Has anyone done Baltic/Northern Europe with a preschooler?

[sbhdmh]

We are getting ready to sail on MSC Lirica to the Baltic with our 4 year old. Even though it's not a common route for kids this age I thought that with their Kids Sail Free promotion there would be a number of children on board. I am not getting a whole lot of feedback at either the MSC board or the Northern Europe board, though. Has anyone sailed this route with a preschool age child? Any tips? We are stopping in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Bremerhaven (Germany), Goteborg (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia) and St Petersburg (Russia). Also starting and ending in London.

 

Thanks.

[CeleBrat]

Ohhh...jealous of your cruise. Would love to go to the Baltics!

 

You might try posting the same question over on the Europe ports-of-call board here on this forum. When researching our MED cruise last year, I know I read some info from other with kids who had traveled Europe and were posting there info there.

 

I can share that we DID sail MSC earlier this year, on a Caribbean cruise. Their ships are very elegant. Since the Lirica will be in Europe, expect most of the kids in the club to not speak English. Will that work?

 

CeleBrat

[epixx]

We did Baltic cruise, but kids were school age, not preschool. My only advice is plan for lots of time at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Both you and your kid will love it.

[rebeccalouise]

I am doing Scandanavia in August and have done alot of reading. I think this will be a great cruise for a pre-schooler- lots of easily walkable ports.

 

You will have a wonderful time- don't worry.:)

[CLARE7678]

hi im taking my 2 boys 3 and 5 on a baltic cruise this august, bit apprehensive about the area as we have done med and caribbean before where there is usually more children. I share your concerns!

[lmg1230]

We are cruising the Baltic Region in August with our two daughters - the youngest just turned 6 two days ago. We are sailing out of Copenhagen (where we are spending a few days beforehand and a day after the cruise) and our ports of call are Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersberg, Tallinn, Gdansk and Oslo. We have arranged a 2 day private tour for our family in St. Petersberg so that we can move at our speed, see what we want to see and move on if the kids are bored. For Gdansk we are taking a ship's tour because we are concerned about the distance from Gdynia where the ship docks into Gdansk - don't want to risk getting left behind. The other ports we are planning to explore on our own. We will be returning on August 15th - if you are not leaving before then I can let you know what our experience was.

Lisa

[cruisincarly]

I don't know about Göteborg/Gothenburg, but Stockholm is a *very* kid-friendly city. Skansen in Stockholm would be great for pre-schoolers (in case anyone else is considering an itinerary that includes it).

 

Another tip about Stockholm: if you're pushing a kid in a stroller, you can ride the city busses for free. Just get on the bus using the doors in the middle (roll the stroller right on) -- this isn't "scamming" or anything, you really don't have to pay a thing (not for your fare or the kid's). Riding with an empty stroller does not get you that privilege, sorry! :-) The subway (T-bana) you still have to pay for, but it is mostly stroller accessible.

[sbhdmh]

Thanks for the input everyone. Glad to know I'm not the only one trying this. I'm hoping there will be other kids close to her age on the ship - if they speak English all the better.

 

I think we'll be doing boat trips in some of the ports. Maybe we'll go on a hunt for different dessert or candy specialties in each country. She's also in that "I'm a princess" phase so castles might be fun. Copenhagen is at the end of the cruise but I am sure she will indeed love Tivoli. Whatever happens this will certainly be an interesting experience!

[rebeccalouise]

We are cruising the Baltic Region in August with our two daughters - the youngest just turned 6 two days ago. We are sailing out of Copenhagen (where we are spending a few days beforehand and a day after the cruise) and our ports of call are Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersberg, Tallinn, Gdansk and Oslo. We have arranged a 2 day private tour for our family in St. Petersberg so that we can move at our speed, see what we want to see and move on if the kids are bored. For Gdansk we are taking a ship's tour because we are concerned about the distance from Gdynia where the ship docks into Gdansk - don't want to risk getting left behind. The other ports we are planning to explore on our own. We will be returning on August 15th - if you are not leaving before then I can let you know what our experience was.

Lisa

 

Hi Lisa- We are probably on the same sailing- are you doing the August 14th sailing on the Emerald? My son Marc, age 8 will be with me. Hope to meet you in the kids club onboard!

[brazilgirl]

I am posting a review of my Baltic cruise with my 3 kids-just got back Tuesday.Really great!

 

You can read it at http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1024750

 

Great place for kids .You can see photos at http://www.picasaweb.google.com.br/brazilgirl1987

-I haven´t finished posting them all but am almost there.

 

Have fun!

