Epic, Europe, Kids

[amindu]

All - looking for some advice.  My kids will be 4 and 6 in 2025 when we are planning on doing the Mediterranean Cruise.  We usually do Royal Oasis class ships and the kids loved it and all of the entertainment.  We did NCL Joy in June and the kids were asking when they can leave after day 2 (not much for kids on that ship, and entertainment was cancelled and replaced with Beatles show).  For those that have done Oasis Class know there is a Carousel, rock climbing, aqua show and ice skating show that keeps kids entertained.  

 

We want to show them Europe, and Royal primarily only does 7 day trips.  NCL does the longer ones (looking at 10 day) and we sailed on NCL Spirit 6-7 years ago before kids and did a similar itinerary and it was great. I have read some reports that Epic is the most hated ship in the fleet why (cuz of bathroom)?  The Breakaway also does Med but it does not go to Cannes and leaves from Barcelona vs Rome.  We could switch if there was a huge difference that would impact the kids experience.  So the question and reason for this post is given that Med Cruise is port heavy we figured they would be exhausted and after dinner not really care that there are shows or what kind of entertainment there is on the ship, and would hopefully enjoy the cruise.  They are seasoned travelers now post covid we are going on their 6th cruise next month (Allure of the Seas) since everything opened last year.  For those that have done longer cruises or even Europe ones with kids that age do you agree or should we be cautious?  

 

Any special secret cabins on Epic that we should know off?  Looking at Mini-Suite (Club Balcony). TIA

[sailingships]

Wait until theyre at least 8 and 10.

[amindu]

1 hour ago, sailingships said:

Wait until theyre at least 8 and 10.

They are getting bored of the Caribbean/Bermuda and Alaska is not feasible at that age.  That really only leaves Europe either Northern or Med

[JillK]

I haven't yet done the Med, let alone my kids (18, 17, 13 & 11) but hubby and I did go without kids for a UK cruise with Royal in 2018. It was a 13 night itinerary in May 2018 and we did speak with the guy in charge of the kids club on board as he was a fellow Canadian... he mentioned that there were only about 7 kids on the cruise. Not sure what time of year you are thinking of cruising but with a longer itinerary abroad, this could be a factor in your kids' enjoyment if they like the kids club(s).

 

We did cruise with our oldest two on the Epic in the Caribbean wayyyyy back in 2012 (my girls were 8 and 6 at the time). We LOVED the ship despite the odd configuration to the cabin with the shower being open to room with only a curtain to separate. The slides were amazing, the crew was fabulous and the specialty dining was worth every penny (pre-Free At Sea... Still have the receipts and just verified we paid $140 for Cirque Dreams & Dinner premium; $60 for La Cucina; $80 for Le Bistro and $100 for Cagney's). We had cruised with Carnival, Royal and Disney prior to this cruise and we enjoyed it so much that we have now returned to NCL several times as a couple as well as with our entire/extended family and will become Platinum with NCL on our next cruise this fall.

 

I know ships have gotten bigger and offer more since that time, but your kids will be young enough that they should find the amenities on the ship suitable. Although I have not cruised the Med, my folks (very seasoned cruisers) have several times and have said that it is an exhausting itinerary, so there is a chance your kids will be too tired to complain about the ship like they did on the Joy at the end of the day. 

 

Lots of lead time to summer 2025 so I'm sure that you will find the right fit and lock it in when you do. Happy cruising!

 

[kitkat343]

 

Norway and the Baltics are wonderful cruise options for families with small children.  

