Please help me with my very first cruise

[Mike_DeA]

None of these options have balcony. Bummer...

 

 

1) 11-Day Greek Isles & Italy from Rome (Civitavecchia)

 

2) 10-Day Greek Isles & Italy from Rome (Civitavecchia)

 

3) 10-Day Eastern Mediterranean & Greek Isles from Rome (Civitavecchia)

 

What are tenders and roll-calls?

:rolleyes:

 

What are strollers?

[ashleyriley]

:rolleyes:

 

What are strollers?

[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

 

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[Sparkling_girl]

:rolleyes:

 

What are strollers?

 

You don't know what a stroller is?!

[Sparkling_girl]

I agree, this is not a cruise for kids. Cobblestone streets and uneven pavements. If you have to take kids, the family room is definitely what you want. I think they are only interior, but much more space (that you’ll need). Also, kids club babysitting is a must. If you go to your roll call, someone may have booked a company Rome In Limo, which is the highest rated excursion company. I’d only fly nonstop-it’s an 8 hr time difference which could take you a week to recoup. Finally, you won’t have time in Rome, and if the cruise line offers it, I’d take their port to ship transport.

 

 

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Very informative! Thank you so much. I looked at the family room but the bed coming from the ceiling was not recommended here on this thread, there is no balcony and suite available either...

[Sparkling_girl]

I do need to disagree with the previous poster who argued against taking your 4 year old on a cruise to Europe. We began cruising with our children at the age of 2, and have found that it is a really wonderful way to balance out touring cities during the day with using the kids club at night and on sea days. What was most important for us was to book private independent excursions for just our family, so we could completely control the itinerary. Whenever my son started to get whiny or tired we'd just stop and give him a break. He made it about an hour in the Hermitage, which is pretty good for a 3 year old, and then I took him to the cafe on the ground floor to get a treat while my husband got to see the Impressionist wing (we had early admission to the Hermitage and the Renaissance art I wanted to see opened first so we each got to see what was most important to us). You should research your trip thoroughly so you know exactly what's most important to you, and try to do that first since you honestly never know how long your kid's attention span will last. And then within the attractions, try to research what the highlights are so you can jump right to that. For example, in Stockholm you could spend all day just at Skansen, but I knew the highlight for my son would be the open lemur exhibit where you get to go into the lemur cage and walk among them, so that was all we did at that museum due to the time constraints (we had a Stockholm card that granted entrance to most of the museums in the city, so it was actually quite worth it).

 

Try to head off meltdowns by feeding your children often and giving them breaks - on a Mediterranean cruise gelato will help a lot. Please don't take any ship tours, as you might be trapped on a bus with many people and a child who is melting down who just needs a break before he's ready to go into the Coliseum. And you absolutely don't have time to wait for a lot of people to board a bus or take bathroom breaks. You can find private excursions either on the Mediterranean board or on tripadvisor. If you plan carefully and have a completely private tour, you can honestly see all of the highlights of a city. We were able in 2 days to visit everything on a standard St. Petersburg tour, and had a really wonderful overview of that city.

 

I would recommend going to the buffet for breakfast on the first day with a large bag and grabbing fruit, yoghurt and cereal boxes. You want to always have food on hand in case your kids get hungry. The sealed cereal boxes can be taken off the ship so you'll have snacks on excursions.

 

If the heat is an issue, perhaps you'd want to consider a Baltic cruise instead. There's a lot of child friendly activities there (Tivoli gardens, Skansen, Vasa, the fountains at Peterhof, canal river cruises). My 3.5 year old loved the Baltics and keeps asking if we can go back on that trip again since he wants his younger brother to see St. Petersburg and Stockholm (I was pregnant on that cruise, so the little one didn't get to see anything). There's a cruise review in my signature line that talks about what excursions to take with children on the Baltics if that's something you'd consider.

 

 

In terms of your free offers, obviously 3/4 passenger free is best. After that, it depends on what is most important to you. We were very happy with NCL's specialty restaurants (and not nearly as happy with the free included food). But it's important to note that children who order off the regular menu in a specialty restaurant will be charged the full price (it's free for children to order off the kids menu in specialty restaurants). For us, one of the main reasons we love cruises is that our kids get to try a lot of different kinds of food, so it wouldn't make me happy to order off the children's menu. But please remember the kids clubs will be closed on NCL from 5-7 pm on sea days, so you need to take that into consideration since you'll be supervising your kids during that time. You can take them to the buffet and feed them, and then eat dinner in a specialty restaurant just with your spouse after 7, or just pay for everyone to go or use the kids menu for your children.