Kim

[sbhdmh]

Thanks Brazilgirl. Did you bring a carseat for your 5 year old? The car company driving us from London to Dover will provide one and only one guide for St Petersburg mentioned it and then removed it when I told her my daughter was big for her age (43 inches and 48 pounds.) We may take a few taxis but I am counting on mostly walking and busses in the other ports. DH is heading over early so I am taking all the luggage along with my 73 year old mother and my 4 year old. If I can avoid adding the carseat I would prefer not to bring it.

 

Also. I had thought she would be too young for Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam. (She is extremely empathetic - if she gets upset it will stay with her for months and months.) How did you explain it to your 5 year old?

 

One last thing - did your kids find any special not-to-be-missed treat in any on the ports? I want to put together a treasure hunt of sorts so she can understand that she will be in a different country each day. The special dessert or treat can be the treasure. Any ideas?

[brazilgirl]

No , I didn´t bring a carseat ...maybe a risk , but logistically , it would have been almost impossible.

 

The Anne Frank house was intense-if I had just been with my 5 yr old , I probably would have skipped it. I decided to go because both of my older kids had read so much about Anne Frank and I thought it was an important opportunity to give them perspective on the Holocaust . Nicholas (our 5 yr old) has mentioned her (Anne ) several times since the visit. We explained there was a war going on and the family had to hide from the bad men and be very quiet. It is hard for even us adults to fathom , isn´t it? But I also believe that even young children go through unthinkable horrors daily all over the world and , even though we want to , we can´t shield our kids totally. This was the only heavy moment on the trip , all the rest was light and joyful to balance it out.There is nothing grafic at the Museum.

 

I let my kids select a small souvenir in every country (I gave them a $ limit). They really enjoyed choosing something special in each port. Nicholas brought home several ships , a lighthouse , some tin soldiers , a British bear and nesting dolls. He enjoyed playing with all these things throughout the cruise and now has everything on display in his room.

 

Nicholas went on a Med cruise last year (at 4 ) and really enjoyed himself. The Baltics are even easier with kids in many aspects-cooler weather (but nice!) and the ports are closer. Everything is very clean and well organized. There is a plethora of kid friendly things to do in each port.

 

Check back to my review every once and again to see comments on the other ports , as it is a work in progress.

 

Have fun!I´d be happy to answer any other questions.

Kim

[rebeccalouise]

Your pictures are fantastic. I haven't seen them all yet but am loving them.

 

You here are my questions....

 

Denmark- must do's... Tivoli and what other place?

Stockholm you've covered- thanks, wonderful tips.

St. Petersburg- what did the kids like best?

[brazilgirl]

Ahhhh...Denmark-this was my favorite country. We had 2 days. The first day we rented a car.We drove up the coast (breathtaking) and went to Hamlet´s (Kronborg) castle. We visited the casemates , which was really cool. We had a picnic.

 

Then we drove through the countryside to Fredricksborg Castle (in Hillerod). This was the highlight of our whole trip. Words can´t describe it!

 

At night we visited Tivoli....next day hubby and I walked all over the city sans kids. They were pooped.

Roskilde is a place I´d like to have visited or the deer park. Next time!

 

St. Petersburg-just added to my review if you´d like details of our 2 days.

The kids loved Russia!!They loved Peterhof and Yuspov´s Palace most. Our guide made a world of difference.

 

Hope this helps!

Kim

[rebeccalouise]

thanks Kim.

 

We arrive in Copenhagen two days prior to our cruise. We get in at 2PM (so like 3 o'clock to the hotel). I have heard that Tivoli is lovely at night- so we will go there the first day and into the evening. The second day- it sounds like the ride to Fredricksborg Castle is probably a good option for us. Thanks- I will figure out how to do that. I am not brave enough to rent a car. So perhaps there is a tour we can do that will take us there.

[lmg1230]

Hi Rebecca Louise,

We're actually on the Aug 4th sailing so we'll be getting off as you are about to get on! We are all looking forward to this trip - it's less than two weeks now until we fly to Copenhagen!

Lisa

[rebeccalouise]

Have a great time and sorry I won't get to meet you.

[drivinontheleft]

Yes, we took our 2 daughters on a Baltic cruise in '07- they were 3 and 5 at the time. We (and they) loved it!!! You've already gotten quite a lot of great responses so I'll just add my $0.02. Almost everywhere we went the locals loved our children- St. Petersburg especially. We don't expect our girls to be "little adults", but we do expect them to behave nicely. I think you should have a good combination of adult vs kid activities to balance things out. Tatiana w/ Red October tours in St. Petersburg was AMAZING w/ my kids. She made them feel like they were her official helpers and we got to see/do many things that I doubt others got to experience only because we had the children w/ us (a private concert, going behind some of the ropes, etc).

