Best cruise ship for Mediterranean for a family with kids?

[blessedwithfour]

Hi! We have four kids 8-15 and want to go to the Mediterranean (preferably Italy, Greece, Croatia) with them, but all the ships seem smaller and less "family friendly". Not even slides or basketball courts. I realize we are going for the ports, but don't want the kids to be bored on the ship. We did a Disney cruise last year and they loved it, but I don't love the ports Disney offers. Any advice appreciated!

[MicCanberra]

Try NCL's Norwegian Epic, it is a mega ship and has plenty of things for the kids to do. Otherwise try Royal as most of their ships have some slides and kids clubs.

[moqui_girl]

The bigger the ship (with the most activities) the less inspiring ports they tend to go to. It's often a trade off between itinerary and facilities on the ship. Almost all ships will have great kids clubs which will provide a lot of activities even if the ship itself has less. Not that many ships sailing in Europe have water slides so if that's a must then I would start with those ships and see what itineraries they offer. Royal Caribbean is a very familiy orientated line but not that many of their ships currently have slides but I still think you'd all have a great time. I can't imagine the kids being bored! Or if a particular place e.g Croatia, is your must see place the look at ships that go there and choose the one that fits best.

 

 

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[Pier290]

Celebrity...we did Greece out of Venice. Lovely. And they hv basketball courts! Lol. It's a gorgeous ship....we were on the Silhouette. Venice, Montenegro, Athens, Santorini, And Katakalon Greece. Very port intensive but gorgeous. Went in July. Very hot.

 

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[flamomo]

I would have to suggest that OP does NOT bother considering the Pacific Princess. She's a small ship, with a capacity for approximately 670 passengers, No anytime dining, though there is a buffet. Nothing much to entertain kids .... not even Movies-Under-the-Stars, and only one small pool. I understand that, while there is no Kids Club, if there are "enough" kids onboard, they do provide some sort of kids program of activities. That said, I have not seen more than 1-2 kids on a given cruise on that ship.

 

JMO, because while the Pacific does offer great itineraries, it doesn't seem like it would meet your kid's needs or expectations for being entertained.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Most of the main stream cruise ships have a lot to offer for kids; especially NCL and RCI, depending on the ship. Carnivall, Princess and Celebrity are good too. All of them usually have multiple pools, kid's clubs, bb courts, etc.

 

I think you already know this, but most Med cruises are very port intensive--the one we did had only one sea day in 10 days--so having lots to do on board isn't as important as on some cruises.

[antmaril]

My brother-in-law and his family, including my nine year old niece, are doing the Mediterranean in August on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. I think that is a good choice with a child.

[nhsails]

Agree with many here. Med cruises are port intensive, not like Caribbean where ships are basically destination themselves. Ships used there reflect that. If priority is the countries, find itinerary you like and go from there. If priority is the kids having waterslides, will be fairly limited on options and itinerary. Safe journeys.

Dee

[6rugrats]

I would concentrate on the itinerary, not the ship, for a Med cruise. Your children will be too busy and tired from exploring the ports during the day.

I really think the "bells and whistles" won't matter on this itinerary. It's all about the ports.

[griffy116]

We've done two family Med cruises with Royal. Italy, Spain, France, Greece but neither itinerary included Croatia. While we chose the ship, thinking of my Grandson (17 at the time) we were glad we had been on the ship previously....because we were too pooped to see much of the ship other than the ceiling from our bed at night. The excursions, which we booked privately, started ridiculously EARLY each morning and by the time we returned to the ship, a cool dip in the pool and a quick shower before our LATE dinner was all we managed to find time for on port days. We did have a sea day where your kids could make use of the 'bells and whistles' on the ship, so keeping that in mind Royal might serve your needs unless a specific port (like Croatia) is a deal breaker. We had never been on a Med cruise and most of us had not previously been to Europe so we were open to the ports on the itineraries. Our TA helped us make very good decisions both times. We wanted to begin and end our cruise in Italy to give us more time to spend in Rome. Plenty to enjoy in Rome for ALL ages. The other consideration was the cost of flights and we found more options from Barcelona and Rome than other locations for a better cost. When you are paying for a family to fly, a couple of hundred dollars difference, per person adds up.Just a few things to keep in mind.

[MicCanberra]

I agree with most people about the itinerary taking precedence, and also about being port intensive, however, Kids have much more energy than adults and having some distractions while aboard would still help.

[Essiesmom]

I think you should get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Read up on the ports. Some he does not cover, so he recommends Lonely Planet. Discuss them with the children, and decide where you want to go, and only then consider the cruise line/ship. EM

[ducklite]

You'll be off the ship early each morning and back on in time for clean up and dinner. In many of those ports you might even get back off after dinner, or skip dinner and just eat locally as you explore. Bottom line, there isn't much time on the ship for any sort of activities, and so any ship with a pool and a sports court will be enough for the (maybe) hour of free time there might be each day. As others have said, choose the ports than choose your ship.

[Scubadoobie2]

You may want to check out Carnival. Looks like they have a new ship coming out, the Horizon, that is due to cruise the Med in 2018. Looks like it is going to have more than just a water slide. Probably very kid-friendly.

[jocap]

MSC Preziosa boasted the longest water slide at sea when she was built... I believe MSC Seaside also has one, and perhaps other newer ships of the line. Sometimes they offer special reduced rates for children cruising with the line, too.

[rmurray847]

My first two cruises were in Europe, both long and port intensive. One was Norwegian Jade, the other was Serenade of the Seas. These are, I guess you could say, medium-sized. Each with about 2500-2600 passengers. In my opinion, there was plenty for kids on the few sea days. Kids clubs. Sports court. Mini-golf (on Serenade). Shuffleboard. Lots of places to get food. Movies playing. Scheduled activities. Game room. Live music and theatrical production in the evenings. I know the "mega ships" have even more activities, but I can't imagine a kid being bored with what the medium ships have. And they do often get to slightly more obscure ports. I know you can find itineraries on similar sized ships starting in Venice (for instance) that will hit a lot of the ports you mention, including Croatia (which is lovely).

[MicCanberra]

The Dalmatian coast cruises are wonderful, X does a nice one out of Venice round trip.