RCI European Cruises with Kids

[iujen94]

Hi! So I'm already in the early stages of planning NEXT summer's vacation. DS11 wants a cruise, I want Europe. DH and DS14 will go with the flow. We've gone on several RCI Caribbean cruises, always on mega-ships like Allure and Oasis, which we love. The summer 2018 schedule isn't out yet, but I'm assuming most of the ships on the European circuit are smaller/older. I'm also guessing that there might be fewer kids and kids' activities on a European cruise. Can anyone who has taken kids on an RCI European cruise give me any insight as to what to expect? Thanks!!

[Essiesmom]

The most important thing to consider when planing a cruise in Europe is that the itinerary is more important than the ship, or even the cruise line. Europe cruises are very port intensive. I see one cruise from Venice this year on Rhapsody that has no sea days! If you are wedded to RCI, look at this years itineraries and the times in port. Their port times in the western Med. are much better than the eastern Med. Keep in mind that Europe is not about beaches. It is about history and architecture and culture. And if you want to do the Med, July and August will be very hot. Worse than the Caribbean. Decide whether you want to cruise the Med. or the Baltic/northern Europe. Get copies of both of Rick Steves' books - Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and Rick Steves' Northern European Cruise Ports and study the ports on this years itineraries. See what there is to do there, particularly things that might interest children the age of yours. Get the boys involved in choosing. EM

[cb at sea]

I agree...the PORTS are why you are sailing Europe...NOT the ship's amenities! Even the smaller ships will have kid's activities, and plenty to do, but you will be off the ship more than on it. It's merely transportation!

[kitkat343]

There were a lot of kids on the ncl star to the baltics. Honestly, given their ages I'd put together some research on the ports and let them decide what itinerary they'd like. The baltics are a great trip for kids who are interested in history or culture.

[arlodog]

We did a Western Med a couple of years ago on RCCL and I completely agree with the above. The itinerary is what you need to look at not the line. We happened to find a cruise that we wanted and RCCL (our preferred line) was sailing it at a price we liked. We sailed Rome to Barcelona and tacked on 3 days before and one day after. We chose hotels in the city center so we could access transportation easily. Start reading now and get a feel for what you want to do~there is so much you won't be able to see it all. In Rome it helped that many of the sites are relatively close and you can walk easily. with a good map In addition to Rick Steve's books he has podcasts that you can download that explain the sites. Really helps a lot~ just brief overviews but keeps you from having to purchase audio tours. Good luck planning! We can't wait to go back!

[onthelake]

There were a lot of kids on the ncl star to the baltics. Honestly, given their ages I'd put together some research on the ports and let them decide what itinerary they'd like. The baltics are a great trip for kids who are interested in history or culture.

A great thing about the Baltics is that the ship docks much closer to, even in the cities so there is minimal shore time lost. Great for younger cruisers with the Little Mermaid statue, Tivoli Gardens, the Viking Ship Museum, the northern -most zoo in the world (all depending upon your ports of call).

[canadakath]

We did a Med cruise on Disney when the kids were 7 and 9, and a Baltics cruise on RCI's Serenade of the Seas when the kids were 9 and 11. Both were fantastic!

 

Serenade of the Seas is older and smaller, but there was still rock climbing, table tennis, mini golf, sports deck, arcade, and the pool. My kids did not enjoy the kids club compared to the Disney cruises we have done and were only in it once or twice. As others mentioned though, there isn't much ship time! We enjoyed the pace of the Baltics cruise more than the Med cruise - walking right into town from many of the ports, comfortable temperatures even in July, less need to see everything in a few short hours thanks to an overnight stay in St. Petersburg. We all agreed it was our best family vacation ever. Enjoy, whatever you decide!