Cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey with a kid?

[Tina80]

I have never been on a cruise ship but both my nine year old and myself would like to give that a try! It would be outside of any holiday or school break and the places we would like to visit are: Italy, Turkey and Greece. I did some research and looks like MSC, Carnival (Miracle and Legends) and Celebrity Cruise have 10-12 days options that goes through the same countries.

My kid and I would like to have fun activities to attend during on-water days, activities such as movies, water slides or similar activities. Was hoping to hear from anyone who has older kids and have done a similar trip to see which cruise line would work better for us. Thank you in advance!

[Essiesmom]

Which MSC ship are you considering?  The older, smaller ships do not have much for kids…. Also, what things interest your child about this cruise?  Ruins, museums, churches, history?  Beaches are not big on Mediterranean itineraries.  
No water slides on Celebrity.  EM

Edited July 10 by Essiesmom

[mom says]

I would eliminate Celebrity and the smaller MSC ships. Celebrity  doesn't do water slides and amusement park like activities. And you won't see a lot of other children on longer cruises outside of school holidays. Carnival sounds like it would meet your child's  needs.

 

But if neither of you have cruised before, I would suggest first taking a shorter cruise from somewhere close to home. See if you actually like cruising before splashing out on the expense of flying to Europe for a longer cruise. Maybe a 4 or 5 day out of Cape Canaveral.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, Tina80 said:

My kid and I would like to have fun activities to attend during on-water days, activities such as movies, water slides or similar activities

these are called sea days. 🙂

If you've never cruised before, I'd advise with starting closer to home, like the Caribbean. We've been cruising for years, but haven't left the convenience of the Caribbean cruises yet. If you decide on the Caribbean - try to avoid school holidays and summer, since it's hurricane season. However, we sometimes sail during the last week of May-first week of June and have so far had non-stormy weather.

 

European itineraries are usually very port heavy, meaning that there is usually a port every day and no sea days. Also, summer in the Mediterranean is usually super hot. For some countries it's peak holiday season, so they are either too crowded or empty and everything is closed.

 

Celebrity won't have many things for kids. They are adult oriented. My kid doesn't care for kid friendly activities, so he is fine with every cruise line, but if that's what your kid wants - you may want to take Celebrity off your list.

 

We also like newer ships, so Carnival Miracle and Legend are too old for us.

Edited July 10 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I see that a new Norwegian Viva has some nice itineraries in the Med next May, and so does RCI's oldie but goody Voyager of the Seas. So does Norwegian Breakaway (no sea days, though).

[Tina80]

18 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Which MSC ship are you considering?  The older, smaller ships do not have much for kids…. Also, what things interest your child about this cruise?  Ruins, museums, churches, history?  Beaches are not big on Mediterranean itineraries.  
No water slides on Celebrity.  EM

I guess I should stick with the RC cruise line as they have more kids activities. My 9 year old likes waterparks, iFly maybe, bumper cars, arcades... 

[Tina80]

Thank you all for your great replies. My kid was so excited to see that some of these ships (Royal Odyssey for example) has these many fun activities going on for kids. Since we have never been on a cruise, I was telling my kid that we have maybe 1-2 sea days so she won't be able to just do kids stuff all day for 9 days and when we get to the ports, we have to do sightseeing, are you sure you won't get bored. She said she would like to do this but knowing she is still 9, would you say we will have enough time to do those kids activity on the sea days (on a 9 day trip to Rome, Turkey, Greece)? Thank you

[Tina80]

16 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I see that a new Norwegian Viva has some nice itineraries in the Med next May, and so does RCI's oldie but goody Voyager of the Seas. So does Norwegian Breakaway (no sea days, though).

