Help me decide my next cruise adventure!

[yusi50]

Starting to plan our next family summer vacations and I’mdebating between 2 Scandinavian Cruises

 

 

• MSC Meraviglia 7 nights - (Copenhagen, Day at Sea,Hellesylt/Geriranger,Norway, Flaam, Stavanger, Day at Sea, Kiel, Germany) . $4,819.00 balcony cabin including the AUREApackage (Includes access to Termal Suite, Beverage Package (need to pay extrato upgrade to premium), massage for 2, etc)
  

 

• NCL Getaway 9 nights – (Copenhagen, Berlin, At Sea,Tallin, St Petersburg (overnight), Helsinkin, Stockholm, At Sea). $6,199 Balcony Cabin including $200 onboardcredit, premium beverage package, 6 nights of specialty dinning)
  

 

 

As a little background, we are a family of 4 (kids will be13 and 9 year). Kids have traveled from South Florida to Hawaii so there is noissue with long flights. We have been exposing kids to traveling since theywere really, really young so they are very used to cruises/hotels/planes andthe wonders of traveling. We have never been on any of the ports so it all will be new to us. Wehave sailed with NCL many times in the Caribbean (Including Getaway), Mediterranean and Hawaii andlost count of Bahamas cruises but have never cruised with MSC. Kids are excitedabout both itineraries and couldn’t care less what ship as all they want is akids club (well daughter is too old for that these days). Please help medecide!

[ljandgb]

I've not done Norway, but we did the Baltic with DCL, the Med on MSC, with our family of 8. A set of grandparents, dh and I, and 4 kids ages 9-15 when we did the Baltic.

 

We loved the Baltic. The history is amazing, the cities are very accessible. Our favorites were Stockholm and Tallinn. We spent 3 days in Copenhagen prior, and it was well worth it.

 

From what I understand, Norway is more about scenery and outdoor activities - hiking, etc.

 

I'd say decide if your family wants more history/cities or more outdoorsy activities and scenery.

 

FWIW, if you can swing the Yacht Club on MSC, do it. Totally worth it.

[kitkat343]

We've done both trips with kids, although they were much younger (3 for the Baltics and 6 and 2 for Norway).

 

If you do choose the Baltics, I'd strongly suggest a private tour for just your family in St. Petersburg if you can afford it. This will allow you to focus on exactly what you are interested in, and skip through the lesser parts of attractions. We were able to skip all lines with our small group of 3 (you might be able to skip lines with 16 but I don't know). You'll need to plan your visit to the Hermitage carefully, as one could spend weeks in there. We were lucky with early admission and it was empty when we started and full by the time we left. We were able to see Renaissance paintings and Impressionists since that was the art we were most interested in seeing. There is an internet cafe on the first floor if your kids can't spend as long as you in the Hermitage (my 3 year old was happy looking at art for 40 minutes, and then he was done so we went to the cafe with him and gave him food and he was all happy again while my husband got to look at the paintings he wanted to see). Your kids would probably really like running through the fountains of Peterhof, and eating at Stolle. My son also really loved Stockholm, especially Vassa and a children's hands on activity in which he got to bake Viking bread, shoot arrows and play Viking games at the historical museum. There's also a hands on lemur exhibit at Skansen. Tallin is always a favorite for kids, and after visiting the amazing Old Town, you might want to stop at the air sea museum which is a great hands on museum with a flight simulator.

 

The trip to Norway visits two of my favorite ports from my cruise - in Geiranger its wonderful to visit all the panaramic sites, since you can take a bus or cab to the glaciers (just note that the road up to Dalsnibba opens seasonally after the avalanche risk ends, usually mid May - early June) so that may affect your plans. There are lots of other beautiful viewpoints in Geiranger, but that's something to consider. In Flam, you can ride the historic flam railway, and we also had an amazing time visiting local goat farms and eating local cheeses.

 

The highlight of Stavanger is Pulpit Rock, and this wouldn't be possible with a 2 year old, so I can't comment upon it. There have been cruises whose time in port doesn't match up with the connections to get to Pulpit Rock, so you'd need to check that out prior to booking if it is something you are interested in (there are people on this forum who can help you with that).