 

We've done both the Baltics and Norway with young children (Baltics with a 3 year old; Norway with a 2 and 6 year old).    My three favorite ports for Norway were Olden, Geiranger and Flam.  Olden has the amazing Loen Skylift and Briskdal Glacier.  The glacier has been hit hard by global warming, but it is a beautiful ride and hike to the glacier (a troll car can be rented to take you most of the way there.  My 2 year old managed the short remaining hike and we all managed to see the glacier).  Geiranger has lovely viewpoints, and Flam has the amazing flam railway and we visited a lovely goat farm there.  Parents need to note that taxis in Norway are not allowed to transport small children without car seats.  They are required to provide them upon request, so you need to make all transportation arrangements ahead of time.  Please also note that Norway will be banning most cruise ships from the heritage fjords which includes Geiranger and Flam unless they comply with zero emission standards, so if you have the opportunity to visit them soon you might want to go.  

 

The Baltics had larger cities, but I found it quite manageable and wonderful for children.  My 3 year old absolutely loved Stockholm, especially the Vasa and the open air lemur exhibit at Skansen.  We visited the Molli steam train in Germany, and Tallinn is a great destination for children to wander around, plus there is a really good hands on seaplane museum that is wonderful for small children.  

 

There is a lot more detailed advice on these trips in my trip reviews in my signature lines (please note that I'd also strongly recommend Alaska and the Panama Canal cruises for families with young children)

 

My biggest advice for families in Europe would be to stay off of ship tours whenever possible, and book private excursions (most of the Baltics are really easy to DIY  thanks to the amazing local public transportation systems) with the exception of St. Petersburg where you should consider a private tour for just your family if you can afford it if it ever reopens.    

 

 

The 10 day roundtrip Panama Canal cruises from Ft. Lauderdale are actually really convenient from the East Coast of the US  and on Princess you'd visit Costa Rica, Cartagena which is actually incredibly beautiful though quite hot, the Grand Cayman Islands (there's a nice stingray city and turtle farm here) and Jamaica (we went to a different port in Jamaica on our cruise so I'm not sure what to recommend near Falmouth but Scotchies is has several locations and has really good jerk chicken).

 

 

Because travel for families is much easier with private excursions, you need to be careful with NCL.  On my last sailing  they cancelled one port my kids really wanted (the Dominican Republic) and cancelled the morning of another (Antigua) which prevented us from seeing the giant toirteses because that's only open in the morning after final payment for "environmental reasons".  I called NCL and asked them to let me switch to the same cruise a few weeks later and they refused because they'd made the itinerary changes after final payment.  For an entire month, they continued to advertise the original itinerary on their website after the changes were made and even people who called NCL directly to book after the changes were not told  of the changes and weren't able to cancel either.  Other passengers have reported experiencing this also:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note that southern Europe can be a little more difficult for families due to the heat in the summer, and also because some of the ports are harder to access (Rome isn't that close to its port, Venice has banned cruise ships leading to either a 1.5 hour tender or 2 hour bus ride from a nearby city, Santorini is absolutely beautiful but tough to access with the cable car lines and the donkey ride would be difficult with children.  My 29 year old brother lost his sandals on the donkey ride, and I was scraped against the side of the stone wall and was bleeding a little). There was quite helpfully a store that sold shoes at the top of the donkey path).

 

There's also a cruise that I took many years ago on carnival that I think was called Western Caribbean - it visits Roatan, Belize, and the Grand Cayman Islands.  Roatan is great for kids, with lots of animal experiences, Belize has a great zoo and the Grand Cayman Islands have stingray city and a turtle farm. 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by kitkat343

[Pitzel]

1 hour ago, amindu said:

They are getting bored of the Caribbean/Bermuda and Alaska is not feasible at that age.  That really only leaves Europe either Northern or Med

Why do you think that Alaska is not feasible at their age?

[amindu]

10 minutes ago, Pitzel said:

Why do you think that Alaska is not feasible at their age?

We have done Alaska and recall it being more hiking, aerial tours, whale watching on small speedy boats, glacier activities etc that they wouldn’t necessarily get to enjoy.  Plus in May it’s still quite chilly although might be a nice change from the heat in Texas 

Edited August 18, 2023 by amindu

[amindu]

1 hour ago, kitkat343 said:

 

Norway and the Baltics are wonderful cruise options for families with small children.  