Thank you, I didn't even know about this cruise line so had totally skipped that. Will have to check it out

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Tina80 said:

Thank you, I didn't even know about this cruise line so had totally skipped that. Will have to check it out

yes, newer Norwegian (NCL) ships have lots of kid activities. Not all of them are free, though.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Tina80 said:

Thank you all for your great replies. My kid was so excited to see that some of these ships (Royal Odyssey for example) has these many fun activities going on for kids. Since we have never been on a cruise, I was telling my kid that we have maybe 1-2 sea days so she won't be able to just do kids stuff all day for 9 days and when we get to the ports, we have to do sightseeing, are you sure you won't get bored. She said she would like to do this but knowing she is still 9, would you say we will have enough time to do those kids activity on the sea days (on a 9 day trip to Rome, Turkey, Greece)? Thank you

I still think you should start closer to home first. Sail in the Caribbean - you will have more choices among ships (hence, may get a better price on a newer ship), more ports to choose from, better air ticket prices, and just in case you get sick or whatnot - you are gonna be close to home, warm-hot weather year round, so the kid can do more stuff on the ship.

[Kerry's Girls]

We did a Norwegian cruise with these ports when my girls were 5 (and again at 18).  It's a fantastic, stress-free way to see Europe with a kid because the ship is your floating hotel and you wake up in a new place each day.  Most of these itineraries have few sea days, but any of the ships will have a swimming pool, kids club with lots of activities, movies, etc.  Some of the ships will have other bells and whistles, but most days after touring everyone will be tired, so a swim and/or playing with other kids in the kids club is perfect.   As for doing the Caribbean instead, my twins have been on at least 10 cruises since they were two, and none have been the Caribbean - there are lots of other wonderful places to go if the Carib doesn't interest you.  

Edited July 11 by Kerry's Girls

[Tina80]

7 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

yes, newer Norwegian (NCL) ships have lots of kid activities. Not all of them are free, though.

Thanks much, I told my daughter and she was like nope, my teacher has told us about Santorini and Rome so I would like to visit those cities, now I am hoping she will be ok walking around on the port days!

[Tina80]

4 hours ago, Kerry's Girls said:

We did a Norwegian cruise with these ports when my girls were 5 (and again at 18).  It's a fantastic, stress-free way to see Europe with a kid because the ship is your floating hotel and you wake up in a new place each day.  Most of these itineraries have few sea days, but any of the ships will have a swimming pool, kids club with lots of activities, movies, etc.  Some of the ships will have other bells and whistles, but most days after touring everyone will be tired, so a swim and/or playing with other kids in the kids club is perfect.   As for doing the Caribbean instead, my twins have been on at least 10 cruises since they were two, and none have been the Caribbean - there are lots of other wonderful places to go if the Carib doesn't interest you.  

Thank you for your reply, very helpful. I love to visit those ports (Rome, Greece, Turkey), so let me ask you this, did your girls get tired while touring the city? What were your port days like? Would you visit the city then come back on the ship and do kids activities? Weren't you guys tired? I am so excited to go on my first cruise :)

[kitkat343]

I'd recommend the Med either in the fall or spring, because it will be brutally hot in the summer.  If you need to go in the summer, would the Baltics or Norway possibly be something that interests your child?  Norway is closing some of the heritage fjords to all ships that aren't zero emissions, so some of the more spectacular ports such as Geiranger and Flam will be harder to access.  I took my kids on a Baltic cruise, and it was much easier logistically than the Med because the weather is better and you are usually really close to the ports in the Baltic so you can hop off the ship and start touring immediately.  That was before St. Petersburg was dropped though, so I don't know how accessible the newer replacement ports are.  Berlin is really far from the port, but there are lovely towns in Germany near the port to explore.

 

For the Med, you need to be careful because some of the ports are difficult to access - Rome is a pretty significant distance from the port, Venice has limited cruise ships from entering so its now a significant tender or you dock at a nearby city, and Santorini is absolutely spectacular but a really difficult tender and possibly long lines for the cable car/donkey to reach the tourist parts (you'd need to research either a ship tour or private tour operators to try to make this more manageable).  

 

For NCL, check the ship reviews on cruises you are considering since passengers on some itineraries have reported  issues with port stops being canceled and disorganized disembarkment which cut into time in port.  If you check the reviews, you'll see if that ship/itinerary has experienced issues.  

