HELP!!! Europe cruise with children

[intrepidfive]

Hi to all of you experienced cruisers.

My husband and I want to take our three young children on a cruise through Europe in June. Either this year or next depending on the availability. The kids will be 3,5 and 7.

The dilemma is which ship?

Some forums say Princess is child friendly? Is Royal Carribean totally outrageous with a million kids everywhere? I heard a mother say she couldn't get a session on the ice skating rink the whole cruise and that the water slide line was so full that her son only went on it once. Is Celebrity nice for parents but not as attractive to kids. Disney looks spectacular but I get over one day at a theme park pretty quickly - is it like this on the ship also.

Norwegian has also come into the picture but the kids clubs on the ships looked very average.

My needs are these. I like luxury and am willing to pay for it. I want a great itinerary possibly doing West and Eastern Mediterranean. I would very much like to get off and on the boat without large waits. I would prefer a suite that my whole family can stay in and not interconnecting rooms.

 

Any suggestions or experiences would be welcome.

 

 

 

As you see I am super confused.

[1025cruise]

Europe is more about the ports then the ship. Find the itinerary you like, then the ship to match it.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Hi there! My choise would absolutely be NCL Jade. Epic is fabulous I hear but personally I do not like mega sized ships. Spirit would be great for the kids (fantastic pool area for kids but you'd need to have connecting rooms/suites).

 

Why NCL? NCL most likely does the best "suite life" experience for the more mass marketed lines. Of course Regent etc. are of different league but I wouldn't bring my young children with me onto them. NCL suites are fabulous, their butler and consierge service is great (incl. priority embarkation and disembarkation also at ports, private lunch and breakfast venue for suite passengers etc.) and their freestyle concept offers nice flexibility on a port intensive itinerary such as the Med is. No need to get to the dinner table at a specific time etc.

 

What I would suggest would be NCL Jade 2 bedroom family suite or 2 bedroom family haven suite (haven suite includes access to a private pool area but is otherwise just like the 2 bedroom family suite),

 

You can easily have 3 children in the second (smaller) bedroom.

 

The itinerary I'd choose would be: http://www.ncl.com/itinerary?N=0&Nu=p_Key&key=JADE14VCECFUJTRJMKKAKVC EDBVPIRIZMSPUVCE&sail_date=2013-06-29&TB_iframe=true&width=934&height=526&name=itiner ary_map or just one of the two if you only have time for 7 days.

 

The NCL Spirit itinerary would be the most fantastic for you http://www.ncl.com/itinerary?N=0&Nu=p_Key&key=SPIRIT12BCNTLNLIVCIVNAPJMKISTIZMPIRVCE&sail_date=2013-06-28&TB_iframe=true&width=934&height=526&name=itinerary_map but as already mentioned you'd need to have connecting rooms/suites such as these: http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/spirit_modal_fp_pent1.jpg (I'd take those in a heart beat if the price was right). You can of course have also 1 penthouse suite (see previous link)+ 1 balcony but then you'd risk not receiving suite priviliges for the all of you.

[sparkieplug24]

Ive been on the RCI (IOS) once in the summer months and once during a midterm English school break in May and during the school week in october their where loads of kids on board but you would never have known it to be honest I dont remember ever seeing more than 10 kids at one time the whole cruise. How many kids really depends on where you sailing from and when but in the UK and Ireland the schools don't break up until end of june around the 28th-30th for Scotland and parts of Ireland and the rest of UK middle - end of July not sure about the rest of europe but Im sure they are around about July time as well. So if you go before school is out then there won't be hundreds of kids on board as most countries in Europe really frown upon you taking your kids out during term time and some have substantial fines for you doing this. Not sure what happened that the womans kids couldnt go ice skating but it may have been because they only offer it on some days and its set skating times. We managed to get on (me on ice skates was a sight to be seen and not in a good way :o) actually some in the party where able to stay on the ice for the next time slot.

 

Been on Princess in July during the peek holiday season was quite a few kids on board but they all had a ball and they all seemed happy. I would say RCI is more child friendly than Princess and I think the kids who went with us on both cruises would agree. However Princess is still child friendly.

 

Personally Id look up intinneraries see what you like the look of then come back and ask again. All ships have good and bad points and to be honest Princess was my least favourite big ship cruise. Was nothing wrong with it I just prefered P&O and RCI to it.

 

incidently I dont remember ever waiting in line to get on or off the indie. But I do remember standing in line for about 10 minutes waiting to back on the ship in Oslo when with princess and we where boarding way before sailaway :eek: must have been lunchtime or something

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Go with Celebrity. The youth program is fantastic and it has more of "luxury" feel than Royal, Carnival, NCL and Disney. My son, age 12, is an avid cruiser. We've done all the mainstream lines and he says Celebrity is "the perfect mix of fun and relaxation". You may find that you little ones like the youth program so much they never want to get off the ship. This was an advantage for us when we chose to do an excursion to the Cinque Terre and were able to leave my then 6 year old onboard with the youth staff.

