Anyone with European cruise experience with toddlers please come in

[Florida_cruisers]

If you have been on ANY European cruise with a toddler please tell us your experience.

• What itinerary did you go on?
  
• How old is your child?
  
• How did you handle the long rides from the port to the cities of interest while keeping your child entertained?
  
• How did you handle the port intensive cruises and site seeing with a young child?
  
• How did your child do on the long flight back to the States?
  
• How well did your child nap while you were site seeing? was (s)he cranky?
  
• Overall, how would you rate the experience? Would you do it again?
  
• Any advice is highly appreciated

DH and I are dying to go on another European cruise, but we are hesitating because we are not sure how well our toddler would do and leaving him is not an option at this time.

[Onessa]

DD was 4 on her first European cruise (not quite a toddler, but since there hasn't been much action on this one, I thought I'd chime in)

 

-What itinerary did you go on? We did an Italian/Greek cruise.

-How old is your child? was 4 then, is now 11

-How did you handle the long rides from the port to the cities of interest while keeping your child entertained? We bought one of the first portable DVD units (a nice chunk of change back in 1999!). I also brought books, finger puppets, small cans of playdough. The playdough worked really well on the tray tables on trains/buses/planes. I'd draw some shapes and she'd try to shape the clay into the shapes.

-How did you handle the port intensive cruises and site seeing with a young child? DD's always been a great traveller! Even at four we used the umbrella stroller. Toys while in line, lots of finger snacks. Each morning I'd bring out a picture list of things to look for (in Venice, for example we had a statue of a winged lion, a pigeon sitting on someone's head, as well as things like an orange baseball cap, and a daisy -- they'd keep her involved in the sight seeing. of course she was more interested in the orange baseball cap than the Ponte Vechio, but hey, you take what you can get!)

-How did your child do on the long flight back to the States? On the way there we did a red-eye so she slept (I of course cannot sleep on a plane and did not!). On the way back were going to do DVDs but a decent movie for a kid was on the plane and she could actually see a screen (what ARE the odds?). That and a nap and dinner kept her occupied. Since airline food is not what it was, be certain to have a good supply of snacks.

-How well did your child nap while you were site seeing? was (s)he cranky? She was great - we'd find her a lunch that she liked, and she'd fall asleep in the stroller -- we'd eat when she slept.

-Overall, how would you rate the experience? Would you do it again? We did - we've cruised/vacationed with our daughter all over the world.

-Any advice is highly appreciated Good stroller, lots of snacks, variety of smallish toys. Tailor your activities around your child's temperment and schedule. Scale your expectations to those which you and your child will both enjoy!

[loobylouuk]

Hi i cruised Princess and took a 3.5 and 5 year old.

We went from Southampton UK, we are English,so have no experience of long haul flight. However i can tell you the child things we did on our cruise for you to get an insight, if you wish to know more about anything then please ask.

 

ports visited were:

 

Vigo we got a boat trip from the port,across the bay and went to 3 swing parks on the way to the beach where we spent the rest of the day.

 

Lisbon Did guided bus tour,Kids were bored though! but Lisbon town squares are packed with life size plastic bulls/cows all very brightly painted they seemed to love this!

 

Barcelona Got taxi to the aquaqrium right by the port, good for a couple of hours.

 

Cannes went on beach, did noddy land train.... was ok

 

Citticivecchia(ROME) left kids on board and did 4 hr old people tour!! was better than not seeing anything!! however after a little reasearch there is an aqua park near the port called Aquafelix which might be ok.

 

Corsica Beautiful place for a beach day however with hindsight would of rented a car from the pier and explored abit.

 

Gibralta great for kids with its tunnels caves and monkeys(beware they pinch anything!)and great for duty free shopping

 

We managed to also include lots of adult things which i haven't bothered to mention.My kids loved this cruise(2006).

We are doing it again next year on Venturer the new PO ship.

Who are you thinking of going with and from which port?

How old is your child?

Lou

[Florida_cruisers]

Who are you thinking of going with and from which port?

How old is your child?

Lou

 

If we decide to go it will be next year after our little boy turns 2. I would like to do the Greek Isles/Turkey and Egypt cruise on RCCL from Rome, Italy.

