Barcelona or Alaska with 3 and 11 year olds?

[jrun2008]

I have a two week sabbatical that I need to plan a vacation for!!!:)

 

I was thinking Eastern Mediterranean Barcelona for Spring Break in March 2010 on NCL or RCCL has one to Sao Paulo,Brazil or Alaska 2010 June,July or August?

 

Not sure what would be best with family? My girls love a good kids camp.

 

We have done Carnival and NCL before and had a blast.

 

Any suggestions? What cruise line? What time of year for Alaska? Would the kids get bored on the Barcelona trip it is 12 days. Alaska is only 7.

 

Please help steer me in the right direction for this trip of a lifetime!

 

Thanks in advance!

J

[Kerry's Girls]

I was making the same decision between Alaska and Europe for my twins (who will be 5). I assumed Alaska until: a) I read a fantastic review here from someone who did the Barcelona itinerary on NCL with a toddler and b) figured that prices may never again be so low for a European cruise. Alaska is easier for us to jump on one of the last minute deals that often come up, where it's impossible to do that for Europe, so we've booked Barcelona and will do Alaska another year. We booked the cruise, then used one of the website tools that follows airfares and when an amazing airfare came up one day, we booked the flights as well. The trip is an amazing deal because of the economy.

 

Truth is, I think either would be an amazing adventure for your kids, but if you can do the Europe one, I'd go for it. As for the length of cruise, in January we did a 14 day crossing that was mostly sea days and we still weren't ready to go home, so I wouldn't worry about the length of the cruise - especially with so many adventures you'll be having just about every other day.

 

If you do a search of this board using the word "Barcelona" you'll probably come up with the review I saw. I think that person also had one older and one younger child.

 

Best,

Mia

[jrun2008]

Thanks Mia!

 

I think I will try to get the Barcelona trip done.

 

Have you already gone or are you going to Barcelona soon?

 

Was the 14 day crossing in January your Barcelona trip?

 

Did you like NCL for this type of trip and did the ship have other kids?

 

I am worried that my oldest will not have many kids to hangout with?

 

J

[Onessa]

Eastern Med itineraries tend to be port intensive. And a lot of the "sights" (Florence, Rome, Pompeii) are a decent trek from the ship. There is a lot of really cool history, some nice beaches, and there is the opportunity to visit different countries.

 

AK itineraries tend to similarly port intensive but if anything a bit less so. The "sights" tend to be closer to the ports so bus/train rides to get there are shorter. There are some cool cultural/historical stuff and lots of opps for interesting outdoors stuff (hiking, fishing, wildlife watching, dog sledding).

 

DD was 6 and 8 when we did AK cruises and 9 for a land-based trip there. Has been to the Med at 4, 10, 12, and 13. I found that the ship was less important on our eastern Med cruise than any other cruise we took -- we were up early, out all day, and back late.

 

We did AK in late May / first week of June (both land and sea trips). We had also done AK once other cruise pre-child which was mid-May. We had good fortune with sunny skys and temps from the high 50's to the mid 70's (but my husband claims that I have unusually good "luck" when it comes to vacation weather). Earlier in the season, it seems that everyone is happy to see the tourists and I have been told it is less crowed.

 

Have a great time whatever you plan!

[jrun2008]

Thanks Onessa!

 

Very helpful info about Alaska. It would work best for us to go in the beginning of June. I hope we get your good luck with the weather.

 

If we go in June then my daughter could still do camp in July!

 

Thanks again!

J

[brazilgirl]

We did the 12 day Barcelona to Venice cruise last year-at the time my kids were 4 , 8 and 10 (days away from turning 11).

 

My kids had the time of theis lives. They loved Europe and still talk about it all the time.My now 5 year old loved the Coliseum and the gondolas.

 

If you do the Eastern Med (Turkey /Egypt etc) , there is the issue that the pyramids require quite a long bus ride . The Greek Islands are great for kids. We rented a car on Santorini and went to a volcanic beach and then for ice cream in the village of Oia (with all those blue and white buildings , just like the movies). Oia overlooks a "caldera" , where a volcano erupted thousands of years ago. It is breathtaking. My 4 year old loved the cats.

 

Barcelona has a great aquarium.

 

My kids are really looking forward to our next European cruise (to the Baltics) , which leaves at the end of this month. Europe is a huge hit with them. I am sure your family would have a great time.

