First Time Cruisers with Two Kids

[sailorcaptain07]

Good Day All. I am planning to go for my first cruise along with my family. I have two daughters age 8 years and three years and I would like this to be a good trip. I have chosen the Mediterranean Area during the month of May. there are a number of options available but I would like to get your feedback on selecting the right cruise. I want this to be children centric cruise and let them have The most fun. Though I would love Disney magic however the price of the same is definitely very high for my budget right now.

The newest vessels with MSC and Costa and Royal Caribbean are all also currently available in May. There are many mixed reviews about all the three.

Reading too many reviews has actually confused me and I was hoping by posting a new thread I would be able to get some better and latest information and make a good choice. Also if someone can advise the weather conditions for the Mediterranean for the month of May it would be of great help. Thank you all so much in advance in giving your feedback.

Edited February 2, 2018 by sailorcaptain07
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[Essiesmom]

I'm not sure there is a child centric cruise for the Med - churches and ruins, not known for beaches. ...I would be looking more for the Baltic for kids (but the weather wouldn't be as warm). There is a board here for Family Cruising, under Special Interest Cruising, and lots of folks there have done the Med with kids. EM

[sailorcaptain07]

I'm not sure there is a child centric cruise for the Med - churches and ruins, not known for beaches. ...I would be looking more for the Baltic for kids (but the weather wouldn't be as warm). There is a board here for Family Cruising, under Special Interest Cruising, and lots of folks there have done the Med with kids. EM

 

Thanks a lot EM i shall check on the family cruising board.

[mom says]

Mediterranean cruises tend to be VERY port intensive. Meaning you will have relatively few sea days. For kids especially, most of their waking hours will be spent ashore or in a dining area. Then off to bed because they're exhausted by the day's touring and will have more of the same the next day. All of this just to say that the ships amenities aimed at kids won't be as important as, say, a Caribbean cruise where you would spend more time on the ship.

 

Have a look at the kids clubs and other kid friendly recreation options on the ships you are considering. I have the feeling that RCI might fit your needs well.

[Keith1010]

Let me begin.

 

May is a great time to sail the Mediterranean.

 

You may not have a lot of children on board in May though because school will be in session at many schools.

 

Don't let that deter you though.

 

Have you looked at Princess as well? We took our children on our first Mediterranean cruise when they were young (not as young as yours but nevertheless young) and it worked out well for them.

 

You do not need the newest vessels so please do not eliminate ships because they are the newest.

 

I would not do Costa.

 

See if you can find other cruise lines such as Princess and if the ships aren't brand new but are say the five to ten year age range that would be fine.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

If you're American, you will probably want to spend your time seeing the sights...not so much fun for kids! If you're from Europe or the Med. region, you may have "been there, done that"...so the ship will be important for you. You will want to pick a ship with the most "bells and whistles" for the kids.

 

Also, a guidebook on your ports, if you're not familiar with them, will be of GREAT benefit...tells you EVERYTHING there is in a given area...and all about transportation, food/drink, shopping, points of interest, safety, etc.... I highly recommend doing research on your ports BEFORE you start deciding on what to do!

[rmurray847]

Good Day All. I am planning to go for my first cruise along with my family. I have two daughters age 8 years and three years and I would like this to be a good trip. I have chosen the Mediterranean Area during the month of May. there are a number of options available but I would like to get your feedback on selecting the right cruise. I want this to be children centric cruise and let them have The most fun. Though I would love Disney magic however the price of the same is definitely very high for my budget right now.

The newest vessels with MSC and Costa and Royal Caribbean are all also currently available in May. There are many mixed reviews about all the three.

Reading too many reviews has actually confused me and I was hoping by posting a new thread I would be able to get some better and latest information and make a good choice. Also if someone can advise the weather conditions for the Mediterranean for the month of May it would be of great help. Thank you all so much in advance in giving your feedback.

 

I'm making the assumption you're coming from North America. The Med will be great this time of year in terms of temps. But as others have said, these tend to be port intensive cruises and you may find that ruins, museums, castles, etc. lose their charm in a hurry for the kids. It sort of depends on what the ADULTS want to get out of it. My wife and I, for example, will pack all we can into a shore day in Europe, completely exhausting ourselves (and loving it). But as I think about these days, they would simply NOT have worked with little kids. BUT, if you're willing to forgo doing EVERYTHING...you might find a nice balance. Some thoughts I have as examples: if you in the Naples area, go to someplace like Positano and hang out on the beach for a while. Scenery is gorgeous on the drive, there are some historic things to see and the kids can splash around a bit. In Florence, let them enjoy the Leaning Tower (kids do seem to love it) then maybe a drive into the countryside for a pasta meal in a more "genuine" locale. In Venice, you can takes the kids on the Vaparettos and let them enjoy touring around this amazing town, then perhaps up the bell tower for some great views. Some cities, like Dubrovnik, have GREAT history/architecture to enjoy but also have water sports of all kinds (jet skis, for example).