 

We've done both the Baltics and Norway with young children (Baltics with a 3 year old; Norway with a 2 and 6 year old).    My three favorite ports for Norway were Olden, Geiranger and Flam.  Olden has the amazing Loen Skylift and Briskdal Glacier.  The glacier has been hit hard by global warming, but it is a beautiful ride and hike to the glacier (a troll car can be rented to take you most of the way there.  My 2 year old managed the short remaining hike and we all managed to see the glacier).  Geiranger has lovely viewpoints, and Flam has the amazing flam railway and we visited a lovely goat farm there.  Parents need to note that taxis in Norway are not allowed to transport small children without car seats.  They are required to provide them upon request, so you need to make all transportation arrangements ahead of time.  Please also note that Norway will be banning most cruise ships from the heritage fjords which includes Geiranger and Flam unless they comply with zero emission standards, so if you have the opportunity to visit them soon you might want to go.  

 

The Baltics had larger cities, but I found it quite manageable and wonderful for children.  My 3 year old absolutely loved Stockholm, especially the Vasa and the open air lemur exhibit at Skansen.  We visited the Molli steam train in Germany, and Tallinn is a great destination for children to wander around, plus there is a really good hands on seaplane museum that is wonderful for small children.  

 

There is a lot more detailed advice on these trips in my trip reviews in my signature lines (please note that I'd also strongly recommend Alaska and the Panama Canal cruises for families with young children)

 

My biggest advice for families in Europe would be to stay off of ship tours whenever possible, and book private excursions (most of the Baltics are really easy to DIY  thanks to the amazing local public transportation systems) with the exception of St. Petersburg where you should consider a private tour for just your family if you can afford it if it ever reopens.    

 

 

The 10 day roundtrip Panama Canal cruises from Ft. Lauderdale are actually really convenient from the East Coast of the US  and on Princess you'd visit Costa Rica, Cartagena which is actually incredibly beautiful though quite hot, the Grand Cayman Islands (there's a nice stingray city and turtle farm here) and Jamaica (we went to a different port in Jamaica on our cruise so I'm not sure what to recommend near Falmouth but Scotchies is has several locations and has really good jerk chicken).

 

 

Because travel for families is much easier with private excursions, you need to be careful with NCL.  On my last sailing  they cancelled one port my kids really wanted (the Dominican Republic) and cancelled the morning of another (Antigua) which prevented us from seeing the giant toirteses because that's only open in the morning after final payment for "environmental reasons".  I called NCL and asked them to let me switch to the same cruise a few weeks later and they refused because they'd made the itinerary changes after final payment.  For an entire month, they continued to advertise the original itinerary on their website after the changes were made and even people who called NCL directly to book after the changes were not told  of the changes and weren't able to cancel either.  Other passengers have reported experiencing this also:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note that southern Europe can be a little more difficult for families due to the heat in the summer, and also because some of the ports are harder to access (Rome isn't that close to its port, Venice has banned cruise ships leading to either a 1.5 hour tender or 2 hour bus ride from a nearby city, Santorini is absolutely beautiful but tough to access with the cable car lines and the donkey ride would be difficult with children.  My 29 year old brother lost his sandals on the donkey ride, and I was scraped against the side of the stone wall and was bleeding a little). There was quite helpfully a store that sold shoes at the top of the donkey path).

 

There's also a cruise that I took many years ago on carnival that I think was called Western Caribbean - it visits Roatan, Belize, and the Grand Cayman Islands.  Roatan is great for kids, with lots of animal experiences, Belize has a great zoo and the Grand Cayman Islands have stingray city and a turtle farm. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you this is very helpful.  They have done quite a few destinations in the Caribbean, going to Roatan next month, and they have been to both Easter and Western Caribbean.  I am also considering Northern Europe like a London/Paris/Germany/Brussels tour.  The Med cruise is in May and leaves from Rome so we would just have roundtrip drive to the port and back but would not be doing a tour as well like in other ports. 

