Multi generation family cruise to include Greece - cruise line suggestions please

[keloh]

I posted this on the family cruises forum also, but thought I may have different readership on the Greek forum so posting here also.   I hope this is OK.  
 

My husband and I have taken approx 10 cruises total over the years, with RCCL, Princess, Holland and Celebrity.  The last one was probably over 15 years ago when we decided to concentrate on land based vacations. We would love to take our daughter, her husband and their two kids on a cruise in the next 18 months or so, and have it include Greece, which they’ve always expressed an interest in visiting, and where we have never been either.   My daughter cruised with us a couple times in her teens but hasn’t been since, her husband and kids have never cruised.  The kids are currently 13 (female) and 10 (male).  
 

I would like to rule out Carnival and Disney, but still looking for something that the kids (teen and tween) would enjoy.  Not sure how the cruising world works these days, but really don’t want to pack 2 evening gowns, tuxes etc.  Plus there’s no way my son in law would even wear a sports coat (his idea of getting dressed up is a pair of khaki pants and a collared shirt, with dirty cowboy boots!! 😁).   My granddaughter may want to dress up once, but we’d prefer to be much more casual overall. 
 

Any suggestions on what may be a good starting point for me to research a particular cruise, etc that may fit our criteria?  I’d rather not do a mega ship with 4000 passengers but could sacrifice since the trip is really for them….

 

I appreciate your ideas and information,  thanks !

[Hlitner]

I am assuming you are from North America and are operating with some kind of reasonable budget.   You will first need to look at the various itineraries for your preferred time frames.  When it comes to most European cruises we always suggest that itinerary should be the most important criteria since most cruises are port intensive.  Unlike the Caribbean (where the ship is often the real destination) the itinerary is "king" in Europe and you will also need to carefully look at the times in port (the more hours the better) and even the day of the week in various ports.  For example, if you are in Rome on a Sunday you might find the Vatican Museums (which includes the Sistine Chapel) closed!

 

In your case I would tend to lean towards Celebrity since they usually have some decent Greek itineraries, you are familiar with the line, they have OK teen programs, and it is a decent cruise line.  Your issue with formal dress is not a big problem these days as the trend has been away from formal wear to smart casual.  Even when a line has dressy nights, most folks are not wearing formal gowns/tuxes.

 

If budget is not a big issue, then you might want to look at some of the more upscale (i.e. expensive) cruise lines.  It is a trade-off in that you will get a better product, smaller ships, but will not have a great teen program.  On the other hand, if you are in ports most days there is less need for organized programs and teens have a way of finding their own happiness if they simply meet a few other kids.  This opens up lines like Oceania, Viking, Azamara, and even higher end lines like Seabourn.  You will get better quality, more space, etc. but you will pay a price in terms of cost.

 

You also mentioned RCCL (usually called RCI these days) which still operate plenty of non-mega ships.  While we have not cruised on RCI in years, we have long been fans of their Radiance Class (i.e. Jewel of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Seranade of the Seas, and Brilliance of the Seas).  These ships are all in the 90,000 ton size range and an excellent size for cruising in the Med.  Some would argue that those ships are getting old (20 years+) but we have been on 40 year old ships we enjoyed.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

[dani negreanu]

On 11/1/2022 at 5:24 AM, Hlitner said:

the itinerary is "king" in Europe and you will also need to carefully look at the times in port (the more hours the better)

 

I would also add that not only "more hours the better", but also the arrival time at port.

 

Since it is very hot on those destinations, the earlier, the better. I've seen cruise line hours in port starting at 1PM, 2PM. That would be a deal breaker for me.