Alaskan and Mediterranean cruise with kids

[Aelsantokie]

One of the things DH and I plan on doing an Alaskan and Mediterranean cruise sometimes in the next 5 years. Our kids are currently: 9, 7, 7, 7, 7. What ages do you think are appropriate for either of these cruises? Especially for the Alaskan cruises, I wonder if they should be a certain age to appreciate it?

 

So far, our cruise experience has been Eastern and Western cruises and you can only do that for so long (well, to be honest DH and I are wanting to expand our horizon). Because of their age, the beachy ports have worked well for us so far.

 

Any input, recommendation, and opinion is welcomed!

Thank you!

[SadieN]

Alaska's completely doable now.

[smoothy]

Alaska is great at that age. we did a B2B in 2009 with (at that time) DS4 and DS6. Even now the boys talk about the trip (we were a little worried the younger one wouldn't remember any of it, but he does, at least at this point). We are doing another B2B this summer and convinced my wife's family (2 sisters w/ husbands and kids) to come

[chipmaster]

I have done Med with my kids, youngest was 7 at the time. Older ones were 12 and 14. A lot of it was over youngest and even the older ones head but hopeful when they look back appreciate where they have been. Until they are teens ruins, history and churches are very hard to appreciate :rolleyes:

 

Alaska, they all had a blast, but were two years older. Appreciated and enjoyed and likely will remember everything.

[junglejane]

I agree that Alaska is easier to appreciate at that age, because it's more geared to wildlife and natural wonders instead of ruins and churches. We took our DD's to the Med when the youngest was 7. It's very hot and humid (even indoors) and I don't think she appreciated most of the sights. She remembers the canals of Venice, the gondola ride, the Colosseum, etc., but hated going through churches and art museums like the Uffizi Gallery.

 

One planning tip for Alaska: if your kids like to swim on sea days, you may want to look for a ship that has a covered pool that kids are permitted to use. (On some ships, the covered pool is one that is adults only.)

 

PS we're going back to the Med this summer, when the DD's are 10 and 14.

[Onessa]

While I'm certain it is much easier with just the one, but we've done land and sea Europe trips (including four Med cruises) and three AK cruises with DD over the years and she has thoroughly enjoyed both destinations.

 

Some depends upon the kid -- DD really likes art so that even as a 4YO in Florence she appreciated the Ufficio (she loved the painting of the "lady with the long hair stepping out of a sea shell" :D). We always planned a playpark in the day's itinerary when she was young (she's now 15YO) and looked for guides that were geared to kids. Alot of the Greek and Roman ruins are interesting to kids (Coloseum, Olympia, Pompeii). There greate beaches and are good hiking ops in many ports as well.

 

In AK, we did a lot of hiking, did the dog sled ride up on a glacier, tried a wildlife excursion (although DD and DH were not too thrilled with the smaller boat), and did the White Pass rail trip (was a bit too long for a 7YO).

 

If your family is more outdoorsy and likes fishing -- AK has more opportunities for those activities. But the Med is very accessible to kids and for those into gladiators and history, might be the better choice. Either promises to be a great trip

[Kerry's Girls]

I did the Med with my 5 year old twins and found there was tons to do/see that didn't involve churches and museums. My girls loved exploring the ports and we were much more active than the usual beach vacation. I will say that we went over the Christmas holiday break (1st week of January) so we didn't have to deal with the crowds and heat of summer, and I could see that those would make a Med trip with kids more of a challenge. My girls loved leading me up the hill to the Acropolis, but I could see that if it were hot and crowded, there could have been whining instead.

 

Best,

Mia

[koalagurl]

I did the Med with my 5 year old twins and found there was tons to do/see that didn't involve churches and museums. My girls loved exploring the ports and we were much more active than the usual beach vacation. I will say that we went over the Christmas holiday break (1st week of January) so we didn't have to deal with the crowds and heat of summer' date=' and I could see that those would make a Med trip with kids more of a challenge. My girls loved leading me up the hill to the Acropolis, but I could see that if it were hot and crowded, there could have been whining instead.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

We are going to do a Med. cruise this summer with an almost 5 and 6 year olds...any suggestions for excursions?? We realize they won't want to do the touristy stuff, but I am sure we will want to get off the ship at least to do something different.

 

Thanks!

[RoadTripFanatic]

We took DD to AK when she was 6. She had a blast. Lots of cool things for kids to see in AK. DD especially loved the "Duck" tour we took in Ketchikan. Most of the time we went out on our own.

 

As for the Med we took DD when she was 9. We did Savonna, 3 ports in Greece, Cyprus, Jerusalem and Cairo . I feel that DD was old enough to appreciate everything. One of the big things that saved the trip was the Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief series. She knew who all about Greek mythology and had a good time telling us about the Greek gods. In fact she keeps asking if we can go back to Athens. That was her favorite part of the trip. I think if she wouldn't have loved those books the ancient ruins wouldn't have been as exciting for her as they were.

[cb at sea]

You have quads???? Congrats! I can't even imagine caring for 4 kids of the same age! Go and do whatever you want to...you deserve it!

[Kerry's Girls]

We are going to do a Med. cruise this summer with an almost 5 and 6 year olds...any suggestions for excursions?? We realize they won't want to do the touristy stuff, but I am sure we will want to get off the ship at least to do something different.

