Europe - with kids, Cruise? or just Tour?

[Alsobrook]

I am surprised that the Disney Cruise I have booked (7 night Mediter) is actually less than a couple of competitors. I'm inclined to stick with Disney if for no other reason than it's a known commodity, it's efficient getting on and off the ship, and the cabins are so family friendly.

That said, while the wife and I have been to Europe a few times, the kids have never been.....Ordinarily, I'd start with London/Paris, but given the price of the cruise, I'm considering having us just do the cruise out of Barcelona (Italy heavy).

I have read reviews and listened to travelers who were happy with the cruise; however, you clearly do not have a great deal of time to explore Europe.

Is a cruise (and specifically the Disney version) a good first look at Europe for say a 10 year old and an 8 year old? Or do you think it's best to fly, take trains, and stay in hotels? I think the cruise may be a somewhat more expensive way to do this, but am curious about what folks here think?

And with respect to time in port, are the Disney excursions worthwhile in terms of being able to see sights, museums, etc... or do you think it better to try to handle these tours on your own?

 

[DisneyOHFan]

We are doing the 7 Day med cruise next year. With our onboard credit, it is cheaper than our Fantasy cruise that we are doing this June.

For us, we find it easier for my son to get a "taste" of Europe doing the cruise. We are spending a few days in Barcelona so he will get a better feel for at least 1 city.

One thing that we found challenging when looking at doing Europe is the hotel situation. Many do not accommodate more than 2-3 people.

I'm sure your kids will have a wonderful experience either way.

 

[kcashner]

I did a "grand tour" of Europe after completing my formal education. One thing that stands out is while I was enjoying a boat ride on the Seine, there was an American family with 2 kids fussing and carrying on that they wanted to stop this tour stuff, go back to the hotel, and play pinball. I felt so sorry for the parents who had spent tons of money to take these kids to France when they could have played pinball at home.....

Fast forward many years. I took my daughter to Amsterdam when she was a freshman. She is now in college, and recently commented that she really didn't appreciate that trip at all--although we did have some great moments.

I don't know what the "right" age is, my my thinking is that the time is after they have studied some of the history, art, etc. of the places they will be visiting.

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

We did the Med cruise last summer with our three kids. I have been several other times on my own (pre-kids) but for their first trip this was so the way to go. It worked better for us b/c the kids were able to swim, play and hang out while traveling between places! They got a great taste of Europe this way. We saw plenty...we had to pick and choose but you have to do that with kids anyway.

Feel free to check out my trip report in my blog. It may give you an idea of doing it with kids.

I am saving all my pennies to take them back next summer for the DCL w/ Greece!

 

[Calfan]

We did the 11-day DCL Med cruise last year with our two kids, DD (then 8 1/2) and DS (then 6 1/2). I thought the cruise was a fabulous way to introduce our kids to Europe. It was the perfect balance of sightseeing/tours and the things they love about the Disney ships. We spent 4 days in Barecelona before the cruise and then flew to Paris and spent 3 days there after the cruise. Even without the land-based before and after portions of the trip, I think the cruise offers enough of a taste of Europe for kids. As an adult, I might have been frustrated by the overview type of touring that the cruise necessitates, but both my husband and I had been to Europe a few times before the cruise, so we thought it was just right for our first Europe trip as a family. We did almost all Disney excursions, with the exception of a private tour to Capri and Pompeii during the Naples stop with friends who were traveling with us. In Civitavecchia, we did Jumping Back into Eternal Rome, and I was impressed with how much we managed to see in a one-day excursion to Rome. To be honest, my kids preferred the half-day excursions to the full-day ones since they enjoy the ship so much, but they held up fine during our full-day excursions in Rome, the full-day private tour in Naples and our full-day tour in La Spezia (Explore Lucca and Pisa). While they also seemed to enjoy the time in Barcelona and Paris, my recommendation is go with the cruise.

 

[226ra]

I am surprised that the Disney Cruise I have booked (7 night Mediter) is actually less than a couple of competitors. I'm inclined to stick with Disney if for no other reason than it's a known commodity, it's efficient getting on and off the ship, and the cabins are so family friendly.

That said, while the wife and I have been to Europe a few times, the kids have never been.....Ordinarily, I'd start with London/Paris, but given the price of the cruise, I'm considering having us just do the cruise out of Barcelona (Italy heavy).

I have read reviews and listened to travelers who were happy with the cruise; however, you clearly do not have a great deal of time to explore Europe.

Is a cruise (and specifically the Disney version) a good first look at Europe for say a 10 year old and an 8 year old? Or do you think it's best to fly, take trains, and stay in hotels? I think the cruise may be a somewhat more expensive way to do this, but am curious about what folks here think?

