Med Cruise with kids 6 and 3 - need some tips

[Kidsoftheseas]

Dear fellow family cruisers

we are taking a 12 day med cruise with our kids this year, aged 6 and 3 - I am both excited and petrified and want to make sure I do everything ahead of time to ensure that the trip is a good one. We will be traveling with the grandparents and this just happens to be one of those times when all the planets align where its an opportunity we either take or we miss entirely.

 

I have been to some of the places we will visit before, but a long time ago and never with kids. I would GREATLY appreciate some tips in general and also for specific ports, on things like strollers, tips for kids, or whether its a port to leave kids in kids clubs.

 

these are the ports we will visit

 

toulon

livorno

rome

naples

mykonos

istanbul

izmir

athens

 

 

any tips from travelers with kids in that age group and especially to europe are VERY appreciated

[SadieN]

Also look at the Ports of Call board.

 

Rome is an hour away by train from port.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I do have some experience traveling with a little one in the ports you are sailing to (except Toulon and Izmir). I'm not sure what time of year you are going. I did these ports in July and it was HOT.

 

toulon- Can't comment, not been there

 

livorno- I did the Cinque Terre excursion and left my son on the ship. This was a fantastic excursion. I have been to Florence twice and I don't think it is a good day trip.

 

rome- book tickets on the Cruise train. You can easily do St. Peter's and the Colluseum. If you have more time- taxi's around the city are cheap (5 Euros from place to place.

 

naples- Do Pompeii on your own. There are taxi's at the port that will take you there and arrange to pick you up. 2-3 hours is sufficient. BRing water and umbrellas for shade.

 

mykonos- make this a sea day. Not wildly exciting island.

 

istanbul- Slurge and do a private tour. The main sites are the Topkapi Palace- which you and the kids will like best, the Blue Mosque, the Haghia Sophia and the Grand Baazar. They are all in the same area near to the ship. A private tour will give you the most flexibility. I did a ship tour and they waste time flogging Turkish carpets.

 

izmir- Do Ephesus and the TERRRACE HOUSES. If you do a ship tour- ditch the guide and do your own thing and arrange to meet back up at the bus. That's what we did. Bring water umbrellas for shade.

 

athens- Can't comment we stayed on board due to the heat.

[Kerry's Girls]

My twins turned 6 on our 12 day Med cruise. The best advice I can give you is to arrange your own private tours for your family and bring lots of pre-packaged snacks and drinks. I found great tour operators on the ports of call board here, as well as where to go and what to avoid (though you have to take their advice with a grain of salt - lots of people told me to avoid Ephesus and now that I've been there, I can't imagine a greater place for kids.

 

If you're bringing a stroller, yu want one that is light but can handle the cobblestones. I had a double MacClaren that was great - sturdy, but folded easy with a carry handle. I was really glad to have it - we could keep going when one of the girls was tired, and otherwise it could stay in whatever car or van we had for our tour.

 

Izmir - We had a private van with driver an guide for less per person than the ship's tours. We visited the Mother Mary home and then Ephesus, including the Terrace Houses. It is not stroller friendly, but the kids had an absolute ball exploring and it was one of their favorite days.

 

Rome - The only miserable time we had the whole trip was at the Vatican, which turned out to be not so stroller friendly and we had a stroller. Otherwise being shown the sights and wandering for lunch and ice cream was fun.

 

Athens was another highlight. We didn't arrange a private tour, but hired a taxi as soon as we got off the ship. He got us to the Acropolis before the big busses, and the kids had a great time climbing to the top. When we were done there, we visited the old shopping quarter for lunch and ice cream.

 

That's a great itinerary. Which cruise is it?

 

Best,

Mia

[Kidsoftheseas]

wow THANK YOU for the advice so far!! This is invaluable!!

 

The ship will be the norwegian spirit and we will be on it in May so not so hot (I hope)

 

I would LOVE to see the Vatican, but also worried about strollers and whether it is sane to take my 3yr old there - at the same time - is leaving him on the ship while being away in Rome all day a good option? Sounds like its a very long time.

 

I'm glad to hear Ephesus is good with kids. I guess some of my worries are being on an excursion and without knowing how they are structured (kid friendly - or not) it is hard to make a call on whether to book tours with the kids or without.

 

My 6 year old is very mature and not so worried there. But 3yr old will obviously not be that interested in hours of history from a guide - i'm hoping to have him occupied with some kids apps or movies on an ipad with headphones and a stroller - unless it is ok for him to look around and explore

[chipmaster]

When we did this a few years ago the youngest was 6. To be honest the days in port wore the little one down.

