Port(s) to skip/stay on board in the Mediterranean when traveling with kids!

[smilegirl07]

Hi, y'all!  I am traveling on Viva this coming summer(Aug) for 10 days through the Mediterranean and will be taking our three kids who are pre teens and a little 7 year old.  The itinerary that we chose are VERY port intensive starting from Lisbon - Gibraltar - Cadiz(Seville) - Motril (Granada) - Ibiza - Majorca - Barcelona - Provence(Marseille) - Villefranche - Livorno(Florence/Pisa) and then disembarking in Rome.  It is literally stopping everyday and I have started looking at all excursions and tours, but am not planning to do it every day.  There will be days we are planning to just stay on board and relax or just get off at the port and look around and then hop right back on the ship.  Since this is a trip with the kids, I want to do (and not do) things with them.  I want to hear from fellow cruisers who have recently done the Viva through the Med (or on any other ships, especially with kids?) that which ports were more exciting with kids, what are some excursions that you recommend and what may be some ports that are OK to skip and stay on board or just look around the port under just a few hours.

 

I always get so much information during the booking process/preparing for the cruise on CC and truly appreciate all your help and sharing the info!

 

Thank you so much in advance!

 

 

 

[complawyer]

if it's your 1st time cruising the mediterranean, i wouldnt  miss any of the ports, although i do understand it will be a problem dragging around 2 pre teens and a 7 year old. given a choice, however, i might skip Gibralter. although there is a lot of history. majorca, been there, and there aint a whole lot going  on. same with marseille, . liverno is about an hr from the leaning tower, so i wouldnt miss that. and remember rome is also about an hour away from the port of citiavecchia. so you need to take that into consideration. the entire cruise  might also be extremely tiring for a 7 year old.

what we've done in the past is get off the ship, hire a cab to take us around (even the hr from liverno to pisa) it's substantially cheaper than the ncl excursion rates. 

the problem with your question, is that opinions are like certain parts of the anatomy, everybody has one, and you'll probably be inundated with different responses. 

Caveat: the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own!

 

final tip, as soon as you can, sign the kids up for splash academy, they will be with other kids their own age. My grandson, wo is now 25, started sailing with us when he was 11, all the way through to his teen years on the entourage. he had a ball, and still keeps in contact with some of the kids he previously met.

 

regardless, have a great cruise and "bon voyage"

[CruiseMH]

It really depends on what your kids like or don`t like.

If i had to decide which port/city/country the kids could skip easiest without having missed a lifetime experience i would say it is Majorca. From the port you can take the shuttle bus or public bus to Palma,stroll around the city and go back to ship.

Marseille is also a city which imho is not necessarily a must watch city.

 

[FLAHAM]

Gibraltar is a must with kids!  Take them to the top of the rock.  Watch out for the monkeys.

[Catchum]

I would second missing Gibraltar and or Marseille.  Gibraltar we found somewhat strange  really it is not like England which seems to be a major selling point, there is history which is interesting and the apes which are aggressive. Several people ended up in the medical centre for scratches or bites from the apes, on our last visit. 

 

Marseille is a pretty town to walk around and there were political protests last time we were there which made it extra exciting. It is not a bucket list place. 

 

In August the cities Rome, Florence ect will be hot and crowded. Don't try to see everything, eating ice cream next to a fountain is as valid an experience of Rome as seeing the Vatican. 

 

Barcelona Park Guell is wonderful for all ages, you needed to pre book when we visited.

[smilegirl07]

@complawyer @CruiseMH @FLAHAM @Catchum   Thank you, y'all are awesome and very helpful!  I appreciate it all! 🙂 

[gzmtlock]

I think you're very wise to be looking at not doing every port. I haven't done the Med with kids, but those intensive schedules wear ME out!  On my 10-day with my mother, I opted out of Rome.  I was tired, over-stimulated, and needed a break from being around so many people.  On my 7-day with my husband, I skipped whatever island we stopped at, for largely the same reasons (but did get to Rome!).  My thought process is, it's not a vacation if I'm unhappy, exhausted, and miserable.  This is true for younger people, also!  Who wants their memory of Rome (for example) to be their kid having a meltdown in the Vatican as you're being herded from one room to another, rather than appreciating the beautiful art and architecture?  

