Breakaway Baltic Cruise In July with kids... advice needed

Hello,

We have just booked a Baltic cruise on Breakaway and I want to be sure before it’s too late to cancel.

I have seen so many iffy reviews of Breakaway. We went on the Star to Alaska in 2010 when my kids were really little, it was my first cruise, and the ship was underwhelming. They wouldn’t go to the kids clubs which didn’t seem great anyway, and it was a bit cold for swimming. We have since done 2 DCL Cruises, so I know nothing will compare.

Here are my questions. My kids will be 10 and 13:

- what activities are there in the teen lounge? Do they organize activities or is it just sit around and play video games? We don’t plan to give him access to WiFi so I know he’ll be out of his mind with that. I want to be sure there will be enough to do

- will it be too cold to swim/use water slides in July?

-our other option is going on the Independence of the Seas out of Southampton to the Fjords, but the Breakaway itinerary seems much more interesting. Would you think it might be worth sticking with the breakaway even if it seems to have such mixed reviews?

-I saw some posts that indicated the ship couldn’t make it into all the ports (like Talinin)... is this a frequent problem?

-I read some posts about booking private tours in SPB, how far in advance should this be done? Which tours are the best for kids these ages? Should we go with a kids oriented tour or is that better for smaller kids?

Thank you!!

Hello,

 

We have just booked a Baltic cruise on Breakaway and I want to be sure before it’s too late to cancel.

 

I have seen so many iffy reviews of Breakaway. We went on the Star to Alaska in 2010 when my kids were really little, it was my first cruise, and the ship was underwhelming. They wouldn’t go to the kids clubs which didn’t seem great anyway, and it was a bit cold for swimming. We have since done 2 DCL Cruises, so I know nothing will compare.

 

Here are my questions. My kids will be 10 and 13:

 

- what activities are there in the teen lounge? Do they organize activities or is it just sit around and play video games? We don’t plan to give him access to WiFi so I know he’ll be out of his mind with that. I want to be sure there will be enough to do

 

- will it be too cold to swim/use water slides in July?

 

-our other option is going on the Independence of the Seas out of Southampton to the Fjords, but the Breakaway itinerary seems much more interesting. Would you think it might be worth sticking with the breakaway even if it seems to have such mixed reviews?

 

-I saw some posts that indicated the ship couldn’t make it into all the ports (like Talinin)... is this a frequent problem?

 

-I read some posts about booking private tours in SPB, how far in advance should this be done? Which tours are the best for kids these ages? Should we go with a kids oriented tour or is that better for smaller kids?

 

Thank you!!

Welcome to CC.

We've done the Baltics on the Sun when our kids were about that age. It was a great trip. I'm actually thinking the Fjords would be as interesting but haven't been yet.

We've also been on the BA and sailed DCL. IMO we didn't like the BA mostly due to crowding and we were in the Haven. There is a lot to do on the BA though and we had fun with the slides and ropes. That being said, the Baltic trip is now shorter than it was back then and even more port intensive than before. You'll probably be in port most of the day and taking it easy at night on the ship.

Pools should be fine - we went early June and some days a bit cold and others not. July will be warmer.

As far as missing ports, from memory of last season it happened very little. There was a couple who made a big fuss and I think maybe that is what you are seeing? I would check if you actually dock in Stockholm or if you dock in Nynashamn as I just saw someone make mention of that recently but I didn't pay attention to when he said he was sailing.

We had the kids pick quite a few of the things they wanted to do which made it more fun for them.

lots of discussion re private tour operators in SPB on ports of call forum

however Best Guides seem to be getting a reputation for providing child friendly tours

Thank you!!

We had a kiddo in the teen club on the Escape, and before that she did splash academy on the Pearl. Your kids will actually be in two different groups. The younger will be in dolphins which has more organized activities (think scavenger hunts, boys vs girls games themed to survivor or amazing race)... my daughter loved dolphins. Entourage for the teens is a little less organized, they still do activities but the teens often treat it as a meeting place and then go off to do their own things... get ice cream, go to the pool, mini golf etc.

We got my Dd the iconcierge app so she could text us and tell us when she was changing venues or was coming back the the room. We also set a curfew each night and had certain rules like not going in anyone’s cabin. It worked great.

Thank you! I was hoping they’d have more organized activities for teens as he’s not super outgoing. I know my daughter will have fun in the kids club.

When we were last on NCL they were 5 and 2 and both refused to go to the kids club at all...I got paged to collect them very quickly. I’m envisioning this time will be easier but still I want them to keep busy

Thank you! I was hoping they’d have more organized activities for teens as he’s not super outgoing. I know my daughter will have fun in the kids club.

 

When we were last on MCL they were 5 and 2 and both refused to go to the kids club at all...I got paged to collect them very quickly. I’m envisioning this time will be easier but still I want them to keep busy

Make sure they both go the first night, that is when they do all the ice breakers and form their cliques... my Dd is shy but has a great time in the kids programs on NCL

You will be off the ship most of every day, so very little time will be spent in the kids club. I can't stress enough going to the PORTS OF CALL boards for Europe, there is so much helpful information over there.

Thank you! I was hoping they’d have more organized activities for teens as he’s not super outgoing. I know my daughter will have fun in the kids club.

 

When we were last on NCL they were 5 and 2 and both refused to go to the kids club at all...I got paged to collect them very quickly. I’m envisioning this time will be easier but still I want them to keep busy

We've sailed mostly NCL and DCL with our kids and you never know how it will go with the kids clubs. We usually make them go the first night but you never know if they will love the clubs or just want to not go.

Thank you! I was hoping they’d have more organized activities for teens as he’s not super outgoing. I know my daughter will have fun in the kids club.

 

When we were last on NCL they were 5 and 2 and both refused to go to the kids club at all...I got paged to collect them very quickly. I’m envisioning this time will be easier but still I want them to keep busy

duplicate

Hi Kitty, we're booked on the Breakaway in late June with our son and had some of the same concerns. Our son is 18, so no "club" option for him anymore, so I don't have any perspective there. However, I would think that the Baltic itinerary would be much more interesting to your kids than Norway's Fjords. The Fjords are gorgeous to look at, but I would wonder how much there would be to do in the port stops that would be interesting to them. The Baltic stops have lots of interesting history, sights, museums and food to explore.

As for the weather, the research I've done suggests that in June and July it can still be cool and that the pools are not super popular on the Baltic sailings. We're not expecting to spend much time in the pools. Maybe the hot tubs or thermal suite after a long port day, but doubt in June if we'll be laying poolside in bathing suits. If we score warmer weather, it'll be a nice surprise! If pool/slides fun is super important to your family, perhaps you should consider a southern European or Mediterranean sailing instead? We did a Medit. 12 night on Celebrity with our 3 sons when they were about your kids ages and we all had a fabulous time. Hot and sunny!

The Getaway last summer did not get into Tallin once as best as I can tell...so I'm not overly concerned. We looked at taking the RCL Serenade of the Seas because it is smaller and there is less risk of missing ports, but after researching last summer, I concluded that the risk is pretty low on the Breakaway. We simply decided that the Serenade might be a bit boring for an 18 yr. old and the prices on the BA were so good (and with all the promotions!) that we are going for it! We booked in the Haven, so we're hoping that the perks like priority embarkation, debarkation and private dining area, pool and hot tubs will make the super big ship experience as positive as possible.

As for booking private excursions, as others have recommended, do some research on the Baltics board in the Ports of Call part of this site and you'll see that lots of people book many months in advance for favored tour companies and guides.

Good luck planning a wonderful family vacation!

Lynne