Baltics with kids 5 & 7

[2bundles]

We are doing the Disney Cruise in June 2010. The stops are Oslo, Copenhagen, Warnemunde, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm.

 

We would love to do family friendly activities in these places. We are not huge history or church/temple followers.

 

Depending on the port location we would also consider leaving the kids in Kids club for half the day.

 

Any comments or suggestions?

[sbhdmh]

We did the Baltic in August with our 4 1/2 year old daughter and she did great. She was right in the middle of her "princess phase" and so she loved all the castles and palaces. We started in London and my mother bought her a crown at Kensington Palace which she wore EVERY DAY. I learned to say "princess" in so many languages! We only had 2 ports in common with your trip - Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Our plan, though, would work in any port.

 

We came up with a "dossier" for each port. She was a special agent and had an assignment for each day. It really helped her understand that she was in a different country each day - a hard thing for a child this age to understand. Her assignments included tasting special treats (i.e. salt licorice ice cream in Sweden, Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam, Blini is St. P, etc), finding certain landmarks (i.e. The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the czar's winter palace in St Pete, etc) or doing certain things (i.e. riding a double decker bus in London and a water taxi in Amsterdam, finding a sweets museum in Tallin or finding a painting from a certain book she has at home in one of the museums.) It kept her totally engaged and we all had some interesting new experiences. Some other parents on our cruise told us that their kids were really jealous and wanted to do the same thing. They wanted us to publish these dossiers but frankly, I would have no idea how to do that...

 

In Copenhagen head straight for Tivoli. It's a beautiful amusement park and garden. One warning - do not buy an unlimited ride pass for the 5 year old unless a parent has one too. The ticket clerk convinced me that my daughter was big enough to ride on many, many rides by herself. NOT TRUE. There were only about 4 "baby" rides she could go on without an adult. After her being in tears being turned away from ride after ride I was able to convince the management to trade it in for individual ride tickets. She was able to go on 3 really good rides with one of us for the same price and she enjoyed it so much more.

 

In St Petersburg arrange for a private guide who will customize a more kid friendly tour. You can then go on roll call and find another family or 2 to share it with you so your kids will have companions. My daughter loved playing in the fountains at Peterhof (bring a change of clothes and shoes), the canal cruise and any place where she could see a real throne. I'm surprised you're not going to Tallin - my daughter loved exploring the medieval walls and towers and having lunch in a real medieval restaurant. The marzipan museum there was one of her highlights!

 

We did not have the option of leaving her aboard since we did not use ship's tours. As I said, though, she did great and it wasn't necessary. Just don't try to do too much and let the kids be a part of choosing the activities. We got our daughter a kid safe camera so she could take her own pictures which really made her feel like a part of things. A portable dvd player (or ipod) was very helpful for the long rides in the van in St Petersburg.

 

Let me know if you need any more specifics about anything. Have a great trip.

[villauk]

We did the Baltic in August with our 4 1/2 year old daughter and she did great. She was right in the middle of her "princess phase" and so she loved all the castles and palaces. We started in London and my mother bought her a crown at Kensington Palace which she wore EVERY DAY. I learned to say "princess" in so many languages! We only had 2 ports in common with your trip - Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Our plan, though, would work in any port.

 

We came up with a "dossier" for each port. She was a special agent and had an assignment for each day. It really helped her understand that she was in a different country each day - a hard thing for a child this age to understand. Her assignments included tasting special treats (i.e. salt licorice ice cream in Sweden, Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam, Blini is St. P, etc), finding certain landmarks (i.e. The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the czar's winter palace in St Pete, etc) or doing certain things (i.e. riding a double decker bus in London and a water taxi in Amsterdam, finding a sweets museum in Tallin or finding a painting from a certain book she has at home in one of the museums.) It kept her totally engaged and we all had some interesting new experiences. Some other parents on our cruise told us that their kids were really jealous and wanted to do the same thing. They wanted us to publish these dossiers but frankly, I would have no idea how to do that...

 

In Copenhagen head straight for Tivoli. It's a beautiful amusement park and garden. One warning - do not buy an unlimited ride pass for the 5 year old unless a parent has one too. The ticket clerk convinced me that my daughter was big enough to ride on many, many rides by herself. NOT TRUE. There were only about 4 "baby" rides she could go on without an adult. After her being in tears being turned away from ride after ride I was able to convince the management to trade it in for individual ride tickets. She was able to go on 3 really good rides with one of us for the same price and she enjoyed it so much more.