 

In two ports we simply let her stay on the ship. We did private in almost every port. We never seriously worried about missing the boat or needing some emergancy, yes that is a risk but I think so low not the one that deters one from doing it.

 

Private car allows you to do what you want on your pace. Our youngest did love all the places where she got out out and could run the ruins. Less appreciated of course were the churches, art, museums.

 

But when she looks back the pictures at all those iconic places bring her memories back.

 

For a 3 year old.. :eek: I'd do it in a hearbeat again even if my kids were 3 years younger. Like you its with the parents so a trip of a lifetime.

 

As others and I will tell you, spend the extra money for Private! Be comfortable that some days you may split up. THe challenge of course will be the 3 year old, too young for me at least to leave on the ship, and really not old enough to appreciate too much.

 

Places my 6 year old loved

Ephesus, street vendors at the end, leather shop

Acropolis and shopping in Athens, the pigeons

Naples: Pompeii, street vendors, got sick during long trip to Amalfi, loved running the steep stairs at the stops.

Pisa, the candle lighting in the church in Florence, shopping

Istanbul ( got to stay on the ship ) in the end really wish she saw the Palace

Rome: Loved the coliseum, trevi, all the quick stops with RIL, the biggest drag was the vatican.

Venice: Love the pigeons, small shops/shopping

 

I think the key for her.. shopping :eek:

 

 

Good luck ..

[rebeccalouiseagain]

With a three year old- do the cruise train to Rome- it takes 40 minutes (instead of 1.5 hours by car) and drops off at the Vatican. There is sometimes a line at the Vatican but it moves quickly. You should be inside St. Peters in 30 minutes or less. Skip the Sistine Chapel.

http://www.smartcruisetours.com/index.php/visiting-rome/excursions-by-train?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=37&category_id=20

 

Your kids will love St. Peter's. It is pretty incredible inside. Do go there. Take an umbrella stroller (it folds up) you won't be permitted to use it inside the Vatican.

 

Go to the Colosseum next and the Forum- where the kids can run around. They are in the same spot.

 

Honestly- that will be enough for one day with kids IMO.

 

Just stop and smell the roses. Enjoy a gelato and a slice of pizza and have fun.

 

Ephesus and Pompeii are both great with kids but don't do a tour of them because they will be BORED. Keep it moving. Let them play- that's what made it neat for me. I must stress that you have to see the TERRACE HOUSES in Ephesus and they are not included in the regular ticket- so make sure to get the tickets for the Terrace Houses too.

[Kidsoftheseas]

I neglected to mention a pretty important point. We will be flying into Rome and will hae a day there before the day in port as well.

The thought was to split things up and not try everything on same day especially with kids. Any suggestions with that point in mind?

 

Is the recommendation to skip Sistine because of crowds or stairs or just ad for kids?

Has anyone left kids onboard in Rome or is it too long of a time to be apart?

 

Where would i get tickets to terrace houses in ephesus?

is it a good idea to find some books on ephesus to understand what we are looking at if we dont do tour?

[rebeccalouiseagain]

There is a long line for the Sistine Chapel and then you have to wade through the Vatican museum to even get to the Chapel. I don't recommend this with kids. No stair- just long and boring for them.

 

If you are doing days in Rome pre-cruise- problem solved. You can do things in the morning and afternoon and go at your own pace. I wouldn't even go back to Rome then while in port- I'd make that a ship day- get off and just walk around Civitavecchia- which is an interesting port.

 

The kids are going to like the ship better than anything you do on land at that age. See how comfortable you are with the youth program before you leave them onboard. My son would have been fine to stay onboard when he was 6 but I wouldn't have wanted to leave him all day at age 3.

 

From Izmir- I would do the ship tour simply because it will be narrated and both your kids will be able to deal with an hour drive to Ephesus on the bus. If you do the ship tour- you need to pick the one that includes the Terrace House. When we got bored with our guide- we just asked her for the terrace house tickets and met her at the bus at the arranged time. It worked out great this way. I didn't feel that we need a guide. Kids need to run and play, which will not be possible on the tours of Pompeii or Ephesus. There are guidebooks with before and after pictures at Ephesus and Pompeii that you can purchase upon entering the ruins.

[Kerry's Girls]

wow THANK YOU for the advice so far!! This is invaluable!!

 

The ship will be the norwegian spirit and we will be on it in May so not so hot (I hope)

 

I would LOVE to see the Vatican, but also worried about strollers and whether it is sane to take my 3yr old there - at the same time - is leaving him on the ship while being away in Rome all day a good option? Sounds like its a very long time.

