Gatordad815

Wow thank you to everyone for your input thus far! I really appreciate the diversity of perspectives (which confirms my initial thought that there are several competing priorities to weigh as we decide). I also appreciate the words of wisdom that fall into the “other things to consider” category, which are very valuable to me. Thank you especially for the refrigeration tip and caution re: traveling through European security with items than cannot go through the x-ray machines-that is definitely something to research heavily before our trip! To address some of the comments above, in no particular order: 1. We have all lived in Florida all of our lives, so the heat may not be as much of an issue for us. Yes, it’s unpleasant, but if we can survive 12 hours at the Magic Kingdom in August, we can probably tour Europe in the summer. 2. Notwithstanding #1, I won’t plan to tour 10 hours a day every day! I personally would be a “Cathedrals, Castles, Forts and Ruins” guy as referenced above, but my wife and kids can only handle so much of that. That’s why mixing up the touring and relaxing works best (even if I push them to tour more in Europe). They’re always up for an adventure and truly enjoy it, but they need downtime more than I do. 3. I’ve considered (and am still considering) pushing Europe off until kids are in high school. And we may. On the other hand, we only live once and truthfully I’d like to do all three itineraries if possible. So maybe start earlier?!? 4. I’m glad to read from many that the language barrier is not as much of a concern. I’m still trepidatious though, as when I am speaking with people who speak only English, they sometimes have trouble understanding words like “gluten”, “wheat”, “Celiac” and “cross-contamination”. I’ve read that places in Europe tend to be better with accommodating Celiac diets, but we virtually never eat at restaurants in the US because of the risk. This also will be heavily researched. 5. We all love pools and hot tubs and the top deck (and Boardwalk and Central Park!) I’m disappointed that Anthem is not staying in Southampton, as it would be much easier to justify the colder trip on a ship designed for it. If it’s cold and we are trapped inside without much to do, that wouldn’t be ideal. I appreciate the discussion and thoughts and hope this topic helps others! Thanks everyone!

Hello! We are trying to plan our first ever trip to Europe next summer and are looking at 3 different Royal Caribbean itineraries (Western Mediterranean out of Barcelona or Civitavecchia on Allure, Greek Isles out of Civitavecchia on Odyssey, or Norwegian Fjords out of Southampton on Independence.) Our kids will be 13 and 11 at the time. Complicating the decision slightly, our daughter has Celiac Disease and type 1 diabetes, so she needs to eat strictly gluten free and we need accommodations pre cruise where we can refrigerate insulin. Ideally we would have a condo with a kitchen (or at least a hotel with a refrigerator and microwave). Kids have cruised many times but only on Oasis class ships which they LOVE. If the ships were equal, I’d choose the Norwegian Fjords because being our first trip to Europe and having some special needs, it would help not to have a language barrier on arrival. Plus I’ve always wanted to see London and I know the kids would really enjoy a few days there pre-cruise (we will stay 3-4 days sightseeing pre-cruise wherever we embark). But knowing how happy our kids are on the Oasis class, I’m not sure that’s the best ship for our first European trip. As between Allure and Odyssey, I’m not as concerned about Odyssey not being Oasis class because it has a lot of different things the kids would love (rip cord, sea plex, North Star). Independence, on the other hand, has nothing different and just fewer things. My wife and I have been on Independence and it was great but I’m concerned kids would be let down by the lack of a Boardwalk and Central Park (their favorite areas) if there was nothing new to see. Between the itineraries on Allure and Odyssey I’m gathering the Greek ports do not require long travel distances to sites, etc. But it’s hard to tell which ports are better for kids their ages. They love the Caribbean and beaches, which I know is not what we will do in Europe. But I would like to mix historical sightseeing with more relaxed fun kid-friendly activities. I don’t have one specific question for everyone, but I am interested in thoughts from the experts regarding: 1. Best itinerary with kids those ages? 2. Best embarkation port and sightseeing city for first timers to Europe, one of whom has some special dietary and medical needs? (I’m aware Barcelona is the most convenient embarkation port, but I’m more thinking as between Barcelona, London and Rome which is best to tour for 3 days?) 3. Other things we should consider as we plan? Thanks in advance for any input!

Hello! We are planning our first Alaska cruise with kids who will be age 12 and 10 at the time. We are looking to choose between two Royal Caribbean itineraries (r/t Seattle). The more convenient date for our schedule does not stop in Sitka but does have a full day in Victoria the last day. The less convenient date for our trip has a full day stop in Sitka, but the Victoria stop is the obligatory 5-10PM stop the last day, and we likely wouldn’t have time to do much. Otherwise the itineraries are the same (Juneau, Skagway, Dawes Glacier). What does the forum think of a full day in Sitka vs a full day in Victoria? We haven’t been to either. (I do realize neither of these are the “best” Alaska itinerary but with our kids ages and experiences with RC ships, these ships will be the best for our first Alaska trip) Any comparisons/thoughts are appreciated!

Hi all! We are going to be on Harmony soon for our spring break with kids ages 6 & 8. In the past we never spent $ in the cruise ship arcade, but I see in the cruise planner discounts on arcade credits. I think this would be a fun family activity so I think I’ll buy this. Can anyone give me an idea about the per-game costs? If I bought a $50 credit (on sale for $40) or a $100 credit (on sale for $80), would that be sufficient for us to stop in the arcade a few times during the cruise? We wouldn’t allow the kids to be in the arcade without us, so I’m not worried about them running up a big bill-just trying to get a sense of how much mileage we would get out of a $50 or $100 credit. Thanks for any input!

Does anyone know what the obstruction is on this cabin? It’s the only one on deck 7 center ship port side that’s obstructed. I know the lifeboats obstruct the deck below and that there are some deck 7 obstructions on other Quantum class ships, but this is the only one on Quantum. I can’t find any info on it. Is that a mistake on the deck plan or is there really a problem with the view? Any input appreciated!