 

Kim

[glenbrook]

Based on past experience, I would definitely do Alaska in early June. Europe in March will be tough unless you have more than 12 days. Ports require long drives to reach the cities and this may result in a tired, cranky day for children who will feel very rushed in the middle of a school year. Jet lag is also a factor to consider. Wait until they are a little older and then go in the late spring or fall.

Alaska has interesting activities and history to keep the children interested as well as the adults and it will be a wonderful trip for the whole family.

Whatever you decide I am sure it will be wonderful. Chris

[chipmaster]

I have a two week sabbatical that I need to plan a vacation for!!!:)

 

I was thinking Eastern Mediterranean Barcelona for Spring Break in March 2010 on NCL or RCCL has one to Sao Paulo,Brazil or Alaska 2010 June,July or August?

 

Not sure what would be best with family? My girls love a good kids camp.

 

We have done Carnival and NCL before and had a blast.

 

Any suggestions? What cruise line? What time of year for Alaska? Would the kids get bored on the Barcelona trip it is 12 days. Alaska is only 7.

 

Please help steer me in the right direction for this trip of a lifetime!

 

Thanks in advance!

J

 

Alaska cruise will find yourself with more sea days and time to enjoy what the ship has to offer. If you love scenery, nature with long hours on deck watching wilderness this is for you.

 

Europe: If visiting famous cities with rich history like Rome, Venice, Athens etc. etc is what you want then a European cruise say 12 days 10 ports is a great way to hit a lot of cities without all the hassles of packing and unpacking. The downside is you only have ONE day in each port and every day will be busy. But with just one trip you'll have experienced Europe's greatest cities with your kids!

 

As to which for your kids, your youngest clearly won't appreciate nor remember it much except thru pictures later on. Your older one will likely enjoy both. We did Europe last summer with kids ages 7, 11, and 13. Our 7 year old enjoyed some of the ports, and could really have cared less if we were visiting Rome or Seattle. The older two knew enough between school, vacation prep to really appreciate it.

 

In the end I think your kids will enjoy them both, pick the one YOU want to do ;) If it is just for them exclusively they would likely be just as happy spending a week at the beach and another week at some place with a bunch of amusment parks.

[Kerry's Girls]

Thanks Mia!

 

I think I will try to get the Barcelona trip done.

 

Have you already gone or are you going to Barcelona soon?

 

Was the 14 day crossing in January your Barcelona trip?

 

Did you like NCL for this type of trip and did the ship have other kids?

 

I am worried that my oldest will not have many kids to hangout with?

 

J

 

Our Barcelona cruise will be in January. The 14 cruise was LA - Hawaii and back (and absolutely heavenly). I have not sailed NCL in a decade and it's actually not really my cup of tea for a cruise, except I think for a European cruise, the "freestyle" dining is perfect, and the ship isn't as important as on other cruises (we're not going to want to pack a bunch of formal clothes anyway).

 

I don't think kids need lots of other kids to hang out with - there area always some (I've never been on a cruise without a bunch - including our Pacific crossing that was 14 days during the school year), but someone with a kid closer to your son's age who's done this itinerary can speak to that better.

 

I see that others have mentioned the long rides in ports - it's true, Rome and Cairo are long trips from the port to the city:

 

Rome - we're taking the train to/from the port to Rome, where we'll do the hop-on-hop-off bus (both of which we've done in Chicago and London and my girls love - and still remember even though they were only 3).

 

Cairo - we're doing the 3 hours each way bus ride, which I agree isn't a dream, but we do much longer drives to visit relatives, so it's just as worthwhile to do to go see the pyramids. We are never going to fly into Cairo, so this would be the only way for us to have this adventure. I'm bringing DVD players and Leapsters and, as in the past, we'll forget the long drive and remember the fun.

 

My girls are already excited about this trip and are learning about pyramids, Athens, Turkey, etc. And, of course, mommy can't wait.

 

Again, Alaska is certainly something on my must-do list. I went with my family when I was a girl and it's still one of my fondest travel memories - so either choice is going to be wonderful.

