Help me choose please!

Hi I'm a new cruiser and just joined this forum on advice of a friend.

I'm trying to plan a European cruise for the 1st week of July - we are a family of 4 - Single Dad + 3 Kids (8, 6, 6)

The main goal would be to have the best experience for the kids in terms of activities, they enjoy camps/kid clubs and also enjoy swimming/water parks - We may do 1 or 2 family shore excursions, but expect to spend the

I've narrowed it down to the following choices (however am open to others):

- RCI Freedom of the Seas

- RCI Jewel of the Seas

- MSC Meraviglia

- NCL Epic (Can't seem to find space!)

- NCL Gateway (this is the only non-Med cruise and is 9 nights)

I would appreciate any advice!

Hi I'm a new cruiser and just joined this forum on advice of a friend.

 

I'm trying to plan a European cruise for the 1st week of July - we are a family of 4 - Single Dad + 3 Kids (8, 6, 6)

 

The main goal would be to have the best experience for the kids in terms of activities, they enjoy camps/kid clubs and also enjoy swimming/water parks - We may do 1 or 2 family shore excursions, but expect to spend the

 

I've narrowed it down to the following choices (however am open to others):

- RCI Freedom of the Seas

- RCI Jewel of the Seas

- MSC Meraviglia

- NCL Epic (Can't seem to find space!)

- NCL Gateway (this is the only non-Med cruise and is 9 nights)

 

I would appreciate any advice!

Welcome to Cruise Critic:

My choice would definitely be RCI Freedom....They have an amazing kids club and is perfect for families.

Large ship and lots of activities to do.

I won't recommend RCI Jewel as it's a much smaller ship and just doesn't have the features you're looking for.

Best of luck and enjoy this cruise with your children.

You kids are still young enough for Disney - how about Disney Magic July 21 for 7 nights or 10 nights on July 28?

Of the other ships, Freedom would be a good one for your kids - lots of things for them to do and a great kids club and also Barcelona is really convenient to get in and out of as the airport is 20 minutes from the cruise terminal by taxi.

Another thought would be a Disney River Cruise on the Rhine - very different sort of experience but very immersive and the tours are included which makes this fairly economical:

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/europe/rhine-river-cruise/

You kids are still young enough for Disney - how about Disney Magic July 21 for 7 nights or 10 nights on July 28?

 

Of the other ships, Freedom would be a good one for your kids - lots of things for them to do and a great kids club and also Barcelona is really convenient to get in and out of as the airport is 20 minutes from the cruise terminal by taxi.

 

Another thought would be a Disney River Cruise on the Rhine - very different sort of experience but very immersive and the tours are included which makes this fairly economical:

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/europe/rhine-river-cruise/

OP may have a budget and the reason I didn't throw Disney into the mix. ;)

How many sea days are on these cruises that you're looking at? Because most European cruises are very, very port intensive. And usually you would be off the ship right after breakfast and not returned until dinner time. By the time dinner is over, it would be bedtime after such a busy day for kids that young.

For that reason, I don't think the ships amenities, like water parks, are nearly as important as they might be on other cruises with more sea days.

From those you list, RCCL.

I agree that Freedom of the Seas may be a fantastic choice for a young family. My kids (7 and 5) have truly enjoyed their Royal cruises.

We also sailed on MSC last summer on the Divina and the kids had a great time as well. They've actually begged to sail on MSC again.

As others mentioned, I would look closely at the itineraries. Since you're one adult with three small children, you may want to focus on ports that are easy to explore with small children in tow. Some ports may require complicated transportation or long bus rides while others may have everything that you're looking for near the port within walking distance.

Enjoy!

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The Freedom would be a great choice for kids; I also think the Getaway would be as well.

It sounds like you are planning on spending some days on board and not going into ports? Otherwise there is not going to be all that much time to spend on board on a European cruise, which tend to be very port heavy. But it's also a shame to miss some of those lovely ports!

Thanks everyone for your replies, I can't get a suite on the Rhapsody and I'm concerned about it being an older ship.

We will probably go for the NCL Getaway for 9 nights (1st July) or MSC Meraviglia for 7 nights (2nd July)

Hoping those are going to be fun!

My husband and I sailed on the Epic in the Mediterranean last year and pretty much hated the ship. We had a wonderful experience because of the people we met onboard and the various ports we visited, but the ship itself was really bad. I think it would be especially bad with children. The decor is ugly and pretty much nonexistent and the whole focus of the ship seems to be the casino, which occupies a very large portion of the middle of the ship. I love casinos, but this was too much even for me! Also, the cabin bathroom layout would not be good for kids. You will find lots of posts about that on cruise critic and also the NCL website. For god's sake, even the beds are round! How weird is that? As much as we love to cruise, we were very happy to get off that ship and vowed to never return.

