I think I might prefer land trips over cruising

[MonaMN]

The other consideration for some people like us is food allergies. If we do a cruise, we can get safe food on the ship a couple times a day without having to worry about language issues... so for that reason, a European cruise is attractive for our family.

 

[FSU Girl]

The other consideration for some people like us is food allergies. If we do a cruise, we can get safe food on the ship a couple times a day without having to worry about language issues... so for that reason, a European cruise is attractive for our family.

I know where I went everyone spoke English, but I was really surprised how many times we were asked if we had any allergies and there was always a vegetarian option. We don’t have any allergies so it’s not something we think about, but it made me feel like we were at Disney when we are always asked that in the beginning of a meal. I could see this being more tricky when it’s in a foreign language.

 

[Karin1984]

We originally had a DCL Med cruise booked for this week, but instead we opted for a 2.5 week exploration of Paris, Barcelona & Amsterdam

Shout out to you for also exploring beyond London and Paris when coming to Europe!

Even when Amsterdam is overflowing with tourists (And we have a committee in NL to get the tourists out of the capital and spread better across the country), I always get happy when I see people who realize that Europe is more than just those two cities

 

[Lisa F]

Enjoy pre-kid vacations is all I can say; life was sooo much simpler then, and vacays so much easier. DH really wants to do the Mediterranean with our three little ones, but on land for us that would mean:
1) large car rental with car seats for three kids, that is super impractical to drive and park on narrow European streets;
2) two hotel rooms because finding rooms for 5 there is nearly impossible, and since our kids are to small to be on their own, that means DH and I have to split up into different rooms;
3) picky eaters making a scene at every bistro.

Totally agree with you conceptually though--Europe is so immersive; it is lovely to spend time there on land, where you can see the place more in depth than a cruise permits. But the cruise convenience of having a combined hotel/restaurant/transporation taken care of in a one-stop-shop is pretty convenient!

I'm a single mom who travels with her son and am thinking of a mediterreanean cruise for my son's 13th birthday (probably not Disney though too expensive) for all of those reasons. I have spent a fair amount of time in Europe myself but sleeping in the same bed every night has some appeal.

 

[FSU Girl]

I'm a single mom who travels with her son and am thinking of a mediterreanean cruise for my son's 13th birthday (probably not Disney though too expensive) for all of those reasons. I have spent a fair amount of time in Europe myself but sleeping in the same bed every night has some appeal.

We didn't change hotels much. We had a full week at the same hotel in Scotland and then the same in England. It was why I booked a bunch of one day tours where we could have a home base instead of moving around a lot. Just know for the Mediterranean the ports are about an hour or two from the city so there will be a lot of bus traveling.

 

[suedon70]

Even when Amsterdam is overflowing with tourist (And we have a committee in NL to get the tourists out of the capital and spread better across the country), I always get happy when I see people who realize that Europe is more than just those two cities

Traveled last March with my daughter to Amsterdam - we absolutely loved it! Can't wait to return. Almost got run over twice by bicyclists but no big deal! lol

 

[pixiedustedme]

Shout out to you for also exploring beyond London and Paris when coming to Europe!

Even when Amsterdam is overflowing with tourist (And we have a committee in NL to get the tourists out of the capital and spread better across the country), I always get happy when I see people who realize that Europe is more than just those two cities

We're in Amsterdam now and it's our favorite city of the three! We have had extraordinary experiences in each one, but in Amsterdam we've felt the most at home.

 

[Karin1984]

We're in Amsterdam now and it's our favorite city of the three! We have had extraordinary experiences in each one, but in Amsterdam we feel quite at home.

That is great to hear! I hope you have a marvellous time, Amsterdam has such a different history than other European cities. Definitely worth visiting.

I hope the weather clears up a bit! But in general you have chosen a good time of year!

Enjoy!

 

[pixiedustedme]

That is great to hear! I hope you have a marvellous time, Amsterdam has such a different history than other European cities. Definitely worth visiting.

