European Cruise with kids, anyone done that?

[Cruise Cat]

Some friends of ours are bringing their three kids (14, 5, and 2) on our 12 day med cruise late this summer. The trip will extend into the first week of the school year for the 14 year old. As I understand it, her teacher did not have a problem with her missing that first week at all. She will get such an education with all the history we are going to see. She will have more world history in 1 week than the other kids will in a year! They don't know how the little ones are going to deal with a bunch of ruins and museums, so for a few of the ports, they are doing beach excursions so the kids can dig in the sand and relax.

[Cruise Cat]

BTW, I think it is MSC Cruiselines (Italian Cruiseline) that allows kids to sail for free.

[Travel R]

I know this is an older thread, but some good information posted above.

 

We are considering traveling next July or August for a Mediterranean cruise [considering the Liberty of the Seas (preferred at this time), Norweigien Epic, or Disney Magic] with an 8 year old and a 13 year old (both girls).

 

I have some questions, if anyone can answer, it will be most appreciated.

 

 

1) I was wondering whether there will be many or any kids/teens their age group traveling at this time on these Mediterranean cruises?

 

 

2) This may be a stupid question, but have never been on a European cruise, but: If there are kids, will the other kids speak English?

 

 

3) As an aside, another stupid question, if there are kid & teen programs (activities, events, movies, etc.), will they be in English or one of the languages from from these ports [French, Spanish, Italian]?

 

 

I know that it is not always easy for kids to make friends, and want to make sure that language is not one more obstacle to make this happen. I know that these cruses are port intensive, but there will be times that we will be on the ship and they may not want to spend all their time with dear old mom & dad (especially the 13 year old).

 

Also, anyone have recomendations on any of the three ships we are considering (researched to be "family friendly") - Liberty of the Seas (preferred at this time), Norweigien Epic, or Disney Magic -- or any other suggestions for a family. We want to limit the cruise to 7 days max in order to spend a day or two inland.

[tricialee]

I see I posted on this thread before we did this. My kids had an awesome time. We were on the Legend of the Seas, smaller than the Liberty I think. We were lucky in that we travelled with another family with kids of similar ages, but I can answer your questions based on our experience.

 

1. We travelled the last week of April/first week of May, so there were very few kids. I understand that there are many more in the summer months.

 

2. There was only one pair of siblings that did not speak English, and they were pretty young. About 4 or 5 if I recall. All the other kids spoke English quite well.

 

3. Kids camps were all in English, with some translation for the little ones who didn't speak English (I think they were from Spain).

 

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. My kids had a great trip and would drop everything to go back if I gave the word. In fact, we spent 2 weeks in Italy on a Land only Vacation last summer since they wanted to go back that area and show my parents all the sights.

[lmg1230]

We have done two European cruises with our daughters - the first in the Baltics on the Emerald Princess when they were 12 and 6 and last summer in the Mediterranean on the Celebrity Equinox when they were 14 and 8.

 

Both of our cruises were in August and had plenty of other kids on them. The programs were operated in English but most of the counsellors in the kids' clubs spoke other languages as well. There were quite a few kids from Canada, U.S., Great Britain and Australia, however, there was a mix from many countries. Most of the kids spoke English, but not necessarily as their first language - generally the older the kids the more likely that they will be learning English.

 

Personally, I think that it's a great learning experience to be exposed to kids from other countries and cultures. On our first European cruise when my older daughter was 12, it was the multilingualism of so many of the European kids that she met that made the biggest impact on her. She suddenly realized that learning multiple languages was an important real-life skill and began to apply herself to her French studies much more seriously and decided to take Spanish for a year as well.

 

Your family will have a great time on a Mediterranean cruise - personally I would pick the ship that has the itinerary that you want the most.

 

Lisa

[Onessa]

. . . considering traveling next July or August for a Mediterranean cruise [considering the Liberty of the Seas (preferred at this time), Norweigien Epic, or Disney Magic] with an 8 year old and a 13 year old (both girls).

 

I have some questions, if anyone can answer, it will be most appreciated.

1) I was wondering whether there will be many or any kids/teens their age group traveling at this time on these Mediterranean cruises?

2) This may be a stupid question, but have never been on a European cruise, but: If there are kids, will the other kids speak English?

