Children in Europe

[Animal 57]

Has anyone cruised with their young children in Europe during the summer? I am planning on a family cruise next summer to either the med or Northern Europe with grandparents, and my daughter (5 years old).

 

We have taken her to the Caribbean with great success a number of times, but I am not sure if the ships in Europe are set up for the same type of camp like activity. Also are there many young children on these ships (assuming either carnival or RCL)

[CruisinEurope]

the neat (or not so neat... depending on your perspective) is that the cruises to Europe are usually VERY port intensive ... leaving very few times where you need "filler" from ship activities.

 

I currently live in Europe (we're american) and have a 5 yr old and a soon to be 7 yr old. We've taken them quite a few places - and are planning on doing their first cruise in December to the Med.

 

They understand that there will be days where Mommy & Daddy get to pick out what we see/do - but there are also days where THEY get to choose.

 

I've carefully looked at our ports - and have decided that we will forgo sightseeing in 2 of them in favor of just chilling on the beaches and looking for seashells.

 

This break in the "non-stop touring" will be helpful to them.

 

I also chose a itinerary that has 3 sea days out of 9 (very rare I'm learning!) - - so those sea days will also help them "decompress" from sightseeing overload.

 

 

Enjoy Europe with your kids - - it's a FABULOUS place to visit (and live!)

[CruisinEurope]

oh - one more thing -

 

European cruises tend to have a lot of Europeans on them. Prepare yourself for the cultural differences - and go with an open mind.

 

 

as far as how many kids on the cruise - depends on WHEN you are looking to go. The school schedules are a bit different here than in the 'States.... so they may not match up exactly.

[kitty9]

The heat and humidity in the Med in summer can be absolutely awful. That would be your biggest problem. Along with that you have the problem with the distance from the ports to the center of town. If your Med cruise includes stops in Florence and Rome, the ports for those cities are at least 90 minutes away. For a 5 year old in a bus, that can seem like forever. And tours to those cities are anywhere from 10 to 12 hours long, not child friendly.

 

I would stick with the Baltic region with a child as young as yours. The temps will be much more moderate and the ports are right there in the middle of the city. If she were still in a stroller, the Med wouldn't be quite as tough, but with a 5 year old, things are a lot different.

[CeleBrat]

Hi! We just returned from a Western Med cruise with our kids (ages 5 and 7) and had a BLAST! Check out my review for details:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=820569

 

We would do it again in a heartbeat!!

 

CeleBrat

[CruisinEurope]

Really - what it boils down to is - what are your kids like?

 

Mine are USED to being in a car/van/plane etc. for 8 hours at a clip -- so a 90 mins ride to them is "nothing".

 

Will your kids be adventurous and try new foods & drinks - - or will they clamor only for "the same old" stuff? Mine like their "american food" - but have been amazingly open to eating just about anything I order for them off of any local menu - regardless of what city / country we are in at the moment. Heck, my son's new favorite meat is Reindeer!

 

Will your kids be OK with "taking turns" at what to see/do each day? Will they willingly come along to see the monuments, churches, and other sights of the city in exchange for nights at the kids clubs or days at the pool/ beach? Mine are great with "hanging in there" while we see umpteen churches - as long as well let them run around at every play park we stumble upon (and in the Baltics especially, you will find PLENTY of these hidden gems... I would guess maybe not quite as much in the Med... but I but there are some).

 

I read - with GREAT enjoyment - Celebrat's review on the NCL pages. GREAT review from a well balanced family. Except for the french fry diet - those sound exactly like my kids :D

[CruisinEurope]

oh - and as far as the weather - - I think that it would depend on where the OP was from and if weather bothered him/kids at all ... ???

 

I mean, if they're from the South anywhere - then the Med in the summer will be just like home. Usually Hot and humid.

 

If he's from the North - then yes, it will be a bit different.

 

I grew up in CT but lived in VA for most of my adult life. And, while that is def. not "south" - - my threshold for heat and humidity has been raised quite a bit.

 

Heck - the weather across the globe is getting really funky. For example, here in Denmark over the past month, we had weeks where it was almost 90 and quite humid. TOTALLY rare! (This week, though, we are paying the price with intense showers and temps not hitting 65!).

 

So maybe when the OP goes, he will enjoy temperate weather like Celebrat did. ;)

[brazilgirl]

I also was in Europe with my family of 3 in May. My kids are 11 , 8 and 4.

 

It was truly a perfect cruise. We relaxed , spent lots of time together and visited some of the most beautiful places in the world. It was magical , because it was the first time in Europe for all of it.

