11 Day Mediterranean with 5 yr old and 1 yr old-yes we're crazy!

[scarlett81]

I'm looking for any and all tips for doing a may or june 11 night cruise. This is a 50th anniv for my parents, who are soooo excited, and its important to them that we bring the little ones along. Hubby and I have already been to many of these ports so we're going to try this, based on the fact that we don't feel the need to see and do everything, and we're trying to find ways to make this as comfortable as possible for everyone.

 

I think I have it narrowed down to either Celebrity or Holland. But I'm still open to ideas so please pass them on if you have any.

 

I'm considering private excursions for a few of the ports. I spoke with a rep at Celeb who said they don't think that will be necessary and that the buses will be as easy for us. Thoughts/opinions? My only concern is that I know I can't do 6-8 hrs of touring with 2 little ones. 3-4 is fine, but not all day. I don't want to be stuck on a bus itinerary if there is a meltdown! (not just for my sake but for other guests sake!) My dad has some walking limits, so 3-4 hrs is fine with him too. Cost wise if we do private, I'll probably pick 2-3 since we can't afford to do private each port.

 

Hubby and I are arguing the price of a balcony room-I think its important with little ones who nap alot and go to bed early. We don't want to have to shut off the lights and go to bed a 8! But we could put them down and sit outside together which would be so nice. We do this often at hotels. (except at hotels you're not paying double for a balcony usually, just a bit more!)

 

Debating strollers-I have an awesome all terrain double stroller that will be great for cobblestones, hills, ruins, sand...its super comfy for long naps in. It fits through any 30" standard door, quite narrow for a double. But its quite heavy and of course still large even when folded. Will that be a problem for tendering? Theres no point in lugging it to Europe if we can't bring on the tender.

 

Also considering a diaper/wipe/baby food service to put these things in our room so we don't have to bring them. Celeb offers this, but not Holland.

 

 

ANY and all thoughts on doing this with kids is SO appreciated! Thank you.

[baxterbean]

We just got back from Celebrity Equinox 10 day Eastern Med with 3 boys ages 9, 6 and 10 months. We had a great time, it is definitely doable. I would highly recommend the private tours over the bus tours. We did all private tours except one ship tour and really preferred the private tours with the kids. We did mostly full day tours and the kids did great. They got a bit bored at times, but brought their Nintendos along and that kept them occupied.

 

We had a car seat for the baby, so could nap on the tours. We just had one stroller, so I am not sure about the double. I think it would take up a ton of space in the room though. I would definitely recommend the balcony as well. We had adjoining rooms with my mom and the kids went back and forth.

 

We brought all of our diapers, wipes and baby food. I had read elsewhere on the boards that the service was unpredictable and several people didn't get their items as ordered.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Essiesmom]

First of all, with your stroller, standard cabin doors are 22 inches, not 30. Unless you have a handicapped cabin. I am going to be on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam from Venice on April 30, and the following cruise on May 12. You haven't said whether you want eastern or western Med.

My suggestion for tours is a brand new book, just published in late June, Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Rick Steves has been an expert for years on budget travel in Europe, but now he has taken on cruising. He tells you how to get from the ship to public transport/taxis, what they should cost, how long each attraction should take, where the bathrooms (WC) are, where the internet is...and what to see. It's a fat book, but well worth the money. He does not cover Kotor, Mallorca, Israel, Egypt or North Africa. I am hoping he is working on another for the Baltic/Northern Europe. EM

[scarlett81]

Thank you so much for that! wow you had a bunch with you!

 

So why specifically do you suggest private over group tours? What was better about that with the kids?

[scarlett81]

for the cabin door, the stroller can easily be folded-its about 10"wide folded. its more so that 1. its heavy, so folding and lifting it onto the tender boats would be bulky (i'm guessing, here...i dont know!!) and 2.it would take up alot of space in rooms.

[6rugrats]

I'm considering private excursions for a few of the ports. I spoke with a rep at Celeb who said they don't think that will be necessary and that the buses will be as easy for us. Thoughts/opinions?

Thoughts? The rep at Celeb probably has never even been on a cruise, and does the company make money if you book a private excursion? No. Highly recommend private. Do you want to sit on a bus for several hours with your children? Or do you want the freedom to stop as you please?