 

In St Petersburg arrange for a private guide who will customize a more kid friendly tour. You can then go on roll call and find another family or 2 to share it with you so your kids will have companions. My daughter loved playing in the fountains at Peterhof (bring a change of clothes and shoes), the canal cruise and any place where she could see a real throne. I'm surprised you're not going to Tallin - my daughter loved exploring the medieval walls and towers and having lunch in a real medieval restaurant. The marzipan museum there was one of her highlights!

 

We did not have the option of leaving her aboard since we did not use ship's tours. As I said, though, she did great and it wasn't necessary. Just don't try to do too much and let the kids be a part of choosing the activities. We got our daughter a kid safe camera so she could take her own pictures which really made her feel like a part of things. A portable dvd player (or ipod) was very helpful for the long rides in the van in St Petersburg.

 

Let me know if you need any more specifics about anything. Have a great trip.

We are also going on a Baltic cruise next August with Celebrity and your information is just what we wanted to hear. There are 3 kids in our party, all are slightly older than your daughter at 7, 8 and 9yrs, and we thought Tivoli would be ideal in Copenhagan. Did you do the ship's excursion to Tivoli or independently? We are looking at a private tour with Anastasia in St. Petersburg, did you use her company? She has emailed me a suggested itinerary and I wondered if you could advise us on any places you personally thought were great for the kids (Anastasia has Peterhof and a canal cruise listed)? In Tallin, is it possible to walk from the port or do we need to take the ship's shuttle into the town:confused:? You mentioned the sweet museum, where is this located? Would really appreciate any further comments and views on any of our ports; Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallin and Copenhagan.

FYI, we involved the kids in the excursion planning of our last cruise to Alaska and it worked perfectly. Half the fun was researching and deciding on the best family places to visit, they enjoyed it immensely:D.

[elaine5]

going to Baltics in Aug on RCCL with 3 kids 9-13. This is a GREAT idea--we are also going to be in Switzerland and Italy prior to the cruise. I am going to do this for my kids---little "tasks" in each place we go with a "passport" book that I make off the computer for them to check off their achievements. IF you find a way to scan and post your dossier, I would laso love that. Elaine

[sbhdmh]

If you heard a very loud AARRGG coming from your computer it was probably me as my long, detailed response to your questions evaporated 3 different times when I went to post. Hopefully this will work and I will try again later to write my detailed response.

 

Elaine5: Here is a sample of the Dossier that we used for St Petersburg. Hopefully it will come through okay. A lot of parents have expressed an interest in these. If anyone has any idea of how I would go about publishing them I would be happy to hear it. They are A LOT of work to put together but oh so worth it...

 

 

 

DOSSIER FILE # 6

 

 

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: Russia City Name: St. Petersburg

Brief History: St. Petersburg is a royal city. It has been the home of Russian royalty for hundreds of years. Peter the Great started the city and he built the first palace. Catherine the Great loved palaces so she had a big one built which you will visit.

Princess Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II. They lived in the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace is very big – it has 1,057 rooms; 1,945 windows and 117 staircases! Today it is The Hermitage Museum and has lots of great art. St. Petersburg also has many palaces and churches. They are set along canals.

The city is very far north and it gets very cold in the winter. It might even be chilly during your trip in August. The town is so far north that in the spring the sun never sets. They call these times the white nights.

Look for: Big Palaces and churches. In a museum you might find something that Anastasia once owned or maybe a very special egg with surprises inside. Notice all the sculptures of people and animals as you tour the city. There are also many gardens in the city – look for horse drawn carriages.

Your Assignment:

1. Take a canal cruise and count the bridges.

2. Look for a room made out of amber at Catherine's Palace.

3. Take a walk in the subways

4. Eat blini (Russian crepes)- they are made with a variety of fillings.

5. Find a fountain with a dog chasing some birds at Peterhof Palace.

6. Look for Matroyshka dolls.

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

[sbhdmh]

Hopefully 4th time will be a charm and this post will go through...