 

We went on the Celebrity Summit and although there were few kids on the ship (school was not out) , my kids had lots of fun with the children that were on the ship and got lots of special attention from the wonderful staff.My husband and I even got lots of nice time alone....

 

I also wrote a review at the end of May on the Celebrity boards , called "Summit Review-Part 1"....It is quite detailed and there are lots of tips.

 

Have fun!

Kim

[WineDown17]

I love the kid friendly support on this board.. I will definitely look for those threads..

 

We re doing 12 night Med in May09 with a 2yo/12YO...

 

Based on CC advise, we will be booking private touurs (they will have car seats) and that also helps if we need to cut anything short, or stop for a little while en route...

 

Based on what I have seen, it you are willing to adjust expectations, make accommodations, and keep an open mind, there is absolutely no reason not do cruise with your kids to Europe...

 

One poster that mentioned lots of europeans on the cruise-- I was so happy to hear that! What a great way to show our children the diversity in the world around them!! (And I know she did not post that as a bad thing-lest anyone think I misunderstood!)

 

Keep the posts coming!!

[travelinmomma]

We didn't take a cruise in Europe with the kids, but in February we took my kids(5 and 12) to Rome for a week. They had a ball!!! The 12 yr old was old enough to appreciate every little thing we saw. We tried to find something about everywhere we went that would interest the 5 year old. He especially loved the Forum and Palentine Hill because we gave him a little space to explore the ruins on his own. Of course he spent a lot of time in the piazzas chasing the pigeons and ate pizza, pasta and gelato for almost every meal.

Next year they want to go to Paris. (The 12 year old is learning French in school and I think the 5 year old wants to go because they have a Disneyland there)

[Florida_cruisers]

Our son has been on our last 3 cruises, one of them in Northern Europe when he was a year and a half. We had a great time on the cruise, no problem at all. The worst it ever got was our 2hr ride excursion from the port to Paris, and even then it was not bad at all. DH and I have been there before, but I really wanted a picture of the 3 of us in front of the Eiffel Tower for our Christmas cards.

 

It was a really good trip, aside from the horrible 10hr flight we had on our way back from London. We will definetely do it again in a few years but to Greece this time.

 

By the way, I highly recommended a DVD player during the 2hr dinners on the ship.

[Onessa]

Our DD (now nearly 13YO!) has always traveled everywhere with us. She was not quite 4YO when we did an Italy tour (land and sea).

 

As CruisnEurope said, much depends upon your kids -- ours was accustomed to travelling, could be kept occupied with "sitting" activities, and actually likes a lot of the "touristy" activities (museums, etc.). We did tailor our activities to her likes/dislikes and we did seek out playgrounds whenever we could (in fact when we were in Venice again last November, she recongized one of the parks and was telling me a story of how she had been playing with a "bigger kid" from San Fransisco there -- I had nearly forgotten that one).

 

Plan your itinerary and your activities based upon things that you can all enjoy. Schedule time when you can all be "normal" -- when she was younger, and my DD was starting to get a bit out of sorts when we were in a foriegn country, an hour in the local McD's would work wonders (we are not normally McD's people, but their resturants are always so darn American that they can't help but make you feel like you are at "home"), or some time plopped in front of a favorite DVD. Like any trip or complicated activity, work out strategies a head of time to ward off meltdowns.

 

Most of all have fun.

[SelectSys]

The heat and humidity in the Med in summer can be absolutely awful. That would be your biggest problem. Along with that you have the problem with the distance from the ports to the center of town. If your Med cruise includes stops in Florence and Rome, the ports for those cities are at least 90 minutes away. For a 5 year old in a bus, that can seem like forever. And tours to those cities are anywhere from 10 to 12 hours long, not child friendly.

 

I would stick with the Baltic region with a child as young as yours. The temps will be much more moderate and the ports are right there in the middle of the city. If she were still in a stroller, the Med wouldn't be quite as tough, but with a 5 year old, things are a lot different.

 

My kids like the Med over the Baltic hands down. More fun on board with warm weather at the pool as well as more kids on board.

 

You are correct about the long bus rides in certain ports. Our strategy when they were younger was to make sure they brought a "game boy" or other form of entertainment. I have a great shot of my son hanging out in Pisa sitting against the Baptistry in the shade playing his game boy.

 

...We did tailor our activities to her likes/dislikes and we did seek out playgrounds whenever we could ...

 

Most of all have fun.

 

Totally agree, we always pick at least some activities that are designed for the kids. Examples include bike rides, city parks, river rafting, boat rides, theme parks, etc... After all it's your kids vacation as well.