 

 

Also considering a diaper/wipe/baby food service to put these things in our room so we don't have to bring them. Celeb offers this, but not Holland

I never travel without bringing what I will need with me, or making sure I can purchase it before boarding. You just can't count on things working out. What will you do if you order this and something goes wrong?

[boulders]

With 6 people, private tours will be less expensive than the ships' tours. They are definitely the way to go with little ones. We used romeinlimo last year in the Med. In our group, we had two 4 yo's, and 8, 11, 14 year olds. Highly recommended. They have tours specifically designed for families with children.

[megs1954]

Bring all baby supplies with you and as you use them, it will free up room for stuff to take back. Take only private tours or let the kidlets stay in the kids camp. Ships have baby food if you ask, hopefully. The other stuff is iffy.

[baxterbean]

 

So why specifically do you suggest private over group tours? What was better about that with the kids?

 

 

I suggest the private tours as you can gear your tour to exactly what you want and you don't feel as if you are bothering anyone else with your kids. For most tours it turned out to be cheaper for the private tour too. They have lovely air conditioned vans which we were able to leave a lot of our stuff in while we were out of the van. Sometimes only the adults would get out and the kids would sit inside while we got out for a picture/small sightseeing areas. We would all go of course if we were getting out to walk around or actually leave sight of the van.

 

Also the private tours can get to places the large cruise ship buses cannot. So, in my opinion you see a lot more. I really hated being herded by the cruise ship tour and it felt very rushed. We could also tell the private guides what we did and did not want to see. The guides were great with our kids, especially the baby. Europeans seemed very fond of babies and were quite kind to him everywhere we went.

 

We used a standard sized umbrella type stroller and actually kept in open with baby in it when getting on and off to tender. The Celebrity staff just helped us pick it up to get on and off and it worked out great. I don't think you could do that with the double stroller because of the width though.....not sure though.

[Kerry's Girls]

As the others have said, private tours are absolutely the way to go with kids - AND they're less expensive. You get to choose your own stops and your own pace and if you see a park or ice cream place, you can stop. You don't have to shop at the ship-chosen stores for a pre-determined amount of time. We had a no-whining 12 day Med cruise, that included long drives into Rome and Cairo, but because we brought portable DVD players, car seats, snacks and had our own driver and guide treating us like VIPs in each port, we had a great time everywhere. I went to the ports of call board here and asked what would be good for kids in each port and got tons of great advice. Each private tour operator sent tour guides who were fantastic with kids and knew just what they'd like. It was so wonderful to be able to stop at a cafe when we wanted to and never be sitting on a big bus waiting for stragglers. It would have been worth paying twice as much, but ironically is much less for a family.

 

Best,

Mia

[scarlett81]

As the others have said' date=' private tours are absolutely the way to go with kids - AND they're less expensive. You get to choose your own stops and your own pace and if you see a park or ice cream place, you can stop. You don't have to shop at the ship-chosen stores for a pre-determined amount of time. We had a no-whining 12 day Med cruise, that included long drives into Rome and Cairo, but because we brought portable DVD players, car seats, snacks and had our own driver and guide treating us like VIPs in each port, we had a great time everywhere. I went to the ports of call board here and asked what would be good for kids in each port and got tons of great advice. Each private tour operator sent tour guides who were fantastic with kids and knew just what they'd like. It was so wonderful to be able to stop at a cafe when we wanted to and never be sitting on a big bus waiting for stragglers. It would have been worth paying twice as much, but ironically is much less for a family.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

Mia, taking the kids to egypt and a 12 day tour?!-you are my HERO!!!! Its so true, euro's do this stuff, but americans are just taught not to. Eh, that's a different thread entirely...I digress. I dream of taking my daughter back to egypt to see her eyes light up.

thanku so much for the tips, u too lisachoug, and all.

please keep em coming

 

Thanks so much

[jac1976]

I would bring at least baby food with you. European baby food is a different texture than the American baby food. You can use it, but baby might not like it and it might do a number on their digestive system.

 

As for the stroller, I personally would bring a single stroller (if your 5 yo needs to ride in one) and a good carrier. I'd wear the 1 year old and use the single stroller for the 5 year old. Many places in Europe are just on a different scale and not handicap accessible at all- not all doors are 30" wide or more. Plus in restaurants and cafes, you will most likely have issues navigating.

