chubby_faye Posted September 11, 2017 #1 Share Posted September 11, 2017 We are thinking about taking a European cruise (maybe Mediterranean) during June 2018. We have always cruised Disney with our children but we are interested in trying a new line. Our children will be 8 and 10 years old. Any family friendly lines you would recommend? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6rugrats Posted September 11, 2017 #2 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I would just try and find a cruise that was visiting the ports you want to see. You spend so much time sightseeing, the activities on the ship are not very important, IMO. Any of the major lines would be family friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted September 11, 2017 #3 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I would just try and find a cruise that was visiting the ports you want to see. You spend so much time sightseeing, the activities on the ship are not very important, IMO. Any of the major lines would be family friendly. Totally agree. A Med cruise is usually so very port intensive that the ship itself matters much less than for a typical Caribbean cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pseudoware Posted September 11, 2017 #4 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I disagree. We've been on a couple Med cruises w/our kids - one on an RCI Freedom class ship, the other on a ship w/o watersides, aqua park, Flowrider, DreamWorks experience, Royal Promenade, had smaller youth/teen program facilities, etc. Each cruise had a sea day, plus a couple days where we only spent part of the day off the ship. The ship made a big difference to our experience, particularly our kids. OP, I'm not familiar with many of the other lines, but where kids are concerned, I think an RCI Freedom or Oasis class ship would be a good place to start. Yeah, they're full on floating amusement parks, not for everyone, but we had a great time . Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted September 12, 2017 #5 Share Posted September 12, 2017 All of the "mainstream" lines are "family friendly". You will be spending more time OFF the ship than on, so the "bells and whistles" won't be so important on a Med cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted September 12, 2017 #6 Share Posted September 12, 2017 When our children were young we faced the same question for our first European Cruise. They can be port intensive so a suggestion. Be selective on booking excursions as it will be tiring after awhile and even harder for the children. We didn't book one greater then four hours because of the children. As to the cruise line I would look at itineraries first and then make final choices based on cruise line and ship. One of the lines I would look like is Princess. We found they had some very nice itineraries and the children's program to be terrific for the children. No, it's not Disney but none of the lines are like Disney for the children but it will still be a lot of fun. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted September 12, 2017 #7 Share Posted September 12, 2017 I would choose a Med cruise for it's itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted September 12, 2017 #8 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Think carefully about why you want to go to Europe. What do you want to see/do? Are those activities things that your children will enjoy? There aren't beach days, zip lines, water activities in Europe. It's all about history, ruins, museums... Shopping is entirely different. No recommended shops, no DI. Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and/or Rick Steves' Northern European Cruise Ports and read about the ports and activities. Decide if it's what you want to do with children 8 & 10. EM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toofarfromthesea Posted September 12, 2017 #9 Share Posted September 12, 2017 We are thinking about taking a European cruise (maybe Mediterranean) during June 2018. We have always cruised Disney with our children but we are interested in trying a new line. Our children will be 8 and 10 years old. Any family friendly lines you would recommend? Thanks. On the financial side, MSC has 'kids sail free' on a number of their sailings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted September 12, 2017 #10 Share Posted September 12, 2017 All of the "mainstream" lines are "family friendly". You will be spending more time OFF the ship than on, so the "bells and whistles" won't be so important on a Med cruise. While a lot of your time on the ship might be spent sleeping, the fact is that you will be ON the ship more than off. Even if there is a port call every day, you are not likely to be off before 8:00 AM or after 6:00 PM. --- ten hours - leaving at least fourteen hours on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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