Edited July 13 by kitkat343

[Tina80]

On 7/13/2024 at 4:54 PM, kitkat343 said:

I'd recommend the Med either in the fall or spring, because it will be brutally hot in the summer.  If you need to go in the summer, would the Baltics or Norway possibly be something that interests your child?  Norway is closing some of the heritage fjords to all ships that aren't zero emissions, so some of the more spectacular ports such as Geiranger and Flam will be harder to access.  I took my kids on a Baltic cruise, and it was much easier logistically than the Med because the weather is better and you are usually really close to the ports in the Baltic so you can hop off the ship and start touring immediately.  That was before St. Petersburg was dropped though, so I don't know how accessible the newer replacement ports are.  Berlin is really far from the port, but there are lovely towns in Germany near the port to explore.

 

For the Med, you need to be careful because some of the ports are difficult to access - Rome is a pretty significant distance from the port, Venice has limited cruise ships from entering so its now a significant tender or you dock at a nearby city, and Santorini is absolutely spectacular but a really difficult tender and possibly long lines for the cable car/donkey to reach the tourist parts (you'd need to research either a ship tour or private tour operators to try to make this more manageable).  

 

For NCL, check the ship reviews on cruises you are considering since passengers on some itineraries have reported  issues with port stops being canceled and disorganized disembarkment which cut into time in port.  If you check the reviews, you'll see if that ship/itinerary has experienced issues.  

Thank you so much for your great reply. I was able to find one scheduled in October, was looking at this itinerary today: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises?country=USA&search=departurePort:ROM|destination:EUROP|ship:EX,OY|startDate:2024-10-01~2024-10-31

With only two days on the sea, will we be able to take advantage of the activities (mostly fun activities for a none year old) on those sea days? During the port days, do people usually go sightseeing then come back to the ship and do some activities?
I also was wondering since the cruise starts from Civitavecchia and come back to Civitavecchia, do we take the Rome tour before the departure or after? Thanks again

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, Tina80 said:

Thank you so much for your great reply. I was able to find one scheduled in October, was looking at this itinerary today: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises?country=USA&search=departurePort:ROM|destination:EUROP|ship:EX,OY|startDate:2024-10-01~2024-10-31

With only two days on the sea, will we be able to take advantage of the activities (mostly fun activities for a none year old) on those sea days? During the port days, do people usually go sightseeing then come back to the ship and do some activities?
I also was wondering since the cruise starts from Civitavecchia and come back to Civitavecchia, do we take the Rome tour before the departure or after? Thanks again

We haven't done the Med with our kids (we did it right before we got married).  The Baltic cruise had a similar port intensive itinerary with lots of cities to explore.  We travelled with a 3 year old, and that included 2 days in St. Petersburg so I'd have to say we were too tired to then supervise a 3 year old taking advantage of family activities on the ship - we just put him in the kids club when we were back on the ship.  A 9 year old is much more independent, so that would be a whole lot more manageable.  If your child has energy and you don't, an option would be for you to walk her to the activity and tell her you'll be back to pick her up and meet her at the end.  9 year olds are allowed to travel to activities by themselves, but you'll need to decide if you are comfortable with that.   You'd want to post on the RC or Med forum to ask about the amount of activities that are usually offered on these cruises- these are very intensive port cruises even for people without children but I would imagine there would be options in addition to the kids club, especially on sea days.  

 

People usually fly into Rome a day early prior to the cruise, so depending on the timing of your flights that might be when you tour the city if you are flying out the day your cruise ends.  You can certainly add days on before or after.  If there's another city you'd like to explore, you can also take a train there and fly out of a different city.  Or you can do a land tour prior to embarking - there are lots of options.  

 

You'd want to investigate Santorini - if you google cruise timetables, you can see how many ships will be in port the day you arrive (hopefully in October its less, but they'll have the number.). If it's a lot then you'd need to investigate the current options in Santorini - some people sign up for a cruise tour to get priority embarkation.  You'd need to discuss the logistics of that tour with the cruise line directly - some tours have reported being bussed to Oia, so you avoid the donkey/cable car lines or being tendered off at a different spot than the main tender location.  In the past there are sometimes water taxis that can help passengers avoid the donkey/cable car.  They will know more about the current situation on the Med board or you can contact private tour operators to see what they recommend.   

