NCL Epic: Western Med w/ 6yo

[vivalawvegas]

Newbie poster here....be gentle. :)

 

DH and I are taking our 6 yo on the Epic (Western Med itinerary - embarking in Rome) in late June. I read through many of the threads here and saw general info on NCL Kids' Clubs but wondered if you guys could answer a few questions.

 

1. Are there organized activities within the kids' club, or is it more like an open-play/free-time set up? DD's been in some form of daycare since practically birth so she's comfortable in the setting and around kids she doesn't know but she definitely prefers structure/activities led by a teacher/counseler.

 

2. Are there other non-kids' club family activites on board? Family movie night and the like?

 

3. What about entertainment venues? It seems like kids are welcome at Blue Man Group and we planned to do the Cirque show one night but are the other entertainment options family-friendly? I assume she can't attend any music performances/events in teh various bars and lounges, right? If DH and I want to have a pre-dinner cocktail in one of the lounges, can she be with us?

 

4. If you've done this itinerary with kids, I'd love your thoughts on excursions! We are going to be in Venice/Florence/Pisa prior to the cruise and are staying in Rome after the cruise. DH and I have also been to Barcelona before. We plan to stay on board (or at least not spend a ton of time in port) during the Florence/Pisa and Barcelona ports to take advantage of a less crowded ship. Any suggestions for Provence or Mallorca are welcome, though! We're looking at a Pompeii/Sorrento excursion via NCL for the Naples port.

 

If you've made it this far, thanks! We are SO excited. DH and I are experienced travelers (1st, 2nd, and 3rd world) and this will be our 3rd cruise (first with NCL - prior cruises were with RC). DD has a fair amount of domestic travel under her belt but this will be her first transatlantic flight and cruise.

 

Thanks!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did the Med (7/07) with my then 6 year old son and he liked the ship more than anything else. We just returned from the Med two days ago (my son is now 12) and he was interested in excursions. We didn't do one in Mallorca and there wasn't much around the ship to walk to- so do an excursion there.

 

In Livorno- I did the Cinque Terre excursion in summer and it was fantastic. I highly recommend that one for a 6 year old. It was great.

 

In Naples I've done Pompeii and Herculaneum and they were both equally fascinating. Sorrento is lovely too.

 

Barcelona is a fascinating city and the Gaudi artwork is lovely. Park Guell will be of interest to a 6 year old- it is whimsical. Be careful of your belongings in Barcelona. I was pick pocketed and have met others that were too.

[vivalawvegas]

Thanks so much! DH and I have hit all of the Barcelona sights but we were contemplating a visit to Park Guell with DD because I think she'd like it. I also requested a visit to the Gothic Quarter and chocolate and churros!

 

I'll check out the Cirque Terre excursion.

 

Since this is our first international trip with a kid, we are setting our expectations VERY low and will (hopefully) be pleasantly surprised.

 

DD's a very laid-back easy-going kid, though. We definitely lucked out (which is why we only have the 1!)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It sounds like you know to go with the flow and not to micromanage every minute of the trip. We found that after two days of planned excursions- we lost our stamina. We ended up not going on one of the tours because of overload.

 

In Rome we found the hop-on-hop-off bus wasn't that great because you don't really get up close to most of the sites except the Colosseum. With 3 people- just taxi from the Vatican- Colosseum- Trevi Fountain. It will be no more than 5 or 6 Euros between the various sites. A 6 year old will like the Borghese Park and Gelatto.

[Onessa]

Six is such a great age to travel! Old enough that they can really enjoy themselves and take a little driection. And as a parent traveling with one that age, you really do get to see things through their eyes.

 

Most of the public areas (including bars) will let you as a family sit for a pre-dinner drink. Later in the evening there are more restrictions as two where she can and cannot go with you.

 

We did a land trip with our DD to Italy when she was 5YO and she loved it. Hope you have a great time.

[vivalawvegas]

Thank you guys so much! She really is a trooper when it comes to travel (probably moreso than me, LOL!). She's held her own in many 5 star restaurants and adult venues.

 

We are early birds so I'm not planning on dragging her with us for the nightlife but wanted to make sure we could bring her along for some early evening entertainment - especially since it appears teh kids' club is closed between 5-7pm.

 

We've been talking it up and she's really excited. We are going to the library this weekend to check out kids books about Italy. She wants to be an artist when she grows up so she's really excited for the museums/artwork.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Have a wonderful time. :)

[Kerry's Girls]

We did an NCL Med cruise around that age and we all had a great time. Being with my kids made us slow down and just enjoy each port rather than try to see everything as I always did when it was just my husband and I. We avoided museums and just enjoyed the outdoor sites, parks and marketplaces - it was wonderful.

 

My twins' favorite place on earth is Parc Guell - I think if you grab a cab there and back, you could still have time on the ship, but also get to enjoy one of the world's greatest parks with your child.

 

My suggestion would be to re-think doing the ship's shore excursion - they can be very difficult for kids. I found that for the three of us, it usually ended up about the same cost or very reasonable to hire a cab or arrange a private tour. With a child, you really want the flexibility that a ship's tour does not offer. You want to be able to go at your own pace and choose the things you want to do. You should also join your roll call and see if anyone would like to share a van with you - we did that with other families in a couple of ports.

 

NCL was great for us for Europe because of the show-up-and-eat dining process. Kids are welcome pretty much anywhere except the casino. We usually sit in the back at shows so we can easily leave in the case of boredom, but the kids love the lights, music and dancing. I don't know where you are in the world, but I didn't bother fighting to get my kids on local time. I let them stay up later and wake later - made for everyone happier during the trip and on return home.

 

I did a search on Amazon under children's books of each port we were going to and there were lots of choices. It added to the excitement to have the anticipation of knowing what they were going to see.

 

Have a great time - we can't wait to go back.

 

Best,

Mia

[vivalawvegas]

Thanks for the feedback! You just cemented Park Guell being on my list. We figured we could just cab it there and back and still have plenty of time on board.

 

The only NCL excursion we were considering was the Pompeii/Sorrento one, which I know will be a looooooong day. I'll check out the roll call, too. Thanks for the tip. I'm also considering the wine tasting excursion in Livorno - DH isn't a wine drinker so I could leave him onboard with DD and go on my own! After a week together at that point, I might need it.

 

We are definitely taking this trip at a much more leisurely pace. Fortunately, DH and I have travelled extensively without kids and are content to do less sightseeing and more cultural living. My trip motto is "gelato for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

 

We're on pacific time (Las Vegas) but I'm not particularly worried about sticking to a schedule while we're traveling. DD is pretty good about self-regulating and will ask to sleep when she's tired. I figure we'll just play it by ear.

[crusinmama06]

I have not done Epic Med but we did do Epic Caribbean last month so I have all of the photos, family activities and kids crew pages here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1743132

[vivalawvegas]

Thank you so much!

[Essiesmom]

If you haven't been in Barcelona since they 'finished' the interior of Sagrada Familia, you must visit. It is sooo different from the other cathedrals you may visit/have visited! EM