In Tallin, I'd highly recommend eating at Old Hansa- it was such a neat experience, and I don't think they charged at all for the kids. Stockholm is a wonderful city- my kids liked the Vassa (think that's what it was named). They also loved the markets in Helsinki- especially all the reindeer stuff. Honestly, we were disappointed by Tivoli Gardens, and my girls thought our tour of Berlin was boring. Overall, don't let the ages of your children prevent you from having a wonderful vacation.

[Gabriele73]

Any tips?

Bremerhaven (Germany),

 

Some tips for Bremerhaven/Germany with kids:

 

http://www.bremerhaven-touristik.de/bremerhaven-touristik/index_eng.html

 

I think the "Zoo at the sea" is great with kids.

[rebeccalouise]

Yes, we took our 2 daughters on a Baltic cruise in '07- they were 3 and 5 at the time. We (and they) loved it!!! You've already gotten quite a lot of great responses so I'll just add my $0.02. Almost everywhere we went the locals loved our children- St. Petersburg especially. We don't expect our girls to be "little adults", but we do expect them to behave nicely. I think you should have a good combination of adult vs kid activities to balance things out. Tatiana w/ Red October tours in St. Petersburg was AMAZING w/ my kids. She made them feel like they were her official helpers and we got to see/do many things that I doubt others got to experience only because we had the children w/ us (a private concert, going behind some of the ropes, etc).

In Tallin, I'd highly recommend eating at Old Hansa- it was such a neat experience, and I don't think they charged at all for the kids. Stockholm is a wonderful city- my kids liked the Vassa (think that's what it was named). They also loved the markets in Helsinki- especially all the reindeer stuff. Honestly, we were disappointed by Tivoli Gardens, and my girls thought our tour of Berlin was boring. Overall, don't let the ages of your children prevent you from having a wonderful vacation.

 

Why were they bored with the Tivoli Gardens? We will be there on the 12th. I have heard this is great- no?

[drivinontheleft]

My kids weren't bored by Tivoli Gardens, I was disappointed though. I knew not to expect Disney, but imho, it was overpriced and a little dull. It probably depends on your kids, though. One of the problems we had is my 3 yo was too small (height) to ride a lot of the rides. I also didn't like that I had to pay an entrance fee and then an additional fee to ride each ride. (I do think there was some kind of "all-inclusive" ticket, but as I said earlier dd didn't meet the height requirement for at least 50% of the rides and it's silly to pay for something you aren't going to be able to use). I think we did maybe 3-4 rides: roller coaster, car, and a small-world-scenery type thing. My girls actually spent the most time in the park area. So I was a little dismayed to have paid money for them to slide and swing.

 

We all enjoyed Skansen in Stockholm much much more.

[rebeccalouise]

I didn't get the impression that Tivoli was an amusement park. I got the impression that it was a park with restaurants and exhibits with some ride there. I also understand that it is lovely at night.

 

I am going to bill it as like "Central Park" to my son and this way when he sees the rides he will be thrilled. I won't say we are going to an amusement park because then perhaps he will be disappointed. I probably will by the all-inclusive tickets though because he is over 56" tall.

 

Thanks for the information.

[Florida_cruisers]

we did the Baltics - England, Germany, Norway, Denmark, France, Ireland and Belgium with our son who at the time was 1.5 years old. It was great, he slept in the stroller during his afternoon nap and on sea days participated in the kids-parent program. I would do it again with him in a heart beat.

[brazilgirl]

Rebeccalouise-

 

My kids loved Tivoli...it is much smaller than traditional American amusement parks , but I found it to be so charming and beautiful.

 

My eldest (who is 12 ) loved all of the "scary' rides and the fact that the lines are much shorter than , say , Disneyland.

 

My 9 year had a wonderful time too.

 

My 5 yr old had the same issue as the previous poster-he was too short for a lot of the rides and could only ride accompanied by a paying adult ( I hadn´t purchased a ride bracelet for myself as I wasn´t aware this would be a problem). He ended up going on the same 4 rides over and over , which left him quite happy in any case.

 

Tivoli is expensive. But it is special IMHO , I love the Asian theme , the flowers and the lights.

 

Changing the subject-

 

Rebeccalouise , I am considering Alaska for next cruise. Any thoughts?

 

Kim

[lmg1230]

We're leaving Friday for Copenhagen and are all looking forward to visiting Tivoli. I've told the kids that it's not like Disney that it's more like a small amusement park that we have visited in Prince Edward Island so they aren't expecting much in terms of number of rides. I think they'll enjoy it no matter what.

 

Kim, We cruised to Alaska two years ago and had a great time - I think your family will love it!

 

Lisa