I hope the weather clears up a bit! But in general you have chosen a good time of year!

Enjoy!

It's clear enough for us. It's really only rained at night & early morning when we're not outside. Got a bit of a sunburn walking through town yesterday, and went to Zaanse Schans today, wearing a hat & lots of sunscreen. Blue skies, cool weather & windmills. It was wonderful.

 

[brentm77]

We didn't change hotels much. We had a full week at the same hotel in Scotland and then the same in England. It was why I booked a bunch of one day tours where we could have a home base instead of moving around a lot. Just know for the Mediterranean the ports are about an hour or two from the city so there will be a lot of bus traveling.

That is true for some Mediterranean ports, but not all or even most, depending on the cruise. I have done some of Europe by land. It is fantastic and I highly recommend it. My favorite part was staying a family-run B&B's and getting a chance to really talk with the locals in the morning over breakfast.

But, as others have said, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Yes, you can make your home base one hotel in Europe, but that will also restrict what you can reasonably see too. Otherwise, you are switching hotels every day or two, packing and unpacking. You are also spending significant time traveling. Those two things are time that you aren't seeing sites or relaxing (though the travel between places can be great in itself).

We are scheduled for the Disney Greek cruise in 2020. We will be spending four days in Rome prior to the cruise, then we get to see Sicily (which we would probably never make it to outside of a cruise), Athens, several Greek islands (which would take significant travel time to get to on their own), and the Amalfi coast (which is super high on our bucket list). To see all of those places in 9 days, without the huge time suck it would take to travel between each place, the planning and stress of transfering, packing and unpacking daily, and the risk of travel delays, etc. is a huge plus for us. Yes, we only get a flavor of each place, but that actually suits us well. Although we are in our early 40's, and in pretty good shape, we are still pretty low-energy people when traveling. If we really love a place, then we can revisit on a land trip.

We have also had some serious bad luck with accommodations that look great online, with great reviews, but were pretty nasty in person. To see all these cool places and return to the same room, clothes unpacked, guaranteed to be clean and comfortable, will be really nice for us. I travel with three ladies (wife and two teenage daughters), so just the cosmetic/toiletry unpacking and packing situation alone is great to avoid.

We also get a chance to eat locally for lunches (and even dinner if we want in some places), we are guaranteed one to two meals that we know will be good each day, and it is served by a wait staff that we know and who knows our likes and dislikes. Plus, not haggling with the teenagers about who wants to eat where. I love local food and trying new things, but it is often hit or miss in Europe and finding a place to eat can be a challenge on its own (including finding a place open early enough for dinner to fit our normal routine). We get the best of both worlds this way.

The entertainment as we relax in the evenings will be fun.

Add to that the two sea days for forced rest and relaxation, and cruising the Greek isles this way is a dream come true for us. I don't doubt a land trip in the area would be great too, but we wouldn't see nearly as much in the same period and doing it with two teenagers wouldn't be ideal.

 

[NancyIL]

I will often combine a cruise with time on land. For example, I was on a 2-week land tour in Argentina and Chile, and then my DH and I cruised around the Horn. We have 3 future Transatlantic cruises booked, and 2 of them will be preceded or followed by several weeks in Europe. (We are retired.)

 

[FSU Girl]

That is true for some Mediterranean ports, but not all or even most, depending on the cruise.

That wasn't my experience I felt like I was always on a bus, but maybe we did excursions farther from port at the closer cities.

But, as others have said, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Yes, you can make your home base one hotel in Europe, but that will also restrict what you can reasonably see too. Otherwise, you are switching hotels every day or two, packing and unpacking. You are also spending significant time traveling. Those two things are time that you aren't seeing sites or relaxing (though the travel between places can be great in itself).

We were actually able to see all parts of Scotland while keeping a home base in Edinburgh, I plan to do trips like that when I go to other countries. I wouldn't want to move so often that would be exhausting to me and would make more sense to just do a cruise then if we needed to move that often.