And with respect to time in port, are the Disney excursions worthwhile in terms of being able to see sights, museums, etc... or do you think it better to try to handle these tours on your own?

Personally, I'd go the hotel route. We've done Disney cruises and have taken the family to Europe on separate-land based vacations. In the case of Italy, the main reason we go there is to see the sights (which you can do from the cruise), but also to have great meals and experience the city/countryside by staying in local hotels (or an apartment, which is cheaper and much more spacious). I'd worry that by being based on the ship, we'd miss out on many of these experiences (how many dinners in the ports would you get to experience from the ship? if you're like me and want to take advantage of what you paid for, probably not many). Just my 2cents.

 

[sue_gowin]

I can't really speak about DCL since I've never cruised with them, but I think a cruise would be a better idea. Think of the logistics: no packing and unpacking everytime you switch hotels...no messing with car rentals and reservations and tours. My parents dragged me to Europe several times when I was around that age, and I remember bring miserable and hot as my parents argued about directions and hotels. The cruise just seems like the seamless, stress-free choice, IMO!!!

 

[GeneMachine]

Cruise, totally.

Organizing planes, trains, hotels, AND things to do while in the area? No thanks!

We took our kids (11 and 7) on the Med last year and it was PERFECT. All our stuff was in one place, we got taken to great ports during the day and slept in the same bed at night. The kids had plenty of time to see the big things, like the Colosseum, and then enjoy some fun with other kids at night after dinner. We weren't on the hook to entertain them constantly, and it was a great way for them to see some things that they'll eventually visit when they are older.

It's much more work and hassle the other way. I am sure you will have a great time no matter what, but the cruise is the easy way out! LOL

 

[ProudMommyof2]

My DH and I have this same discussion so let me throw a wrench in the discussion. Have you considered Adventures by Disney or their competitor Tauk Bridges for a stress free way to have a magical land based European Vacation?

Not cheap, but it looks amazing!

 

[BigDisneyOE]

We are yet to cruise, so I can't comment from a cruise perspective. However I can comment as a past resident of both the UK and Europe... I'd go the personalised tour route every time in Europe. It's so easy to travel and organise places to stay over there. You get to see what you want and you aren't stuck trying to do independant things withing a safe distance from a cruise port or a ship run excursion. You can tailor the trip to meet your needs & pace and the kids are old enough for a road trip if you hire a car.

I went to the UK for the first time at 11 and my sibling was 8 - we loved all the castles, eating in resturants and history. In a couple of years we'll take our kids back to the UK to see family and then onto Turkey (where I used to live) and several other European countries to catch up with friends when we are there. In terms of memory, my brother can recall nearly all of the trip some 32 years later, so 8 was a great age to take us on an independant road trip of the UK. That's just been our experiences, others will be different and our parents were very independant travellers that passed it onto their kids and their grandkids.

 

[NC_Tink]

I am another vote for cruise We took our two boys on DCL Med. cruise in 2010 - ages 12 and 10 at the time. It was amazing! The boys had a great time. We tried to balance out full day excursions with 1/2 day stuff, but they still talk about that trip being the best vacation they've had (and we've been on some pretty good vacation IMHO ) Great thing about being on the cruise was that in a couple of ports the boys did not want to join us for the whole day. So, we would do an excursion in the morning and then have lunch on the ship. Then they would stay and hang out with friends at the clubs while my DH and I would go off the ship to explore some more. They were happy to not be dragged to every church or town square and we were happy too!

 

[3Mickeys]

This is a question we have been working on. I'm starting to think cruising is a great way to introduce kids to Europe for all the reasons mentioned. Not dragging suitcases place to place, being unpacked. Having breakfast and dinner all planned and taken care of. Take day tours that hit the highlights... yes it isn't in depth, but how much can my 9, 11 and 13 year old take in depth??

Right now what is stopping us is the airfare and the cost of doing some land days on the front end. The total cost seems to just snowball when we say "well if we are going all the way there, we might as well visit our friends in London, and if we are going to do that..." We also have a desire to go to a specific port in Turkey that DCL doesn't visit.. that may be the deal breaker for us to take a different line.

I say go for it!

 

[NancyIL]

My 3 kids are all in their 20s now, and I have cruised with each of them - but we've never cruised as a family of 5. However, we went on a 3-week land trip to Europe when the kids were 10, 13, and 16. We spent a week in London, flew to Germany and drove around the country for 10 days, then dropped-off the car in Paris - where we spent our last 4 nights. In June 2010 my 2 daughters and I went on a Princess British Isles cruise, preceded by 3 nights each in Paris and London. Last April my son and I went on a Princess Transatlantic cruise, preceded by 3 days at WDW. Both land trips and cruises have their advantages, but I'm glad we waited until our kids were a bit older before taking them to Europe.