 

Best,

Mia

[Keith1010]

I have to be honest with you. I would not do the Europe cruise yet. Will it be ok for the 11 year old? Yes. But the challenge is the 3 year old. To do the ports justice requires a lot of time off the ship. There is much to see but it will be tough on a 3 year old. Even for adults it can get tiring. You have to get over the jet lag. It will be crowded. There will be few sea days. To me, Alaska would be much easier on the children and if it is easier on the children it will be easier for you. Our children who are now in their 20's came with us on all our vacations. We took them to Europe multiple times and our youngest was 12 for his first trip over there.

 

If you still want to do this think through what you will do in each port before you book the cruise and just be sure that this will work for the entire family.

 

Keith

[SelectSys]

Depends what you are going for and your likelihood of heading back to either location. The med cruise can be quite relaxing if your not trying to hit lots of major tourist sites. We took our kids on a 12 day eastern med trip - I think they were 9 and 11 at the time - and had a great visit. They really enjoyed the sea days as the weather was great and we had plenty of kids on board.

 

As stated, your 3 year old is going to be a bit tougher on any trip due. I don't think we ventured to far from home with them until the youngest got to be 5 and this was to mainly hang out at a resort hotel in HI.

[CeleBrat]

We did the NCL Gem out of Barcelona with an our kids (ages 5 and 7 at the time). We also spent several days pre/post in Barcelona. Had a BLAST!!!! The one drawback for us was the food while on land. Our kids are mac-n-cheese/chicken tender types, and there is no such thing on land in Europe.

 

I wrote a lengthy review if you want to see what we did. Link is in my signature.

 

We also took the NCL Star to Alaska when the kids were 2 and 4. Had a great time there as well. But, definitely had to plan out our excursions since we were mostly exempt from the ship's trip due to the kids young age.

 

I can answer questions about either trip...just ask away!

 

Either way, you'll have fun no matter where you go.

 

Enjoy!

 

CeleBrat

[rebeccalouise]

March is going to be chilly in Europe. This is not going to be good swim weather. If I were doing Europe at this time of year- I'd probably choose a ship that has a heated indoor pool.

 

 

I think it really depends on what you want for your family. If it is a learning experience- do Europe for sure.

 

If you want a more restful cruise then do Alaska.

 

I have done both of the cruises you mentioned and they were both wonderful. Europe will be much more expensive though.

 

As for South America- I wouldn't do South America. My parents came back from there with mixed feelings. None of them would return.

[6rugrats]

Agree - South America would be out. I would not have taken any of my kids on a Med. cruise when they were younger than about eight. Too port intensive, too much walking and they would not have enjoyed going through museums, etc. For my kids, three would have been much too young and when the youngest is whining, no one has a good time.

 

It's going to be very hot and crowded in Europe in June, July and August, so keep that in mind.

[Onessa]

. . . The one drawback for us was the food while on land. Our kids are mac-n-cheese/chicken tender types, and there is no such thing on land in Europe . . . .

Hey there are McD's everywhere :D

[calikak]

Living on the west coast, the flight to Europe is what's stopping us from going there with our son. Just the thought of getting him to sit still for 13 hours gives me an ulcer (he's 2 right now). But if we lived on the east coast and it was 8 hours there vs. 8 hours to Anchorage, then I'd probably pick Europe, with the caveat that you don't think of it as a trip of a life time either way you go. I think with kids, you just have to adjust your travel plans and expect not to pack in as much sight-seeing as you otherwise would. Personally, I appreciate that about having a kid--I am the type to overplan activities and end up coming home from vacations exhausted, and having a kid who needs a nap forces me not to do that. I guess what I'm saying is, don't try to see everything--instead, tell yourself that you'll be back. Treat this as a scouting mission for the next trip there. Then if you don't see everything, you won't be as disappointed. Besides, Europe's great not just for its sights but for its culture.

 

If you're talking about 2010, you might consider a land tour in Alaska. For example, Princess owns a bunch of lodges up there and next year they're sending less ships to Alaska to feed those lodges. I'm pretty sure it's the same situation with RCCL. So, I would expect that it'll be a great year to get an amazing deal on a cruise tour, or to book just a land tour up there. You can fly into Anchorage and take the same train that the cruisers do to get up into Denali and then Fairbanks, whether you book it in conjunction with a cruise or not.

[jrun2008]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice.

 

I am still undecided, but leaning toward Alaska, cruise and land trip.

 

It might be best for the little one!

 

Thanks again,

 

J