[Kerry's Girls]

Mia, taking the kids to egypt and a 12 day tour?!-you are my HERO!!!! Its so true, euro's do this stuff, but americans are just taught not to. Eh, that's a different thread entirely...I digress. I dream of taking my daughter back to egypt to see her eyes light up.

thanku so much for the tips, u too lisachoug, and all.

please keep em coming

 

Thanks so much

 

The only thing that makes me feel heroic is how little we spent on our vacation - less than my sister in law spent on a week at Disneyland. Seeing Egypt with a driver and guide alone with my girls was much easier than going to Costco alone with them - now THAT is hard. I was nervous at first at the thought of private tours, but I'm so glad I listened to the good advice I found here - we beat the busses to each place and had a better time than some fellow passengers on the big bus tours - and I didn't want to take a chance that a meltdown would happen on a bus of people trying to take the vacation of a lifetime. My girls were so comfortable in their car seats, they slept in the van in Turkey and Cairo (not Rome where we shared a van with another family and they chattered the whole time). It was also nice that they could ask our guide any question they wanted without annoying fellow passengers. It's fantastic to see these places through your kids' eyes. I actually had funner time than the race to see everything my husband and I used to do in Europe.

 

Best,

Mia

[junglejane]

We just did the 11 day Med cruise on the Equinox in June. Our kids are 10 and 14, so I can't tell you exactly what it was like with kids as young as yours. But FWIW, here's my review, including the private tours we used:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1431761

 

There weren't a huge number of kids onboard, but there were some. You can be sure that the Fun Factory will do a great job for your 5 year old. As for kids in the dining room, I wouldn't worry as long as you treat it as you would any nice restaurant on land. If your kids act up, then take them out. Otherwise, don't worry about what others think. The staff are really great with kids and bend over backwards to make them feel welcome.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the recommendation for private tours. For a group your size, it's cheaper, better, and much more flexible. Remember that Celebrity makes a tidy profit on shore excursions, so it's no surprise that they try to get you to book with them.

[kitty9]

If you use the Celebrity kids club when the ship is in port, there is a per hour charge. Unfortunately, the baby won't be able to be in that program, so there will be no place to leave the child while you go on tours. Also, the baby must be 12 months or older for the in cabin sitting. There is an $8 per hour charge for in cabin sitting, and you are not guaranteed there will be anyone available to do the sitting.

 

The one main problem you will encounter is that if you're doing the Western Med, some of the most popular ports are very far away from where the ship docks. So, for example, tours for Rome and Florence are all pretty much 8 to 10 hours long, because it's at least 90 minutes from the dock to the city center. So, if you're limited to 4 hour tours, you're going to miss the bet parts of your cruise.

[junglejane]

If you use the Celebrity kids club when the ship is in port, there is a per hour charge.

 

One clarification here: the port day charge is only for the Lunch Party from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. We left our 10 year old in the Fun Factory while we went to Ephesus (this was her choice -- we had already paid for her spot on the private tour but she was sick of ancient ruins). DD was in the Fun Factory for 7 hours and they charged us $12 which was for the two hour lunch party at $6 per hour. Otherwise the Fun Factory is free on port days the same as it is on sea days.

[chipmaster]

IMHO pick the ship/cruiseline for the PORTs, PORTs, PORTs. Build a list of the places for your parents want most to see and than pick the ship. As long as you fall into one of the mainstream lines; HAL, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, RCCL, etc. the differences in food, entertainment and pricing shouldn't in my opinion be what swings you.

 

In early May thru early June weather and prices will better before the hot and crowded high demand summer, but you'll find fewere kids. Probably not an issue as yours are young.

 

Since you've decided to go, not much to say but hopefully you scheduled the days and tours to be sensitive to their good/bad behavior :D

 

I would say ask any cruiseline and they will tell you to use their tour or Private Car. They make a lot of money on those tours. I for one would not dream of doing a bus tour line cruise tour unless there were no other smart alternatives. Private indpendent car is the way to go in Europe for the most part or DIY; more flexible, tailored schedule, do what you want at your pace for just a few more dollars/person over the big bus affair. Remember when you go on a big bus tour you are stuck with whomever signed up, whatever their time keeping skills are, whatever their walking speed are, whatever their personal shopping pace is, get the picture ;)

 

We really like how with private they were able to drop my 80 year old dad literally curbside at every attraction as close as a vehicle could go. Made it possible to see things he'd not have gotten a chance at all with a bus tour. In Europe the bus by nature of narrow roads and tight parking have to park FAR away and you have to walk in. For Trevi fountain for example we were less than 20 yards walk, entrance for almost every other attraction. Many of these places we saw the bus tours with their leader carrying the flag and hiking in.