 

In your shoes, I would pick the 2-3 places that I KNEW I didn't want to miss.  Then plan 2 (maybe 3) break days where we'd just visit the port area and hang out on the ship.  I would plan a break day for every 3rd-4th day.  The spacing all depends on what you know you want to do.  I would also think twice about excursions that had us in transportation for 1/3 to 1/2 of the total time.  

 

There are fantastic things in most ports.  They'll likely be there if any of you get to go again.  And if not, you'll have wonderful memories of what you saw and did, both in port and on the ship.

 

(Full disclosure - I'm an introvert who needs time away from crowds to rejuvenate.  If everyone in your group has had good experiences with go-go-go vacations, my thoughts might not make much sense.)

[Manchester is blue]

I’d say Do NOT miss Gibraltar.  So much history, and great views from the top of the rock.  Just keep a close hand on your belongings,… The Barbary apes will steal them. The kids will just love it.  

Edited March 26 by Manchester is blue

[cabincop]

In Livorno the Leaning Tower of Pisa is only 1/2hr away from the port. Might even be less. However Rome is a good 1.15 or more from Civitavecchia. Depends on traffic. I would take the kids to see Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

[CCJack]

4 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

It really depends on what your kids like or don`t like.

If i had to decide which port/city/country the kids could skip easiest without having missed a lifetime experience i would say it is Majorca. From the port you can take the shuttle bus or public bus to Palma,stroll around the city and go back to ship.

Marseille is also a city which imho is not necessarily a must watch city.

 

I agree.   Marseille and Majorca would be my votes to skip if you want / have to skip.   I would skip Marseille 1st and Majorca next just because you can take a short walk off of the ship in Majorca and have a nice 1 hour walk  if you just want to stretch your legs.   Not so much in Marseille, it is a big city and you need some sort of excursion planning.

 

 

 

 

[nordicacres]

The Leaning Tower is not at all worth it in my opinion. There is no other reason to go to the city. Walk to the tower, and walk back to the train station (or whatever transportation) is the extent of the visit. I will never return and definitely wouldn’t have missed out on anything had we skipped it, but YMMV.

Edited March 27 by nordicacres

[cabincop]

5 minutes ago, nordicacres said:

The Leaning Tower is not at all worth it in my opinion. There is no other reason to go to the city. Walk to the tower, and walk back to the train station (or whatever transportation) is the extent of the visit. I will never return and definitely wouldn’t have missed out on anything had we skipped it, but YMMV.

True but it might be a nice short visit for the kids. Unless they are doing the long day into Florence 

[kitkat343]

We didn't take kids on the Med, but took a 3 year old on a Baltic cruise.  My 3 year old was able to make it through 2 full days of touring St. Petersburg and everywhere else because we had private tours for just our family in each port (or DIY so we could set the schedule.)   Whenever he got cranky we stopped and got him a treat.  We identified exactly what highlights we absolutely wanted to see ahead of time and started with those.  We skipped minor highlights (the rooms in the center of Catherine's palace tend to be repetitive, so we spent a decent amount of time in the first two and then jumped to the Amber room).  I'd just really try to identify what you want to see and what they want to see in each port and stay as long as they can manage.  Museum cafes are your friends - one parent can sit with the 7 year old and the other can visit the exhibits, and you can switch off depending on what each of your priorities are.  The second we got back on the ship, we took our son to Splash Academy because we were very tired.  He was fine and could have continued running around St. Petersburg (which was surprising since we actually visited all of the major highlights over two full days traveling).  So you'll just see how long your kids will make it.  Good luck!  

[complawyer]

smilegirl, just an added thought. docking at liverno, there is no way i would miss the leaning tower of pisa, also, if you can do it, try and stay a few days in rome. turn every corner, and there is another magnificent structure to see. and of course the colleseum and the vatican, although the wait to get into the vatican may be too long for your kids. one thing we did last year, we stayed at a marriott, took a walk, and stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino. it was a beautiful bright sunny day, clear blue skies, great for people watching, and jokingly as we sipped our coffee, we commented, wonder what the poor people are doing now.