We are scheduled for the Disney Greek cruise in 2020.

Have a great cruise! I've done a Greek Isles cruise as a teenager and it was a really nice way to see Greece. I agree getting to the islands would be much more difficult by land.

We also get a chance to eat locally for lunches (and even dinner if we want in some places), we are guaranteed one to two meals that we know will be good each day, and it is served by a wait staff that we know and who knows our likes and dislikes. Plus, not haggling with the teenagers about who wants to eat where. I love local food and trying new things, but it is often hit or miss in Europe and finding a place to eat can be a challenge on its own (including finding a place open early enough for dinner to fit our normal routine). We get the best of both worlds this way.

For me, I hate cruise food. I can't find anything I like and find it all bland and or just plane bad. Especially on Disney I've found really nothing I like outside of appetizers at Dinner. I've had really great food in Europe, I think a lot of the food they use is better than what is found in America. In big cities it isn't too hard to find a restaurant open early, but in small towns it can definitely be a challenge. When I was in Italy with my family we were in this tiny little town in the alps and the entire city had shut down for a nap.

The entertainment as we relax in the evenings will be fun.

I think Disney's entertainment is above the ones on other cruises I've been on. Those cruises I rarely enjoyed a show. And I've seen most of the Disney shows now so we would probably skip some in the future. On our trip it was fun going to a local pub and watching Game of Thrones with the locals there. Something no one on a cruise could do. And we went to see real Broadway shows while in London that were amazing. The cruise shows are good, but they are a slight step down from the real thing.

Add to that the two sea days for forced rest and relaxation, and cruising the Greek isles this way is a dream come true for us.

The sea days on the cruise I cancelled was one of the main reasons I actually cancelled. I had only a small amount of time for the trip and didn't want to waste it being stuck at sea. I wanted to be seeing things every day. I really love sea days, but I think I'd only really book a cruise where I don't care about the ports. Like our cruise in January we almost never left the ship and it was fantastic. I don't hate cruises, I still really enjoy doing them. I just think I've realized for myself that I prefer the land trips way more. A cruise trip will be about the cruise and enjoying the ship and my land trips will be able actually seeing places.

 

[FSU Girl]

I will often combine a cruise with time on land. For example, I was on a 2-week land tour in Argentina and Chile, and then my DH and I cruised around the Horn. We have 3 future Transatlantic cruises booked, and 2 of them will be preceded or followed by several weeks in Europe. (We are retired.)

That sounds fantastic! And if I was retired and had unlimited time I would do something similar. But this two week trip was pushing it at work, they did not like I took off so much time. I'm usually taking off a week of work. Maybe a few days more. When I retire I'd like to do that, but that's a very long ways off. My parents who are retired do that, it's possible you've sailed with them they seem like they are always on a ship now lol

 

[kaseyC]

We also often combine a cruise with a land trip. We've done a number European cruises that we've combined with a few weeks on land. Most of our European land vacations have been planned by me. We have a family of 5 and have loved booking short term apartment rentals/AirBnBs and private guides and tours. We are heading to Portugal for 10 days next week. We've also done a few escorted tours with Tauck Bridges and now ABD. Since our girls are older now, land trips are becoming more attractive. Our plans for the rest of 2019 and 2020 include only 2 cruises (Dubai 2/2020 and a 2020 Xmas Med cruise). Everything else is on land.

 

[FSU Girl]

We also often combine a cruise with a land trip. We've done a number European cruises that we've combined with a few weeks on land. Most of our European land vacations have been planned by me. We have a family of 5 and have loved booking short term apartment rentals/AirBnBs and private guides and tours. We are heading to Portugal for 10 days next week. We've also done a few escorted tours with Tauck Bridges and now ABD. Since our girls are older now, land trips are becoming more attractive. Our plans for the rest of 2019 and 2020 include only 2 cruises (Dubai 2/2020 and a 2020 Xmas Med cruise). Everything else is on land.