 

[mkmommy]

Depends on your kids. Mine don't sleep well the first night in a hotel so having the same bed every night is a big plus, and also having familiar food is nice.

I took my girls in 2010 when they were 7 and 9, we had a great time and they love looking at all the picture and can't wait to go back. Sure we did not see everything but I knew that going in.

 

[gailg3horses]

I don't have an answer to your question but I wanted to say thanks for the great question. I have the 12 night with greece booked next year and I'm considering adding my then 9 year old nephew to the reservation. Keep the answers coming.

 

[Alsobrook]

My DH and I have this same discussion so let me throw a wrench in the discussion. Have you considered Adventures by Disney or their competitor Tauk Bridges for a stress free way to have a magical land based European Vacation?

Not cheap, but it looks amazing!

Because I view these as far more tour/experience intensive, I won't take kids on one until they are much older. By the time you add airfare for four and the cost of these trips, they are so expensive, in my view, it becomes money not well spent.

But your point is well taken....and I can arrange a land based vacation (I'd probably start in London and end in Paris) for about the cost of the cruise. But there are trade-offs... (lots of good answers so far).

 

[rossjen2]

We are taking the 12-nt w/ Greece cruise next summer along with a few of the previous posters. It will be our first Disney cruise but have been on other lines. Our son will be 4 at the time of the cruise next summer.

Our rationale was as follows - my husband and I aren't getting any younger and our bucket list of places to see isn't getting any shorter.. We really want to go to Europe and our list of places to go when our son is older is growing and growing too. The Med cruise seemed like the perfect combination - we get to sample lots of locations in Europe - which we doubt our son will enjoy -- and then in the evenings and days at sea, hopefully, our son will be in thrilled with all that Disney offers. From what I've read, again haven't sailed with DCL yet, it seems like from the shows, dinning options, programs, etc - all things are geared towards kids (and those who are kids at heart). Our son barely sits through dinners out now - I can only imagine trying to sit through a several hour stuffy dinner on a different cruise line. It seems like on DCL, between the kids clubs, shows, activities, I'm assuming, crew who are great with kids, we can't lose.

For cruising the med with young kids, DCL seems like hands down the best option. I think if we were considering going to the Bahamas or Caribbean, we would pick a cheaper option because the port activities would definitely be geared more towards things a toddler enjoy - beach, water, etc -- pretty sure no toddler is going to be thrilled about seeing the Acropolis and then enjoy spending the evening dressed up savoring exotic foods, and listening to a jazz band... (atleast not my son!). With DCL, we figured after touring the Acropolis, we can go back to the boat and basically everything will be geared towards him.

A cruise seemed like the easiest option - as opposed to touring only on land. We get to sample lots of countries and pick our favorites to plan future adventures to enjoy in more depth. We don't have to repack all the time and figure out where every meal is going to come from and if there is something our son will eat. Although, we are planning to arrive in Barcelona several days early to explore and overcome jetlag....

We considered travelling with alternative cruise lines (we've cruised with RCCL, NCL, and Carnival in the past) - especially when their rates came in significantly cheaper. However, our view was, you only live once and if we really want to take a med cruise next summer, DCL is the best option for us at this time in our lifes.

I hope this helps.
Take Care,
jen

 

[BigDisneyOE]

We also have a desire to go to a specific port in Turkey that DCL doesn't visit.. that may be the deal breaker for us to take a different line.

Which Turkish port are you interested in? Can you tack on a trip via air to that port? If I can be of any help PM me, I used to live in Turkey and may be able to help in some way if it's a city I'm familiar with.

 

[NancyIL]

Which Turkish port are you interested in? Can you tack on a trip via air to that port? If I can be of any help PM me, I used to live in Turkey and may be able to help in some way if it's a city I'm familiar with.

My guess would be Istanbul.

 

[3Mickeys]

Which Turkish port are you interested in? Can you tack on a trip via air to that port? If I can be of any help PM me, I used to live in Turkey and may be able to help in some way if it's a city I'm familiar with.

I too used to live in Turkey on the southern coast and my daughter is named after the town. Since before she was born we have talked about bringing the family there. Of course we could fly in there, but again, if we are cruising, we might as well enjoy a cruise and stop there as a port of call.

My guess would be Istanbul.

You would be wrong
But again, if I'm going all that way with my kids I can't imagine not taking them to Istanbul! See how the price tag keeps going up?