Europe, Info & Help me decide, Please!

[sas80]

I was reading thru that other thread about departing from Venice and visting with a 2 YO and realized that you guys might be able to help us make a decision.

 

We have 2 cruises booked and are trying to figure out which one to keep and which one to release.

 

We are booked on a Voyager 7 night Europe departing Venice and then doing the Transatlantic back to Louisiana. We are also booked on the Liberty 7 night Europe, departing Barcelona, and then doing a Transatlantic back to Florida.

 

We dont know which ship to keep. One is a Freedom Class and one is a Voyager class. The Freedom class is a bigger ship all around and I wonder if that is going to be a big factor considering we are going to be in the ship for 3 weeks.

 

Does anyone know what the weather is like crossing the Atlantic in the fall?

 

Im reading in that other thread that Venice isn't very toddler friendly and that Barcelona has a zoo and that Europe isn't very stroller friendly in general.

 

Our kids will be 5 and 3 at the time - what kind of information am I missing that will help me make a choice and plan in general?

 

Thanks

[bhcruise]

I found Barcelona to be quite a bit more kid friendly. We were traveling with our DD 3 1/2 and DS 11 months, my husbnd ended up carring the stroller through much of Venice. That being said, Venice was my favorite and the kids still enjoyed it so I think it is really about what you are more excited to see. We really enjoyed both places but preferred Venice. If you know ahead of time that there will be times you have to carry the stroller then it shouldn't be a problem. I can't really help you with the weather question since we have never done a transatlantic.

[cruisincarly]

I just want to point out (again) that "Europe" can't be classified as a whole.

 

My experience in Spain (although I haven't been to Barcelona), is that the Spaniards LOVE little kids, and will go out of their way to make kids happy. But the infrastructure for strollers is a bit lacking -- stairs without ramps, etc. Certainly something you can work around, with a little strength and/or creativity, though. I wouldn't let "stroller friendliness" get in the way of a fun vacation, unless you've got more than one kid who *needs* to be transported in the stroller.

 

Re: Venice, for what its worth, my parents took my brother to Venice when he was one year old in 1981. They were afraid he was going to fall into a canal, hehe. But he didn't, and they loved the trip. Again, mostly because the people they ran into treated my brother like a little prince.

[RoadTripFanatic]

:) The entire trick to Europe is to go with an open mind. Traveling with small children is always a great adventure. In Europe you just have to remember that anywhere you go there are steps. You will be picking up your stroller a lot!! I think my deciding factor on which ship to take is which ports you are visiting. Where are the ships going? To me that is the biggest deciding factor on any trip. I have not taken a child to either Venice or Barcelona. I have been to both. Venice is my favorite! I will say Barcelona does have an amazing zoo. It's one of the best.

[sas80]

Here are the itins. Again, comments and opinions are welcome

Voyager:

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

22-Oct Venice, Italy

5:00 PM

23-Oct Dubrovnik, Croatia

11:00 AM 8:00 PM Docked

24-Oct Cruising

25-Oct Naples, Capri, Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

26-Oct Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

27-Oct Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

28-Oct Provence (Toulon), France

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

29-Oct Cruising

30-Oct Barcelona, Spain

6:00 AM

 

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

30-Oct Barcelona, Spain

5:00 PM

31-Oct Cartagena, Spain

9:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

01-Nov Cadiz, Spain

11:00 AM 11:00 PM Docked

02-Nov Cruising

03-Nov Cruising

04-Nov Ponta Delgada, Azores

7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

05-Nov Cruising

06-Nov Cruising

07-Nov Cruising

08-Nov Cruising

09-Nov Cruising

10-Nov Cruising

11-Nov Cruising

12-Nov New Orleans, Louisiana

6:00 AM

*** All itineraries are subject to change without notice. Please confirm your itinerary on the Review page before purchasing your cruise.

_______________________________________

 

Liberty:

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

 

22-Oct Barcelona, Spain

5:00 PM

23-Oct Provence (Toulon), France

7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

24-Oct Villefranche (Nice), France

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Tendered

25-Oct Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

26-Oct Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

27-Oct Naples, Capri, Italy

7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

28-Oct Cruising

29-Oct Barcelona, Spain

6:00 AM

 

Day Port *** Arrive Depart Activity

29-Oct Barcelona, Spain

5:00 PM

30-Oct Cartagena, Spain

11:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

31-Oct Malaga, Spain

8:00 AM 8:00 PM Docked

01-Nov Cadiz, Spain

8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

02-Nov Cruising

03-Nov Tenerife, Canary Islands

9:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

04-Nov Santa Cruz, Canary Islands

7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

05-Nov Cruising

06-Nov Cruising

07-Nov Cruising

08-Nov Cruising

09-Nov Cruising

10-Nov Cruising

11-Nov Cruising

12-Nov Fort Lauderdale, Florida

7:00 AM

*** All itineraries are subject to change without notice. Please confirm your itinerary on the Review page before purchasing your cruise.

[sas80]

Right now we were planning on bringing the Phil and Ted's double stroller. A bit smaller than a your regular front to back stroller when it comes to width. DS will only be 3 so I am thinking we will need a stroller. And, as we all know, not only do we have the competitive "but I want to ride in it" with the other child, but a stroller comes in handy when they get cranky or tired.