 

We did not do any ship's excursions. We used a private guide named Masha in St Petersburg and did every place else on our own. In Copenhagen we caught a public bus that stopped right in front of the ship and dropped us off within a block or so of Tivoli. Very easy and inexpensive.

 

In Tallinn we got on a HOHO bus at the port and took it to the top of the hill then walked down through the medieval town. The marzipan museum was just off the main square, down an alley directly across from the old town hall. It is very small but my dd loved watching them hand roll and paint the marzipan in the shape of birds, flowers, etc. The little blue marzipan boy she got there was one of her favorite treats to bring home. I think the best part was the medieval restaurant where we ate lunch. Authentic medieval food, decor - even the bathrooms were medieval privies. Be sure to let the kids explore inside the wall at the top on the hill. There is also a place there where they can try their hand at archery. My dd was too little but it would probably be great for the older kids. There was also a train to ride in the town square. We ran out of time but I wish we had been able to do it.

 

In Amsterdam we had planned to use the HOHO canal bus but the schedule didn't match our needs. Instead we rented a "canal bike", a 4 passenger boat you peddle through the canals. She loved it! The Rijksmuseum had a children's treasure hunt that had her look for different things in each room. It was a big hit. The Van Gogh Museum had a kids' audio tour that was really nice - it discussed some of the paintings in a very kid friendly way. Unfortunately the museum was very crowded and she got frustrated at moving so slowly. There was a nice little cafe between the museums, right near the large AMSTERDAM. The Dutch pancakes were delicious - and we never would have thought to try them without her little assignments. There was also a small playground there that she enjoyed. Anne Frank House is a tough one but is a great educational opportunity, especially for older kids. My husband is an art professor so museums were high priority for us. If you or your kids are not big on museums I would do a canal cruise and check out the zoo, which is supposed to be really good. There are some real experts on cc who can give advice as to the best places to take kids here.

 

With St Petersburg all the guides suggested the fountains at Peterhof, which were indeed a huge hit. (Just be sure to bring a complete change of clothes including socks, shoes and underwear. My dd was drenched - as if she had gone swimming. FUN :)) They all also suggested a canal cruise which was nice but very low key. I would strongly suggest the hydrofoil out to Peterhof. Not only does this save a lot of time driving but kids (even the big boys on our trip - the ones in their 40's and 50's) loved the ride. My dd also enjoyed the metro and going to a Russian supermarket to buy treats to bring home. Since she had her own camera even taking pictures of the palaces was fun for her. We stopped each day at an "art gallery" which were really souvenir shops with great bathrooms. We bought her a musical instrument and some toys featuring a character known as "the Russian Winnie the Pooh." She even got her first real piece of jewelry - an amber necklace. She was so good over the 2 very long days sightseeing in St Petersburg we were able to easily justify this well placed bribery. Of course when we got home she said "I wish I got an egg - you know - the Faberge kind..."

 

Hope this info helps. Let me know if I can add anything. Travelling with our kids is such a great thing - I think it's a gift that will stay with them forever. Enjoy!

[momothree]

Here is a sample of the Dossier that we used for St Petersburg. Hopefully it will come through okay. A lot of parents have expressed an interest in these. If anyone has any idea of how I would go about publishing them I would be happy to hear it. They are A LOT of work to put together but oh so worth it...

 

 

 

DOSSIER FILE # 6

 

 

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: Russia City Name: St. Petersburg

Brief History: St. Petersburg is a royal city. It has been the home of Russian royalty for hundreds of years. Peter the Great started the city and he built the first palace. Catherine the Great loved palaces so she had a big one built which you will visit.

Princess Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II. They lived in the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace is very big – it has 1,057 rooms; 1,945 windows and 117 staircases! Today it is The Hermitage Museum and has lots of great art. St. Petersburg also has many palaces and churches. They are set along canals.

The city is very far north and it gets very cold in the winter. It might even be chilly during your trip in August. The town is so far north that in the spring the sun never sets. They call these times the white nights.

Look for: Big Palaces and churches. In a museum you might find something that Anastasia once owned or maybe a very special egg with surprises inside. Notice all the sculptures of people and animals as you tour the city. There are also many gardens in the city – look for horse drawn carriages.