 

Good luck!

 

 

I'm looking for any and all tips for doing a may or june 11 night cruise. This is a 50th anniv for my parents, who are soooo excited, and its important to them that we bring the little ones along. Hubby and I have already been to many of these ports so we're going to try this, based on the fact that we don't feel the need to see and do everything, and we're trying to find ways to make this as comfortable as possible for everyone.

 

I think I have it narrowed down to either Celebrity or Holland. But I'm still open to ideas so please pass them on if you have any.

 

I'm considering private excursions for a few of the ports. I spoke with a rep at Celeb who said they don't think that will be necessary and that the buses will be as easy for us. Thoughts/opinions? My only concern is that I know I can't do 6-8 hrs of touring with 2 little ones. 3-4 is fine, but not all day. I don't want to be stuck on a bus itinerary if there is a meltdown! (not just for my sake but for other guests sake!) My dad has some walking limits, so 3-4 hrs is fine with him too. Cost wise if we do private, I'll probably pick 2-3 since we can't afford to do private each port.

 

Hubby and I are arguing the price of a balcony room-I think its important with little ones who nap alot and go to bed early. We don't want to have to shut off the lights and go to bed a 8! But we could put them down and sit outside together which would be so nice. We do this often at hotels. (except at hotels you're not paying double for a balcony usually, just a bit more!)

 

Debating strollers-I have an awesome all terrain double stroller that will be great for cobblestones, hills, ruins, sand...its super comfy for long naps in. It fits through any 30" standard door, quite narrow for a double. But its quite heavy and of course still large even when folded. Will that be a problem for tendering? Theres no point in lugging it to Europe if we can't bring on the tender.

 

Also considering a diaper/wipe/baby food service to put these things in our room so we don't have to bring them. Celeb offers this, but not Holland.

 

 

ANY and all thoughts on doing this with kids is SO appreciated! Thank you.

[Cshgrand]

Slightly off topic to your post but a good tip I picked up on another thread researching for next summer is to 'prime' your kids before going to try to build some excitement over the tours. The programme little Einsteins has an episode on the leaning tower of Pisa apparently and just by googling other attractions I have found other examples. Staring to scour eBay for DVDs now!

[scarlett81]

Slightly off topic to your post but a good tip I picked up on another thread researching for next summer is to 'prime' your kids before going to try to build some excitement over the tours. The programme little Einsteins has an episode on the leaning tower of Pisa apparently and just by googling other attractions I have found other examples. Staring to scour eBay for DVDs now!

Great tip!

The character Olivia who has books and a tv show now has a great book about their family going to Venice from nyc. The parents go, Olivia, who's supposed to be about 6-8, her little brother about 4 and the baby who's tiny. It shows how Olivia has to fly and act like a lady, and how she gets all excited about seeing the sights there, a gondola ride and eating gelato endlessly! I recommend it, esp for girls!

[scarlett81]

I can't thank you enough for these tips, guys.

 

After some negative comments on another thread re this trip I was about to cancel the whole thing last night. Now after a good nights sleep, and going with my heart-I feel better!

[junglejane]

I can't thank you enough for these tips, guys.

 

After some negative comments on another thread re this trip I was about to cancel the whole thing last night. Now after a good nights sleep, and going with my heart-I feel better!

 

Scarlett, these boards are absolutely great for information, but never let the negativity of a few posters get you down. Your baby will be blissfully oblivious to which cruise line it's on. Your 5 year old will have great fun in the Fun Factory. Our kids have been on Celebrity (3x), Princess (7x) and Royal Caribbean (1x) and thought Celebrity was great. You can run into grumpy anti-kid individuals on any line (glares in elevators) but just brush it off.

 

It sounds to me like you are going into this with realistic expectations -- and grandparents, which is a bonus we've never had on our cruises. You've heard lots of great tips about private tours, but I think that their biggest benefit in your situation is their flexibility. You can, if you need or want to, consult with your driver to change your mind about where you want to go, in what order, etc. Go for it and have a great time and great family memories.