 

Princess offers good itineraries and I have enjoyed those cruises but not as much as Celebrity. Celebrity staff and crew make you feel so special and welcome at every turn. I think that is the key difference. Princes has great swimming pools and hot tubs.

 

Holland America also offers some great itineraries in Europe though. Their ships are smaller and easier to get on and off. The weak points are onboard activities. They have a fantastic crows nest library/ coffee bar that we enjoyed but very few scheduled activities. This is ok for European cruises which are port intensive. The youth program was pretty good though and will keep the little ones entertained.

[kseattle]

I second the Celebrity recommendation. We did the 12-night Baltics cruise out of Amsterdam in August 2012 with our 2 kids, ages 8 and 10.

 

It was only our 2nd cruise. The first was on Disney when they were just 3 and 5.

 

The kids program is great, and our kids were made to feel special everywhere on the ship. They had a full schedule of activities available for the various age groups, and there were enough other families on board so that they met new friends. But it was never overcrowded with kids in the pools or anything.

 

Also - celebrity does not allow smoking in rooms or balconies, which I think is a nice policy for those with kids who don't want to deal with second hand smoke from a neighbor's balcony. But if you are a smoker who wants to step out on your balcony for a smoke away from the kids, then you won't like that rule.

[epixx]

The kids will be 3,5 and 7.

The dilemma is which ship?

 

I want a great itinerary possibly doing West and Eastern Mediterranean.

 

We have sailed Europe 5 times with our kids and always picked the cruise by its itinerary, not the ship.

 

In your case, I'd pick the cruise by the ship, not the itinerary. The reason is that with 3 kids of those ages I doubt that you'll get to see much of the ports. Our first European cruise was when the younger one was 7, and we found that the kids had extremely limited tolerance for touring at that age and a little older. I can only imagine what touring with younger kids would be like. I would plan to spend most of the port days on board the ship, when everyone else is off. You'll probably find that your tours are limited to half a day, at most.

 

Good luck.

[cclarke12]

Have you thought about P&O cruises out of Southampton? Primarily British passengers but children's clubs are really excellent from personal experience.

[Kerry's Girls]

We have sailed Europe 5 times with our kids and always picked the cruise by its itinerary, not the ship.

 

In your case, I'd pick the cruise by the ship, not the itinerary. The reason is that with 3 kids of those ages I doubt that you'll get to see much of the ports. Our first European cruise was when the younger one was 7, and we found that the kids had extremely limited tolerance for touring at that age and a little older. I can only imagine what touring with younger kids would be like. I would plan to spend most of the port days on board the ship, when everyone else is off. You'll probably find that your tours are limited to half a day, at most.

 

Good luck.

 

I had a completely different experience of Europe with my young twins (at 5 & 6) who absolutely loved our days touring ports. I guess if you do the typical ship tour with lots of times in museums and shops, the kids won't enjoy it - but I wouldn't either. Each of our ports had amazing places to explore. Choose private tours (which ends up more cost effective anyway when it's a family) so you can set your own itinerary and pace. I would choose a cruise according to the places you want to see and then go to the ports of call board here to find highly recommended guides. We were too tired from fantastic long days sightseeing to enjoy the ship facilities, so that didn't matter at all to us. On the last day, it was pouring in port and they chose to stay on the ship while I went ashore, which was fine - we all ended up with a little down time.

 

Of course, each kid is different, but my girls thought Europe was much better than Disneyland.

 

Best,

Mia

[mommaof 3]

We'd love to take a cruise to Europe too, but have found that having three kids really limits your choices as far as rooms go. That and the distance from the ports to the actual (Rome, etc.) is too much for us.

 

We are taking a big graduation celebration trip with our three next spring break, but sticking to this carribean to make it doable. We went with the 2 bedroom suite that NCL has, it seems like a great option for a family of five. Best wishes for a great trip, I'd love to hear what you pick!

[sparkieplug24]

We have sailed Europe 5 times with our kids and always picked the cruise by its itinerary, not the ship.

 

In your case, I'd pick the cruise by the ship, not the itinerary. The reason is that with 3 kids of those ages I doubt that you'll get to see much of the ports. Our first European cruise was when the younger one was 7, and we found that the kids had extremely limited tolerance for touring at that age and a little older. I can only imagine what touring with younger kids would be like. I would plan to spend most of the port days on board the ship, when everyone else is off. You'll probably find that your tours are limited to half a day, at most.

 

Good luck.

 

 

my experience would be exactly the oppisite only ever sailed europe and with kids well one was a teenager on his first cruise the other was 5 they loved touring as long as you do things that not only interest you but also they will enjoy Ive always found it works well okay maybe not 10 hour trips but full day excursion can overwhelm most adults never mind children. we always kept things short for example open top bus tour 5 year old loved this as it blew her hair and she could hear someone talking in her earphones about what she was looking at, then spend a few minutes at a few sites you really must see not hours because they will get bored, then shopping for a something special for either them to give to someone as a present or something for themselves.

