Eastern Med w/kids this summer

[anniebj90290]

Hi all,

We are taking our 9 and 6 year olds on the July 30 RCCL cruise (Legend of the Seas) out of Rome that goes to 4 of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. This is a big trip for our family and I realize that the temps will be brutally hot ... and there are only so many ruins we can look at before all we really want to see is a pool!!

Just wondered if anyone else from this forum was booked on this cruise or had done it with kids? I'm starting to get concerned that we'll have the only kids on board!

BTW, I'm using RCCL this time ONLY because this ship stops at the Pyramids (Alexandria, Egypt). When we cruised to Alaska with them, my son was booted out of their kids program for having two accidents. I had warned them that they needed to remind him to go potty. They were so understaffed that no did. The place reminded me of Lord of the Flies anyway.... chaos, kids running wild, counselors looking harried and not keeping any control.

[bonsaitron]

hi

we are taking our two kids ages 10 and 12 round the eastern med this summer also from rome only on the celebrity galaxy.im sure u wont be alone its the middle of the school holidays

 

as for legend we sailed on her 2 years ago round the western med out of southampton

the kids camp people were great.couldnt keep our two away.

[goldminer1951]

The closest experience that I have had with this was two years ago with a 14 year old DS and 18 year old DD (they could be like 6 and 9 year olds, but just bigger) on Galaxy (similar ports of call, except for Cyprus, Egypt). We were on an Aug. 15 departure, and there were about 200 kids/teens of various ages on-board. The only really hot places without shade were Delos and Ephesus. I carried lots of drinks and sunscreen. Everyone had a hat and we survived. There was time for a swim in the pool after touring for the day and before dinner on most days. The only issue I had with Galaxy was they closed the pools at about 7 PM, but Legend is supposed to keep them open most of the time except for a late night drain and re-fill. The late return from Cairo on Legend may not leave lots of pool time, but your kids will probably sleep on the bus/van back to the ship. We (the DS and myself) are booked on the Aug. 23 departure of Legend this year.

 

Besides the ship's pool being a reward for good behavior, I used food. We had great lunches and snacks ashore that the kids really enjoyed once they got past "its different and not McDonalds" issues. They actually looked forward to the next port and what adventures waited them. The kids also went swimming at Kusadasi (on the beach just north of the pier) and on Rhodes. Bring some books and games along. The kids enjoyed room service treats before bed as well. If you have a boring tour guide, you can always walk ahead and enjoy the sights on your own and let your kids look at what interests them. Your kids should do fine, and with a late July departure, there should be lots of other kids.

 

'Miner

[ronjj66611]

hi

we are taking our two kids ages 10 and 12 round the eastern med this summer also from rome only on the celebrity galaxy.im sure u wont be alone its the middle of the school holidays

 

as for legend we sailed on her 2 years ago round the western med out of southampton

the kids camp people were great.couldnt keep our two away.

 

 

Hi Allison,

We'll be on the same ship this August and our kids are now emailing each other, I'm Sabrina's dad. Have you made any plans for the islands we'll be on? The reason I'm asking is that we try to do something fun for Sabrina while we travel, and we thought of going to the beach on Santorini or Rhodes, would you have any interest in joining us?

 

Ron

[ronjj66611]

Why didn't I register as the last entry? Also, why didn't this get bumbed to the front page?

[I&MsMom]

Hi! We just did an eastern Med. cruise with a 4 and 8 year old. We went in April, so extreme heat was not a factor, and we didn't go to Egypt. But, we were round trip out of Rome, and went to Naples, Rhodes, Izmir (Ephesus), Istanbul, Athens, Katakolon, and Livorno. I'd be happy to answer any questions. BTW, it was a really great trip!

[anniebj90290]

Dear I&MsMom,

 

Thanks for posting. I do have some questions. :)

1) How did you handle Ephesus? A private tour (and if so, with which company)? Ship's excursion? On your own?

2) In Athens, did you happen to use public transportation from Pireaus to the Acropolis? How'd that work out?

3) We're on different ships, so I won't ask about the quality of the kids' program..... did you dress them up for formal night? We've done that on previous cruises but my son outgrew the little white tux I got for him on eBay for $1 (new with tags!) and I am loathe to spend $40 in a store to buy him another one!

4) Did you bring along GameBoys, DVD players, etc? I will probably lug along all that stuff for the airports and plane rides, but I want them to absorb the scenery and places where we are too -- but I am a realist!

Thanks,

Ann

[I&MsMom]

Ann:

 

No problem! I've learned so much via these boards, I'm always happy to help where and when I can!

