Infant & 2 young kids in Euorpe... am I insane?

[muirhejs]

My wife & I are very fortunate in that we've seen a lot of the US / Caribbean through a number of cruises/vacations over the years. We have 2 children (Evan- 5, Grace- 3) and a third on the way, due in January.

 

I travel internationally for work, and find global exposure to be extremely important; I'm trying to plan out the 2014/2015 year and really want to get over to Europe or Asia somehow, and cruising seems to be 1 viable option, but we are concerned about how the kids would fare, particularly the infant.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated; we have a good number of airline miles that need used before they expire. Maybe the right thing to do is just keep the miles from expiring until the kids are older..?

 

1 thought I had was an offseason Disney Med cruise, but I know those are pretty intense, and from what I've read it's certainly best not to leave the infant on the ship while the rest of us are out doing excursions.

 

If not now, when is the right time to start thinking about taking the family overseas? Is cruising the right way to keep everyone happy, or is a land-based vacation going to be more stable?

[Scrapnana]

If you decide to take a cruise keep in mind that many cruise lines do not allow infants under 6 months. Also, you would want to check which lines have some kind of a child care service. Some lines won't accept any child under 2 for "camp", others will care for babies. For your older two, they would likely love cruising. We took my grandchildren aged 2 and 7 on a cruise last year and they adored it.

 

You mentioned Disney Cruise Line. They normally only cruise the Med May-August which might be really hot for little ones on excursions.

[Kerry's Girls]

I think cruising is always the best way to go with little kids - they sleep in the same bed every night, keep to a routine and have food that keeps them happy and I don't have to navigate and pack/unpack to visit new places.

 

There will be other young European kids on board. I wish I had gone more at those ages before they start school since now we're limited to summer when it's too hot. As long as you do private tours and stay out of museums, Europe is fantastic for kids.

 

Best,

Mia

[muirhejs]

Looks like we may have an opportunity next year sometime; in-laws have volunteered to watch the infant; maybe August/September 2014 timeframe just as school is starting and as the baby is a little more stable.. around 6 months old, to avoid being too much of a nuisance for his/her grandparents.

 

Any specific itineraries / lines / etc. you'd recommend?

[RSLeesburg]

What about a TA?

 

RCCL has a 12 night cruise from Florida to Barcelona on the Oasis!

[sailinglisa]

Minimum age for children on TA's is 12 months old due to all the sea days in a row and no chance of a med evac if needed.

[RSLeesburg]

Minimum age for children on TA's is 12 months old due to all the sea days in a row and no chance of a med evac if needed.

 

I though the OP said that his in-laws would be watching the infant, so would just be the two older children (3 and 5).

[muirhejs]

What about a TA?

 

RCCL has a 12 night cruise from Florida to Barcelona on the Oasis!

 

Main purpose is to see a bit of Europe- expose myself/wife and the [older but still pretty young] kids to some cultures that aren't their own. So TA might be best for a different time.

[scubagirrl]

My parents dragged me and my sibs through Europe starting at 6 months. Cruises, land tours, apartments for months etc. I remember nothing.. (except maybe my fascination with bidets to this day).

 

Immersion in culture .. nada. Language - we spoke French and Lithuanian at home.. I know neither fluently.

 

Go on vacation and enjoy the world.. but don't think that your toddlers are gonna thank you for it. Do YOUR vacation and leave the kids with your parents or enjoy their company.. Vacations at this age are really not for the kids.

[bearette]

The five year old will remember and you will...they are young though so go where you want to go and then research with the five year old about something they would like to do so they feel involved. It will be a slower pace with kids but I think it shapes the character of a kid so travel away! Local parks/ squares will be your friend, but avoid a lot of museums unless they are geared for kids because quiet and touch free is a nightmare with kids. Have fun!

[RSLeesburg]

Main purpose is to see a bit of Europe- expose myself/wife and the [older but still pretty young] kids to some cultures that aren't their own. So TA might be best for a different time.

 

Yeah, I was thinking you could get cruise and a few days in Barcelona - kind of an alternative to a med cruise, as they can be very port intensive. I was looking at a couple of cruises - one 6 day cruise out of Southampton to France/Spain and then back to Southampton, but not sure if RCCL has this in Aug/Sep. Also, there are some great cruises to the Fiords/Norway that look nice.

 

Another option would be to just find a nice resort in one country and spend a week there, and do sightseeing via car. You get much more culture by immersing yourself by spending more time in one location.