[kitkat343]

Roatan is great for kids - precovid Bodden adventures did a great job - they will take you all over the island, and will let you play with monkeys and other animals at their home, and there's an iguana farm and South Shore, which has a really great zip line and canopy walk.  

 

In Alaska you can design a trip for children which would be very enjoyable for kids,  but would need to be different from the one you previously took.  The Bering Sea excursion has a minimum age of 5, and that's an interesting way to learn about crab fishing (I was pregnant when I went to Alaska so you could ask on the Alaska or family forums if anyone has ever taken young kids on this), there are places to play with puppies.  There is the extremely expensive helicopter to dogsled on a mountain (but there's no discount for kids on that excursion).  There's the Mt. Roberts Tramway, which leads to easy hiking trails your kids could explore and beautiful views.  If you want a more adventurous trip, you can wait until they are older.

 

We sailed in late May and the weather was perfect, but it can be cold if you aren't lucky.

[old nutter]

Interesting problem!  The thing is, do you want the ship to be a floating baby sitter or a teacher/schoolroom.   Your two are at the very start of their life education.  All of the Europe trips and particularly the Med ones and the places they will be visiting will be thousands of year old and their populations will have been there for most of those years.  They will see places in the future on TV/Computer screen and in their learning books in school that they have been to and seen with their own eyes.  Our kids were slightly older than yours when we lived in Cyprus courtesy of HM Forces many years ago.  40 years on and our daughter still remembers meeting of the people who lived in other countries and seeing how they lived and have lived for years.  She is no linguist but she can count, say hello, good morning and goodnight in dozens of different languages!

 

You live in a place where the great majority of people around you will never see and hear the things your children will see and hear on a Med cruise and it will give them a huge step up on their life learning journey compared to their contemporaries.

[DCGuy64]

15 hours ago, amindu said:

All - looking for some advice.  My kids will be 4 and 6 in 2025 when we are planning on doing the Mediterranean Cruise.  We usually do Royal Oasis class ships and the kids loved it and all of the entertainment.  We did NCL Joy in June and the kids were asking when they can leave after day 2 (not much for kids on that ship, and entertainment was cancelled and replaced with Beatles show).  For those that have done Oasis Class know there is a Carousel, rock climbing, aqua show and ice skating show that keeps kids entertained.  

 

We want to show them Europe, and Royal primarily only does 7 day trips.  NCL does the longer ones (looking at 10 day) and we sailed on NCL Spirit 6-7 years ago before kids and did a similar itinerary and it was great. I have read some reports that Epic is the most hated ship in the fleet why (cuz of bathroom)?  The Breakaway also does Med but it does not go to Cannes and leaves from Barcelona vs Rome.  We could switch if there was a huge difference that would impact the kids experience.  So the question and reason for this post is given that Med Cruise is port heavy we figured they would be exhausted and after dinner not really care that there are shows or what kind of entertainment there is on the ship, and would hopefully enjoy the cruise.  They are seasoned travelers now post covid we are going on their 6th cruise next month (Allure of the Seas) since everything opened last year.  For those that have done longer cruises or even Europe ones with kids that age do you agree or should we be cautious?  

 

Any special secret cabins on Epic that we should know off?  Looking at Mini-Suite (Club Balcony). TIA

