Advice on Mediterranean 2011

[lmg1230]

Hi Everybody,

I'm considering booking a Mediterranean cruise for our family's summer vacation in 2011 and am looking for advice/opinions. We have cruised four times: on the Disney Magic in the Caribbean, the Diamond Princess to Alaska, Holland America Eurodam in the Caribbean, and Emerald Princess in the Baltics. Our daughters will be 14 and 8 by the time of this cruise next summer and are seasoned travellers. They don't need bells and whistles like waterslides on a cruise to have fun but would like to be on a ship that had other kids to hang out with in the evenings and on sea days.

 

My first dilemma is trying to pick the ship/itinerary and then the type of accommodations. I am looking at the Star Princess, the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Celebrity Eclipse because of the itineraries. I don't want an itinerary that includes Rome, Venice or Florence as a port of call during the cruise as I want my children to have more than a cursory first experience with the big Italian cities. Ideally we would embark/disembark in either Rome or Venice so that we could spend pre and post-cruise time there. Does anyone have any experience with cruising these ships in the Mediterranean with their children?

 

My second issue is the type of accomodation to book. We've had suites on Holland America and Disney but in both cases my daughters had to sleep together on the pull-out sofa - not ideal because the younger one is a kicker. On Princess we have had a mini-suite which had a pull-out and an upper berth which works much better. I am also considering whether connecting rooms are an option on any of the ships that I'm looking at. We have never sailed on Celebrity so I'm clueless about their options. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this?

 

Any and all advice and suggestions are most welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

Lisa

[lmg1230]

Correction - it's actually the Celebrity Equinox that I'm considering. Thanks.

 

Lisa

[Lisou]

Bonsoir Lisa,

 

In the fall of 2009, my 6yo daughter and I cruised in the Western Med on RCI`s Voyager of the Seas. The ship did a round trip from Barcelona and stopped in Naples, Rome, Livorno (which was in the Florence, Pisa, Lucca region), Villefranche (Monaco, Nice area) and Marseille (Provence region of France). The itinerary was great and the ship was amazing!!! I know you wrote that you`d prefer these as land vacations rather than ports of call but just thought I`d share my experience, nevetheless...

 

This was a seven night cruise so we did a few days in Paris before the cruise to make it a two week trip. This was my 6th time in Europe and the first by cruise and it was my favourite by far. We are planning on cruising the Eastern Med and Holy land this coming fall.

 

Have fun planning!

[chipmaster]

Ports ports ports that is the priority IMHO. Med is so port intensive or at least why we went that the ship was our moving hotel with convenient and safe breakfast and a nice sit down dinner each evening and if people had any energy left a show and some fun and games. Yes there were two sea days on the longer ones, but the reality of our vacation and all our pictures and memories were the ports. My daughter did use the kids club 3 days ( one port day ) and one thing to consider on the lines ( maybe Disney will be different ) is that there is a large European demographics. Even on Princess on our cruise a good 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids were not English / US.

 

Thus pick the ship/line based on the best port IMHO.

 

Balcony/suite is a personal decision. If budget isn't an issue than splurge but don't pick Disney or suite and not have money for the best excursion. Private is totally worth the dollars for many of the stops.

 

My personal favorite is the Princess Grand med, great lineup of the biggest ports, they always sail one of their larger ships so amenities are there.

 

Good luck planning!

 

Hi Everybody,

I'm considering booking a Mediterranean cruise for our family's summer vacation in 2011 and am looking for advice/opinions. We have cruised four times: on the Disney Magic in the Caribbean, the Diamond Princess to Alaska, Holland America Eurodam in the Caribbean, and Emerald Princess in the Baltics. Our daughters will be 14 and 8 by the time of this cruise next summer and are seasoned travellers. They don't need bells and whistles like waterslides on a cruise to have fun but would like to be on a ship that had other kids to hang out with in the evenings and on sea days.

 

My first dilemma is trying to pick the ship/itinerary and then the type of accommodations. I am looking at the Star Princess, the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Celebrity Eclipse because of the itineraries. I don't want an itinerary that includes Rome, Venice or Florence as a port of call during the cruise as I want my children to have more than a cursory first experience with the big Italian cities. Ideally we would embark/disembark in either Rome or Venice so that we could spend pre and post-cruise time there. Does anyone have any experience with cruising these ships in the Mediterranean with their children?

 

My second issue is the type of accomodation to book. We've had suites on Holland America and Disney but in both cases my daughters had to sleep together on the pull-out sofa - not ideal because the younger one is a kicker. On Princess we have had a mini-suite which had a pull-out and an upper berth which works much better. I am also considering whether connecting rooms are an option on any of the ships that I'm looking at. We have never sailed on Celebrity so I'm clueless about their options. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this?