Your Assignment:

1. Take a canal cruise and count the bridges.

2. Look for a room made out of amber at Catherine's Palace.

3. Take a walk in the subways

4. Eat blini (Russian crepes)- they are made with a variety of fillings.

5. Find a fountain with a dog chasing some birds at Peterhof Palace.

6. Look for Matroyshka dolls.

Favorite Place:******************______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

 

I am SO glad to have found this thread! I have a Baltics cruise booked with Royal Caribbean in 8/2010. We are traveling with friends, and among us will have 5 kids (11,9,8,7,6). I was beginning to worry that this potentially wonderfully exciting and educational itinerary was going to be "boring" for our lively little crew.

 

Thanks so much, SDHDMH, for posting the sample Dossier. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's brilliant!

 

As for "publishing" it... There was a another thread (which has since "closed") that offered a very detailed "plan of attack" of touring the Baltics, (apparently including maps/train schedules/etc...). The file was apparently too large to post on the board, so she e-mailed it to the many interested CC members. Is that something you would be willing to do with your Dossiers? If so... I'd really love a copy. LHAO@alum.mit.edu :)

[2bundles]

Thankyou. That is a great help. Copenhagen looks fantastic for kids. Lots more research to do!

[lmg1230]

We were on the 10 day Emerald Princess Baltic cruise in August with our two daughters who were 12 and 6 at the time. We spent three days before and one day after the cruise in Copenhagen which allowed us a great deal of time to explore this city although we were a bit disappointed that we didn't have time for a day-trip out of the city. We took a HOHO bus on our first full day which included stops at the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace, and Rosenborg Palace - these were all hits with my girls. We also walked across Stroget - a pedestrian shopping area. The second day we went on a canal cruise from Nyhavn which was also a lot of fun. We spent late afternoon and evening at Tivoli despite light rain and discovered that it is far less busy in the rain and the girls were able to do the same rides over and over again without waiting in line. The also liked the Wheel of Copenhagen (an enclosed ferris wheel similar to the LondonEye) but I think that it is inCopenhagen on a temporary basis.

 

Our ports of call were Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersberg, Tallinn, Gdansk, and Oslo. We never left the girls on the ship as they were eager to see all the ports as well but we knew that we would need to sightsee at a slower pace and accept the fact that we would not necessarily see everything that we wanted to. Our objective was to have fun in each port so that they would have positive memories of each place.

 

In Stockholm, we took the HOHO ferry to Djurgarden and went to Junibacken (the Pippy Longstocking museum/play place) as we read the book before we left. My older daughter thought it was crazy busy but the younger one loved it (apart from the Storybook train which has one rather scary story). We skipped the Vasa museum because the lineup was huge and it was very hot outside. Instead we took the ferry to Gamla Stan and walked around and shopped there. Stockholm is a beautiful city that we all loved and would like to return to.

 

In Helsinki we wandered around Senate Square and up the steep steps to the church at the top which the kids thought was kind of cool. We also took a ferry to Suomenlinna fortress and wandered around the fortress. Back in Senate square we got a HOHO bus to take a city tour including a stop to see the Sibelius monument (which was really just a run around the park for us) and a stop at the Rock church which my older daughter thought was cool and the younger thought was BORING!

 

In St. Petersberg we hired Anastasia Travel for a private 2 day tour for our family and never regretted it for a minute. We had a fabulous time - we had beautiful warm sunny weather the two days and our guide, Anna, and our driver, Anton were amazing! Both daughters loved St. Petersberg and the younger told Anna that she was going to visit her again in two years b/c she loved Russia so much. We had a city tour spread over the two days and on the first day drove out of the city to Catherine's Palace and to Peterhof Palace to see the fountains. Both big hits! The second day we went to the Hermitage as well as The Church on Spilled Blood, St. Isaac's and the park where the Bronze Horseman is etc. We also did some shopping for Russian nesting dolls which was a priority for both girls. We did not spend a lot of time in the Hermitage as it was extremely crowded and not very pleasant for a 6 year old. Our guide did an excellent job of showing us some of the highlights and then getting us into a quieter part of the museum where we could see some of the impressionist art that appealed more to us.

 

In Tallinn, we walked from the ship to the medieval area and it is not a difficult walk at all. We just wondered around the town, took photos and had a snack at a pretty little cafe. And more shopping (my girls like to shop)!