 

1. We used Ekol Travel to go to Ephesus. We had a large van for just the four of us. It worked out well. Our guide was good with the kids - her 24 year old son is living in New York. She also understood we weren't in the market for rugs, and kept the stop to the rug making "school" - read store - very short, which gave us time for lunch in a very non-touristy place.

 

2. We did take the metro from Pireaus to Athens. It was easy. We did get a cab to and from the train station in Pireaus (6 euros going, 7 returning:rolleyes: ). It's something of a walk, and we didn't want to max the kids out before we ever got to Athens, and on the way back, we were tired, and we'd stopped at a grocery, so we were lugging bottles of water, etc. If you think you'll do this, I'll give you more particulars.

 

3. DD is all about dresses, all the time, the fancier the better, so she wasn't a problem. LOL For DS, I took a navy blazer (which I reasoned could double as an extra layer if it were really cold - but it wasn't thank goodness!) He wore that with a couple of different dress pants, a dark pair on the first formal night, so it looked like a suit, then linen khakis the second formal night.

 

4. We did bring a Gameboy for each of them. DD (4) didn't use hers much, as she slept a lot on the flights/train trips. DS did use his. We didn't bring them on shore excursions with us at all. I had a couple of (small!) things in my person, and a box of colored pencils for them to play with while we were in transit or waiting for a meal.

 

If you think of anything else, or want more details, ask away!

[anniebj90290]

Dear I&MsMom;

 

Thanks! Yes, I would love the details of the Athens port stop. I actually lived and worked a summer in Athens while I was in college as a nanny for a Greek dentist married to an American woman. But do I remember how to get around, even the slightest bit? Uh.... no.

 

I think the only other port we have in common is Naples. My DH wants to go to Pompei. I think we'll be tired of ruins at that point (the last port of our trip) and think we should maybe just go to Capri and see the Blue Grotto. Ah, such choices....

 

We're going to be in Europe for 2 weeks prior to the cruise and I'd actually like to try to travel light. The reality is we are a casual-dressing California family and will wind up in our comfy clothes no matter how much I pack! Did you "cover up" at Ephesus?

 

Ann

[I&MsMom]

Ann:

 

Hello, again.

 

OK, Athens: when you get off the ship, and out of the terminal, the exit is to your left across a vast expanse of asphalt (put me in mind of an empty stadium - or regional shopping center - parking lot.) We set off in that direction, and within several yards were approached by a taxi, which we decided to take. We did recognize others from the ship walking, though. But the cab a) saved time and b) saved the kids energy for the important walk - up to the Acropolis! We bought tickets, then got on the metro, which is right there inside the Pireaus station (no searching for it - Pireaus is the end of the line, so they are right in front of you.) We had to stand until the Monistraki stop (although we probably could have waited for the next train and gotten a seat). We debated whether to get off at Monistraki, or go to Omonia and change lines. We opted for the latter (in spite of a local's advice to get off at Monistraki). We changed from the green line to the red line at Omonia. In the Omonia station follow signs to the Greek version of Anthony or Antonio, NOT to Dimitris. Get off at the 3rd stop - Acropolis.

 

When you get to the exit of the metro station,at the top of the escaltaors, there will be a wall to your right with artifacts behind glass. With this wall at your back, take the escalators to the left. When you get to the street, go left. At the corner, make another left (by now, if you have been looking up, you will have been able to spot the Acropolis). Then, just follow the road/path. Afterwards, we walked from the Acropolis to the Plaka - which road to take was a little confusing as the signage was poor. (If you're thinking of doing this also, I can probably save you some time wandering around, trying to work out which road to take down.)

 

As for Naples, we had been to Pompeii before, so opted not to go again this time. Although Naples was our first port, I knew we'd be seeing lots of ruins and didn't want to burn the kids out before we got to Turkey and Greece. So, we went to Capri (I'm happy to share details of getting there, if you'd like). We did not go to the Blue Grotto. Spent some time exploring Capri, then headed over to Sorrento, where we had a late lunch. Then back to Naples. We passed the station for Pompeii on the way back to Naples via the Circumvesuviana train, and I remember being surprised at how relatively quick the trip was from Naples to Pompeii via train.

 

I hear you about wanting to be comfortable in your clothes. I'm not a huge fan of high heels in the normal course of day-to-day life, but I brought a pair for formal nights. I wore them the first night, but just couldn't face them for the second formal night (we did a LOT of walking this trip), and wore dressy flat-ish sandals. So, I dragged these shoes around for almost three weeks to wear them one night!:eek:

 

As for Ephesus, there is no requirement to cover up. In fact, the info. sent to us in advance by our tour guide recommended shorts. DD and I both had sleeveless things on. However, in Istanbul, we all wore long pants and shirts with sleeves, but it was a lot cooler in April.

 

Let me know if anything was unclear, or you'd like additional info!