Hi I'm a new cruiser and just joined this forum on advice of a friend.

 

I'm trying to plan a European cruise for the 1st week of July - we are a family of 4 - Single Dad + 3 Kids (8, 6, 6)

 

The main goal would be to have the best experience for the kids in terms of activities, they enjoy camps/kid clubs and also enjoy swimming/water parks - We may do 1 or 2 family shore excursions, but expect to spend the

 

I've narrowed it down to the following choices (however am open to others):

- RCI Freedom of the Seas

- RCI Jewel of the Seas

- MSC Meraviglia

- NCL Epic (Can't seem to find space!)

- NCL Gateway (this is the only non-Med cruise and is 9 nights)

 

I would appreciate any advice!

Sounds like you are going much more time on the ship than visiting places. If that is true, why are you taking a cruise.

I noted that you are from London. I do not know a lot about all inclusive family resorts in Europe but based on what you seem to want, it seems to me that an all inclusive land resort would be a better fit than a cruise.,

DON

OK have some more clarity now as to what my choices are - would appreciate some further feedback:

Choice 1) NCL Getaway 9 nights cruise from Warnemuende, Germany calling at Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen

Total price US$4,596 Balcony Room

Choice 2) MSC Meraviglia 7 nights cruise from Messina, Italy calling at Valetta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa and Naples

Total price US$4,636 Balcony Fantastica

Since we plan to be spending a lot of time on the ship itself doing ship activities rather than shore activities, which do you think would be better?

Ship/Room Quality and Activities

As far as I can see both ships are pretty much equal in terms of facilities and activities - the MSC seems to split up 2-6 year olds and 7-11 year olds which is not great as my kids are good friends and would be in seperate groups (6 year old and 8 year olds)! whereas the NCL seems to keep 6-9 year olds together. My kids are keen on cooking and would love to do cooking classes/demos on board.

Ports of Call

In my opinion (I've been to most of the places myself as a land/air traveller) the MSC - Med ports of calls are much more kid friendly than the NCL Baltic ones and it almost seems a shame to go to the Med and not spend time in those cities! As it's our first cruise, we really don't know how the on board activities are during the port days - and how many people stay on board during that time

Value/Extra Charges

As both cruises are about the same price, the concern here would be the extra charges (mandatory gratuities, drink packages, extra onboard spending etc.)

Based on these factors and considering the age of my kids - which would you choose?

Also cross-posted to the to the Cruising with Kids section-if not allowed please let me know and I will remove.

Are you getting a discount on MSC for the kids? When we sailed on them, the kids only paid taxes and gratuities. Which brought the total cost of the cruise way down. Their "kids sail free" promotions are frequent.

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Just want to mention that Europe in the summer is sweltering hot & humid. About 100 - 105 degrees and 90% humidity. Excursions usually (in my limited experience) have a LOT of walking. About 1/4 - 1/2 mile walk from the bus to the attraction (Pisa or Rome, etc.) and then walking around the area.

I'd pick RCCL, but honestly it is so ports intensive it is more about them.

I'd try to save money and spend them in ports.

I'd probably stay away from MSC there (I like this company) because of their kids free policy.

I'd pick RCCL, but honestly it is so ports intensive it is more about them.

I'd try to save money and spend them in ports.

 

I'd probably stay away from MSC there (I like this company) because of their kids free policy.

If you had 3 kids under 10, as is the situation with the OP, why would the "kids free policy" be a bad thing? Is it because the promotion would draw more children? I don't think a ship with more kids is bad if you are already bringing 3 yourself- wouldn't there be more opportunities to make friends etc.? Can you clarify your reasoning?

I'd probably stay away from MSC there (I like this company) because of their kids free policy.

We didn't notice a significant larger number of children when we sailed on MSC (and we sailed during the summer months and took advantage of the kids sail free promo). MSC does a fantastic job keeping kids entertained and away from adult areas. My kids begged to attend the kids program the entire week. They absolutely loved it. We also walked off the ship on the last day with DoReMi plush dolls (MSC's mascot), and the DoReMi theme song stuck in our head because the kids wouldn't stop singing it (parents who've been exposed to this song will feel my pain [emoji23]).

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Just keep in mind that on MSC two of your children will be sharing a sofabed... There are no upper bunks in their balcony cabins. EM