[lmg1230]

I absolutely agree that you should take private tours as opposed to ship's tours whenever possible. The flexibility alone makes it worthwhile but it has also been our experience that private tours are less expensive for a family than the ships's tours anyways. My daughters are currently 14 and 8 and we are about to leave on a Mediterranean cruise on August 8th and have booked private tours in Athens, Istanbul, Salerno (for Pompeii and Sorrento) and Kusadasi (for Ephesus).

 

We also cruised the Baltics with them when they were 12 and 6 and our wonderful private tour in St. Petersburg convinced me that it was the only way to see ports where we weren't comfortable with DIY. We ended up spending a very short amount of time at The Hermitage because it was just too crowded for my younger daughter - we spent time running around in The Bronze Horseman park later instead which was so much fun and never would have happened if we had been on a bus tour. And our guide was absolutely amazing with the kids. By contrast, we did a ship's tour in Gdansk and the whole family was unhappy tromping around after our guide and being forced to spend time in amber stores. The kids were bored and I was annoyed that I couldn't wander off and take photos and explore where I wanted to.

 

I believe that you can travel with kids to most any destination so long as you are willing to adjust your expectations about what you are going to see and slow your pace to accomodate the little ones. Don't let the naysayers turn you off traveling with kids before you have even tried it. There is a whole big world out there to explore and kids benefit so much from experiencing it. I think people do their kids a disservice by thinking they can't enjoy anything but a theme park.

 

Lisa

[jac1976]

I can't thank you enough for these tips, guys.

 

After some negative comments on another thread re this trip I was about to cancel the whole thing last night. Now after a good nights sleep, and going with my heart-I feel better!

 

I heard a lot of those comments from people when we took DS (a week shy of his 2nd birthday at the time) on a transatlantic voyage on the QM2 with my ILs. There were only a handful of kids, and the line certainly didn't cater to children, but we had a blast. DS got a kick out of exploring the ship, playing on the empty shuffleboard courts or on the sports deck. The staff loved seeing a little boy and doted on him endlessly. The only part of the trip which was a slight hassle was that DS still napped, so I spent about 2 hours in the room with him each afternoon. I would just sit out on our balcony and read. My ILs had a fantastic trip as well and loved sharing the experience (my MIL was British and came over to the US on the QE2 about 35 years previously). The trip became even more special to us when my MIL passed away 6 months later. If we had waited b/c of the worries over DS' age, we would have missed out on a great experience.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to take my children on a med cruise. DS was born in Naples, Italy and spent the first year of his life there. We traveled all over Italy and to other countries in Europe without a hitch. You just have to take your child's lead. If DS fell asleep in his stroller while we were out sightseeing, we often used that as a perfect time to stop and get a gelato and take a break. We also spent a lot of time in piazzas just watching DS chase pigeons. It was still a magical time and we have lots of wonderful memories.

 

If you do decide to take your 5 yo into museums, one idea which I have found helpful is to hit up the gift shop first. Buy several postcards of famous pieces throughout the museum. Then go on a scavenger hunt and try to find what is on the cards. Play I Spy. My son (now 6 years old) loves learning the basics (please, thank you, hello, goodbye) in other languages and the locals love to hear a little child trying to speak to them in their own language.

 

Good luck, have fun, and don't worry!

[cclarke12]

Have you thought about trying P&O (a carnival brand operating out of the UK)? They do a range of med itineraries and they offer a free night nursery for children aged 6+ months which is fantastic (i.e. you put child to bed in the dedicated nursery and are given a pager so you can be called if they wake up - this is open from 6pm to 2am). It would be mainly British on board but they are very child-friendly. The only negative is they sail from UK so you have a few days to reach mainland Europe so they tend to be 14 nights if you are doing the Med.

[baxterbean]

I believe that you can travel with kids to most any destination so long as you are willing to adjust your expectations about what you are going to see and slow your pace to accomodate the little ones. Don't let the naysayers turn you off traveling with kids before you have even tried it. There is a whole big world out there to explore and kids benefit so much from experiencing it. I think people do their kids a disservice by thinking they can't enjoy anything but a theme park.

 

Lisa

 

Exactly!!!!!