 

I agree with you, some kids likes to just sit and play, mine like adventures :) I appreciate your helpful reply. We took our first kid to Turkey when he was 1.5, I love how well you explained taking the snack, taking breaks, etc. you sound like a very hands-on mom, your kids will grow up to be independent and successful :)

[Sparkling_girl]

Tenders mean that the cruise ship doesn’t dock, you have to take a small ferry (tender) to and from the port while the ship is anchored off shore.

 

Roll calls are posts by ship by departure date so you can e-meet people before going on your cruise. You can go to boards>rollcall>Norwegian

 

I would think the cable cars are probably OK for kids, not sure on donkeys.

Very well answered, thank you for your prompt reply. We are definitely not riding on the donkey :)

 

Can't tell by sq how big that family room is, the one that has beds coming down...

 

What about the whenever/wherever dining? Does tgat mean we can eat anytime anywhere. Extra charge for delivering the food anytime/anywhere? What do they mean by that?

[Sparkling_girl]

My thoughts are if you've traveled to more "difficult" places with your children you'll be fine. Children grow up in Santorini and if you're prepared to experience the non-American (not easy) experience you'll do well. I say go with your gut, as everyone should.

 

I love your positive reply, thank you :)

[Sparkling_girl]

You should not allow your 4 year old to get on a donkey even if they allow it. I was 30 and couldn't really control mine (people who have ridden horses probably can control he donkey but I couldn't). I was scraped and bleeding on one of my legs from where the donkey ran me against the stone wall. My brother's donkey kept trying to fight with the other donkeys and he wound up losing a shoe halfway up the hill (this must not be an unusual occurrence, since the first tourism shop on the top of the hill sold overpriced cheap shoes).

 

Santorini is absolutely gorgeous but you need to resolve the potential logistical issues prior to booking this cruise. I have taken a 2 year old to Cartagena, Columbia, and a 3 year old to St. Petersburg and I am telling you this not as someone who doesn't believe in travel for young children, but travel with kids only works if you are able to create a plan ahead of time that eliminates logistical problems so your children will remain happy and can enjoy their visit.

 

Santorini is a tender port, which means that you could wait in line for a very long time to disembark if you want to get off soon after the ship arrives, and then you might need to wait in line a long time (up to an hour reported on the Greece boards) for the cable car up and again down if you are planning on leaving anytime close to the ship's arrival or departure. It is possible to avoid all of these lines by leaving late and coming back early, but you can only do this if you have checked the return time for the other ships, since coming back at 3 to avoid your ships 5 pm deadline won't help if another ship is returning at 4. And bear in mind that Santorini is very popular. This site will tell you how many other ships are in port that day: https://www.cruisetimetables.com .

 

What I would recommend is contacting all of the private tour operators to determine if you pay for a private tour for just your family can they pick you up and drop you off where the tenders let you off and skip the cable car/donkey. If Santorini is important to you (and I understand why it would be, as it is absolutely gorgeous) I would not book this cruise until this issue is resolved, or you are prepared to have a very short port day there. And prior to booking, please also remember that Rome is a little difficult for kids since you are not close to the port. And these logistical issues are magnified by 100 when your kids are jet lagged, sleep deprived and cranky.

 

I appreciate your prompt reply. OK, definitely no donkey ride. Great suggestions, especially the tender pickup/drop off.

 

When I was booking the Cappadocia two days private tour, the tour guide was like no way we can go to all these places with two little ones, but planning and keeping it positive helped out and at the end of the second day he suggested that we visit the undergroubd city! I was shocked :)

[Sparkling_girl]

Of course kids can go on the cable cars ( after a long wait in the line to board) and the donkeys. My response was in the context of Santorini being stroller friendly, the question YOU asked. It is not stroller friendly, neither is Athens. So the plan is to carry or have the 4 yr old walk on the rocky, cobblestone uphill streets in the hot sun? Why is that enjoyable for the child? Common sense not so common.

 

 

 

 

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I thought you have signed out already? I find your replies unprofessional, attacking and unpleasantly disrespectful.

[Sparkling_girl]

If not having a stroller is "no problem" why ask if the ports are stroller friendly?

 

Selective listening going on here. Experienced cruisers who have actually been to the ports are giving the OP solid advice and it all seems to be ignored. Seems like basic common sense, but apparently not.

 

Signing off now, hope it all works out.

 

 

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Great idea (signing off), I find all your comments very disrespecful, unprofessional and harrassing, making rude comments, etc. I need no more reply from you.

 

I will not read or respond to any of your future comments. Keep it professional and just focus on your other threads.

[Sparkling_girl]

So, the ports...I know we should plan for Santorini and Athen. I would love to visit Positano, too. What about other ports? Which ones require especial planning? Tender awareness, etc. i posted the itinerary a couple posts above.