3) As an aside, another stupid question, if there are kid & teen programs (activities, events, movies, etc.), will they be in English or one of the languages from from these ports [French, Spanish, Italian]?

 

I know that it is not always easy for kids to make friends, and want to make sure that language is not one more obstacle to make this happen. I know that these cruses are port intensive, but there will be times that we will be on the ship and they may not want to spend all their time with dear old mom & dad (especially the 13 year old).

 

Also, anyone have recomendations on any of the three ships we are considering (researched to be "family friendly") - Liberty of the Seas (preferred at this time), Norweigien Epic, or Disney Magic -- or any other suggestions for a family. We want to limit the cruise to 7 days max in order to spend a day or two inland.

1) we've done four Med cruises with our DD over the past few years -- We tend to cruise in fall, and even at that time (with schools in session) there have been a good number of kids and teens.

2) Of the lines you are considering the primarily language is English. Most of the crew and all of the kid's counselors will speak English.

3) Dependent upon the line/ship the on-board TV/entertainment system will either offer a few channels in each of several languages or (on newer ships) a system that will allow you to select the language for movie or TV.

 

Yes these cruises are very port intensive and we've discovered that few kids or teens stay on-board when in port. Most of the kids we've encountered are eager to explore the ports. But the kids clubs and teen activities are well attended on at-sea time.

 

A few things to note - Barcelona, Nice, Messina, Naples, Venice, Dubruvnek, Corfu, Split, Santorini, Mikonos, Istanbul are all very close to the ports. Florence, Rome, Ephasis require a long bus ride from port. Athens is close enough physically to the port but is a HUGE city and it can take a bit to get to the sights -- if you like to just get off the ship and explore vs needing to arrange for a formal tour, keep this in mind. Also there are some great beaches if that is important to you, research your ports. Some ports have great historical stuff or arts so if that is important to you research your ports.

[Travel R]

Thank you everyone who has answered my questions so far, you have given me some great suggestions and things to think about (as I know I would), and will probably be making arangements for a European cruise within the next two weeks.

 

We are leaning towards Liberty of the Seas leaving, which can leave out of Italy with stops also in Spain and France (myself and the DW have travelled throughout Spain and France, so this way we can spend a few days before or after the cruise to soak in some of what Italy has to offer)

 

If anyone else has any other answers/suggestions, please post below.

 

I've been to Portofino's on previous RCI cruises, but on a cruise with 3 Italian ports, does anyone go there to eat on this cruise?

[graceinmelbourne]

We went on a Mediterranean cruise with RCI with our kids when they were 10 and 13. As we went in September there were only 30 kids on board and the majority were fellow Australians as it was our school holiday holiday time. There were a handful of Spanish children on board but they mixed in well with the English speaking kids even if they didn't speak English. The cruise was port intensive so there was only 3 sea days out of 13 so we were very busy most of the time. We did most of the ports on our own with one private tour in Rome. There is no need to do ships tours as it is easy to do say a city like Florence on your own and see the things you want to see instead of following a guide around. You just need to do a little research beforehand so that you have a good idea of what you are doing in each port before you get there. Your kids will have a great time. Ours loved every minute of the cruise and I am sure yours will too. We are 24 hours flight from Europe but it is well worth it but if yours is a long flight have a couple of days to recuperate before you board if you can.

[Travel R]

We went on a Mediterranean cruise with RCI with our kids when they were 10 and 13. As we went in September there were only 30 kids on board and the majority were fellow Australians as it was our school holiday holiday time. There were a handful of Spanish children on board but they mixed in well with the English speaking kids even if they didn't speak English. The cruise was port intensive so there was only 3 sea days out of 13 so we were very busy most of the time. We did most of the ports on our own with one private tour in Rome. There is no need to do ships tours as it is easy to do say a city like Florence on your own and see the things you want to see instead of following a guide around. You just need to do a little research beforehand so that you have a good idea of what you are doing in each port before you get there. Your kids will have a great time. Ours loved every minute of the cruise and I am sure yours will too. We are 24 hours flight from Europe but it is well worth it but if yours is a long flight have a couple of days to recuperate before you board if you can.