[loobylouuk]

If we decide to go it will be next year after our little boy turns 2. I would like to do the Greek Isles/Turkey and Egypt cruise on RCCL from Rome, Italy.

 

 

Hi,cant help much with Greece but i have cruised over to Egypt from Cyprus on a mini cruise and also cruised the Nile ....you are very brave taking your son to Egypt.

It is the most interesting place i have EVER been and some day i would love to take my kids but it is a dangerous place to visit.

Port Said, if that is your port, is approx 4hr police escorted drive to the Pyramids(they never tell you that!!)

Good luck if you decide on this one......Just have your wits about you.

Lou

[Bababooey Land]

Egypt is a GREAT trip. We were in cairo a few years back...INCREDIBLE. I have been to several countries and that was by far my favorite. I think if you take the proper precautions youll be fine. The Egyptians were very friendly towards Americans (this was pre Iraqi war) i know people that have taken their 18 month old to Italy, Israel..and it all worked out fine. (not on a cruise). i wouldnt see why Egypt would be any different.

 

Larry

[Florida_cruisers]

Hi,cant help much with Greece but i have cruised over to Egypt from Cyprus on a mini cruise and also cruised the Nile ....you are very brave taking your son to Egypt.

It is the most interesting place i have EVER been and some day i would love to take my kids but it is a dangerous place to visit.

Port Said, if that is your port, is approx 4hr police escorted drive to the Pyramids(they never tell you that!!)

Good luck if you decide on this one......Just have your wits about you.

Lou

 

Okay, I am definetely scared now. I am thinking that maybe this trip is NOT such a great idea to do right now.....

[loobylouuk]

Okay, I am definetely scared now. I am thinking that maybe this trip is NOT such a great idea to do right now.....

 

 

Am really sorry it was not my intention to put you off.:(

As mentioned by Larry the Egyptians on the whole are very nice and friendly and for me it is the best holiday i have ever had.

 

I feel awful now that you are having second thoughts, i am sorry.

You could always contact the American Embassy and see how safe things are there at the moment. Likewise you could post on the port board i'm sure there are many people that have made the trip.

 

feeling terrible

Lou

[Bababooey Land]

I think you have to be comfortable with the situation Florida. I know in Luxor there are guards all over with machine guns. The tour bus you take will have an armed guard on board (which you need). You cannot venture off on your own. On the whole however...i feel its a relatively safe trip. i have not heard of any violence against tourists there in years. But again, you and your wife have to be comfortable with the situation and should know about it.

 

dont feel bad Lou..i dont think you said anything that Florida shouldnt know about. better to know things upfront.

 

Larry

[loobylouuk]

dont feel bad Lou..i dont think you said anything that Florida shouldnt know about. better to know things upfront.

 

Larry

 

 

 

Thanks Larry for your support.

Lou

[DCPIV]

• What itinerary did you go on?

We were on the 12-night Mediterranean itinerary out of Barcelona on the Brilliance (Barcelona, Nice/Villefranche, Livorno, Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Civitaveccia).

• How old is your child?

We were with our two boys. One had just turned two about a month earlier, and the other was 4 1/2.

• How did you handle the long rides from the port to the cities of interest while keeping your child entertained?

They actually slept quite a bit on the buses. When they weren't asleep, we had reading books, coloring books, and little games (not electronic) for them to play with on the bus. It went fairly well, actually.

• How did you handle the port intensive cruises and site seeing with a young child?

The ports weren't a problem, but we planned our excursions with the children in mind. We did things that we thought we all would enjoy. Fast paced, pure sightseeing was out (which my wife and I don't enjoy, anyhow). We also talked (and read) a lot about the places we would go and things we would see beforehand. That way we could tell them about what we saw, and they were interested. We also didn't have to depend on a tour guide to tell us what we saw, so we could move to the back of the group if we needed. It actually enriched our experience so much that we do that sort of thing for all our vacations.