 

Any and all advice and suggestions are most welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

Lisa

[Kerry's Girls]

I agree with the others to chose more based on itinerary than anything else. For our Med cruise, we chose NCL purely because of the ports, even though NCL is not usually our cup of tea. The cruise was unlike any other I've taken as we really just used the ship as our hotel and for meals.

 

Obviously it's a personal choice, but I wouldn't count out a cruise because it has port stops in Rome or other places that clearly need a much longer visit. For our stop in Rome, we just did the Vatican and a leisurely lunch and know that we'll return to spend more time in someday. When I know it's a place I want to return to for a longer visit, it actually makes for a lovely shore day without the stress of trying to see it all. Of course, the problem becomes that we end up wanting to return to all the cities :rolleyes:.

 

I would just add that being active on our Roll Call added so much to our Med Cruise. We ended up s[ending time and doing private tours with other families from all over the world.

 

Best,

Mia

[onthelake]

I would agree that it is all about the ports. Mia is right - we also chose NCL Jade (we love Princess) because of the itinerary and were able to do two 12 day B2B. Left from Barcelona thru the Med, overnighted in Venice and on to Istanbul. That was the end of the first 12 days. Overnighted in Istanbul then down through the Greek Islands to Alexandria - overnighted to see the pyramids then on up to Athens to disembark. You can use a low-cost European carrier to reach a city you may want to spend more time in before returning back to North America. We did a week in Paris first and then used a low cost carrier to fly down to Barcelona for only 32 euro each. We used a different carrier to fly from Athens back to Paris for our flight home. Everything worked out seamlessly and, believe it or not, economically. Our son was 14 on this trip and he truly loved it, especially Katakolon for Olympia. We were also very impressed by Istanbul and Dubrovnik.

 

For accommodations - you might consider a balcony for you and your husband and an inside across the hall for your daughters - sounds like they are old enough and travel sauvy enough for the responsibility. That would give everyone a bed and would also give you two bathrooms, always a plus. A lot of folks use this solution as their children get older.

[boulders]

I just booked Celebrity's Silhouette for next summer. She embarks and disembarks in Rome. She goes to Alexandria, Egypt; Jerusalem (both overnight); Athens; Santorini, Greece and Naples. The cost of having one inside across from a balcony is very close to having four in a cabin. They don't have very many inside cabins though. Celebrity does have connecting cabins too.

 

We sailed Disney Magic in the Med in May. It's Barcelona itinerary probably wouldn't appeal to you because it goes to Rome, Naples and La Spezia (for Florence). I agree that the time spent in Rome as a port of call really was far too short.

[Onessa]

DD (14YO), DH and I have done a Med cruise over American Thanksgiving the past three years.

• 2007 out of Venice on RCCI Splendour of the Seas (smallish ship) - Eastern Med
  
• 2008 out of Barcelona on RCCI Voyeger of the Seas Western Med
  
• 2009 out of Rome on Celebrity Solstice
  

All were very port intensive so the ship amenities were less important than itinerary.

 

Most Western Med cruises include either Florence and Rome (DD had been to both on land-based trips prior to our 2008 cruises so the one-day for each area was fine)

 

You may also want to consider a cruise originating out of Athens or Istanbul with itineraries avoiding Italy altogether and do a long land trip there (because the Naples area really deserves more than a port day, as does Sicily)

 

Athens is a great port - if not doing a multiple day stay there, look for an itinerary that does not have your Athens stop on a Monday - as many museums are closed that day. We also really liked Santorini, Rhodes, Cyprus, Ephesus and Malta. Kotocolon (gateway to the site of the original olympic games) is another great eastern Med port. Istanbul really needs more than one day as well -- some itineraries have a two-day stop there (still not quiet enough!). There are lots of really cool places in Turkey.

[scubababy]

We did this same comparison last year for the cruise we just got home from last week.

 

I believe we were looking at the Star itinerary too. But, when traveling with our kiddo, we are looking for amenities on the ship too - namely an organized kids club. The Star did not have one, so we opted for the Crown Princess. Also, I am prone to severe sea sickness so I want a bigger ship to handle the rolls and waves.

 

Our daughter had 4 girls her own age, and really looked forward to seeing them every day. It really broke up the "misery" of so much sightseeing.;)

 

We did the Ruby Med cruise last year. Crown Med and British Isles that left June 8 of last month. Loved them both.