 

Gdansk was the one port where we took a ship's tour as we docked in Gdynia and I was worried about missing the ship. The old town of Gdansk is very pretty but it was rainy the day we were there and we didn't enjoy being on a tour with a busload of people and having to traipse after the tourguide when we would have preferred to stop and see more. Glad we took the tour though b/c we were more than an hour later than expected back at the ship b/c of the traffic.

 

We loved Oslo but didn't have anywhere near enough time there. Definitely a place that we will return to and maybe do a fjord cruise and spend time in Oslo as well. We docked at 7 but our family didn't manage to get off the boat until 8 and we needed to be back on at 12:30 so we rushed the entire time. We took the HOHO bus to get to Vigeland Sculpture Park - it was beautiful - we could have easily spent a couple of hours there - the girls wanted pictures of everything - but we only had about 40 minutes. We also went to the Nobel Peace Centre as that was a priority for my husband and I. We also had a look at the Palace from the outside and wandered through Akershus Castle on the way back to the ship.

 

Overall, we had a fantastic time. I know this was a very long-winded reply but if you have any questions I would be happy to answer.

 

Lisa

[elaine5]

Momothree, are you by chance on RCCL 8/28/10 Baltics? If so, there are several of us over on Roll cAll also traveling with children of the same ages. Elaine (8/28/10 Baltics with 9, 9, and 13 yr olds).

[Dave and Micha]

I don't have any kids and even I am glad to see this thread!

 

The idea of creating a "special agents" portflio is genius! One of the things you might want to add (which will take a little bit of research ahead of time, but which could be fun) is to check out the pirate history of the Baltic.

 

The Hanseatic League, which ruled over the Baltic from the 13th to 17th centuries, was founded partly as an alliance to combat piracy and to create safe trading routes. If any of you have younger boys, they may be interested in this. One of our most famous pirates was named Klaus Stortebeker and learning a little about him beforehand may also make the connection of your ports more interesting for all involved. You can read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_St%C3%B6rtebeker

[elaine5]

thanks for the pirate tips. We are of German/Swedish/Finnish heritage, so this will be great for my son. Elaine

[villauk]

I don't have any kids and even I am glad to see this thread!

 

The idea of creating a "special agents" portflio is genius! One of the things you might want to add (which will take a little bit of research ahead of time, but which could be fun) is to check out the pirate history of the Baltic.

 

The Hanseatic League, which ruled over the Baltic from the 13th to 17th centuries, was founded partly as an alliance to combat piracy and to create safe trading routes. If any of you have younger boys, they may be interested in this. One of our most famous pirates was named Klaus Stortebeker and learning a little about him beforehand may also make the connection of your ports more interesting for all involved. You can read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_St%C3%B6rtebeker

Thanks Dave & Micha, we are travelling with 3 boys so the pirate theme is great. Notice that you're from Warnemunde which is a port stop on our cruise, wondered if you could give us any tips on good places to visit there that you think the kids may enjoy? We were considering staying around the town and visiting the beach if the weather is fine but if you've any further ideas, we would welcome them. We don't plan on visiting Berlin as we think it is too far a journey for the kids.

[Dave and Micha]

Thanks Dave & Micha, we are travelling with 3 boys so the pirate theme is great. Notice that you're from Warnemunde which is a port stop on our cruise, wondered if you could give us any tips on good places to visit there that you think the kids may enjoy? We were considering staying around the town and visiting the beach if the weather is fine but if you've any further ideas, we would welcome them. We don't plan on visiting Berlin as we think it is too far a journey for the kids.

 

 

This is a question I have been struggling with as people have asked me before. Warnemünde is a beach resort extremely popular with the Germans. During the DDR times (East Germany) Warnemünde was a highlight vacation destination and it remains so today...with the added interest (and visits) of folks who live in the West. Therefore, most everything in town, as well as the surrouding areas, is geared mainly towards Germans with very little English spoken, English signs, etc. This is in sharp contrast to many of the other stops on your itinerary. For example, the Sponge Bob Squarepants in 5D theater near the lighthouse might be a great thing to fill some kid time... but it is only in German.

 

The lighthouse could be something. It is one of the few that allows people to climb to the top and there is an amazing view.