 

If you are really wanting a "beachy" experience...you may need to rethink the Med. Save it for later. But, it's great you're able to even consider introducing your kids to cruising at such a young age. They're very lucky.

[ollienbertsmum]

I have to agree with Keith (as usual ;p) that May is a lovely time for visiting the Med. Living in the Mediterranean as I do, I would tend to disagree with the comments that the Med is not known for its beaches. :confused::confused: Most people I know spend their whole summer at the beach.

 

You have not said if you are interested in the Eastern or Western Med. There would be a difference. I think if your cruise went to the Greek Islands then you might get some more beach-related days. Kids like the beach don't they!!

 

You may also wish to consider Norwegian Epic, I have done the Western Med on the Epic three times and think it would be a great ship for kids. NCL is a great line.

 

As to the Epic itinerary as an example:

 

Naples: You could visit Capri by ferry which you catch from just beside where the ship docks. We visited Sorrento on one of our trips I recall bathing areas but not a real beach. I am not sure about the rest of that coast line. I still have not done the Amalfi drive. On my wish list but not very child-friendly.

 

Civitavecchia - for most tourists all roads lead to Rome. The first time we did it was on a cruise tour and mid-July; that is madness. I recall all of the bus laughing when a little lad complained in a loud voice to his Mum that he would prefer to be sitting in his math class that being on that tour. An alternative is a day in Tarquinia (short train ride) running around the Etruscan tombs which would have ticked my kids' boxes whilst letting parents also see a lovely Italian town.

 

I am sure that you can enjoy Rome with your girls - Seeing St Peter's Square, having a pizza in the Piazza Navona, visiting the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum would probably be enough. I am sure others who have done this with children can advise. If you do it as a DIY you can decide on the pace. I am not sure of the best way to make the journey between Civitavecchia and Rome with children.

 

Livorno - I am sure that they still do Cinque Terre from Livorno. It is a long bus ride, but the scenery is beautiful and the kids get a chance to swim. I think Pisa might be frustrating for a child as there is a minimum age to go up the tower. I don't think I would take a child to Florence. We have only visited in July and the crowds were awful. I would have been so worried holding on to my children that I would not have enjoyed it at all May might be a little less frantic,.

 

Cannes - it is easy to wander around in the upmarket French town and have a few hours on the beach to give the kids a bit of fun and an ice-cream. Bingo. You have the perfect port for a family.

 

Palma - you can have half a day looking at the old town and the Cathedral and then again a runaround and splash on the beach.

 

 

I would not look at Costa cruises, I cannot comment about MSC because I have no experience of the line. Disney must be wonderful, but I cannot justify the extra $$. RCL is a great choice.

 

Sometimes I wonder who is giving the bad reviews. I never struggle to get served. I have always loved the food (and I do like tasty food). I always find the staff to be polite. I never have a problem getting a lift (we usually use the stairs).

[cmdchiefthom]

I lived on the Greek Island of Crete, and had the pleasure of working on a yacht that cruised the Cyclades many times. The Eastern Med is full of gorgeous beaches. Crete alone has literally hundreds of beautiful secluded uncrowded beaches. Many cruise ships out of Venice visit Corfu, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Crete etc., and also visit Athens, where the Acropolis is something that will even impress an 8 year old.

I did three weeks back to back on the NCL Jade, and one of the legs did four of the places I mentioned. The beach breaks offered by NCL were many, but once docked, there are many tour guides that will take to beaches the excursions miss!

You and your family have a great adventure! ;p

[TinaSwizzle]

I'm from the UK and the weather in the Med in May is lovely for younger children, warm enough to swim (although the sea might be a little chilly in May having not had the benefit of a summer of sunshine on it yet) but not so hot that lethargy sets in! It can be the rainiest month of the Summer also so don't necessarily expect wall to wall sunshine. Before the children were of school age we spent a few holidays in Mallorca in May.

 

We're doing RCI in the Med in August with our now 14 y/o and 12 y/o and although we have 8 ports in 9 days, with sailing days before and afterwards, we're focusing our main sightseeing on Gibraltar, Barcelona, Palma, Cadiz and Ajaccio and planning to do lazy beach / nominal touring in Cartegena, Villefranche, and Malaga.

 

I agree that to try and do each port in any depth would be madness with the "eye rolling" and low boredom thresholds of teens / children!!

 

So we're planning to keep the sightseeing to the mornings when the temperature is lower, chill over a late lunch or at the beach while the locals siesta and then we need to be back on the ship by 5 / 6 pm most evenings.

 

We chose RCI because of the range of activities on board which will suit our children and because my husband teaches and so we're tied to school holiday times :-(