 

gracie:

 

Thanks for the reply. We live in the US (Northeast), so the flight is not as long, but there is still some jetlag (and I can never get myself to sleep on an airplane). The more I read, the more I am thinking about planning some of the excusions myself. We have travelled a number of European countries via land on our own, and as you said, with a little reaseach, it should not be hard to plan outings in each of the ports to match the interests of my family. My biggest worry is that if something happens to delay our return to the sip (e.g., we take a cab ride to the outskirts of town and the cab breaks down, etc.), will we miss disembarkment?

 

Unfortunately, American vacations/holiday are not very long, so we have a max of 14 days to fly in/out, cruise, and spend a little time in Italy. So with 7 nights of the cruise, we figure we have 3 days to enjoy Naples/Capri & rest before heading back home -- also giving us a day or two to recoup before heading back to work.

 

Australia is in my bucket list of places to visit.

 

Thanks again.

[Kerry's Girls]

gracie:

 

My biggest worry is that if something happens to delay our return to the sip (e.g., we take a cab ride to the outskirts of town and the cab breaks down, etc.), will we miss disembarkment?

 

 

I was hesitant to use local companies rather than cruise excursions in Europe for a lot of reasons, including this, but once I spent some time on the ports-of-call board for each city, I felt much more confident making my own arrangements. The great part was that not only did we get to choose our own itinerary and drop the deadly shopping stops that the big busses make, we beat the big busses to the most popular sites and it was less expensive for my family to book private than to pay for the ship tours - so we got to be treated like VIPs for less. As long as you choose one of the recommended tour guides on the ports of call boards, you shouldn't have any trouble getting back to the ship on time. Those vendors depend on cruise ship passengers and wouldn't be able to keep their business going if they caused people to miss the ship. You can ask them what their plan is in the case of breakdowns, etc. Usually they have plenty of cars/vans out on the road at the same time that could quickly pick up stranded customers. Also, we always left plenty of time to get back to the ship in case of any trouble. I also brought a cell phone that I could use in Europe in case I needed it.

 

Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[graceinmelbourne]

gracie:

 

Thanks for the reply. We live in the US (Northeast), so the flight is not as long, but there is still some jetlag (and I can never get myself to sleep on an airplane). The more I read, the more I am thinking about planning some of the excusions myself. We have travelled a number of European countries via land on our own, and as you said, with a little reaseach, it should not be hard to plan outings in each of the ports to match the interests of my family. My biggest worry is that if something happens to delay our return to the sip (e.g., we take a cab ride to the outskirts of town and the cab breaks down, etc.), will we miss disembarkment?

 

Unfortunately, American vacations/holiday are not very long, so we have a max of 14 days to fly in/out, cruise, and spend a little time in Italy. So with 7 nights of the cruise, we figure we have 3 days to enjoy Naples/Capri & rest before heading back home -- also giving us a day or two to recoup before heading back to work.

 

Australia is in my bucket list of places to visit.

 

Thanks again.

:)

What ports are you planning to visit? If you are doing Livorno (Florence) I can tell you what to do to get to Florence by train from the port. It is very easy and very cheap. We made sure we got back in plenty of time by taking the 3.30pm train back to Livorno. We ended up having much more time in Florence then those who did the ships tour and we go to see the places we wanted to see. We didn't go to any galleries or museums as they are too time consuming and really what kids are all that interested in art etc? We had been to Europe before a few times so we didn't feel the need to have to go to galleries etc. THe exception to that was Rome as there are so many must see places to go to so we did a private tour in Rome as there is so much to do there and it is not necessarily all in walking distance. We choose the places we wanted to go to and the private guide took us right to the doorstep. It was expensive though but we thought worth it. Having a few days in Naples/Capri before you leave sounds great. Plenty to do there and it is beautiful.

[Travel R]

What ports are you planning to visit? If you are doing Livorno (Florence) I can tell you what to do to get to Florence by train from the port. It is very easy and very cheap. We made sure we got back in plenty of time by taking the 3.30pm train back to Livorno. We ended up having much more time in Florence then those who did the ships tour and we go to see the places we wanted to see. We didn't go to any galleries or museums as they are too time consuming and really what kids are all that interested in art etc? We had been to Europe before a few times so we didn't feel the need to have to go to galleries etc. THe exception to that was Rome as there are so many must see places to go to so we did a private tour in Rome as there is so much to do there and it is not necessarily all in walking distance. We choose the places we wanted to go to and the private guide took us right to the doorstep. It was expensive though but we thought worth it. Having a few days in Naples/Capri before you leave sounds great. Plenty to do there and it is beautiful.