 

Another factor that makes answering this question difficult is that most Germans who come on vacation tend to do outdoorsy, nature oriented things on their vacations like bike riding, hiking, swimming and sailing, etc. so that there are not very any "amusement" style things that many US kids are accustomed to - if any of you can imagine the Jersey shore in the 1960s and 70s (minus the boardwalk) you can get a good idea of this area.

 

The various cities in the area like Wismar, Stralsund, Schwerin, and Lübeck are all great places to go as alternatives to Berlin, however, what they have to offer is rich in history, architecture, and culture... not exactly the most exciting thing for younger kids. For example, we do not accept any kids under 10 on our tours because they just get restless.

 

With that being said... the beach is BEAUTIFUL and a great alternative for families with small children. It is clean and safe, the water is chilly, but no waves or undertoe. The only thing to keep in mind is that this IS the former east and topless sun bathing is very normal. It is also pretty common in the East for people to change into their bathing suits right in the middle of everyone... so if you are squeamish at the thought of your kids seeing any "floppy bits" you might want to keep this in mind. It isn't like everyone is running around nude, but nudity is something that the people there find very natural and uninteresting and you should at least be prepared (I am American and have to tell you that I have had more than a few chuckles watching my fellow citizens freak out when someone changed near them; if you ignore it I am sure your kids would, too. An added plus... we have little beach bars right at the waters edge so getting a beer or a cocktail to sip while the kids play is great. Also, there are jungle gyms and stuff, as well as little paddle boats available. There are quite a few kite flyers on our beach as well... with a kite store right near the lighthouse.

 

On the other side of the Warnow... at the Höhe Dune (and reachable by ferry) is a marine research center that has a sea lion area. They welcome families and it is sometimes possible to swim with the sea lions. That could be interesting.

Edited October 22, 2009 by Dave and Micha

[billysive]

I did a Baltic Cruise this summer and it was absolutely fantastic.

 

Wanted to commend the poster who used the secret agent dossier with her kids - HOW BRILLIANT ARE YOU? - Be careful the cruise lines don't steal the idea from you and add it to their kids programs. Get a patent on it quick! :)

 

For the OP - remember that for St Petersburg you will all need to have Russian VISAs to do anything on your own. If you do ship excursions OR book a tour with a local operator they cover the visa for you.

 

Myself and my partner did a private tour in St Petersburg with Denrus - they were very easy to deal with.

 

Happy Sails To You...

[sbhdmh]

Thanks Billysive and others for the complements on the secret agent/dossier idea. After all your positive feedback I have spent the last few days doing some research and today actually started contacting literary agents about possibly writing a family travel guide featuring them. Yikes! :eek: Wish me luck...

[2bundles]

Be careful the cruise lines don't steal the idea from you and add it to their kids programs.

 

I thought Disney did a version of this on their Europe cruises? So I heard anyway.

[momothree]

Momothree, are you by chance on RCCL 8/28/10 Baltics? If so, there are several of us over on Roll cAll also traveling with children of the same ages. Elaine (8/28/10 Baltics with 9, 9, and 13 yr olds).

 

Sorry about the delay in my response... I haven't been on this thread in a while b/c we were trying to straighten out our plans. I had posted a little on the 8/23/10 Roll Call as we WERE planning on the RCCL 8/23/10 sailing (had the awesome 1100 junior suite). But, we just recently switched to the Celebrity Constellation sailing 8/22/10. It was a REALLY difficult decision, but ultimately, I went with Celebrity b/c of the smoking policy and b/c I liked the fact that it was sailing out of Amsterdam (daughter recently learned a little about Anne Frank).

 

Happy Cruising!

Leslie

[momothree]

Thanks Billysive and others for the complements on the secret agent/dossier idea. After all your positive feedback I have spent the last few days doing some research and today actually started contacting literary agents about possibly writing a family travel guide featuring them. Yikes! :eek: Wish me luck...

 

 

Good for you!

Please try to get it published before August 2010! :D

Leslie

[cmb1216]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions of things to do with kids at the ports. We are also booked on the Disney Cruise sailing on June 12, 2010. I am planning on booking with SPB Tours for St. Petersburg and Berlin. Everything else I am planning DIY. I now have some great suggestions of things to see and how to see them.

 

Cruise Critics is awesome with a wealth of information from all of the posters. We were able to have a great time on our Disney Med cruise in 2007 with all of the information and suggestions I received from these boards.