 

I'm glad to hear Ephesus is good with kids. I guess some of my worries are being on an excursion and without knowing how they are structured (kid friendly - or not) it is hard to make a call on whether to book tours with the kids or without.

 

My 6 year old is very mature and not so worried there. But 3yr old will obviously not be that interested in hours of history from a guide - i'm hoping to have him occupied with some kids apps or movies on an ipad with headphones and a stroller - unless it is ok for him to look around and explore

 

I stress hiring a private guide for Izmir (and every port for that matter) - for our group of 4 it was less per person than the ship tour and we got to go at our own pace with our own driver and guide who tailored it all to us. I gave the ages of my kids to our tour company and they gave us a guide with kids of his own so he was wonderful with mine. Since he was all ours, they got to ask as many questions as they wanted, and he pointed out things of interest to kids and what it was like to live there as a kid. The pictures I have of my kids there are my favorite of the trip because they're having so much fun and the background is stunning (including pictures of them laughing as they sit on ancient public potties where the guide told them musicians would entertain while people relieved themselves). The Terrace Houses are a must for the adults, but a little more challenging for the kids, but not impossible and you can go as quickly as you need to. By hiring a private tour, they'll take care of purchasing your tickets, etc.

 

I agree with Rebecca about the Sistine Chapel - the line is long and corridors narrow and you must follow along all the way through - it's not like you can just go in and see the chapel the way you can just go see the Mona Lisa. If there's a way to see it without the kids

 

Before our trip I went to Amazon and under childrens books I searched for each of the places we were going and found books on just about all of them. We also watched Rick Steve's videos on the places, so by the time we got to each destination, the kids were excited to see what they had read about/watched.

 

Best,

Mia

[Kidsoftheseas]

Is there any way to maybe team tag and see the Sistine? (Since we will be there with grandparents). I would LOVE to see it and it would be sad to be so close and not - although understandable that with kids, things will have to go at a different pace.

 

My 3 year old does not have a problem being left for a while, but still being in Europe and ship, I probably would feel the concern too - its not like at home where I can be easily reached by phone.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Oh- if the grandparents are coming that certainly opens you up to a world of possibilities. Play it by ear a bit. My father treated me and my then 6 year old to a Med. cruise. He planned excursions for all of us to the Cinque Terre and to Rome. All the adults had been to Rome and after a long day of touring the day before (my parents went to the Amalfi/Pompeii and my 6 year old and I just did Pompeii)- none of us were really up for all day in Rome. So we bagged it. Since you are going to Rome pre-cruise and the grandparents will be on hand. Do the Sistine in shifts as you have said when you are staying in Rome- problem solved. In fact, perhaps only the women will want to do that- just go with the flow...

 

By the time we got to Livorno, my step-mother was not into doing an all day tour of the Cinque Terre and my son had a bit of a cold. She agreed to stay onboard with him. So just my Dad and I did the Cinque Terre and it was great.

 

I think that you have to go with the flow with kids and if touring gets to be too much for everyone- I'm sure there will be people willing to hang back with the kids once in a while- especially since they will have the assistance of the youth program to keep them happy onboard.

 

Don't micromanage your trip. So many people think this is the trip of a lifetime- but part of a vacation is relaxing with happy children- no dragging them along. The ruins= fun with kids. Museums and even shopping with a three year old and a six year old not so much.

[Kidsoftheseas]

thank you for such great tips again! I REALLY do appreciate them all!!

 

how long would it take for a set of us to see the sistine while the other party waits? (Somewhere at St Peters I imagine with kids??)

Another thought - none of us have seen the Vatican - maybe some go on the port day (while others stay with kids) and the other on day of arrival? We will have only a day in Rome prior, but just wondering.

 

What are some good books or guides to get to take along. I am trying to avoid very heavy books like with tons of hotel information or anything like that (since those will already be booked by the time we go) but rather a field guide sort of thing - like a pocket guide to take while actually on the trip with such things as maps of places, things to see and so on.

 

so much to plan!! My goodness :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I would suggest that since you can tag team- the first day in Rome your parents will probably be tired and more than happy to watch the kids while you visit both the Sistine Chapel and Vatican. Then you can free them up and allow them to tour on their own.

 

You may want to converge later in the day at the Colosseum and Forum (all in one spot)do that with all involved because it will be good for the whole family including the kids.

 

The Borghese Park at the top of the Via Veneto is also a relaxing place to go with the little ones.

