Mediterranean cruise in the winter

[M4ttNS]

Hi all,

 

Will be a daddy soon and while we are disappointed to not have been able to cruise this winter, we are looking forward to the added flexibility that maternity leave will offer my wife in choosing dates and length of cruise for next year.

 

We have tried many cruise lines, but definitely prefer Celebrity. My questions are the following:

 

1) In the past, has Celebrity offered a "kids sail free" promotion? If so, has it been a yearly thing? And had anyone seen it coupled with a promotion where perks such as beverage package included?

 

2) Given our flexible schedule, we will be looking to book the best deal we can find and potentially consider a cruise across the pond. Has anyone done a Med cruise in November-December? While Celebrity doesn't seem to cruise the Mediterranean in January-February, we might consider a new line, but how has the weather been for those having cruised this time of year?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

 

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[smtcan]

Celebrity usually moves its ships to the Caribbean in late October. We have done the last Mediterranean cruise a couple of times, usually back to back with the Transatlantic. We find the cooler weather perfect for sightseeing and the crowds are smaller.

 

I have never seen Celebrity offer kids sail free deals, and you should be aware that there is a minimum age restriction for babies. I am sure someone will know the details of this.

 

Sheila

[CathyCruises]

We've cruised in early November and that's been OK, but I spent the month of January in Italy and February in France a couple of years ago and I can't even imagine cruising during weather that cold. Of course you could get lucky and have great weather but I wouldn't risk it myself. I know for instance that many of the Greek Islands pretty much shut down for the winter, almost all of the restaurants and hotels in Rhodes closed at the end of October. There's a reason that most cruise lines move their ships out of the med in the winter. It snowed in Rome a couple of days after we left

[DrivesLikeMario]

Babies have to be at least 6 months old for most itineraries and 12 months old for TAs, South America and South Pacific itineraries. Babysitting info.:

 

Babysitting (Stateroom Services):

For a nominal fee of $19.00 per hour for up to three children within the same family, parents can arrange for a private, in-stateroom babysitter. Two sitters will be assigned per stateroom. Children have to be twelve months old or older to be eligible for in-stateroom sitting. Babysitting services are available through the Cabin Services Desk onboard all Celebrity ships (except Celebrity Xpedition). Parents are asked to make all private, in-cabin babysitting requests 24 hours in advance. Private, in-cabin babysitting is subject to personnel availability.

 

I've traveled twice to Europe in November and the weather was expectedly cold and rainy. I had a fabulous time nonetheless! The crowds were SO much better than they are in the summer high-peak season and even the shoulder season! I felt like a local at so many of the sites. On one independent tour, we were the only 2 Americans. On the other tours, we were with school children learning about their country's historical sites. They were so well-behaved and chaperoned the whole time. I wouldn't hesitate to go to Europe during the off season again.

Edited February 29, 2016 by DrivesLikeMario
Edited to add: CONGRATULATIONS soon-to-be Daddy!

[illiniwahoo]

I have never seen celebrity have a kids sail free promo

 

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[Hlitner]

There is a good reason why very few cruise ships do Med cruises in the winter :). The weather is not the best (it can be awful). In addition, it is off season for many places (such as most of the Greek Islands, Kusadasi, Capri, etc) and a lot of places in these popular cruise areas are closed for the season. And consider what someone else posted in that most lines will not accept children under 12 months of age for a TA cruise.

 

Hank

[M4ttNS]

Thanks everyone! Lots of good info! I think we will forgo and just stick to finding a great deal in the Caribbean!

 

Cheers

 

Matt

 

 

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[Keith1010]

A very nice time to cruise the Med is in April, May, September and October.

 

We prefer this time because it is far less humid/hot and far less tourists compared to July and August.

 

Keith

[grayjay]

I agree about winter in the Med not being the best time for a cruise - much too cold and wet and the tourist season has stopped as well. There are some Italian cruise lines like MSC and Costa that offer cruises - lots of deals to be had and they are very kid-friendly- but well, I wouldn't choose those.

I have another suggestion, though if you are still interested in the Med: Consider the Canary islands for a cruise in winter out of Barcelona or Las Palmas.

Besides MSC and some German cruise lines there are Cunard, P&O and NCL offering cruises out of Southampton and Barcelona.

[villauk]

Does anyone remember the incident with Brilliance of the Seas in the Med over one winter? Think Royal pulled out from winter Med cruises after that ;).

[Redtravel]

While I love my own kids, I prefer to avoid other kids on a cruise. While many kids are quiet and polite, there are some who run, yell, and annoy other guests. If Celebrity promotes Kids sail free, I will no longer sail on Celebrity.

[PhotoPete]

Did a winter med cruise while I was in the Navy. It was cold! Mount Vesuvius had a snow cap on our visit to Naples.