 

The only thing to consider is that we felt a Norway cruise is much more weather dependent than a Baltic one. You are visiting some indoor museums on a Baltic cruise so you have the ability to do that while it rains if a day is expected to only be rainy part of the time, but you are usually outdoors in Norway, and we had a lot of bad luck with the weather. This, combined with the fact that cabs refuse to transport small children without car seats (yours might be fine) meant a lot of dragging whining kids who didn't want to walk in the rain. On the baltics it was easier to just stop, get on a bus/train or cab and get them food to cheer them up and then continue sightseeing. But your kids are older, and you might have more luck with the weather. They were both amazing cruises, and I agree with the previous poster that the main deciding factor should be if your family wants more of an active/nature vacation or to see museums/culture.

 

 

There's a lot more details about traveling with kids in my reviews of these cruises in my signature lines (we did all private tours, which are a little harder to organize in Norway but possible). Have a great trip!

[kaisatsu]

If you want European history and old city sightseeing, choose the Baltics. If you want dramatic natural scenery, choose the fjords. Both area are among my favorite cruise destinations, but they’re completely different.

 

The ports in Norway tend to be very small towns (Geiranger’s permanent population is only a few hundred), so even the port calls are all about the scenery and seeing the fjords from a different vantage point.

 

 

The Baltic ports tend to have a lot of old-world European history, and they tend to be easily accessible by cruise ship (with the exception of Berlin, which isn’t actually on the coast). It’s lots of architecture and museums and wandering around historic city centers.

[Desdichado62]

You won't be getting to Stockholm directly if you are going NCL Getaway/Breakaway. You will berth in Nynäshamn and then it is over one by commuter train / tour bus or private tour minivan.

[Giantfan13]

And don't forget Berlin is a 3 hour ride from where ever you are docking.

 

I agree with the others, if scenery and outdoorsy things are more in line for what you are looking for, go Norway.

 

For visiting world famous cities and cultures and history, then the Baltics would be your best bet. We don't know what you like or are looking for.

 

As for the cruise lines, we are doing our first MSC cruise in November, and just reading, on the MSC site, and asking questions, it will be a different type of cruise. From what I gather about 90% of the passengers will be Europeans and they cater more to them than to what many Americans feel cruise lines should do. Not saying that is a bad thing, but many cruisers need certain amenities that maybe a cruise line like MSC won't deliver. Check out the MSC cruise boards and ask a few questions as to what to expect on one of their cruises.

 

Cheers

Len

[KittyloverCA]

We did the same itinerary as you list for the getaway on the breakaway this summer, with kids 10 and 13 and it was really fantastic! You can read my trip report in the link in my signature. I would definitely recommend it. We spent a couple of days in Copenhagen ahead of time which we all really liked.

 

I considered fjord cruises but to me these ports seemed more interesting. My kids had a great time, moreso the 13 year old but the 10 year old really enjoyed the trip too.

 

One thing that made a big difference was we had a private tour guide (through TJ) for St. Petersburg. No waiting in line anywhere which would have tried everyone’s patience.

 

Highly recommend this itinerary! We especially loved Tallin and St. Petersburg

[kitkat343]

In Germany, assuming you aren't docking on a Monday, the Schwerin castle might be a really good option. The local towns near Warmeneude are quite lovely to explore, and that might be a better option than going all the way to Berlin (we absolutely wouldn't have tried that with a 3 year old).

[yusi50]

Thank you so much for all your answers. We have decided on the NCL Baltic cruise. My kids love nature and our vacations up to this point have always revolved around it but I think at their age is really important to introduce them to culture. We are all booked and excited and ready to start planning.

[KittyloverCA]

Thank you so much for all your answers. We have decided on the NCL Baltic cruise. My kids love nature and our vacations up to this point have always revolved around it but I think at their age is really important to introduce them to culture. We are all booked and excited and ready to start planning.

 

Great!! Feel free to ask me any questions and read my trip report since I’ve done it with that age group! I don’t know what cabin you e booked but if non-haven I recommend the family large window rooms....lots of space.

[yusi50]

Great!! Feel free to ask me any questions and read my trip report since I’ve done it with that age group! I don’t know what cabin you e booked but if non-haven I recommend the family large window rooms....lots of space.

I booked a balcony cabin. Your trip report was big part of the decision. I will take your offer on helping with other questions!!!! Thank u

[KittyloverCA]

I booked a balcony cabin. Your trip report was big part of the decision. I will take your offer on helping with other questions!!!! Thank u

Absolutely, any time!