 

As for guide books- there are lots of little pocket size sight-seeing books that you can buy with walking tours of Rome. Also rent some of the Rick Steves DVD's- they are really informative.

 

Go to the "ports of call" forum on these boards also for individual information on touring the various ports.

[Kidsoftheseas]

rebeccalouise, thank you so much again for your helpful info!

 

do you have any thoughts on how long or thereabouts a typical vatican tour would take? (for highlights plus Sistine) I do think that team tagging might be our best bet - or at least a good plan B to leaving our 3 year old on the ship all of the Rome port day.

we were thinking we could see it first day in Rome and have the grandparents see it on cruise day.

 

OR if the kids might be ok at St Peters, then maybe go all together and someone hangs out with kids while the other team goes through to see Sistine - UNLESS it takes a very long time

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I think you are smart to do a tour of the Sistine Chapel. You will skip the line and that is what takes the most time. The line can be well over an hour long.

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d2340226-Reviews-Sistine_Chapel_Tours-Rome_Lazio.html

 

http://www.viator.com/Rome/d511-ttd

[Kidsoftheseas]

well scratch that - I just realized the day we will be in Rome will be a Sunday, so Vatican is closed. So we basically will all need to see it on the port day - just not sure entirely how to manage that now...

 

thank you for the great links RebeccaLouise! I guess it will be tricky for all of us to try to see it on the same day but at different times

[maui_zaui]

Just wanted to chime in re: the Sistine Chapel. We were there last summer with my then 2 y.o. and 7 y.o. IIRC, I had the umbrella stroller with me the entire time inside the museum...and the sistine chapel. There is absolutely no way my youngest would have been able to walk that whole thing, so I am sure we had the stroller. We made reservations beforehand for a set time, and just booked it to the chapel, pretty much passing most everything else. For us, it was the main goal, so it was what we had to do, given the kids limited time window of cooperation.

 

When we went to Ephesus 2 summers ago (then with a 6 y.o. and 1 y.o.) via a cruise, we hired a private guide to take us there. For us, it was worth it.

[irishnyc]

I can't imagine getting all the way to Rome and not seeing the Sistine chapel. Even if you just dash through the rest of the Vatican museum, do it. Heck, I was in my 30s and got bored in the museum.

[Erwende]

Just came across this thread and am hoping the original poster will let us know how it went. I am booked on this same trip next summer with my six year old son and family. I am just starting the researching but would love to hear how NCL Spirit was for kids and what you did at each port!!!

[amcb]

I'm a little late on the response too, but for future parents who are traveling I will add an unusual suggestion - when we went to Athens this past October, children aged 5, 4 and 11 months, we did a private tour. We had seen a family friendly excursion to the Athens zoo, and decided that the kids needed something that would interest all of them after multiple days of touring. So we started our day at the zoo, which was great! We were able to get really close to a lot of the animals and enjoy some things we wouldn't have been able to do at a larger zoo. It's not too big, so we were through the zoo in about an hour. It gave the kids a chance to run around and focus on some things that really interested them.

 

Our driver, who had children the same age as ours, recommended that we not climb to the top of the Acropolis since it had been raining. (He said it would be very slick with no handrails, etc. which my mom, who had taken a tour to the top that same day, confirmed.) So instead he took us to the museum where we were able to see the city from the top floor (a whole wall of windows looking over the acropolis) and then see some of the marbles. I'll add that having just moved to London and having visited the British Museum, it was neat to explain to the kiddos that this was where the Elgin Marbles were from.

 

It was a slightly different approach to Athens, but it really worked for our family!

 

:) amcb

[cruiser87654321]

Is there any way to maybe team tag and see the Sistine? (Since we will be there with grandparents). I would LOVE to see it and it would be sad to be so close and not - although understandable that with kids, things will have to go at a different pace.

 

My 3 year old does not have a problem being left for a while, but still being in Europe and ship, I probably would feel the concern too - its not like at home where I can be easily reached by phone.

 

ETA just realised the OP will have been now!! Oh well, it may be of use to others!!

 

I would contact Angeltours. We used them in Rome and they get you into the Vatican without waiting in line. They are young, fun, but very knowledgeable (guides mainly Irish)and they made the tour great fun.

 

They meet you in St Peter's Square by the Obelisk and are inexpensive for what they do. They also do an entirely free tour of the Pantheon.

They were very responsive to email contact and we found them lovely to deal with. They will get you through the museums and into the Sistine Chapel with the minimum fuss. The selling point for us was that they take you right past the hordes waiting and straight into the museums.

 

http://angeltours.eu/rome