The itinerary is as follows:

Naples - Capri (Italy); Cruising; Barcelona, (Spain); Provence - Toulon (France); Villafranche - Nice (France); Livorno - Florence/Pisa (Italy); Civitavecchia - Rome (Italy); Naples - Capri (Italy)

Note: the cruise leaves from the first three ports mentioned. I was planning to leave from Naples, but have been reading some stories about the crime. However, I am not sure if the "warnings" are from a very few disappointed people, or it is really that unsafe there. I am going to be posting in the Italy ports thread to see if I can find more answers before we book.

I have already reviewed all of the excursions from the ship. Some look good and offer what we would like to see in the particular port and will pay the extra $ for some peace of mind. Some ports we may just go into the town to walk around and just get a flavor of it (probably one of the ports in France).

As for Livorno -- I have already been outvoted by my family, the kids want to go to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and although I will be missing out on the Uffizi (which I am told is extremely crowded during tourist season - and being close to NYC, my kids have been exposed to many. many museums since birth, so I am not concerned that they are "missing out" but spending time in an Italian city is not something we can do on any given weekend), there are still a number of great sites to see in Pisa.

Rome - Not sure what we are going to do for Rome, but your suggestion of a private tour is a good possibility. None of the excursions match up to all of the sites we want to see in Rome. Most of the places we want to visit are in "ancient city" ruins we want to see (by family vote) are in a walkable distance to each other - Coliseum, Forum, and Pantheon. The Trevi fountain is not too far from this area as well. The ancient sites won out over Vatican city (not a religious thing, just a preference for places to see on this trip) - although the Sistine Chapel is on my all-time "must-see" list" and it may be possible, even walking the city or taking a cab between the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel (although worried about factoring in the time for waiting on the lines). One day can only provide a teaser for all that Rome has to offer, and if we do not see the Sistine Chapel this trip, it will be a good reason to come back (although probably taking a land vacation). If you can provide some info on the private tour you booked, please let me know via this thread or PM.

Having travelled a bit, I am also aware of the affect temperature and weather will have on our itinerary. The full walking trip from the Coliseum to the Chapel is 3.2 miles (via Google maps), and my kids can definitely handle it. However, if it is a 90 degree humid day, I will have to force my kids to walk a half a block. Heavy rain will be a bumber regardless of what we do (although light rain is an inconvenience, it has never stopped us from doing what we want to do). I also have to factor in the time we can spend in Rome 5-6 hours (does RCI stay in port 8 am to 7 pm or 7 am to 7 pm?)I will have to have a bunch of backup itineraries ready to go -- so anyone with any alternative ideas please let me know. I will have over a year to figure it out after wee book, so I am not in a rush - right now want to get the initial stuff figured out, like should I leave from Naples so I can book the cruise.

[6rugrats]

ne day can only provide a teaser for all that Rome has to offer, and if we do not see the Sistine Chapel this trip, it will be a good reason to come back (although probably taking a land vacation). If you can provide some info on the private tour you booked, please let me know via this thread or PM.

There is no PM function on this board. I can recommend a private guide we used for a land trip with some of our children to Rome. Her name is Sonia Tavoletta and her email address is soniatav@alice.it.

 

I think we were charged 50€ and hour total. She was very sensitive to the needs of the children, and we were able to arrange a tour seeing what we wanted to see. Email her and see what she can do for you.

[graceinmelbourne]

 

The itinerary is as follows:

 

Naples - Capri (Italy); Cruising; Barcelona, (Spain); Provence - Toulon (France); Villafranche - Nice (France); Livorno - Florence/Pisa (Italy); Civitavecchia - Rome (Italy); Naples - Capri (Italy)

 

Note: the cruise leaves from the first three ports mentioned. I was planning to leave from Naples, but have been reading some stories about the crime. However, I am not sure if the "warnings" are from a very few disappointed people, or it is really that unsafe there. I am going to be posting in the Italy ports thread to see if I can find more answers before we book.

 

I have already reviewed all of the excursions from the ship. Some look good and offer what we would like to see in the particular port and will pay the extra $ for some peace of mind. Some ports we may just go into the town to walk around and just get a flavor of it (probably one of the ports in France).

