Has anyone cruised in Mediteranean with 1 year old (or thereabouts?)

[NalCruiser]

My friends and I want to plan a 12-14 day cruise in Mediterranean around the time their baby will be around 1. I'm a little concerned but they are very positive that we will have a ton of fun and see Europe.

I wanted to know if anyone has done this and what they recommend and a real picture of what the experience was like with a little one along for the trip.

Being so young, we won't be able to leave her in kids programs or anything. All of us of course want to see a lot of what Europe has to offer, but baby will have to be with us (and can't stay home).

any thoughts from any cruisers who have pulled it off and what they have so say?

[kitty9]

Flexibility is the key. Also, if you cruise in July or August, it will be incredibly hot and humid.

 

Depending on where in the Med, be aware that for Rome and Florence the ports are around 90 minutes away from the city. It's not easy for infants, and there's no going back to the ship early if you're on a ship tour and the baby gets cranky. Private tours are the only way to go, IMHO. And to be honest, and others will disagree, but after taking at least 5 Med cruises, I'm not sure it's the greatest thing with an infant, especially if what you want to do is see everything. That's just not realistic with an infant. You're going to be restricted in doing/seeing everything.

[lrowe70]

We went on a 2 week Med cruise and have also cruised with a 6 month infant, we're doing Alaska with our 1-year-old in about a month.

 

Seeing Europe with a baby/toddler is no different than going anywhere else with a toddler.

The only "restriction" I can think of is if they bring an umbrella or regular stroller. A lot of roads are cobblestone or otherwise rocky which will make it difficult to get around. I'd suggest either a good jogging stroller or a backpack carrier. If their child is anything like ours, he will fall asleep during virtually everything. We've found it's much easier to travel at this age before they are verbal and active enough to have to be entertained non-stop.

Now if you were trying to see Europe with a 2-5 year old, ugh. That would make for tons of restrictions on what you could do.

[Kerry's Girls]

Especially since you'll be with others, it will make economic and logistical sense to arrange private tours in each port. That way you can leave the car seat, etc. in your private van at each stop, including a stroller which you can then use or not use at each sight.

 

Best,

Mia

[koalagurl]

Definitely do private tours! And yes it can be done. We took our 4 and 6 year olds and my sister brought her 1 and 3 year olds. We did tours with Rome in Limo and had a great time!!

[6rugrats]

I am guessing from your post, you do not have children. Personally, if I were in your place and had no children, I would not do a Med cruise with friends that had a one year old. I'd agree with kitty9. You must do private tours and you just aren't going to be able to do everything you want, because your cruise must focus on the baby's needs, not what you want to do. And this can be hard, if it's not your child.

 

A one year old is walking, or just starting to. They don't like being confined in hot weather for long periods of time in stroller or backpacks. They start crying or fussing just when you want to see something. Will you be resentful if you must leave a site that you've always wanted to visit? Or will you enjoy just walking through a city and letting the baby play in park? You need to decide this. I think 12-14 days is way too long.

 

I would take a pass on this trip, especially if you want to remain friends with these people, and you don't want to be angry and resentful because you couldn't do what you wanted to.

[NalCruiser]

wow, 4, 6, 3 and 1 year old?! That definitely sounds promising!

did you have to adjust what you were doing? Did you get to see much?

looking for tips on how to best arrange things/plan things.

 

lrowe70, I see what you mean. At 1 year, isnt that kind of a cut off point where they start to get to want to be pretty mobile though...?

[NalCruiser]

6rugrats, just saw your post!

I do agree with you in that I am worried how that may be challenging - just that my friends feel very positive and excited and I am afraid of being the wet blanket by telling them it's not going to work, but I am worried for sure. They seem to think it will be no problem because they take the baby everywhere and go on trips with baby and such - but I think Europe will be an entirely different beast with intensive ports day in day out.

but none of us have been, which is why I am asking to glean from others' experiences what doing such a thing is truly like with young kids, esp at that age.

[BeagleOne]

Is it going to be three adults and the child, or do you yourself have an adult companion coming along? Will you be able to have some time to yourself, or with the fourth adult (if there is one), or will you be with this family all the time? Will you have your own cabin, or will you be bunking with them? Will the parents be offended if you want to go places without them, or take a tour they're not taking? What specifically are you interested in seeing, and will you be able to make arrangements to see those things to YOUR satisfaction? If you miss some things, will the fun of cruising with your friends make up for that?

 

Years ago I did a trans-Atlantic on the QE2 and several days in NYC with a good friend and her 3.5 y.o. son. It was just awful. She wouldn't leave him in the kids' club and he was at a particularly difficult stage. I ended up spending time either alone or with people I met onboard. (He's turned out to be a delightful young teenager, BTW, and we're meeting up this summer for a week during which his mother, I, and his other honorary "auntie" are hoping not to mortify him too much! I'd have NO hesitation in cruising with him now.)

 

Of course I don't know anything about your situation apart from what you've posted, but I'm concerned that you are either going to be a "fourth wheel" or a babysitter. I'm also concerned that 12-14 days might be too long, although honestly, getting to Europe these days is so expensive and such a pain that I wouldn't go for any shorter than that.

 

My biggest concern, though, is that this is going to be everybody's first trip to Europe. As others have said, the child's presence is going to determine what you as a group can do, and you might end up not seeing things you want to see, or not seeing them to the extent you want to. If that's okay with you, then great. If that's NOT okay, you might want to reconsider. And of course while the parents will enjoy having their daughter with them, and taking pics of the child at the various places, the child herself isn't going to remember this trip.