My wife and I sailed on the Epic last December. My wife's sister took her kids on the Oasis of the Seas the first year it sailed, and there were tons of things for them to do. We have no kids, but I can tell you the Epic's offerings for kids looked pretty lame vs what my SIL's kids were treated to on Oasis OTS. I don't put much stock in what other people say about not liking certain ships, because I have no frame of reference for what those people like/dislike in general, and I frankly tend to be someone who eschews what other people like, anyway. I'm very much an outlier. I did notice that our Club Balcony suite on the Epic was, well, different, but I like different. (It has a divided shower and toilet, so it's two separate rooms on either side of the entrance way, and that area is divided from the bedroom by just a curtain. It also has these interesting cabinets that sort of undulate. There was WAY more storage than we could find to put into it. It has a vanity w/ sink located in the main part of the cabin vs being in a bathroom, which I liked because my wife could shower while I shaved). We thought the ship was great, ours was a transatlantic crossing with what ended up being all sea days, and there was plenty to do the entire time. I re-read your post and I don't see what time of year you're planning to sail the Mediterranean. I'm guessing summertime, which means lots of people. We were in the North Atlantic in December which is NOT busy NOR hot, so the pools and outdoor areas were pretty empty. I hope you have a great time.

[amindu]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

My wife and I sailed on the Epic last December. My wife's sister took her kids on the Oasis of the Seas the first year it sailed, and there were tons of things for them to do. We have no kids, but I can tell you the Epic's offerings for kids looked pretty lame vs what my SIL's kids were treated to on Oasis OTS. I don't put much stock in what other people say about not liking certain ships, because I have no frame of reference for what those people like/dislike in general, and I frankly tend to be someone who eschews what other people like, anyway. I'm very much an outlier. I did notice that our Club Balcony suite on the Epic was, well, different, but I like different. (It has a divided shower and toilet, so it's two separate rooms on either side of the entrance way, and that area is divided from the bedroom by just a curtain. It also has these interesting cabinets that sort of undulate. There was WAY more storage than we could find to put into it. It has a vanity w/ sink located in the main part of the cabin vs being in a bathroom, which I liked because my wife could shower while I shaved). We thought the ship was great, ours was a transatlantic crossing with what ended up being all sea days, and there was plenty to do the entire time. I re-read your post and I don't see what time of year you're planning to sail the Mediterranean. I'm guessing summertime, which means lots of people. We were in the North Atlantic in December which is NOT busy NOR hot, so the pools and outdoor areas were pretty empty. I hope you have a great time.

Thank you, we are looking to sail in May of 2025.

[amindu]

5 hours ago, old nutter said:

Interesting problem!  The thing is, do you want the ship to be a floating baby sitter or a teacher/schoolroom.   Your two are at the very start of their life education.  All of the Europe trips and particularly the Med ones and the places they will be visiting will be thousands of year old and their populations will have been there for most of those years.  They will see places in the future on TV/Computer screen and in their learning books in school that they have been to and seen with their own eyes.  Our kids were slightly older than yours when we lived in Cyprus courtesy of HM Forces many years ago.  40 years on and our daughter still remembers meeting of the people who lived in other countries and seeing how they lived and have lived for years.  She is no linguist but she can count, say hello, good morning and goodnight in dozens of different languages!

 

You live in a place where the great majority of people around you will never see and hear the things your children will see and hear on a Med cruise and it will give them a huge step up on their life learning journey compared to their contemporaries.

 

Thank you for this perspective and your experience, this really helps solidify the decision to take the kids even though young and show them that part of the world.  Part of me was questioning my decision and whether we should take on such an itinerary with them being so young. However the one thing i want to instill in them them is the love to travel and see the world, and experience different cultures/traditions etc, vs being/living in a sheltered/protective bubble.  

[sherrihall128]

I have not been on the EPIC, but I would still consider it for a family Mediterranean cruise. I think it has enough activities like the water slides, arcade, rock climbing wall, and the kids' club to keep them occupied. Since a Mediterranean cruise tends to be more active with longer tours, I would be less concerned about having all of the things on RCL ships like the ice skating, golf, etc. After a long tour compared to a beach day on a Caribbean cruise, I doubt my kids would have enough energy to do all of the activities on a RCL ship. We have youngish kids (they will be 8 and 14 on our next cruise), and we plan to take them on a Med cruise next fall on the Getaway, which has similar activities to the EPIC. Also, choosing a less hot time in the Med (like May or October) will be more kid-friendly as well. Hope you have fun with whatever you choose!