 

Thanks again for all of your help and information!

[brazilgirl]

We had a wonderful Baltic cruise in July...I wrote a long review you can check out here...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1029709

 

If. you have any questions about what we did , I´d be happy to help.My kids were 5 , 9 and 12 at the time.

 

Kim

[columbus cruiser]

We just added our 9 year old grandson to our cruise and I was a bit worried that A. he would be bored to tears, B. we would miss out on seeing what we wanted in the ports of call and C. all of us would end the day mad. My cousin is bringing her 10 year old daughter so I knew he would have a playmate, but was still concerned that maybe this trip would be too much. The idea of the dossier is FABULOUS!!!! He enjoyed making his own passport when we took him to Epcot and this will be right up his alley. When I used to take my 6th graders to the zoo I gave them a scavenger hunt just to encourage them to read the signs and learn more about the animals. They loved it and I got lots of requests from other teachers to use it. Why I didn't think about doing something like this, I don't know. We will be on the Celebrity Constellation sailing July 3 from Amsterdam. Plan to spend several days in Amsterdam before boarding the ship. I would love a copy of the dossiers and would be willing to pay for them.

[sbhdmh]

We just added our 9 year old grandson to our cruise and I was a bit worried that A. he would be bored to tears, B. we would miss out on seeing what we wanted in the ports of call and C. all of us would end the day mad. My cousin is bringing her 10 year old daughter so I knew he would have a playmate, but was still concerned that maybe this trip would be too much. The idea of the dossier is FABULOUS!!!! He enjoyed making his own passport when we took him to Epcot and this will be right up his alley. When I used to take my 6th graders to the zoo I gave them a scavenger hunt just to encourage them to read the signs and learn more about the animals. They loved it and I got lots of requests from other teachers to use it. Why I didn't think about doing something like this, I don't know. We will be on the Celebrity Constellation sailing July 3 from Amsterdam. Plan to spend several days in Amsterdam before boarding the ship. I would love a copy of the dossiers and would be willing to pay for them.

 

Here is Amsterdam. What other ports are you going to? Now that we've been there I would probably add some things like climbing on the "a" in Amsterdam, finding the big doll house at the Rijksmuseum or the hidden room at Anne Frank's House. You can add and adjust more age appropriate things as you plan. In case you couldn't tell our dd is very adventurous and likes to try new foods so we tended to stress this for her.

 

 

DOSSIER FILE # 2

 

 

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: NETHERLANDS/HOLLAND City Name: AMSTERDAM

Brief History: Amsterdam was first built in c. 1270.

The city is built near the ocean and has the most canals of any city in Europe. The three major canals are: Herengracht (Man's canal) Keizersgracht (Kings canal) and Prinsengracht (Princes canal) all leading from the Amstel (The harbor).

The 1600’s were a “Golden Age” because people in Amsterdam bought and sold things like cloth, chocolate, flowers and even beer to other people around the world.

In 1980 Beatrix is crowned Queen of the Netherlands.

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Look For:

1. They love cheese in Amsterdam! kaas broodje (cheese on a bread roll) is a favorite.

2. The stroopwafel (syrup waffle) is actually a thin sandwich of two buttery waffle layers stuck together with a sweet, gooey molasses. Try the "roomboter"type.

3. Dutch pancakes, called pannekoeken, are similar in texture and taste to French crepes. you might try them with warm cherries, ice cream and whipped cream.

4. Patat (pronounced "pah TAHT") or Vlaamse frites (pronounced "FLAHM suh freets"). The latter means Flemish fries.

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Your Assignment:

1. Find a Painting from the Van Gogh book you have at home.

2. Ride a bus that is a boat.

3. Eat a pancake – but not for breakfast.

4. Find a stroopwafel.

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:_________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

[lwf99]

My husband and I are taking our two sons in June and we would LOVE a copy of your dossier as well. They are 8 and 9 and will eat this up!!! Thanks!!! We are going to Copenhagen, Stockhom, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallin, Gdynia(Gdansk) and Oslo. Thanks!!!

Edited January 19, 2010 by lwf99

[lwf99]

Is anyone else on the June 1, 2010 Baltic Cruise on the Star Princess? We would love to get to know some other families that are going!