Which Cruise Line - Family of 6 European Cruise

[GoGiantsfan11]

Looking to go next year on a cruise of the Mediterranean. We are a family of 6 with older kids ages 17-24..

 

Would like a cruise no more then 10 nights due to son's work schedule.

Would love to a cruise that start in one destination and ended in another so those of us with more time can visit two cities longer then just the cruise ports.

Would like a ship with other young adults aboard.

There is for our 25th anniversary so cost is not a factor. Just want the best. Hard to get all the kids together now that they are older..

 

Any thoughts would be great... Thanks..

[Essiesmom]

First thing, you need to get together with the kids and decide where you want to go. What cities/sites would you like to share? Beaches in the Med are not like the Caribbean, lots of soft white sand. You don't go to Europe to visit a beach. Europe is about history and monuments. There are lots of cruises that would suit your time limit. Have you cruised before? What lines? Where are you from? (US/Canada, Europe) Do you live in a cooler climate? Comfort in touring might dictate what part of the Med you visit, and which month.

 

Many will suggest you visit a travel agent face to face, and that's a good idea. But first, I suggest you go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com. You can choose a departure port from the first list, and time of year, and see what ships are going where, and their itineraries. Or if you have a couple of ports in mine to visit, choose them from the second list and it will tell you which ships are calling there and their itineraries.

 

Get a copy of Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports and read to see what attractions are in various ports.

 

Happy planning! EM

[zoncom]

Find out WHEN you all can get together. You say you want the best. Do you mean most luxurious? family oriented? The Mass market ships will have most young adults. 10 nites pretty short. The classic European first cruise runs from Barcelona-Rome or reverse,12 nights, touches most of the Med countries. Great sampler. I like Fodors Complete Guide to European Cruises. Does lines and Ports. Frommers similar.

[kitkat343]

The Mediterranean cruises are really lovely. All of the mainstream lines - Princess, HAL, Royal Caribbean - will have young people (not the majority of cruisers, but a good number). I don't know about the age demographics on luxury lines - they generally don't have kids clubs, and quite a few of us who are parents in our 30s and 40s travel on cruises so our kids can go to the kids clubs for part of the day. The Mediterranean board might be able to provide more assistance about the strengths of the different lines.

 

I liked Malta and Dubrovnik, since they are both ports I don't think I would have ever traveled to except on a cruise, and they were both really interesting stops for one day. Santorini is amazing and I hope to eventually spend more time there. I love all of Italy, so any cruise that stops there is nice, but there is some travel time to Florence and Rome from those ports.

 

I'd also recommend also considering Baltic cruises. 10 days would get you to Stockholm, Copenhagen, 2 days in St. Petersburg, Tallinn Estonia (which has a beautifully preserved medieval Old Town), Finland and possibly Oslo or another stop depending on the itinerary as long as you start in Copenhagen or somewhere along the Baltic (there are Baltic cruises that leave from England, but you will spend extra days at sea and it would push you over your 10 day limit). Almost all Baltic cruises also stop for 12 hours in Warnemunde, so you have the option to travel 3 hours each way to Berlin. If you can't handle 6 hours roundtrip travel, the Schwerin Palace is nearby and spectacular. Most Baltic cruises are roundtrip, but a few stop and start in different cities and if your dates are really flexible that might be an option. This is a great choice if you are looking for a vacation with a lot of cultural experiences.

 

A Norwegian cruise is another option if you are primarily interested in natural beauty. Another possible option might be a B2B, in which all of the people who have more vacation time take both Baltic and Norway cruises, and your son who has more limited vacation time stays for just the Baltic cruise.