 

Thanks!

 

There were quite a few kids around the same age as my girls on our cruise and we all had a great time. The trick was we arranged a private tour ahead of time, or hired a cab for the day at the port so we could choose what we did and go at our own pace. There was plenty of touristy stuff in every port that was thrilling to the kids - and it was actually really nice to see these amazing places without rushing around and cutting out museums and shopping stops. I went to the ports of call board here at cruise critic and asked about each of our ports "what is kid friendly" and got tons of help. I don't think anyone enjoyed the ports more than we did. By pre-planning and making sure no one was ever hungry or thirsty, we actually had a no-whining trip. The ironic thing about private tours is that not only do you get treated like a VIP (rather than herded around like on a ship tour), but the private tours were all less expensive for our family than paying for each of us to do a ship tour. We also would usually come across a park in each city and it was nice for the kids to let off some steam while interacting with local children. We didn't do any Hop On/Hop Off busses on this trip, but we've done them in other cities very successfully because of the go at your own pace factor as well. Where are you going?

 

Best,

Mia

[epixx]

We are going to do a Med. cruise this summer with an almost 5 and 6 year olds...any suggestions for excursions?? We realize they won't want to do the touristy stuff, but I am sure we will want to get off the ship at least to do something different.

 

Thanks!

 

If you're docking in Livorno, I highly recommend a visit to the Da Vinci Museum in Florence. The museum contains large reconstructions (or constructions?) of machines that are based on his drawings, and almost all of them are "hands on." It's fun and educational for adults and kids of all ages.

 

http://www.mostredileonardo.com/site.asp?idSito=1&idLingua=10&idPagina=3

[Aelsantokie]

You have quads???? Congrats! I can't even imagine caring for 4 kids of the same age! Go and do whatever you want to...you deserve it!

 

 

Quad boys but they are sooo much more manageable now that they are 7!

[koalagurl]

There were quite a few kids around the same age as my girls on our cruise and we all had a great time. The trick was we arranged a private tour ahead of time' date=' or hired a cab for the day at the port so we could choose what we did and go at our own pace. There was plenty of touristy stuff in every port that was thrilling to the kids - and it was actually really nice to see these amazing places without rushing around and cutting out museums and shopping stops. I went to the ports of call board here at cruise critic and asked about each of our ports "what is kid friendly" and got tons of help. I don't think anyone enjoyed the ports more than we did. By pre-planning and making sure no one was ever hungry or thirsty, we actually had a no-whining trip. The ironic thing about private tours is that not only do you get treated like a VIP (rather than herded around like on a ship tour), but the private tours were all less expensive for our family than paying for each of us to do a ship tour. We also would usually come across a park in each city and it was nice for the kids to let off some steam while interacting with local children. We didn't do any Hop On/Hop Off busses on this trip, but we've done them in other cities very successfully because of the go at your own pace factor as well. Where are you going?

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Thanks! We are going to Livorno, (Rome...the port city which I can't remember at the moment), Naples, and Palma. I was thinking doing the private tour would be best, but I don't even know really what places to hit! Do the tour guides make up the itinerary for you right there on the spot?

 

If you're docking in Livorno, I highly recommend a visit to the Da Vinci Museum in Florence. The museum contains large reconstructions (or constructions?) of machines that are based on his drawings, and almost all of them are "hands on." It's fun and educational for adults and kids of all ages.

 

http://www.mostredileonardo.com/site.asp?idSito=1&idLingua=10&idPagina=3

 

We are! I will have to check that out! Thanks!

 

Also, are there any kids movies, TV shows, books we can get to prepare the kids? I had this thought since something like, "Classical Baby" uses some well-known works of art. I thought it would be cool to be able to make some of these ports more "relevant" to the 4-6 year olds.

[Kerry's Girls]

I was thinking doing the private tour would be best, but I don't even know really what places to hit! Do the tour guides make up the itinerary for you right there on the spot?

 

Most of the recommended private tour companies have websites that will list what their tours include, and then you can add/delete as you wish. Even the guides at the port have a certain routine of sites they'll offer, but with kids along, I think some research pays off because you can be sure to choose places that your kids will enjoy and leave off some more painful ones. The research is very easy thanks to your fellow cruise critic members - just go to the ports board for each of your ports and do a search for "kid" or just post a question "What's a good day for kids here?" and you'll get tons of ideas.

 

Also, are there any kids movies, TV shows, books we can get to prepare the kids? I had this thought since something like, "Classical Baby" uses some well-known works of art. I thought it would be cool to be able to make some of these ports more "relevant" to the 4-6 year olds.

 

Using books and videos got my 5 year olds enthusiastic about the trip and gave the sights more meaning because they already knew a little about them - so they were even more excited to finally see the places in person. I went to the amazon kid section and did a search for each country or major city we were visiting and there were usually books in English to look at. Also, your library probably has travel books and videos so you can show your kids the places they'll be seeing (we wouldn't watch the entire shows, but I'd show my girls the sights and tell them a little about it). So when they finally saw the Acropolis in person, one of my girls said "I can't believe we're finally here," and they both had some basic appreciation and respect for what they were seeing.

 

All the best,

Mia