[Kerry's Girls]

On 7/11/2024 at 4:10 PM, Tina80 said:

Thank you for your reply, very helpful. I love to visit those ports (Rome, Greece, Turkey), so let me ask you this, did your girls get tired while touring the city? What were your port days like? Would you visit the city then come back on the ship and do kids activities? Weren't you guys tired? I am so excited to go on my first cruise :)

Touring is tiring for everyone - adults and kids, but I strongly suggest taking private tours when possible or hiring your own taxi at the port so you can go at your own pace, stop for a meal or snack or gelato any time something looks fun and really enjoy your day rather than doing the on-the-bus/off-the-bus cattle type tour that can be deathly boring for a kid.   The plus with a private tour also is you can get to the popular sites quickly before the bus tours/longer lines.   Choose outdoor sites to explore rather than museums/shopping.  Get back to the ship for an activity, swim, rest, dinner, kids club for awhile and start all over the next day.  Don't feel like you need to see everything - the point is to enjoy your days in port and enjoy your time together.  

 

A couple suggestions about the cruise you're looking at - for Rome (or really any embarkation city), please get there at least two days early.  Many people missed our last cruise even who tried to arrive the day before because a missed connection (which is very common these days) can take more than a day to catch up.  Also that gives you time to enjoy the city a bit and get used to the time change before the cruise begins.  After the cruise I find it's easier to just head for the airport, so we always enjoy a few days somewhere beforehand.  Please avoid the suffering donkeys in Santorini.  Their treatment is horrible.  Really it's best to avoid any tour that includes animals.

 

Have such a great time - we've loved our family Med cruises.  

[Tina80]

On 7/18/2024 at 2:53 PM, Kerry's Girls said:

Touring is tiring for everyone - adults and kids, but I strongly suggest taking private tours when possible or hiring your own taxi at the port so you can go at your own pace, stop for a meal or snack or gelato any time something looks fun and really enjoy your day rather than doing the on-the-bus/off-the-bus cattle type tour that can be deathly boring for a kid.   The plus with a private tour also is you can get to the popular sites quickly before the bus tours/longer lines.   Choose outdoor sites to explore rather than museums/shopping.  Get back to the ship for an activity, swim, rest, dinner, kids club for awhile and start all over the next day.  Don't feel like you need to see everything - the point is to enjoy your days in port and enjoy your time together.  

 

A couple suggestions about the cruise you're looking at - for Rome (or really any embarkation city), please get there at least two days early.  Many people missed our last cruise even who tried to arrive the day before because a missed connection (which is very common these days) can take more than a day to catch up.  Also that gives you time to enjoy the city a bit and get used to the time change before the cruise begins.  After the cruise I find it's easier to just head for the airport, so we always enjoy a few days somewhere beforehand.  Please avoid the suffering donkeys in Santorini.  Their treatment is horrible.  Really it's best to avoid any tour that includes animals.

 

Have such a great time - we've loved our family Med cruises.  

Kerry's girl and KitKat, Thank you so much for your great replies.

 

I just clicked the button and purchasedmy first cruise! My nine year old is beyond excited. Now I have to buy the plane tickets and book the tours. We opted for 6 PM traditional dinner. Had some question please:

1. Do we have to tip for each time we eat at the main dining area? Since we paid the tip ahead of time when booking, is it awkward if we do not tip? I saw reviews that suggest we order everything we like and try different meals at each time. Is that common? Will they give us the look if we do? 🙂
2. We picked the 6 PM dinner time, what time can we go eat breakfast and lunch at that main dining room?

3. If we do not buy the internet package, how do we use the internet? Do we buy per member or one for the whole family?

4. I like soda and my daughter likes chocolate milk and juice, is it worth purchasing the drink package?

5. Can the bed in the room be separated into two twins?

 

Thank you

[Kerry's Girls]

I'll answer what I can:

1 - There is no expectation to tip on top of the gratuities you paid at booking.  Some people will give a little extra to their room steward at the end of the trip and I've given a particularly wonderful waiter something extra at the end of the cruise, but there is no daily, on the spot tipping.

2 - There will be set times for breakfast in the Dining Room and the Buffet listed on your daily schedule. You just show up any time within that window.  Many ships don't offer lunch in the dining room except on sea days and those times will also be listed. 