[Keith1010]

If you can go in early May or late September. It will be less crowded and far less hot and I think that will make touring easier. I would not book long tours. Try to keep it flexible.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

No your not insane but I would want to wait until the children were older.

[muirhejs]

If you can go in early May or late September. It will be less crowded and far less hot and I think that will make touring easier. I would not book long tours. Try to keep it flexible.

 

Keith

 

Thinking late September might be an ideal time to go; any recommendations on cruise lines to begin checking out that cater to young children? Obviously Disney, probably RCCL/Carnival too, but not sure what other good options are worth investigating.

[MommaBear55]

I traveled internationally with my kids starting when they were 1, 3 and 5 as I would take them to visit wherever my husband happened to be working. Their memories of those times are limited to favorite foods, flowers, some buildings and certain hotel pools. My memory was that it was a lot of work for me, but I think a cruise would have made it easier for all the reasons stated by Kerry's Girls.

 

I think ship sponsored excursions would be difficult for the kids, but maybe if you hired private guides or did things by taxi or rental car you would be much better off and could tailor the tours to your children's interests or needs.

 

If money is not a concern and this type of trip can be done frequently, go for it. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, I would recommend waiting until the kids are older.

[RSLeesburg]

I don't know how good their kids programs are, but one cruise line that I would at least explore would be MSC - they cater more to Europeans, and their ships are supposed to be beautiful. Their larger ships have kids programs, and the "experience" on-board would definitely be more European than any of the US-based cruise lines. BUT, I would check out the reviews on these ships too. I only ran across them when one of their US-based ships was going to be hosting a themed cruise that I was interested in - in looking at the ship photos, I was WOW'ed. But, I have not done any research beyond that.

 

Celebrity is also supposed to have a fantastic kids program.

[Sthrncrusr]

My family is similar to yours! We have had great experiences with royal caribbean's royal babies and tots nursery. (Age 6mo to 3yrs). They change diapers , have drop off care, parent/child play time sessions, and night care. Not to mention, sponsored by fisher price and crayola so it is really educational per se! We will be trying out the adventure ocean care for the first time this May as our oldest will be 3 so I will report back on that!

My husband and I love to travel and while we enjoy time to ourselves, two days in, we are missing or worrying about the kids! We have found cruising to be the best way for us to travel as it is hard to find true infant/toddler child care so we can have some time alone but also stuff for us to do with them. We like Royal Caribbean for many reasons. On the larger ships (Freedom class will be in the Mediterranean ) they have the dream works experience so you can attend a character breakfast with the kids but that night have dinner alone with your spouse and not have to worry about Shrek making an appearance. For the money it is nice to have the kiddie stuff but also not have it which is why we choose them over Disney. Plus for kids under age 3, they change diapers so you don't have to interrupt dinner to change a diaper! Ask me any question you want! I'm a pro at packing for cruises with little ones! We are actually debating the Mediterranean next year or sticking with the Caribbean which we have already booked. Just get a sit and stand stroller or good jogging stroller which can hold your two or three kids depending on who comes. This way, you can take them on some city tours if you don't want to leave them on the boat. One thing I will say, is especially if you are bringing your kids, I'd stick with booking your excursions through the cruise line. You can rest assured they are legit and safe.

Last, we have done Club Med resorts too. The ones that start at care for 4 month olds. They are great but with little ones, we like having attendants literally at our beck and call if we need more milk, etc and cruising just seems to be easier for us. So request a family suite of some sort so you can spread out a bit. Our kids share a pull out sofa bed. We use the inflatable travel bumpers sold by One Step Ahead. Just ask a lot of questions when you book your cruise to make sure they have infant/child care for under three, over three, if they change diapers, toy rental, splash area for kids to play with a separate area for any who are not potty trained, etc!

Okay, hopefully I've sold you on a cruise and no you aren't crazy...we'll probably be on the same ship!

[muirhejs]

My family is similar to yours! We have had great experiences with royal caribbean's royal babies and tots nursery. (Age 6mo to 3yrs). They change diapers , have drop off care, parent/child play time sessions, and night care. Not to mention, sponsored by fisher price and crayola so it is really educational per se! We will be trying out the adventure ocean care for the first time this May as our oldest will be 3 so I will report back on that!