[Onessa]

BeagleOne has a good point -- if you will be traveling with another adult, you will be more able to split up when appropriate. (and here's hoping that now that your friend's DS is a teen she'll give him a bit more independence on this trip! :D)

 

DD has travelled with DH and me since she was a infant. She's always been a good traveller. We did a French land tour when she was about that age (shortly after a cross-country trip to San Francisco bay area). It was great -- but we were a team of three -- I don't know if I would have wanted to have someone else with us.

[BeagleOne]

she'll give him a bit more independence on this trip!

 

Nah, we're going to keep him really close for maximum mortification potential! Although his mother has asked me to teach him how to soda belch, just as I taught her 26 years ago while watching Prince Andrew's wedding on TV. :D

[scarlett81]

I just got back from a 2 wk Med cruise with my 5 yo and 11 month old. Being on a cruiseship and in Europe was no different that going anywhere else with the kids.

The only thing that is different is the pace that you set. When I'm at home, I'm typically not out going here and there every day, and eating out 2-3 x a day. So much of the mood of everyone will be based on how much you try to do. Physically, I would compare it to going to Disney and being out every day in the parks from 9 am-6 pm, for 12 days. Anyone would be exhausted.

 

Now we went from Istanbul-Barcelona on a trip that totaled 16 days. We did it all. And we had a wonderful time, but by day 12 we were getting tired. I think we would have been tired regardless of having the kids though, in all fairness. I wish we had skipped out on a couple ports, bc we would have enjoyed ourselves more, and felt more rested by the time we got home. We would have had even more fun, basically. We did see some amazing things though. Contrary to what others said, Ephesus was easy with the kids. I put the baby in his sling and my daughter walked. Everyone made such a big deal about not bringing the stroller there, but I could have brought it. I saw 3 strollers there. However, we did find without it. Just that my 5 yo needed to be carried by the end of the tour. You couldn't bring it to the Acropolis in Athens though-way too steep, and too slippery.

 

There were nights the baby did not want to play "main dining room", and if he made noise we took him outside to walk, or took turns eating. But it was no big deal-he loved walking around the ship and fellow cruisers loved seeing him toddle around in his cute little suit. The staff will dote on your kids in general and treat them like little princes and princesses-bringing them bread and snack the moment you arrive. (our headwaiter brought my daughter a silver bowl of M&Ms the minute she finished her entree each night!) haha They also brought out a cup of warm milk for the baby each meal. All in all, the staff is highly trained to care for little ones. So don't worry about the food aspect at all. Just be prepared to get room service occasionally and eat casual once in a while.

 

Don't waste your time bringing an umbrella stroller. It will be useless in Europe. The wheels will break off, and if they don't, your child's head will be bounced so badly you won't be able to use it over the cobblestones and steps. We brought a Britax b ready double, which we found used on Craigslist...best decision EVER! Held the kids happily whiled they napped, thick tires for rocks and streets, light enough to carry over steps in certain ports, strong enough to carry all our bags, folds flat enough to store under the cabin bed.

 

I wished I hadn't worried so much about the flight either. It was 9 hrs to Istanbul. The baby slept most of it. When he wasn't asleep, me and my mom took turns walking him up the aisle. He was quiet and enjoyed the stretch. I brought a portable DVD player with Elmo videos...he doesn't watch TV so he was mesmerized by this. And plenty of formula mix.

 

Any other specific questions to ports, mediteranean, or life on the ship, let me know!

[JinxyB]

I have been on a 12-day Med cruise pre-baby and have taken 7-day Caribbean cruises with my son at 9, 12, and 15 months. No way would I take a Med cruise with him at this age (he is almost 18 months)! I would wait until he was MUCH older, like 8 or 9 and can actually learn and remember the sites. My son is very active, hates sitting still or being confined in a stroller for longer than 20 min, and would never tolerate the long days of touring in Europe. The thought of trans-Atlantic flight with him makes me cringe! I remember being so exhausted after each day of touring on our Med cruise-it was amazing, but very tiring. Even going on a 7-day cruise was fun, but exhausting with an active toddler who is not old enough for the kids club. This is just my opinion and maybe this child is more easy going and laid back. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[koalagurl]

wow, 4, 6, 3 and 1 year old?! That definitely sounds promising!

did you have to adjust what you were doing? Did you get to see much?

looking for tips on how to best arrange things/plan things.

 

lrowe70, I see what you mean. At 1 year, isnt that kind of a cut off point where they start to get to want to be pretty mobile though...?

 

Our trip started with 3 days at Walt Disney world, then to England for a few days for a wedding then to Barcelona for the cruise.

 

We used Rome in limo for 2 of the ports (Florence and Rome). They exceeded my already high expectations.

 

In Livorno, we skipped Florence and went to Pisa for a quick photo op (kids request thanks to the Little Einsteins) and then off to Lucca and wine tasting. Lucca was my favorite! The driver took us to a place to rent bicycles and we rode along the top of the wall of the city. Along the path were little parks / play areas where we could let the kids burn off energy. Wine tasting was more like quick tour of te winery (just our group) followed by a light meal with wine pairings. By far, this was everyone's favorite day.

 

Rome was packed but the drivers were fantastic about catering the day to the fact we had the kids (right down to finding us a bathroom when one kid needed to go.). We saw St. Paul's basilica, the Coliseum, the Forum, Trevi fountain, and drove by some other sights (Spanish steps, etc.). The drivers arranged for a nice family style lunch and then we did the Vatican museum where we hired a private guide. Our guide did a good job of relating some of the sights to the kids (e.g. Showing an emperors bath tub vs. a commoners bathtub.). It was still a long hot day but went well having a private tour.