[Kerry's Girls]

Truly, I would choose based on where you want to go. They both look amazing. And I completely agree about bringing a double stroller - I took it for my twin 5 year olds and was glad to have it so we could keep going even when they were tired of walking.

 

We don't do zoos, but Barcelona was extremely kid friendly and had so much for them to enjoy (they loved Parc Guell and walking around Sagrada Familia (and there is a park across the street from Sagrada Familia). The only trouble I had was dealing with the double stroller on my own when riding the metro because of the stairs, but if you take taxis or the Hop on/Hop Off bus, it's not as much of an issue. Besides that, I had no problem with the stroller on the streets. Barcelona is very pedestrian. However, I see on the cruise that starts in Venice, you also get to see Barcelona, so that's probably what I would choose. My feeling is, the kids are going to enjoy it no matter what, so pick what you want to do. I was told that Egypt is a terrible and difficult place to bring children, but it was one of our favorite places. With enough research, I think we could have a great time with little children in any city.

Best,

Mia

[chipmaster]

FYI strollers can problematic in may places as the sidewalks are not nice and paved like in the US. If one is going to be doing lots of touring backpack carrier IMOH is the way to go.

 

I'm not sure what you deifine as Kid friendly, everyone has kids, many love them and some well you know less so. I'd pick the ports that you are going to enjoy. There is always the option of leaving them in the kids club, private tours ease things as the kids can nap/rest in a van and you are dropped right at the base of most places where a Stroller or carrier isn't a needed thing in port.

 

Good luck!

[DALSAL]

Both Venice and Dubrovnik are not very stroller friendly,but both awesome places!

[Eclipsepearl]

I've taken my kids to both Barcelona and Venice. I didn't use a stroller in either and my kids are about the same age (or were then). Barcelona is ultimate kid-friendly. We did the open-top bus and used those Pedalo things, which was great fun for the kids. We didn't visit the zoo but the aquarium was great.

 

Venice was great and they loved taking the water bus.

 

I just don't recommend a lot of museum visiting lol!

 

We've also been to Florence, which was not kid-friendly. Not so much to do for them and they wont want to trep through all those museums. Fun for adults but not for kids!

 

I hope it's the Phil and Ted's which is tandem. Do not take a side-by-side to Europe. You will regret it. Does it fold up easily?

 

My opinion is not really a valid one because my kids were very anti-stroller and it was used in desperation. We did use it to get a sleepy girl to and from the kids' club on the ship though! I also used a sling to about age 3 but look into a good front/back carrier or backpack.

[familycruzinnewbie]

We visited a lot of Europe with a 6 and 9 year old as we lived in Ireland last year. While we didn't have strollers, we did pull carry-on suitcases through a lot of public transit systems. There is a lot of stairs. We did love Barcelona and walked a lot of it. Though you will probably make out better with the hop-on/hop off bus.

 

Are you planning on taking the kids off at all the ports? Maybe you should look at what is involved and what you plan to do at each of the ports as I know in some cases the port is quite a distance from the site you are visiting. I will say that the 2nd Transatlantic looks more interesting than the first as it has more stops and goes to Malaga and 2 Canary Islands.

[UKBayern]

People on the Med love children, whether you are in Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, etc. Family values are important and a family outing is often undertaken. It is normal that you take your kids into a restaurant to eat with the whole family. A lot of the places where you are going to are prime tourist destinations for European families on holiday. Believe me, they have seen a lot of foreign kids there before.

Venice is a difficult place for anybody with mobility problems: with wheelchairs, large suitcases and also with strollers. The way around is of course is to take the waterbus. All kids love boats and it is great to point out all the unsual things that are transported over the water to them: the police boat, the UPS boat, the garbage boat.

 

I think it depends on your children. How are they? Some kids love to explore and ask questions and eat interesting food. Other kids don't care for that at all. It all depends on preparation for your side as well. There are lot of children's books and films which are situated in one of the places you are going to. This will give them an idea what they are going to see.

[Onessa]

We did Venice with our DD when she was just barely 3YO and went back again when she was 4.5YO -- so it couldn't have been all that bad! :D

 

There are several nice little playgrounds tucked away (one right across from the "old bridge" from the square where the land buses have their last stop (can't spell Italian place names to save my soul!).

 

The stroller worked fine but we did need to get out, carry stroller, get back in at each bridge (and there are lots of bridges). NOW it all sounds complicated (DD is 14YO so it was a LONG time ago), but at the time it was no big deal! (It's kind of like the experience I have when I volunteer to babysit for my 6YO niece -- I'm just glad DD isn't 6YO any more. I love my 14YO, but I'm sure seven years from now if BIL asks me to watch DN for a week again, I'll be thinking "Arg! A 14YO! I'll go nuts! :D)

 

That said, we also really liked Spain - Barcelona was great. It is a bit easier to get around but less obviously "exotic" to the preschool set.

 

I also found feeding a preschooler was a bit easier in Italy than Spain -- ANY restaurant was more than happy to bring her "plain" pasta so we could always do more interesting fare not needing to worry about what she might find pleasing)

 

As mia pointed out, your kids will have a great time as long as they are with you.

[stormyitaly]

Backpack is the way to go! Kids will love it all. Even Florence. They can chase birds for hours while you sip wine in a square. try not to stress. Just pick the cities you most want to visit and you will figure it out.