Mediterrenean with young kids?

[melly923]

We are considering the idea of going on a 7-10 night Mediterrenean cruise with our to young kids, next year (when we are thinking of going they will be 5 and 2 1/2) Ports we are interested in are Venice, the Greek islands and Istanbul. Has anyone done a cruise like this with their children? I would love recomndations on everything from escursions to cruise lines. We are in the very early planning stages and any ideas would be great.

 

Thanks!

[kitty9]

My only recommendation with kids of that age is, cruise in April, May or early June. After that, the weather in the Med gets terribly hot and humid, which is not pleasant for kids that young.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did that itinerary in July and it was hot but it was one of the best cruises we ever did. We had 12 days of sunshine and it was fantastic. The only port that was overcrowded was Santorini.

 

Since your kids are little I agree that you should try to avoid June, July and August if possible. There will be fewer crowds in May or September.

 

We did Holland America and we had a nice veranda suite. The ship was the perfect size for us. Get your two year old potty trained soon- so that you can use the pools onboard. I think it will be torture for a two year old to see the 5 year old able to swim in the pool without them. The two year old can not be in swim diapers. Make sure they get used to using the potty before swimming. I had my kids trained and would not let them go swimming if they hadn't pooped prior to swimming. I know- TMI.

 

For the ages of your kids- you probably should try Royal Caribbean because they do babysit kids under 3 for certain hours of the day- which will be a big help. Carnival does as well but I'm not partial to Carnival.

 

Whatever ship you chose, my advice is to do a smaller ship. You don't need much to entertain kids that age and it's all about the scenery. It's a great itinerary.

 

Venice is a total DIY place. The kids will love it- there are no cars and plenty of room for them to run and play. If you walk down to the Castello area there is a playground and trees. This is where the families live. It's nice there.

 

If you do Kusadasi (Ephesus)- just grab a taxi at the port. The driver will pick you up at the pre-arranged time. Don't do a tour- it's geared for adults and the kids will be bored. Ephesus is great for kids- it's ruins, so they can't hurt anything. The Terrace Houses are an absolute must (extra charge).

 

In Istanbul- you can also DIY. The sites are in close proximity to where the ship docks and there is public transportation that takes you to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Topkapi Palace (which are all side by side). Most people want to see the Blue Mosque. I would go to the Topkapi Palace first because it's really beautiful and there are lots of places for kids to run (green lawn area). Then I'd do the Hagia Sofia and then the Blue Mosque (your little one will get bored waiting in the line for the Blue Mosque- I'll warn you). We weren't able to do the Grand Bazaar because it was closed. I'm not sure I'd want to go there anyway and probably not with a two year old.

 

In Santorini- pre-purchase the lift tickets on board. Santorini is another DIY. At the top of the lift everyone congregates. Get out of that area and you'll have un cluttered foot paths to explore with great views. We had a nice lunch at a place called CasaBlanca, which ironically is the only red building in Santorini.

 

We didn't get off the ship in Athens because it was too hot.

 

Mykonos is just ok IMO- not as special as Santorini. You might like to do a beach day there.

 

If you do Croatia- you'll love Dubrovnik. If you pay to walk the wall- you can't take a stroller and it might make you a bit worried with the two year old. I don't really recommend it for that age. The old town is really nice and it is car free. So a good place for the little one to roam.

[melly923]

Thank you for all the excellent information! We are looking at several of the regular family lines (Carnival and Royal, not Disney - not to fond of their iteneries), we are also looking at Hollard America, Celebrity, and Norwegin.