 

Also, the newer bigger class ships have the better bedding configurations for families. Our mini suite had our large bed, the fold out queen bed, and the bunk above the fold out.

[lmg1230]

Thanks everybody for the advice!! I think that I will definitely be making the decision based on itinerary. The three cruises that I'm currently considering primarily have Greek and Turkish ports of call - which I think would suit us perfectly. We are spending two weeks in Provence this summer so I don't want a cruise that includes France and the Eastern Med itineraries all seem to start in Rome or Venice which allows us to spend some quality Italian time pre and post cruise. Now I just need to decide which mix of ports I like best.

 

Lisa

[RoadTripFanatic]

We took DD (9) to the Med in February and had a blast! I agree with the others pick your cruise based on the ports of call.

We had read so/so reviews of our ship before we went but this was the itinerary we wanted so we went for it. Our ship was wonderful. The service was great. The only bad thing was the food quality. :o(Which I was prepared for after reading the reviews.)

DD had a wonderful time in Athens. That was her favorite city on the entire trip. It did help that she loved the Rick Riordan book series called Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief. She read the first 2 1/2 books on our trip. She was the one telling us about the Greek gods. :) Athena is her favorite Greek god. The only spot on the cruise I could have skipped was Cyprus. I'm glad we went but I won't go back.

[Ula]

Lisa,

You will have a wonderful time, and am happy to read the advice mirrors what I would give. Pick the trip for the ports, it is very intensive and busy so the ship is not going to make a whole lot of difference.

We are going in August, I found a tour company to handle Italy and anther roll call person found companies in Greece and Turkey. Combining these private tours we are saving 1000+ over using the ships tours and will have smaller groups. Good mix of ages also from 8 years to teens and then the adults. It is good your youngest is 8, the families on our tour all want to go up the Tower of Pisa. The minimum age there is 8.

Doing a lot of planning and research in advance should make the trip go smoothly. Also get to know your roll call people. Lots of families on these cruises.

[lmg1230]

Thanks Jeanne,

I would love to have your info about private tour companies if you don't mind. We don't like to do the ship's shore excursions because we don't enjoy being herded around on a bus and it's easier with children to have more flexibility. We used a private tour in St. Petersberg last summer and it was fantastic so I think that we would probably want to try that in some ports like Athens where we wouldn't want to just wander on our own.

 

Lisa

[junglejane]

We are booked on the Celebrity Equinox for June 6, 2011 (roundtrip from Rome) with our DD's who will be 14 and 10 by then. We booked two connecting 2B balcony cabins. The price seemed pretty reasonable to me compared to, for example, a quad mini-suite on Princess (we also were considering the Star Princess). We had a good experience with connecting balcony cabins on the Summit for our 2008 Med cruise, but this will be our first time on a Solstice class ship.

 

You're smart to look for a chance to see Rome, Florence and/or Venice as embarkation/disembarkation ports instead of ports of call. Our Summit cruise in 2008 was Venice-Barcelona. We had a great pre-cruise visit to Venice, but it was ridiculous to do day tours to Rome and Florence. Way too rushed even with a private tour. That's why we picked a Rome roundtrip this time. I would actually have liked Rome-Venice but couldn't find one that also went to Istanbul in June, so we settled on the Equinox. We plan to spend about 4 days in Rome and may try to visit Florence pre-cruise as well.

 

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever cruise you pick.

[lmg1230]

Hi Jungle Jane,

Thanks for your input and for confirming my instincts about trying to do Rome in a day! My dilemma in trying to choose b/w three itineraries at the moment revolves around Istanbul. In order to see Istanbul we can start and finish in Rome on Celebrity or start and finish in Venice on Holland America. The Star Princess sails between Venice and Rome but doesn't stop in Istanbul. Right now the scales are tipping toward Istanbul!

 

I'm curious about the connecting room that you had on Celebrity. Did the rooms connect from within the room, through the balcony or at the entrance. I'm a little confused about how these work and I'm not sure that I'd want my youngest daughter waking in the night and trying to get to us via the balcony.

 

Thanks again,

 

Lisa

[kestrel]

Our Med cruise was a Princess cruise that started in Rome and ended in Venice. It covered both Italian ports and Greek Isles. We had both pre-cruise stay in Rome and post-cruise stay in Venice. We then rented a car to drive from Venice back to Rome with a stop in Florence. This itinerary allowed us to have extra time in Rome, Florence and Venice. It also allowed us to go to Pisa instead of Florence during our Livorno port call. Adults may not rank Pisa high as a destination, but for my kids (and maybe many others) the Leaning Tower is a must-see.

