Europe Cruise Advice

[familycruzinnewbie]

We are looking at doing a med cruise next summer. Our children will be 9 and 12. We spent a year in Ireland a few years ago and saw a lot of places during school breaks and summer. I was considering doing the NCL Baltic one (are they docking in Stockholm in 2012, as it doesn't say Nysham like 2011), we didn't see any of those places before. But I think my family would prefer the med. The first one I was looking at was the new Carnival Breeze -

Wednesday, Jun 27 Barcelona, Spain

5:00pm Thursday, Jun 28 Marseilles, France 7:00am 4:00pm Friday, Jun 29 Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm Saturday, Jun 30 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 8:00am

Sunday, Jul 01 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

5:00pm Monday, Jul 02 Fun Day at Sea

 

Tuesday, Jul 03 Dubrovnik, Croatia 7:00am 7:00pm Wednesday, Jul 04 Venice, Italy 2:00pm

Thursday, Jul 05 Venice, Italy

7:00pm Friday, Jul 06 Fun Day at Sea

 

Saturday, Jul 07 Messina (Sicily), Italy 7:00am 4:00pm Sunday, Jul 08 Fun Day at Sea

 

Monday, Jul 09 Barcelona, Spain 5:00am

We have been to Barcelona before but DH would like to see more of the coast. We have never been to Italy as a family. I went in High School and DH has been a few times and was in Rome for a week last year. The main thing it is missing is Greece. I am also looking at some of the Grand Med ones on Ruby Princess or NCL Spirit. They are a little more pricey, other concern is they seem a little faster paced, time in Rome is shorter. DD(12) liked the Epic, though we are not impressed with length/ports, so she says she would be happy with Breeze pools/activities.

 

We will probably spend another year in Europe in a few years so we will get to see more.

[KirkNC]

We broke the med into two cruises, an eastern and a western just so we could cover everything.

 

Kirk

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have done four cruises in Europe in the past few years (British Isles, East Med, West Med, and Norway)

 

My suggestion is to fly to Rome spend three nights in Rome and really see it. Then do two days in Florence and then make your way to the ship in Venice where you will have the first night overnight docked in Venice.

 

The one I would highly recommend as a family with thrilling ports of call is Holland America ( Niew Amsterdam)roundtrip out of Venice. The itinerary includes Split Croatia, Mykonos Greece, Santorini Greece, Athens Greece, Istanbul Turkey( overnight), Kusadasi Turkey Kotor and of course Venice. Sailing in and out of Venice and in and out of Istanbul was just magnificent.

 

Why this as apposed to the others? Cruises are ideal for getting to places that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to get to easily by any other means in a short period of time. Also this cruise was scenic even when you weren't in port. The ports on this itinerary were close to the sites. In Istanbul the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Baazar are all within minutes of the ship. In Kusadasi Ephesus is 30 minutes from the ship. This is a great itinerary and one that I know your family would greatly enjoy. I also like the fact that Holland American ships aren't huge and that getting on and off the ship is easy. For Europe you don't need lots of amenities- just a nice pool and good food. There are kids on board and my son loved it. Turkey is beautiful, clean and sophisticated.

 

I want to stress the point that the more passengers there are on your ship the more people there will be a the popular sites and the harder it will be to get on and off the ship and secure a taxi to the various sites. Taxis worked well for us at these sites and you can come and go as you please. With kids I feel this is cheaper and better than private tours.

 

I did the Western Med and it was good just not as nice as the Eastern Med. You will end up spending hundreds on excursions if you try to do Florence and Rome from the ship and frankly- Rome and Florence can't be appreciated in just a day. You need time to take every thing in at a normal pace.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I wanted to add that if you can avoid weekends in Rome and Florence the hotel rates drop dramatically. The hotel I stayed in in Rome was the Hotel Imperiale, which I highly recommend. Its on the Via Veneto, the most beautiful street in Rome. Quad rooms are 233 per night, which is a deal in Rome and this is a nice hotel with creature comforts and coffee, gelatto, sandwiches readily available. A great place to arrive in Rome, which is a big city with good and bad areas just like any other.

[Keith1010]

Our first Mediterranean Cruise was when our children were about the same ages as your children. We took a cruise with Princess and thought it worked very well for the entire family.

 

Keith

[chipmaster]

European cruises are all about the port variety and the excitment of a different one every day. It can be exhausting / expensive depending on whether you DIY or hosted excursions.

 

My children were 7, 11, 13 and it was a smorgasbord getting them a huge sampling ( Venice, Ephesus, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona and a few smaller stops inbetween ).

 

I'd encourage you to rank all the ports than find the ship/line that sails the most.

 

We are looking at doing a med cruise next summer. Our children will be 9 and 12. We spent a year in Ireland a few years ago and saw a lot of places during school breaks and summer. I was considering doing the NCL Baltic one (are they docking in Stockholm in 2012, as it doesn't say Nysham like 2011), we didn't see any of those places before. But I think my family would prefer the med. The first one I was looking at was the new Carnival Breeze -

Wednesday, Jun 27 Barcelona, Spain

5:00pm Thursday, Jun 28 Marseilles, France 7:00am 4:00pm Friday, Jun 29 Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm Saturday, Jun 30 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 8:00am

Sunday, Jul 01 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

5:00pm Monday, Jul 02 Fun Day at Sea

 

Tuesday, Jul 03 Dubrovnik, Croatia 7:00am 7:00pm Wednesday, Jul 04 Venice, Italy 2:00pm

Thursday, Jul 05 Venice, Italy

7:00pm Friday, Jul 06 Fun Day at Sea

 

Saturday, Jul 07 Messina (Sicily), Italy 7:00am 4:00pm Sunday, Jul 08 Fun Day at Sea

 

Monday, Jul 09 Barcelona, Spain 5:00am

We have been to Barcelona before but DH would like to see more of the coast. We have never been to Italy as a family. I went in High School and DH has been a few times and was in Rome for a week last year. The main thing it is missing is Greece. I am also looking at some of the Grand Med ones on Ruby Princess or NCL Spirit. They are a little more pricey, other concern is they seem a little faster paced, time in Rome is shorter. DD(12) liked the Epic, though we are not impressed with length/ports, so she says she would be happy with Breeze pools/activities.

 

We will probably spend another year in Europe in a few years so we will get to see more.