I wish I got that much vacation time. Have a great time in Portugal!

 

[brentm77]

For me, I hate cruise food. I can't find anything I like and find it all bland and or just plane bad.

I agree with you to some extent. It is pretty bland, but I wouldn't say it is bad on Disney for my tastes. Mostly just boring after a few days. I do laugh when the waiters warn you about how spicey something is, and you don't even get a slight kick from the dish. I am sure the food on average in Europe is far superior. For me, it is probably more of a convenience thing. My daughters and wife are somewhat picky and have different tastes, so finding an agreeable place to eat on vacation can be a job in itself. I have a pretty stressful day job, so the less "work" I have to do on vacation the better.

I can see why you like land more. I probably would have too at one point in my life, and would even prefer it for much of Europe now. But for the Greek Isles, and our first time in Italy, I am really looking forward to the ease of the cruise. We have private tours picking us up right at port for most stops - so no buses, no being herded like cattle - just show up and be taken where we want to go.

 

[FSU Girl]

I agree with you to some extent. It is pretty bland, but I wouldn't say it is bad on Disney for my tastes. Mostly just boring after a few days. I do laugh when the waiters warn you about how spicey something is, and you don't even get a slight kick from the dish. I am sure the food on average in Europe is far superior. For me, it is probably more of a convenience thing. My daughters and wife are somewhat picky and have different tastes, so finding an agreeable place to eat on vacation can be a job in itself. I have a pretty stressful day job, so the less "work" I have to do on vacation the better.

It's not just Disney food, I've never really liked any cruise food. I do like some of their appetizers, but really don't like any of their main courses. And their menus don't seem to change so I've tried everything now. I'm not really a picky eater, but my step kids really really are and it would be a bit of a challenge with we took them to Europe because they wouldn't like much. They don't really have any desire to go there so we don't have to worry about that.

I can see why you like land more. I probably would have too at one point in my life, and would even prefer it for much of Europe now. But for the Greek Isles, and our first time in Italy, I am really looking forward to the ease of the cruise. We have private tours picking us up right at port for most stops - so no buses, no being herded like cattle - just show up and be taken where we want to go.

I think you're going to have a fantastic time. Rome is my favorite city, I spent 5 days there as a teenager before our cruise and just loved everything about it. If you haven't looked into it already, you should pre-book a tour to the Colosseum. They offer tours now that go underneath, but they only do small tour groups and they sell out in advance.

 

[smmco]

Cruising iis just easier with kids. They don’t get bored. You also don’t have to worry about finding hotels rooms with enough beds . Hotels in Europe aren’t designed for families. Excluding DCL it’s also a more economical way to travel abroad. Maybe when the kids are adults we’ll try some land trips.

 

[smmco]

I'm a single mom who travels with her son and am thinking of a mediterreanean cruise for my son's 13th birthday (probably not Disney though too expensive) for all of those reasons. I have spent a fair amount of time in Europe myself but sleeping in the same bed every night has some appeal.

I took one of my sons on a med cruise a couple of years ago I say stick with a cruise. We spent a few days in Barcelona. Just finding a hotel that guaranteed two beds was a challenge. The hotel was also pretty boring for him during our down time.

 

[FSU Girl]

Cruising iis just easier with kids. They don’t get bored. You also don’t have to worry about finding hotels rooms with enough beds . Hotels in Europe aren’t designed for families. Excluding DCL it’s also a more economical way to travel abroad. Maybe when the kids are adults we’ll try some land trips.

When I went as a teenager with my parents and brother we stayed in hotels in Italy and everyone had a sleeping space. The rooms are smaller compared to American hotels, but it's definitely not impossible. All the hotels I stayed at in England and Scotland had options for two queen beds, we just chose the king rooms. I think it depends on the kid if they'd be bored. I loved history from a very young age and always could find ways to entertain myself. I think if I brought my step kids to Europe they'd be bored to tears it doesn't interest them at all they wouldn't even want to do a Disney cruise there.