[smilegirl07]

7 hours ago, complawyer said:

smilegirl, just an added thought. docking at liverno, there is no way i would miss the leaning tower of pisa, also, if you can do it, try and stay a few days in rome. turn every corner, and there is another magnificent structure to see. and of course the colleseum and the vatican, although the wait to get into the vatican may be too long for your kids. one thing we did last year, we stayed at a marriott, took a walk, and stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino. it was a beautiful bright sunny day, clear blue skies, great for people watching, and jokingly as we sipped our coffee, we commented, wonder what the poor people are doing now.

 

All sounds so good!  We are flying in about a week prior to Rome and then will have to fly to Lisbon before the cruise starts.  And then once the cruise is over, we have another 3 days before we fly out.  I have NOT 🙄 worked out the little details where we are staying where we are going, etc before and after the cruise and I am realizing how quickly rooms are being sold out, excursions are being sold out, etc. Thank you for the info, all sounds so good, I am planning to take it easy since we have the kids but one of my daughters def wants to check out the Pisa!

[smilegirl07]

10 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

We didn't take kids on the Med, but took a 3 year old on a Baltic cruise.  My 3 year old was able to make it through 2 full days of touring St. Petersburg and everywhere else because we had private tours for just our family in each port (or DIY so we could set the schedule.)   Whenever he got cranky we stopped and got him a treat.  We identified exactly what highlights we absolutely wanted to see ahead of time and started with those.  We skipped minor highlights (the rooms in the center of Catherine's palace tend to be repetitive, so we spent a decent amount of time in the first two and then jumped to the Amber room).  I'd just really try to identify what you want to see and what they want to see in each port and stay as long as they can manage.  Museum cafes are your friends - one parent can sit with the 7 year old and the other can visit the exhibits, and you can switch off depending on what each of your priorities are.  The second we got back on the ship, we took our son to Splash Academy because we were very tired.  He was fine and could have continued running around St. Petersburg (which was surprising since we actually visited all of the major highlights over two full days traveling).  So you'll just see how long your kids will make it.  Good luck!  

thank you for the help and tips!  Is splash academy for all kids ages under 13?  I was reading somewhere and saw that there is a teen club? for kids 13 and up but my girls aren't 13 yet....

 

 

[smilegirl07]

14 hours ago, gzmtlock said:

I think you're very wise to be looking at not doing every port. I haven't done the Med with kids, but those intensive schedules wear ME out!  On my 10-day with my mother, I opted out of Rome.  I was tired, over-stimulated, and needed a break from being around so many people.  On my 7-day with my husband, I skipped whatever island we stopped at, for largely the same reasons (but did get to Rome!).  My thought process is, it's not a vacation if I'm unhappy, exhausted, and miserable.  This is true for younger people, also!  Who wants their memory of Rome (for example) to be their kid having a meltdown in the Vatican as you're being herded from one room to another, rather than appreciating the beautiful art and architecture?  

 

In your shoes, I would pick the 2-3 places that I KNEW I didn't want to miss.  Then plan 2 (maybe 3) break days where we'd just visit the port area and hang out on the ship.  I would plan a break day for every 3rd-4th day.  The spacing all depends on what you know you want to do.  I would also think twice about excursions that had us in transportation for 1/3 to 1/2 of the total time.  

 

There are fantastic things in most ports.  They'll likely be there if any of you get to go again.  And if not, you'll have wonderful memories of what you saw and did, both in port and on the ship.

 

(Full disclosure - I'm an introvert who needs time away from crowds to rejuvenate.  If everyone in your group has had good experiences with go-go-go vacations, my thoughts might not make much sense.)

That is me!  I am an introvert who needs time away from crowds to rejuvenate ☺️.... Thank you for the tips and info!

[N-8]

There isn't a lot to do in Majorca but depends what you like to do with the kids. On our NCL cruise that stopped there, in our group of 9, I was the only one to get off the boat and had a great time. Getting off the boat was easy and just walked around town on my own. I really enjoyed going from spot to spot, grabbing a bite to eat or talking to people. Very relaxing day. 