3 - You have to buy an internet package or you have no access to the internet.  Please make sure your devices are set to airplane mode while on board or you could suffer some horrific charges from your cell carrier.  

4 - Drink packages vary by cruiseline.  Packages usually are set up for alcohol drinkers but you can also find soda packages and only you can decide if it's worth it.  A package may not be economical unless you're having more than a few sodas a day.  You might ask about juice and chocolate milk availability on the cruise board for your specific cruise line, but for a child those would often be "free" if they're offered outside of breakfast.  

5 - You can absolutely have twin beds.  There should be a place to note in your reservation how you want your room set up.  Occasionally certain suites will have a bed that can't be split, but most rooms are versatile. 

 

Have a great time!

[Tina80]

6 minutes ago, Kerry's Girls said:

I'll answer what I can:

1 - There is no expectation to tip on top of the gratuities you paid at booking.  Some people will give a little extra to their room steward at the end of the trip and I've given a particularly wonderful waiter something extra at the end of the cruise, but there is no daily, on the spot tipping.

2 - There will be set times for breakfast in the Dining Room and the Buffet listed on your daily schedule. You just show up any time within that window.  Many ships don't offer lunch in the dining room except on sea days and those times will also be listed. 

3 - You have to buy an internet package or you have no access to the internet.  Please make sure your devices are set to airplane mode while on board or you could suffer some horrific charges from your cell carrier.  

4 - Drink packages vary by cruiseline.  Packages usually are set up for alcohol drinkers but you can also find soda packages and only you can decide if it's worth it.  A package may not be economical unless you're having more than a few sodas a day.  You might ask about juice and chocolate milk availability on the cruise board for your specific cruise line, but for a child those would often be "free" if they're offered outside of breakfast.  

5 - You can absolutely have twin beds.  There should be a place to note in your reservation how you want your room set up.  Occasionally certain suites will have a bed that can't be split, but most rooms are versatile. 

 

Have a great time!

Perfect, thank you so much for your great reply 🙂

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 7/21/2024 at 10:25 PM, Tina80 said:

I just clicked the button and purchased my first cruise!

a lot of answers will depend on which cruise line you purchased your first cruise with.

 

[Tina80]

3 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

a lot of answers will depend on which cruise line you purchased your first cruise with.

 

I purchased Royal Caribbean 9 night Greek isles!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Tina80 said:

I purchased Royal Caribbean 9 night Greek isles!

Very exciting!

 

Please visit this board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/, and you can also find and join your cruise's roll call https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/21-royal-caribbean-roll-calls/.

 

 

[Tina80]

6 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Very exciting!

 

Please visit this board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/, and you can also find and join your cruise's roll call https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/21-royal-caribbean-roll-calls/.

 

 

Thank you! I believe I joined both, so many great members on the forum, you all have been super helpful

[123Explore]

On 7/24/2024 at 11:57 AM, Tina80 said:

I purchased Royal Caribbean 9 night Greek isles!

I'm so excited for you!! I have done a med cruise (not Greek isles) with my (then) 7 year old and it is such an easy and fun way to see a lot. 

 

One tip is to have a short tour day (or even stay on the ship) when you are in a port that is not high priority for you. If you are back on the ship by lunch, the pool/activities are usually much quieter than on sea days, plus it gives you a bit more time to experience the ship. That said, my kid is typically only MORE keen to swim and play after a long day of touring historical sites. If you are aiming to be back on the ship by that 6pm dinner time, your 9yo will have some time each evening for activities. We usually eat in the buffet for dinner to allow more time for kid activities after a long day of (often adult-oriented) sightseeing. 

 

Second, regarding soda/juice/chocolate milk. On Royal, juice is available every meal and usually at various included venues so you can always find somewhere to pop in and grab a 'free' (included) juice. Chocolate milk cartons are available in the buffet at breakfast and you can grab a few to keep in your room fridge to have chocolate milk throughout the day if you want. Soda is not included but you can bring some cans/bottles onto the ship at the start, and you can also buy soda in ports. I would really think about the cost of the soda package and whether you can drink enough every day to justify the cost, considering the port heavy itinerary. 

 

I bet you'll both have a great time!!