 

As for Livorno -- I have already been outvoted by my family, the kids want to go to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and although I will be missing out on the Uffizi (which I am told is extremely crowded during tourist season - and being close to NYC, my kids have been exposed to many. many museums since birth, so I am not concerned that they are "missing out" but spending time in an Italian city is not something we can do on any given weekend), there are still a number of great sites to see in Pisa.

 

Rome - Not sure what we are going to do for Rome, but your suggestion of a private tour is a good possibility. None of the excursions match up to all of the sites we want to see in Rome. Most of the places we want to visit are in "ancient city" ruins we want to see (by family vote) are in a walkable distance to each other - Coliseum, Forum, and Pantheon. The Trevi fountain is not too far from this area as well. The ancient sites won out over Vatican city (not a religious thing, just a preference for places to see on this trip) - although the Sistine Chapel is on my all-time "must-see" list" and it may be possible, even walking the city or taking a cab between the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel (although worried about factoring in the time for waiting on the lines). One day can only provide a teaser for all that Rome has to offer, and if we do not see the Sistine Chapel this trip, it will be a good reason to come back (although probably taking a land vacation). If you can provide some info on the private tour you booked, please let me know via this thread or PM.

 

Having travelled a bit, I am also aware of the affect temperature and weather will have on our itinerary. The full walking trip from the Coliseum to the Chapel is 3.2 miles (via Google maps), and my kids can definitely handle it. However, if it is a 90 degree humid day, I will have to force my kids to walk a half a block. Heavy rain will be a bumber regardless of what we do (although light rain is an inconvenience, it has never stopped us from doing what we want to do). I also have to factor in the time we can spend in Rome 5-6 hours (does RCI stay in port 8 am to 7 pm or 7 am to 7 pm?)I will have to have a bunch of backup itineraries ready to go -- so anyone with any alternative ideas please let me know. I will have over a year to figure it out after wee book, so I am not in a rush - right now want to get the initial stuff figured out, like should I leave from Naples so I can book the cruise.

 

In .

 

In Rome we used allrounditaly.net. They were very good but also expensive. I think it cost $600 for the day but as we didn't do any other ships tours or private tours it was fine. It was worth it for Rome as it saved us walking from one sight to another. He would just drive us right to the door. This enabled us to see more without wasting time. We went to the Pantheon (amazing), The Forum, The Colloseum,the Trevi Fountain and The Sistine Chapel (go if you can as it is truly incredible). He also took us to somewhere we could get a good view of Rome and the backstreets on the other side of the river to get a look at the 'real' Rome. We didn't have to wait long to get into the Sistine Chapel as the guide knew when the quiet times were. We also had time for a nice lunch. Keep in mind the driver didn't go into each of the sights with us. He talked to us gave us all the information about each place before we arrived but we went in on our own. He then told us where to meet him when we had finished. The suggestion by Rugrats is also a good one and seems cheaper than what we paid.

 

When you go to Livorno you can do Pisa and Florence in one day. The train passes Pisa on the way to Florence so you can get off and have a look at the leaning tower and then back onto the train and spend a few hours in Florence. If you go to the Italy ports of call boards you can get information about how to do this. I have been to Italy four times and have managed to avoid Pisa. I can understand that the kids want to see it and mine did too but we made the decision to go to Florence as we thought that it is a much more impressive destination. In Florence we just walked around (a great walking town), went to the Duomo, the River area with the Ponte Vecchio, had a lovely lunch, went to the markets and just soaked up the atmosphere of this beautiful city.

 

In Villefrance you can get a bus easily to Nice I think if you want to. We went to Cannes instead but I would have preferred Villefranche. Barcelona is easy to do on your own too as the port is right near the city.

[Travel R]

Thanks to all for your suggestions, they are definitely a help in our decision. Luckily, for the excursions themselves, I still have some time to decide exactly what we want to do, but I should assume, if I want a particular tour guide, I may need to book them earlier than later.

Now we just have to make up our minds on which port to embark from – we want to try to book within the next week or so. I posted on the Italy ports board about staying in Naples. Half the people have me worried about Naples, and the other half have given me some comfort. Sorrento (down the Amalfi Coast) is a "safer" kid-friendly option we are considering, but don't want to sacrifice too much culture while doing so.