 

In Villefranche, we just wandered around the port (our older son stayed on the ship). We also planned our own time in Florence (visited the Academy, Medici Chapels, and Santa Croce; walked through much of the old city; allowed plenty of time for lunch and some gelato; and let the kids chase pigeons in the Piazza Santa Croce). Tours that didn't sound too fast-paced were the way to go, and the kids loved Pompeii.

• How did your child do on the long flight back to the States?

We were all pretty tired by then. They slept, for the most part. We also watched movies and things. It worked out fine.

• How well did your child nap while you were site seeing? was (s)he cranky?

They slept well on the buses when tired. When they weren't tired, they played or just looked out the window. We talked about all sorts of other things, too, including their stuffed animals, how to say different numbers in Italian, and whatever else crossed their minds. :)

• Overall, how would you rate the experience? Would you do it again?

It was one of the most fun times I've ever had. I would do it again in an instant.

• Any advice is highly appreciated

Just plan with your child in mind. You have to be flexible, so allow yourself that flexibility. Bus tours with a tour guide droning on probably will not fly. Kids like to squirm and run and play, so give them the room to do so. Accept that you will not be able to do and see everything you want, so pick some things you can focus on and do them well. Relax, and enjoy this time with your toddler. It only happens once. It's a real treasure, so treat it that way. :)

 

 

D

[DCPIV]

If we decide to go it will be next year after our little boy turns 2. I would like to do the Greek Isles/Turkey and Egypt cruise on RCCL from Rome, Italy.

 

Now that I've ready the rest of the posts, I don't know how much I can advise. The Spanish, French, and Italians just loved our boys, and that was fun. In Corfu, we just took the day off and went to beach (which was very, very nice and relaxing).

 

 

D

[kitty9]

Try and go either in May or in October when the crowds are less and the temperatures and humidity are less oppressive. Those 2 hour bus rides to the cities from the port can get very hot and uncomfortable since their air conditioned buses aren't what we're used to in the US. You can't count on bathroom stops and the bus toilets aren't reliable. Also, the tours to places like Rome and Florence, if you take the ship's tours, generally run 10 to 12 hours and I'm not sure a toddler can handle that---heck, the teens on our tour bus didn't like touring at all, you should have heard the complaining. I cannot tell you how oppressively hot and humid Europe gets in late June through September and I know toddlers aren't the best in such weather.

 

As for Egypt, recently, in the past two years, it has become a scarey place. Our tours had military jeep escorts both in front and back of the tour bus and heavily armed guards on the buses. Lots of military protection for all our Egyptian tours, so this is really not a place I would take a young child.

[potterjunk]

I am going on a 14 night Mediterranean cruise with my 2 year old. Will I need a carseat if I go on any excursions? I don't want to bring my car seat if I will not be needing it. Thank you!!

[rebeccalouise]

I didn't cruise to Europe with a two year old but did do a land tour. It was fun. We went to Switzerland, Venice and London. No one got sick and we all (group of 10 family members) had a great time. I was reluctant to go but it all turned out to be fun. Of course I did have many helping hands.

 

As for the Transatlantic. If you take a night flight they sleep fine. On the way home we did Air France and they had great little TV screens in front of each seat. My son really enjoyed the movies, games, music, etc. This kept him entertained for 9 hours.

[DCPIV]

Potterjunk, when we took our two year old on a Mediterranean cruise, we did not take a car seat. Everything worked just fine. He was comfortable on the plane and the tour busses. We only took a taxi once, for a short ride in Florence, and that also went well.

 

 

D

[Bababooey Land]

I am going on a 14 night Mediterranean cruise with my 2 year old. Will I need a carseat if I go on any excursions? I don't want to bring my car seat if I will not be needing it. Thank you!!

we are going on a 12 night med cruise next month with a 19 month old. We are bringing a car seat. We are hiring private drivers in most of the ports. expensive, but i think its worth it. and the only way to go safely with a car seat. i would assume most if not all of the buses will not allow a car seat to be installed. me personally, i am not sure how safe it is for a 2 year old to be on a bus ride, not in a car seat, for a long ride. but that is my personal preference. if you dont plan on hiring private drivers, then i dont think you need a car seat, as you wont be able to use it anyways. good luck on your trip! I am going to report back when we get back in early June.