Anything in the Med like Allure?

[Willow3006]

Hi everyone

 

I'm not actually a first timer but knew you guys would have some advice for me! I live in the UK and I've previously sailed on Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas with RC and loved the ships for the amount of stuff to do, the newness and shinyness of it all and just how big is it was - I get bored easily and I never got bored once! I haven't ever been on any other cruises.

 

Now I need to book a cruise for the whole family which will consist of:

Grandparents (2 over 70s)

Me and Husband (both 35)

Sister in law and husband (our age)

Other Sister in law (45)

Nephew (15)

My twin boys (8 months old)

 

I was hoping to go back on Allure but the Granparents said they don't want to do a very long flight (and actually my twins will probably not like that long journey either) so I guess my only option is the Meditteranean, Turkey, Greece as we want sun! I have the option of next Easter holidays or summer holidays and they would prefer 10-14 days.

 

I've had a quick look on RC and the ships don't look as good as Allure/Oasis that go to the Med. Are there any that people know about that are as good as/not far off?

 

Or are there any other ships with a different company that are comparable and would suit the age ranges above?

 

Any help appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

willow x

[CruiserBruce]

The Allure and Oasis don't go to Europe. There are no other ships of the Allure size. However, there are many ships that would suit the group. Princess, Holland America, Celebrity RCI, NCL all will do.

 

Europe cruises are very port intensive. A Med cruise is mostly about the ports. So the need for as much alternative entertainment just isn't there.

[Willow3006]

I didn't realise that! It's such a shame as the thing we loved most about the cruise was the ship itself!

[paul929207]

You will be in port most days, so there will be fewer activities on the ship. In the Eastern Med, a 12 day cruise often has one or two sea days

[suzski]

Like the others have stated, Med cruises are really about the ports and, because of that, there isn't really much in the way of activities going on during the day if you choose to stay onboard. Our 12 day cruise on Princess last year had only 1 sea day, and our 12 day cruise on Princess this year has 2...

 

I guess a question to ask yourself is if your grandparents are up to such a port-intensive cruise (many are, some aren't). Royal Caribbean does have some 7 day Med sailings (Liberty of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas) that you might check out since you are a fan of the RC brand - and a 7 day voyage might be a good intro for you to see if the Med is a good fit for your family.

 

Best of luck!

[Kwaj girl]

Have you looked into the NORWEGIAN EPIC? That's another biggie with lots to keep everyone busy.

[xxoocruiser]

NCL's Epic is the largest ship that does Med cruises.

[ducklite]

The bigger your cruise ship, the more crowded the ports you'll visit.

[Langley Cruisers]

Additional advice would be to check with each line/itinerary for the minimum age for cruising. The age of your 8 month old twins may be an issue. FYI, from the RCI website:

 

INFANT POLICY

Infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise and/or CruiseTour. HOWEVER: For transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, select South American and other selected cruises and/or CruiseTours, the infant must be at least 12 months old as of the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour. For the purposes of this policy, any cruise that has 3 or more days consecutive at sea will require infants to be 12 months old on the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour.

.

[Essiesmom]

Additional advice would be to check with each line/itinerary for the minimum age for cruising. The age of your 8 month old twins may be an issue. FYI, from the RCI website:

 

INFANT POLICY

Infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise and/or CruiseTour. HOWEVER: For transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, select South American and other selected cruises and/or CruiseTours, the infant must be at least 12 months old as of the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour. For the purposes of this policy, any cruise that has 3 or more days consecutive at sea will require infants to be 12 months old on the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour.

.

 

The twins will be 8 months old, plenty legal. The OP us already in the UK, so no Transatlantic restrictions. EM

[Langley Cruisers]

The twins will be 8 months old, plenty legal. The OP us already in the UK, so no Transatlantic restrictions. EM

 

Uhh, yes, I fully understand that. Notice I colored the questionable content in red. OP should check with the cruise line.

.

[griffy116]

We did the Navigator in June. We love the big ships with all the activities. While it's not the Allure, it's a big beautiful ship, complete with the Promenade, Ice Skating show, and loads of activities. Ports will be important on a Med cruise and keep in mind that the water temps are much colder than the Caribbean waters, even in summer months. I was surprised at the temperature of the water in the pool on the ship...a little too cool for me, but I'm from the Southern part of the U.S. :D

[jocap]

Have you checked out Independence of the Seas, RCI's next biggest to Allure? She sails from Southampton, and isn't quite as port hectic as some ships which sail from Med ports- she mainly caters for Brits, who probably know the areas being visited. There will be sea days at the beginning and end, to sail down the coast of France and Spain to the Med- about 2 1/2 days.