Also go psyched this morning when I saw an email from RCI about huge discounts/bonuses on European cruises. Then a letdown after opening it and reading that it was for cruises sailing this summer.

Thanks again everyone for your great help and suggestions. I will be checking back to this thread over the next few days, then every now and then afterwards, so if anyone has any other suggestions, please post.

[MMsteffey]

We cruised Med when the kids were 7 and 10. There will be kids on board (check your roll call to chat in advance), and even if English is not their first language, they will speak some English. Humbling, and now our kids have no argument for dropping their Spanish class. We book our own excursions because:

You get to crowded popular sites first

You don't have to wait for the other (inconsiderate unorganized) late passengers.

You don't have to worry about how your kids may bother the other tour members (real or imagined).

You can change plans within reason on a whim if things are going well (or not so well).

Every independent tour I've ever booked has come from the Port-of-Call board of Cruise Critic.

One idea for Pisa -- we hired a taxi in advance (see above) and went to Pisa in the morning and a beach club in the afternoon.

 

The ship will try to intimidate you about independent tours, I agree with prior comments about pro guides don't want you to miss the boat. Ports in Europe are very close together, so the worst thing that happens is that you have an expensive land adventure and catch up with the ship the next day.

[Travel R]

We cruised Med when the kids were 7 and 10. There will be kids on board (check your roll call to chat in advance), and even if English is not their first language, they will speak some English. Humbling, and now our kids have no argument for dropping their Spanish class. We book our own excursions because:

You get to crowded popular sites first

You don't have to wait for the other (inconsiderate unorganized) late passengers.

You don't have to worry about how your kids may bother the other tour members (real or imagined).

You can change plans within reason on a whim if things are going well (or not so well).

Every independent tour I've ever booked has come from the Port-of-Call board of Cruise Critic.

One idea for Pisa -- we hired a taxi in advance (see above) and went to Pisa in the morning and a beach club in the afternoon.

 

The ship will try to intimidate you about independent tours, I agree with prior comments about pro guides don't want you to miss the boat. Ports in Europe are very close together, so the worst thing that happens is that you have an expensive land adventure and catch up with the ship the next day.

 

Thanks for the info. Yeah, have heard all the talk on-board in previous cruises about the evil independent tours -- but I have taken some myself (on cruises and on our own land vacations), I guess it is just being on a cruise in Europe seems a little intimidating when it comes to missing the ship.

 

The Pisa - beach idea is not a bad idea. My kids, and especially my wife may enjoy that option.

[Travel R]

Another question . . . .

 

Naples vs. Barcelona: If you had a DD13 and DD8, would you rather stay start your cruise and stay a few days extra in Barcelona or Naples (or Sorrento)?

 

Although I think my older DD would enjoy the ancient history in the Naples area, do you a have any preferences or opinions as to these two cities for kids?

 

I know it may depend on the individual kid, but I would like to know what other kids have enjoyed. Also note, being near NYC, my kids have been going to all kids of museums (art, history, etc.) their entire lives, and actualy enjoy going from time to time -- but it will be a hard sell while on vacation.

 

Thanks again!

[graceinmelbourne]

Another question . . . .

 

Naples vs. Barcelona: If you had a DD13 and DD8, would you rather stay start your cruise and stay a few days extra in Barcelona or Naples (or Sorrento)?

 

Although I think my older DD would enjoy the ancient history in the Naples area, do you a have any preferences or opinions as to these two cities for kids?

 

I know it may depend on the individual kid, but I would like to know what other kids have enjoyed. Also note, being near NYC, my kids have been going to all kids of museums (art, history, etc.) their entire lives, and actualy enjoy going from time to time -- but it will be a hard sell while on vacation.

 

Thanks again!

 

It depends on where you are flying in. There are direct international flights to Barcelona but if you go to Naples would you have to fly into Rome first and then get a train to Naples? The kids would probably love Pompeii which is like nothing else in the world. I haven't been to Naples itself and there are mixed reports of the city as it has problems with crime, congestion and just general chaos. We started our cruise in Barcelona. It is not my favourite European city but many people really like it. I had been before but my husband and kids had not and they thought it was okay but compared to other cities and towns we have been to in Europe wasn't as impressive in my opinion. Both Barcelona and Naples have a reputation for pick pockets but we had no problems. Having said that it would probably be an easier city to start in as it is smaller, less chaotic and it is easy to get to the various points of interest in the city. We only stayed one day before the cruise and for us it was enough. From Naples you have Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast (Positano is beautiful) and Capri so I would allow 2-3 days there.