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

smilegirl, just an added thought. docking at liverno, there is no way i would miss the leaning tower of pisa, also, if you can do it, try and stay a few days in rome. turn every corner, and there is another magnificent structure to see. and of course the colleseum and the vatican, although the wait to get into the vatican may be too long for your kids. one thing we did last year, we stayed at a marriott, took a walk, and stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino. it was a beautiful bright sunny day, clear blue skies, great for people watching, 

Coudn't agree more.  Rome is so rich in history that your kids have or will learn about.  They'll get to see it up close.

 

Vatican I've done.  I'm Catholic and I was still disappointed at how little time they let you linger there.

 

 

....stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino. it was a beautiful bright sunny day, clear blue skies, great for people watching, 

 

Could not agree with this more.  It's a great way, at any of the ports, to get a real feel for the area.

[complawyer]

smile girl there are different age levels for kids in splash academy. the entourage is specifically for "teens" if your girls are under 13, sorry, it's a no go. ncl rules. it has also been mentioned, would you want your12 year old, hanging out with kids just under 18? im sure they will enjoy the other kids in splash academy. there are "guppies" for younger children, kind out like kindergarten. im not sure where the actual splash academy age starts, but if it's 7, she can hang out with her sisters.

 

if you ever meet my wife, she will also tell you how "anal" i am when booking a vacation.

if it helps you choose a hotel, i usually go to bookings.com or hotels.com.

 

they both give you a wide variety of choices, prices, location and pictures/descriptions of the hotels. they also allow you to book without asking for money up front. they ask for a credit card, just to hold the reservation and dont charge the card.

 

hope this helps, we've been on a number of cruises, loved barcelona, rome, been to majorca, nice town, not to much to se or do. same with marseilles. we hired a cab to take us around.

 

 

[complawyer]

graphic guy, on prior cruises, we also had pizza in naples just outside of pompeii, got  to ride in a gondola in venice (on my bucket list) and rode an elephant in Bangkok.

 

my wife and i may be old, but to quote the beach boys, "we get around" 

 

smilegirls children may still be a little young to fully appreciate this cruise, but it's great that she's giving them the opportunity at a young age. when my grandson was in jr high, he was studying world history. we took him on out cruise and one of the ports was Athens. our tour went to the acropolis, and while the guide was giving her lecture, my grandson looked at me and said "papa. she doesnt know what she talking about"

 

go figure

[trivia addict]

Smilegirl07, have you thought about using a travel agent for your stays in Europe before and after the cruise?

i, too, am very hands on when it comes to cruises and travel within the U.S., but when it comes to booking hotels, cars, trains and museum tickets in Europe I find that a good TA knows a lot more than I do about these things. 

[smilegirl07]

55 minutes ago, trivia addict said:

Smilegirl07, have you thought about using a travel agent for your stays in Europe before and after the cruise?

i, too, am very hands on when it comes to cruises and travel within the U.S., but when it comes to booking hotels, cars, trains and museum tickets in Europe I find that a good TA knows a lot more than I do about these things. 

that is actually a great idea, especially i don't have much time left.... (I thought I did but people act FAST!). Thank you for the suggestion!

[Catchum]

4 hours ago, smilegirl07 said:

 

All sounds so good!  We are flying in about a week prior to Rome and then will have to fly to Lisbon before the cruise starts.  And then once the cruise is over, we have another 3 days before we fly out.  I have NOT 🙄 worked out the little details where we are staying where we are going, etc before and after the cruise and I am realizing how quickly rooms are being sold out, excursions are being sold out, etc. Thank you for the info, all sounds so good, I am planning to take it easy since we have the kids but one of my daughters def wants to check out the Pisa!

Pisa is awesome not too big a place and definitely go up the tower, the sensation of walking uphill whilst going down is just plain weird. 

 

Frequent stops for pizza, gelato and wine will get your whole group through the trip. 

 

For pre and post cruise stays Airbnb or booking.com are my go to places for apartments anywhere in the world. Choose ones with no penalty cancellation and keep looking to see if a better one comes up. We love having a kitchen with a fridge (for wine) and a coffee maker neither of which are common in European hotels. 

[smilegirl07]

5 minutes ago, Catchum said:

 

 

Frequent stops for pizza, gelato and wine will get your whole group through the trip. 

 

 

I LIKE THAT!! 😆🙌  This is the whole reason we are traveling to Italy, right? 😉 Thank you!