 

Edited to add: EPIC tends to have better deals, so it is definitely a more economical choice! We are looking at Northern European cruises for 2025 on smaller ships, and WOW, what a price difference.

Edited August 18, 2023 by sherrihall128

[zqvol]

19 hours ago, amindu said:

All - looking for some advice.  My kids will be 4 and 6 in 2025 when we are planning on doing the Mediterranean Cruise.  We usually do Royal Oasis class ships and the kids loved it and all of the entertainment.  We did NCL Joy in June and the kids were asking when they can leave after day 2 (not much for kids on that ship, and entertainment was cancelled and replaced with Beatles show).  For those that have done Oasis Class know there is a Carousel, rock climbing, aqua show and ice skating show that keeps kids entertained.  

 

We want to show them Europe, and Royal primarily only does 7 day trips.  NCL does the longer ones (looking at 10 day) and we sailed on NCL Spirit 6-7 years ago before kids and did a similar itinerary and it was great. I have read some reports that Epic is the most hated ship in the fleet why (cuz of bathroom)?  The Breakaway also does Med but it does not go to Cannes and leaves from Barcelona vs Rome.  We could switch if there was a huge difference that would impact the kids experience.  So the question and reason for this post is given that Med Cruise is port heavy we figured they would be exhausted and after dinner not really care that there are shows or what kind of entertainment there is on the ship, and would hopefully enjoy the cruise.  They are seasoned travelers now post covid we are going on their 6th cruise next month (Allure of the Seas) since everything opened last year.  For those that have done longer cruises or even Europe ones with kids that age do you agree or should we be cautious?  

 

Any special secret cabins on Epic that we should know off?  Looking at Mini-Suite (Club Balcony). TIA

Be cautious, you should probably stick to Royal

[WarfRatWA]

20 hours ago, amindu said:

All - looking for some advice.  My kids will be 4 and 6 in 2025 when we are planning on doing the Mediterranean Cruise.  We usually do Royal Oasis class ships and the kids loved it and all of the entertainment.  We did NCL Joy in June and the kids were asking when they can leave after day 2 (not much for kids on that ship, and entertainment was cancelled and replaced with Beatles show).  For those that have done Oasis Class know there is a Carousel, rock climbing, aqua show and ice skating show that keeps kids entertained.  

 

We want to show them Europe, and Royal primarily only does 7 day trips.  NCL does the longer ones (looking at 10 day) and we sailed on NCL Spirit 6-7 years ago before kids and did a similar itinerary and it was great. I have read some reports that Epic is the most hated ship in the fleet why (cuz of bathroom)?  The Breakaway also does Med but it does not go to Cannes and leaves from Barcelona vs Rome.  We could switch if there was a huge difference that would impact the kids experience.  So the question and reason for this post is given that Med Cruise is port heavy we figured they would be exhausted and after dinner not really care that there are shows or what kind of entertainment there is on the ship, and would hopefully enjoy the cruise.  They are seasoned travelers now post covid we are going on their 6th cruise next month (Allure of the Seas) since everything opened last year.  For those that have done longer cruises or even Europe ones with kids that age do you agree or should we be cautious?  

 

Any special secret cabins on Epic that we should know off?  Looking at Mini-Suite (Club Balcony). TIA

 

My family moved to Europe (we're Americans) when my kids were 6 and 4 (11 years ago), we dragged them everywhere to 'expose' them.  When I ask them now if they recall those trips.....well, no they don't.  The pictures are great though.  They really didn't start to appreciate it til they hit teenage years.  My 2 cents....Make the trip about you.  Let them enjoy the stuff they kids enjoy, because frankly, that is what they will remember.  Just giving you my experience.

 

If sailing on NCL, look toward the NCL Breakaway/NCL Prima/NCL Viva in Europe in 2025.