 

We took her on a ship tour at 6 that involved a ride on the bus around a few sites and then on a camel ride she loved this. THink she fell asleep on the bus but thats not really a problem she loved going on a camel and watching the man getting the ground to make steam but then maybe we are just lucky shes always been really mature for her age and likes to find buildings and stuff to take pictures of and to try new things.

 

Touring isn't for every child or adult we personally as a general rule do our own thing only doing ship excursion were we feel their is a need for it. But one thing to bare in mind if you do a ship excursion or any group excursion and your kids are misbehaving the other passengers will not be happy and they will let you know they aren't they have after all spent a lot of money on their trip and don't want other peoples children or other adults spoiling it for them. Which I suppose is fair enough.

 

When she was younger we kept things short unless she showed an interest in whatever we were looking at I mean how long does it take to take a photo or two of a church or statue for example. Plus you may find that couple of hours wandering about its long enough.

[intrepidfive]

I had a completely different experience of Europe with my young twins (at 5 & 6) who absolutely loved our days touring ports. I guess if you do the typical ship tour with lots of times in museums and shops' date=' the kids won't enjoy it - but I wouldn't either. Each of our ports had amazing places to explore. Choose private tours (which ends up more cost effective anyway when it's a family) so you can set your own itinerary and pace. I would choose a cruise according to the places you want to see and then go to the ports of call board here to find highly recommended guides. We were too tired from fantastic long days sightseeing to enjoy the ship facilities, so that didn't matter at all to us. On the last day, it was pouring in port and they chose to stay on the ship while I went ashore, which was fine - we all ended up with a little down time.

 

Of course, each kid is different, but my girls thought Europe was much better than Disneyland.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

I agree and what a gorgeous photo!

The thing is we are not new to travelling - I have done a few 25 hour flights with my kids to date and car trips around Europe - just not cruising. Although now I am thinking "Why on earth didn't I start sooner". I agree regarding keeping the kids interested. I have been to Europe many times and truly believe the experience comes from sitting in a cafe people watching or grabbing a gelato on a street corner rather than looking at every museum/ artefact in range. Your advice is really appreciated. I am thinking of just doing private tours and having lunch at beach clubs etc in south of france and basically just enjoying the sunshine!

[intrepidfive]

We'd love to take a cruise to Europe too, but have found that having three kids really limits your choices as far as rooms go. That and the distance from the ports to the actual (Rome, etc.) is too much for us.

 

We are taking a big graduation celebration trip with our three next spring break, but sticking to this carribean to make it doable. We went with the 2 bedroom suite that NCL has, it seems like a great option for a family of five. Best wishes for a great trip, I'd love to hear what you pick!

 

Thank you so much. After NCL has come up a few times I had a good look at it and the suite you mentioned sounds brilliant. The interior designer really took liberties with the colour palette but now I am used to the hot pink everything I am thinking it looks very fresh and fun and family friendly!! Hope you have an amazing trip!

[intrepidfive]

Geez- What a wealth of cruising knowledge. Thank you kindly for your advice. It has been a real game changer for my choices. NCL is coming out trumps. xxx

[mommaof 3]

Thank you so much. After NCL has come up a few times I had a good look at it and the suite you mentioned sounds brilliant. The interior designer really took liberties with the colour palette but now I am used to the hot pink everything I am thinking it looks very fresh and fun and family friendly!! Hope you have an amazing trip!

 

Oh, I forgot to mention it - but one of the suite perks was decisive for us - besides the 2nd bedroom & bath - there is a real table and you can order meals from any menu, so you are not just stuck with the room service choices (which are not varied). It just gives you more flexibility if everyone is exhausted after a hot day. You also just never know what can happen - our 3 year old got sick for 2 days of the cruise we went on with them. In two small connecting rooms with a sick baby and only access to what hubby brought back from the buffet or room service wasn't great. More menu choices, more space, and a little balcony would have made it better, not as much as not having her be sick, but that's how it goes with kids sometimes!

 

I believe you also get priority tendering which I thought would be great with kids and limited time in ports, particularly if the itinerary you choose requires a lot of tendering.

 

Good luck choosing, we really enjoyed RC, and they were lovely to our kids - it just was too hard to not take the 2 bd suite on NCL.

[intrepidfive]

Just booked 2 bedroom villa in the Haven. Great tip about room service! Youve been an awesome help.

[koalagurl]

Just booked 2 bedroom villa in the Haven. Great tip about room service! Youve been an awesome help.

 

We did the Epic 2 summers ago and had a 2 bedroom suite in the Haven. We LOVED it!! Yes we wet on a mega ship but the Haven made it feel like small ship. Concierge was great about getting us off the ship quickly. We used private tours (Rome in Limo) and had a wonderful time touring Rome and Lucca.

[southt00]

Just booked 2 bedroom villa in the Haven. Great tip about room service! Youve been an awesome help.

 

Not sure if you are on the Epic or not, but here are some photos from our recent Epic trip in a 2bdr Haven Suite.

 

http://travel.southpol.ca/2013/02/ncl-epic-2br-family-villa.html

 

Here are a few photos of the kids amenities.

 

http://travel.southpol.ca/2013/02/ncl-epic-kids-stuff.html

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

T.