn't beach weather, so not the time if you want to be sunbathing. But if you're looking to enjoy the cities/sights, it could be a nice time of year to do it - especially with a little one. That said, I would choose whichever itinerary you prefer to do or a ship based on childcare choices if that matters to you. But for ports, at that age, they're pretty easy to take along wherever you want (diapers make it much easier than having to always know where the nearest restroom is) and you can find a playground in any town to let them play.

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Australia will be hot in December. Australian school holidays start about the 15 December and go to the end of January.

 

We did Europe last December and it was the coldest we had ever been. It was freezing and they had snow. Still we had a great time and my son loved the snow.

 

Where ever you go make sure you buy a stroller/pram that is light weight, folds easily and is compact with a reclining seat for naps. Strollers on cobble stones in Europe get their wheels messed up, so good wheels is a must.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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