 

We will stay in Rome for 3 days prior to that. We are visiting other countries at least twice a year. My kids and I are not into beach vacations so the cruise might be a better option.

[ashleyriley]

I thought you have signed out already? I find your replies unprofessional, attacking and unpleasantly disrespectful.

Hey Sparkling, I was going to sign out then you quoted me directly and incorrectly so yes, I responded. I am merely stating my experience having after taking six European cruises. You have taken how many? Oh that's right....zero. The majority on this thread agree with me but you don't want to hear it. You just know that YOU want to visit these amazing places not taking into consideration if the children can handle it. I was never "unprofessional, attacking and pleasantly disrespectful". Just honest due to seeing many children crying from sheer exhaustion and/or twisting an ankle on a cobblestone street. I will sign out after one more comment. Again, hope it all works out. Oh, and a simple Google search will explain the very common thing called a "tender"

 

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[ashleyriley]

You don't know what a stroller is?!

Hey Sparkling, that post refers to a funny thing called sarcasm. Went right over the head like those darn tenders!

 

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[Sparkling_girl]

So, the ports...I know we should plan for Santorini and Athen. I would love to visit Positano, too. What about other ports? Which ones require especial planning? Tender awareness, etc. i posted the itinerary a couple posts above.

 

We will stay in Rome for 3 days prior to that. We are visiting other countries at least twice a year. My kids and I are not into beach vacations so the cruise might be a better option.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

OP - I’m so envious! I hope you take this cruise and enjoy it tremendously. My kids are awesome travelers and who cares if they remember it.

 

 

 

 

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[Sparkling_girl]

OP - I’m so envious! I hope you take this cruise and enjoy it tremendously. My kids are awesome travelers and who cares if they remember it.

 

 

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Aww thank you so much! I agree, who cares! I'll take them again and again :-)

 

What is a day on the cruise looks like? You wake up, you leave the room to go eat or the whatever/whenever means we go sit bu the pool and the food is always ready?

 

For the kids club, do they look after the kids when the parents go out of the ship? Do they feed them?

 

Are there night time activities and movie theaters? How did you all spend your time while on the ship?

 

Thanks

[AtlantaAlly]

I’m of the “if you can bring them, and they travel well, do it” mindset. Our daughter has thousands of sky miles at the age of 5, and countless car, train, etc miles under her belt. I think even if it is not for the intention of them making memories you’re forming a mindset that is aware of other cultures and respectful of the differences based on observing your behavior.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy going on solo vacations with my husband. But I’m not afraid of any travel with the kids just because they’re kids.

[Sparkling_girl]

Aww thank you so much! I agree, who cares! I'll take them again and again :-)

 

What is a day on the cruise looks like? You wake up, you leave the room to go eat or the whatever/whenever means we go sit bu the pool and the food is always ready?

 

For the kids club, do they look after the kids when the parents go out of the ship? Do they feed them?

 

Are there night time activities and movie theaters? How did you all spend your time while on the ship?

 

Thanks

 

Great mindset you have. I am with you, that way the kids will grow up knowing other cultures and other nationalities and learn to respect other people instead of bashing them thinking the world is just the city they live in :-)

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Aww thank you so much! I agree, who cares! I'll take them again and again :-)

 

 

 

What is a day on the cruise looks like? You wake up, you leave the room to go eat or the whatever/whenever means we go sit bu the pool and the food is always ready?

 

 

 

For the kids club, do they look after the kids when the parents go out of the ship? Do they feed them?

 

 

 

Are there night time activities and movie theaters? How did you all spend your time while on the ship?

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

We have six kids currently ages 5-18. Sometimes the kids have enjoyed small bits of the kids clubs, but we predominantly all hang together on most of our trips (land or sea).

 

We are early to bed and early to rise people everywhere.

 

On ships, We like to be amongst the first off the ship and are often at breakfast before 7 AM.

[Sparkling_girl]

We have six kids currently ages 5-18. Sometimes the kids have enjoyed small bits of the kids clubs' date=' but we predominantly all hang together on most of our trips (land or sea).

 

We are early to bed and early to rise people everywhere.

 

On ships, We like to be amongst the first off the ship and are often at breakfast before 7 AM.[/quote']

 

Thanks, so the club was open when everyone was leaving to visit the port? Did you have anywhere/anytime meal? What is that exactly?

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Thanks, so the club was open when everyone was leaving to visit the port? Did you have anywhere/anytime meal? What is that exactly?

 

 

 

Since this is NCL board I’ll refer to NCL. We did have dine anytime like everyone does, however we made reservations for each dinner. I prefer to arrive and be seated instead of waiting to be seated.