[Girr]

6 minutes ago, WarfRatWA said:

 

My family moved to Europe (we're Americans) when my kids were 6 and 4 (11 years ago), we dragged them everywhere to 'expose' them.  When I ask them now if they recall those trips.....well, no they don't.  The pictures are great though.  They really didn't start to appreciate it til they hit teenage years.  My 2 cents....Make the trip about you.  Let them enjoy the stuff they kids enjoy, because frankly, that is what they will remember.  Just giving you my experience.

 

If sailing on NCL, look toward the NCL Breakaway/NCL Prima/NCL Viva in Europe in 2025.

Everybody is different.  Dad was in the military, and we spent two wonderful years in Verona, Italy starting when I was seven (a long, long time ago!).  My sister (a year younger) and I still have wonderful memories of the times as we travelled throughout Europe.  My brother was only two when we moved there and has no memories (okay, he claims he remembers when we lost him in Venice!).  Several years ago we returned for the opera in Verona, and it was like stepping back in time for us.  These years have instilled in us a love to travel.

 

The thing I will concur is after so many historical sights it can be a little tiring for children.  I'd dedicate some days to less history to more fun things.  It might mean not spending a day getting to Florence, but spending a day in Livorno at the aquarium (something I've never done, or have a desire to, but I'm "old") or a day or two at the beach.

 

As already mentioned, the med cruises are very port intensive (my last one had only one sea day), so the lack of amenities wasn't that big of a deal.  

[WarfRatWA]

59 minutes ago, Girr said:

Everybody is different.  Dad was in the military, and we spent two wonderful years in Verona, Italy starting when I was seven (a long, long time ago!).  My sister (a year younger) and I still have wonderful memories of the times as we travelled throughout Europe.  My brother was only two when we moved there and has no memories (okay, he claims he remembers when we lost him in Venice!).  Several years ago we returned for the opera in Verona, and it was like stepping back in time for us.  These years have instilled in us a love to travel.

 

The thing I will concur is after so many historical sights it can be a little tiring for children.  I'd dedicate some days to less history to more fun things.  It might mean not spending a day getting to Florence, but spending a day in Livorno at the aquarium (something I've never done, or have a desire to, but I'm "old") or a day or two at the beach.

 

As already mentioned, the med cruises are very port intensive (my last one had only one sea day), so the lack of amenities wasn't that big of a deal.  

We did 3yrs in Vincenza before this tour, so I know where you are coming from.

 

We are here for the same reason.  Concur that everyone is different, but I will say, many people in our position end up saying saying the same thing in regards to travel with young children.  Don't do it for the kids...do it for the adults.  Just my 2 cents.

[CruiseMH]

20 hours ago, amindu said:

They are getting bored of the Caribbean/Bermuda and Alaska is not feasible at that age.  That really only leaves Europe either Northern or Med

I heard rumours that there are forms of vacation other than cruises available and also legal. 😉

 

With ages 4 and 6 they won`t remember a single thing of Europa a few years later.

[amindu]

6 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

I heard rumours that there are forms of vacation other than cruises available and also legal. 😉

 

With ages 4 and 6 they won`t remember a single thing of Europa a few years later.

We find Cruising best and easiest for our family.

[mskaufman]

Last year we took two children 9 and 13 to the Med on Epic.  They have good memories and it worked out well.  

[CruiseMH]

10 hours ago, amindu said:

We find Cruising best and easiest for our family.

If that is the case and it has to be europe than i would suggest more a UK/France/Belgium/Germany cruise than a med cruise.

Cause all of the interesting stuff you can see in the med is connected with a lot of walking up- and downstairs,several bus rides,etc. So nothing that kids in that age really are happy with. 😉

On the UK,France,Belgium,Germany tours you can see nice old cities with much less walking and especially much less up and down.

Norway would also be more kid friendly than the med.

 

 

 

[graphicguy]

21 hours ago, zqvol said:

Be cautious, you should probably stick to Royal

LOL!!!!!!