[Twolittleboys]

We just returned from our second Med cruise (first one was last year) on Mariner of the Seas (last year: Brilliance). The boys were 7 and 9 this time. We had a wonderful time!

 

We went both times in May/June and there weren't too many kids aboard. The 6-8 and 9-11 year old groups were combined and there were usually around 20 to 30 children in the kids club at a time. Last year almost everyone spoke English. This year there were quite a number of German kids which was a bit of a problem as few (or almost none) of the councellors spoke German and there was a bit of a discipline problem. My older son ended up having to translate everything for some of the other children which got a bit old after a while. Otherwise they loved the kids clubs.

 

A lot will depend on the individual child. Both of mine are fairly interested in history/sightseeing, used to walking and taking public transportation. We did almost all the ports on our own. This year we visited Rome (pre-cruise), Palermo, Rhodes, Athens, Istanbul, Crete, Ephesus, and Naples. Last year was Barcelona, Villefranche, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Venice, Ravenna and Dubrovnjk.

 

From Villefranche we took the train to Monaco where we looked around and visited the Oceanographic Museum and the Palace. In Livorno we took the ship transfer to Florence, climbed the tower, and visited the Da Vinci museum (very low key and not a must-see but fun for kids). We also took a ship transfer to Rome (would not do again as it was not much different from just taking the train and was expensive) where we visited the colosseum. From Naples we took the train to Pompeii which the boys loved. This year we went to Capri from Pompeii.

 

As far as staying in Barcelona or Naples is concerned it really depends. I would probably prefer Naples because there are several great excursions (Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento) you can go on as well as looking at the city itself. But Barcelona might be easier as far as getting to etc.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Naples is not a city that I personally would stay in. It is a very crowded, rather ugly city.

 

Barcelona is a very interesting city but be mindful of your belongings because I was pickpocketed there. Having said that it is a very interesting city with lots to do and beautiful interesting architecture.

 

Personally of all the ports to sail in and out of- Venice is the best.

[njmomof2]

After looking this thread over, I realized I posted on this in 2008, considering a Med cruise in 2009.

 

Much has happened since then. We did not cruise the Med, as my husband lost his job in April 2009 and remained unemployed, but for a brief few months, for almost 2.5 years. It was a tough time for us, we struggled, I had to clamp down on all expenses, so a Med cruise just was not in the cards.

 

Here we are in June 2012 and now I'm thinking about the Med for my older son's HS graduation...in 2016! He very much wants to go, having a great interest in European history and architecture, which developed since he was 11 and we last considered this type of trip. I have been banking mileage and hope by the time it rolls around, I'll have enough for 1 or maybe 2 tickets.

 

The biggest change is that their father and I are divorcing. Living through the unemployment is bad enough, but when your unemployed partner doesn't think he needs to do anything else to help the family, can't figure out a way to contribute, and complains about all he's doing (while his BMW sits in the driveway daily and you drive an 11 yo car), it takes a tremendous toll on a marriage. And when the chips are down, you either rise up and handle it or you fall. I rose, he fell.

 

So, I'll be travelling with the boys myself (or if I'm very lucky, my mom will be well enough to join us). I always read the reviews, keep an eye out and hope that maybe, just maybe, I can pull a trip like this together earlier than 4 years out.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Janet- I've been a single parent since Dec. 2002. My son and I are so happy that we don't live with his Dad!

 

I do everything for my son and I don't rely on his father- since he let us both down time and again. It's just easier to go it alone. Thankfully- I have a great support system of friends and family and life is good.

 

Save your money for 2016- It will be a great experience for both of you and you will treasure those memories.

 

I feel like I am alive and have a wonderful life with no one pulling me down. Hang in there! Sounds like you are doing just fine.

[Travel R]

Thanks again to everyone for the info.

 

Looks like we are probably going to book the cruie leaving from Barcelona -- taking everything in consideration, the possibility of direct flights or a fairly short layover seems a lot more convenient when traveling with DDs 8 & 13. Once the cruise is booked I will most probably go to the Barcelona/Spain port page and start poking around there.