[junglejane]

Hi Lisa. If you can get your hands on a Celebrity brochure, it shows the diagram of the connecting rooms. It's kind of interesting. They do not connect via the balcony. There seems to be a sort of foyer or entryway where the rooms connect. We almost booked the Star Princess, but picked the Equinox so that we could go to Istanbul.:)

[Ula]

Lisa

On the tours e-mail me at jeanne @ west.net that is all one word. I will share what I found and contact they lady who set up the other tours. Just note tours for 2011 Med trip.

[junglejane]

Regarding the connecting staterooms on the Solstice class ships, read this link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=24295490 and particularly read Chessbriar's description and also click on the link to the Youtube video in Rahndci's post. I haven't actually experienced these yet but think they will work fine for us.

[lmg1230]

Thanks again everyone for the great advice! I'm going to talk to a travel agent this week to go over the options. Just curious if anyone has cruised the Mediterranean during the summer heat and if so, how unbearable was it?

 

Lisa

[junglejane]

We went in June last time and there's no getting around the fact that it's hot and somewhat humid. I particularly remember feeling very hot in Santorini, Florence and at Pompeii. And I think it's worse and more crowded in July and August. Having said that, I'll also add that we're heading back in June 2011, so obviously we feel that it's bearable (if unpleasant) and worthwhile.

 

BTW, our British Isles cruise in July 2009 had the advantage of not being hot at all. Instead it was a little rainy and overcast.

 

Both cruises were great fun. We have to cruise in the summer when the kids are out of school, so we have to contend with high rates, crowds and imperfect weather. But we still manage to have a great time.:)

[lmg1230]

We also vacation when the kids are out of school so it' really July or August for us. My husband prefers to vacation in August so that it is more midway between summer holiday and spring break (which is mid-March for us). Unless there's a big difference in going July rather than August then we'll probably go in August. I personally don't mind the heat - it's my family that will complain! :) I'm hoping that going back to the ship at the end of the day to cool off and 3 sea days will keep everyone reasonably happy.

 

Lisa

[junglejane]

Our local schools get out May 24 and will start again around August 8, so we are trying to go as early in June as possible. I definitely recommend private tours. Not only can you save money (versus ship tours) but as you leave a site you can quickly hop back into your own private air conditioned van!

[Onessa]

Private tours or "on your own" are both great. Most of the ships tours are herd type tours. We've found a number of audio tours for MP3/iPods that are pretty good for some of the smaller port cities (Rhodes, Mykonos) and a few of the historical sights (Acopolis). Research ahead of time is key.

 

Our family cruises in late Oct or around American T-giving (late Nov). Temps in the Med are great for siteseeing. Prices are low. Bargins are to be had shopping (end of season in the tourist spots). Crowds are very low.

 

DD misses little school (late October in WI is the "teacher's convention" so her school takes three days off. T-Giving week is the "gun deer hunting season" so it is another three to three-and-a-half days off; plus there are so many kids off hunting, the teachers are ready with makeup work and don't plan tests and other cruicial stuff at that time.

[coasterschick]

We traveled on Solstice last summer (June/July) with in-laws and our two teens. We had veranda rooms that were next to each other (that is next to the in-laws)...not adjoining at all like the video and never was offered the option by cruise line. Did not know it existed. Our kids slept on couch and drop down bunk from ceiling over the couch. They stored the drop down and the room looked perfect during the day. We were all very fine with the arrangements for sleeping. Since I have a boy and girl and they are teens, I was not too comfortable getting them an inside cabin on their own. Better to have them check in at night too and not leave....

 

The cruise was so packed with ports and things to do on the cruise that the only time we spent time in room was a pre-dinner cock and mocktails on the veranda to talk about our days. (some days we all went together and other days my in-laws took a cruise excursions while we ventured on our own)

 

Storing all clothing and luggage could be an issue, but we packed light and took advantage of the laundry coupon mid trip...sweaty clothes while in ports needed cleaning!!!!

 

Solstice was a great ship, but pool and deck chair space was difficult. I think if the deck chair hording and leaving could be addressed, it would be a great cruise for every age group. In all honesty, we only had 2 sea days on the trip. The ports of call are the key!!!!! Go for the cruise with the best itinerary and food. This is what we still talk about when we all get together. The memories of those fascinating ports of call....something to cherish forever.

 

My kids made friends with kids from all over the world and still keep in touch via facebook and letters.

 

BTW, we stayed 5 extra days in Rome after disembarkation. We rented a flat from VBRO to save money and had the BEST time.

 

Hope my 2 cents helps....cheers- alicia