My husband and I love to travel and while we enjoy time to ourselves, two days in, we are missing or worrying about the kids! We have found cruising to be the best way for us to travel as it is hard to find true infant/toddler child care so we can have some time alone but also stuff for us to do with them. We like Royal Caribbean for many reasons. On the larger ships (Freedom class will be in the Mediterranean ) they have the dream works experience so you can attend a character breakfast with the kids but that night have dinner alone with your spouse and not have to worry about Shrek making an appearance. For the money it is nice to have the kiddie stuff but also not have it which is why we choose them over Disney. Plus for kids under age 3, they change diapers so you don't have to interrupt dinner to change a diaper! Ask me any question you want! I'm a pro at packing for cruises with little ones! We are actually debating the Mediterranean next year or sticking with the Caribbean which we have already booked. Just get a sit and stand stroller or good jogging stroller which can hold your two or three kids depending on who comes. This way, you can take them on some city tours if you don't want to leave them on the boat. One thing I will say, is especially if you are bringing your kids, I'd stick with booking your excursions through the cruise line. You can rest assured they are legit and safe.

Last, we have done Club Med resorts too. The ones that start at care for 4 month olds. They are great but with little ones, we like having attendants literally at our beck and call if we need more milk, etc and cruising just seems to be easier for us. So request a family suite of some sort so you can spread out a bit. Our kids share a pull out sofa bed. We use the inflatable travel bumpers sold by One Step Ahead. Just ask a lot of questions when you book your cruise to make sure they have infant/child care for under three, over three, if they change diapers, toy rental, splash area for kids to play with a separate area for any who are not potty trained, etc!

Okay, hopefully I've sold you on a cruise and no you aren't crazy...we'll probably be on the same ship!

 

Thanks, this is all good info. Sit/Stand & Travel bumpers are good ideas as necessary. I think we'll be just bringing the 2 older kids who will be 4 & 6 by fall of next year. RCCL seems to be a good line to check out, will start investigating that... I'm thinking a 7-day cruise would make a lot of sense.

[giselleacttwo]

I think it's a wonderful opportunity, and a lot of fun to travel to Europe with kids. We took our then-19 month old on a Eurail trip around Italy/Austria/France in December for a month and had an amazing time. It wasn't without its challenges but it was so worth it. Cruising would have been even easier, because we would have unpacked one time and been done. (Although I didn't ever have to carry the luggage, my husband did- did I mention I was 5 months pregnant at the time?) Our son saw the Coliseum from a backpack, saw the Eiffel Tour lit up at night (the first time we heard him say the word "WOW!") and loved feeding the pigeons at St. Mark's Square in Venice. He also ate McDonalds chicken nuggets in three foreign countries. :rolleyes: He was an unusually picky toddler.

 

It's been nearly a decade since we went, and while my son doesn't remember that trip, I do, and the memories are nothing but fond.

 

The only tough thing about cruising Europe is it is really port intensive and can get exhausting, even for adults. If your itinerary is all-go, plan a port day or two as a day at sea. The kids will need some time to unwind. I did a Med. Cruise that was 12 days with only one sea day. It was exhausting- and I went with all adults. I think private excursions are a great way to go. If you hit a lot of the big European capitals (Rome, Paris, etc.) realize that they are a long haul from the port and it will make for long days. Try to find an itinerary that has a mix of those and ports that you can just get off the ship and see something.

[lollipop2190]

I know that Royal Caribbean do not allow infants under 12 months on any sailings where there are 3 or more days at sea! My little boy will be 13 months when we go in August. We are going on a Royal Caribbean Med cruise. I can let you know of any specific provisions laid on for little ones when I come back if you like x

 

 

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[Cshgrand]

Absolutely do it! European cities are fantastic for children. And I think even your 3 yr old will remember aspects.

We are based in the uk but visited Washington DC when my son was 2.5yrs. He remembered The National Air and Space museum so fondly that we took him back last winter, two years later he recognised the building as soon as we walked in.

His first trip to Paris was at 3 too to visit my husband when he was working there and he remembers the Eiffel Tower really well from his first visit.

If you take them, make sure and snap lots of pictures of them so you can re-live your travels.

Google ideas for kids in the cities you want to visit. We are off to Venice next May and have already found loads of stuff on line, some clips on You Tube which I have set to favourites on his ipad. Our son will almost be six then but wherever we travel I find it easiest to engage him first so he knows the arduous airplane journey is worthwhile!

Of course it's easy for me to say as I only have the one to deal with.... :0)