 

We opted for MDR for breakfast and typically lunch was during an excursion or a trip to the buffet.

 

I do not know how it works for kids to be in clubs of parents off the ship; we do not separate.

 

On sea days or after excursions some of my kids enjoyed the clubs. Some did not like to visit.

 

HTH

[Sparkling_girl]

Since this is NCL board I’ll refer to NCL. We did have dine anytime like everyone does' date=' however we made reservations for each dinner. I prefer to arrive and be seated instead of waiting to be seated.

 

We opted for MDR for breakfast and typically lunch was during an excursion or a trip to the buffet.

 

I do not know how it works for kids to be in clubs of parents off the ship; we do not separate.

 

On sea days or after excursions some of my kids enjoyed the clubs. Some did not like to visit.

 

HTH[/quote']

 

Thank you, we never separate either, I was just wondering. I want to make sure they are with me and my husband when we're not on the ship.

 

So meal anytime means like we can reserve the restaurant for 5:30 PM, it won't be extra or considered special request hopefully? And have you done any "anywhere" dining? What is that exactly?

 

I'm sorry if you have already mentioned, what kind of cabin did you guys stayed in? What happens if we decide to add one more person later? I'll buy extra ticket but where would that person stay? Do the rooms fit five people? I know you have a big family, did you guys stayed in one room?

 

Thank you so much in advance

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Thank you, we never separate either, I was just wondering. I want to make sure they are with me and my husband when we're not on the ship.

 

So meal anytime means like we can reserve the restaurant for 5:30 PM, it won't be extra or considered special request hopefully? And have you done any "anywhere" dining? What is that exactly?

 

I'm sorry if you have already mentioned, what kind of cabin did you guys stayed in? What happens if we decide to add one more person later? I'll buy extra ticket but where would that person stay? Do the rooms fit five people? I know you have a big family, did you guys stayed in one room?

 

Thank you so much in advance

 

I must preface my answers stating I am not a cruise expert by any stretch. I have only been on five, and only three with children. We booked and cancelled MSC for this year (did a 2.5 week road trip instead) and have NCL booked for next May.

 

When we cruised the Getaway two years ago we had the perk of Unlimited Specialty Dining, so prior to our cruise we booked meals in each of the 5 venues, as well as one meal in Tropicana and one meal in the Illusionarium. (Because we were a party of ten we had to do some rearranging once on board, but I digress.)

 

We prefer to sit down to dinner between 5:30 and 6:30, though on DCL our kids did fine eating at 8 PM. (My kids are super flexible on vacation and seem to put up with anything while traveling, though at home we more or less stick to a routine.) I totally understand that many people operate better without having a reservation hanging over their heads, but it works out better for us to be able to anticipate our meal times.

 

I have never cruised in Europe, however, and I understand that many excursions run later. You may need to play around with this.

 

Our family of 8 prefers to book two connecting balcony cabins.

I do not remember which ship you are looking at. A good deck plan site can help you find out if there are 5-pax cabins on your ship. I would defer to a trusted travel agent regarding changing passengers after booking.

 

HTH.

[Sparkling_girl]

I must preface my answers stating I am not a cruise expert by any stretch. I have only been on five' date=' and only three with children. We booked and cancelled MSC for this year (did a 2.5 week road trip instead) and have NCL booked for next May.

 

When we cruised the Getaway two years ago we had the perk of Unlimited Specialty Dining, so prior to our cruise we booked meals in each of the 5 venues, as well as one meal in Tropicana and one meal in the Illusionarium. (Because we were a party of ten we had to do some rearranging once on board, but I digress.)

 

We prefer to sit down to dinner between 5:30 and 6:30, though on DCL our kids did fine eating at 8 PM. (My kids are super flexible on vacation and seem to put up with anything while traveling, though at home we more or less stick to a routine.) I totally understand that many people operate better without having a reservation hanging over their heads, but it works out better for us to be able to anticipate our meal times.

 

I have never cruised in Europe, however, and I understand that many excursions run later. You may need to play around with this.

 

Our family of 8 prefers to book two connecting balcony cabins.

I do not remember which ship you are looking at. A good deck plan site can help you find out if there are 5-pax cabins on your ship. I would defer to a trusted travel agent regarding changing passengers after booking.

 

HTH.[/quote']

 

Great reply, thank you so much. I was interested in the Spirit ship, just wish Dubrovnik was also listed in the itinerary but it's not...

 

I checked their website but there was no balcony listed for that tripmin April. Thank you so much again

[Sparkling_girl]

The same trip in May has balconies available though, which one is better in your opinion?

Aft balcony, family balcony or mid ship balcony?