Another large ship, which is as family friendly as Indy, is Ventura- not as glitzy as Allure, but with amazing provision for babies, including a night nursery where your twins can sleep whilst you have an evening out on board. From what I read, P&O has the best facilities for young babies of all cruise ships.

Epic, of course, has been mentioned- look for cheap flights to Barcelona, which is only a short hop away.

And....a very non-glitzy, older, smaller ship sailing out of S'ton, is MSC Opera....I mention her only because she sometimes offers free child places...:D

Jo.

[chipmaster]

As others have said Europe is about the PORTS! Why fly and spend so much to only spend time on the boat? Yes there are a few sea days but its all about the ports. When we went we were 3 generations, parents in the 70-80s, us ( 40's ) and kids in the teens and younger.

 

Beyond the pool, movies and meals on the sea days we really spent time and focus on ports, YMMV.

[jocap]

As others have said Europe is about the PORTS! Why fly and spend so much to only spend time on the boat? Yes there are a few sea days but its all about the ports. When we went we were 3 generations, parents in the 70-80s, us ( 40's ) and kids in the teens and younger.

 

Beyond the pool, movies and meals on the sea days we really spent time and focus on ports, YMMV.

I suppose it's because the OP will have spent many holidays in the Med....it's only a short hop to most of the ports visited, so who would take a cruise ship to see Rome, or Athens, when you can fly out for a weekend?....and many do. Barcelona is one of the most frequently visited places for Europeans to drop into for a short break; certainly it's not the usual ports in the Med which attract me.

Jo.

[sail7seas]

I suppose it's because the OP will have spent many holidays in the Med....it's only a short hop to most of the ports visited, so who would take a cruise ship to see Rome, or Athens, when you can fly out for a weekend?....and many do. Barcelona is one of the most frequently visited places for Europeans to drop into for a short break; certainly it's not the usual ports in the Med which attract me.

Jo.

 

 

It's not quite that simple for many people in Europe.

Flights between European cities can be very pricey. We've flown many times and are often shocked how high the fares to go from on relatively nearby city/country to another within Europe. JMO ....

 

 

 

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

No, the Allure of the Seas and her sister, the Oasis of the Seas, are by far the largest ships in the cruise industry.

 

However, Royal Caribbean do operate two other vessels, one based out of the UK, the Independence of the Seas and out of Barcelona, the Liberty of the Seas, which are the third and fourth largest ships in the world.

 

Presuming you are based in the United Kingdom, the Adventure of the Seas, another very large Royal Caribbean ship will be based out of Southampton next year.

 

If sheer size is your only criteria when making a judgement on how 'good' a cruise, is then these ships come second after the Oasis class vessels. Nonetheless, as I am sure you are aware, a LOT more than size must be taken into account when judging a cruise product.

 

Considering that Royal Caribbean have what I'd call the best consistency in product delivery in the cruise industry, I would guess that service on the slightly less gigantic vessels (for they are still huge, just a tad less huge), would probably even be better than that found on Oasis class ships.

 

Do not worry, I say go for it and you shall have a tremendously enjoyable time.

[jocap]

It's not quite that simple for many people in Europe.

Flights between European cities can be very pricey. We've flown many times and are often shocked how high the fares to go from on relatively nearby city/country to another within Europe. JMO ....

 

 

 

There's lots of budget airlines, though- I'm just looking at some from the UK to Barcelona, and Rome- if you choose your airport and dates carefully, you can often manage for around £50....say $75. The trouble is the add-ons, such as extra baggage weight, or meals. After a long journey from Barcelona, planned by NCL and costing extra- with a change at Amsterdam, and lasting all day, we discovered we could have flown with Easyjet for £45, and it would only have taken 2 1/4 hours....:(

Jo.

[sherilyn70]

You don't have to fly to get to Barcelona from the UK... it's about a 15 hours drive from London. I'm sure there are probably trains available as well.

 

(as I do not live in the UK I do not claim to be an expert on travel in Europe but have many friends all over Europe that do travel extensively like this on holidays)

[jocap]

You don't have to fly to get to Barcelona from the UK... it's about a 15 hours drive from London. I'm sure there are probably trains available as well.

 

(as I do not live in the UK I do not claim to be an expert on travel in Europe but have many friends all over Europe that do travel extensively like this on holidays)

Yes, it's a reasonable drive via France, or if you wish, you can start your cruise by going on the ferry from the UK to Spain, then driving overland to Barcelona.

There's a hotel train which takes you from Paris overnight, and arrives around 8am- this is popular with cruisers, leaving London in the afternoon.

Jo.