Port(s) to skip/stay on board in the Mediterranean when traveling with kids!

[COcruise]

14 minutes ago, smilegirl07 said:

😱 $500 is absurd amount.  Pre booking things is the key I guess!  and yes my YOLO state of mind pops up when I start planning and looking into details and the budget and relaxing vacation is now out the window... 🤣

 

Thank you, we are so excited!

Exactly YOLO! Never know when you’ll be back so book the Pisa and cinque terre trip. Then report back and let us know how it was!!!  So jealous!!!

[smilegirl07]

22 hours ago, COcruise said:

Exactly YOLO! Never know when you’ll be back so book the Pisa and cinque terre trip. Then report back and let us know how it was!!!  So jealous!!!

Will do!  Thank you!

[JustAPilot]

Also keep in mind the time of year you are going is going to be HOT especially the south of Spain, locals actually leave those places because of the temperatures. I do like your optimism though but I think after the first 2 ports you’ll realize your just sleeping and eating on the cruise because you're exhausted if you try to fit everything in.  

[9tee2Sea]

I thought Gibraltar was really interesting.  Not so much for the British feel, but for touring the military formation carved into the mountain.  I last visited there about 10-15 or more years ago

 ( just after OBL was killed).  You hear about terrorists living in caves, and you think it's just a hole in the ground.  Not so.  The "complex" in Gibraltar had a mess hall, living areas, etc.  Its was very interesting to see the massive complex, and have it so well hidden in the mountain.  But those Monkeys will steal anything that is not securely fastened ( hats, glasses, wallets)

[smilegirl07]

2 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I thought Gibraltar was really interesting.  Not so much for the British feel, but for touring the military formation carved into the mountain.  I last visited there about 10-15 or more years ago

 ( just after OBL was killed).  You hear about terrorists living in caves, and you think it's just a hole in the ground.  Not so.  The "complex" in Gibraltar had a mess hall, living areas, etc.  Its was very interesting to see the massive complex, and have it so well hidden in the mountain.  But those Monkeys will steal anything that is not securely fastened ( hats, glasses, wallets)

Good to know!  Thank you! 🙂 

[1bighund]

I haven’t been to Gibraltar but I would never skip going ashore there.  I really liked Cadiz, just walking around.  Pisa is not just the tower but are the church and baptistry.  There are other places to visit there.  However from that stop you could visit Florence instead ( or in addition to Pisa ). In Florence, no need to go into the major art museums - the Duomo museum is rather small but has the original baptistry doors ( amazing ! ) as well as a Michelangelo statue.  Also the Piazza della Signoria has 3 excellent original statues as well as a copy of David.  Santa Croce church has the amazing graves of famous Italians such as Galileo.

[MyriamS]

When your ship docks near the city centre, I would stop at every port, if only for an hour or two. Most European cities have compact, walkable city centres so you can easily take in some of the sights then come back to the ship as soon as you're tired.

 

When your ship doesn't dock near the centre, then I would consider taking a shore excursion, or skipping the port entirely if there aren't major sights. One example might be Marseille if you don't tender in the Vieux Port. The modern port is really far from the centre, there is a free shuttle organised by the port but it probably is extremely busy. Not really worth the hassle, in my opinion. Marseille is not a touristy city, though it's also part of its charm. It's a real city where real people live, so it's probably interesting for visitors to see. I'm French and found it very normal and not particularly unsafe, though I did not go out at night.

 

Unfortunately August is the worst month for the Med in my opinion (I appreciate you probably had little choice for the dates with children). It's super busy and the weather can be blisteringly hot. If the temperature is above 35Celsius, I wouldn't go anywhere except to the pool/beach.

 

 

[astera]

I wouldn't skip any of the ports mentioned if it's your first time there.

 

For a second visit I would probably skip Marseille, especially since you're being shuttled into town and back.

 

Once you've seen the tower in Pisa you are obviously not heading there again either.

 

You're disembarking in Civitavecchia (Rome) so that's not an issue, but if you were merely stopping there then I would recommend either actually going to Rome or visiting some of the nice, nearby villages. Otherwise Civitavecchia itself is one of those places not even worth disembarking for.

 

In Mallorca you can always take it easy by just strolling off the ship and heading in a westerly direction towards a big shopping mall nearby. The kids will surely love it and you can stock up on snacks and all sorts of stuff whilst enjoying a nice walk there and back.