Baltic or Norway

[TrySomethingNew]

Jess_s, waiting a bit makes sense for the age of your child. Our 8yo was the youngest on our ABD, but got along great with the next youngest and really liked/bonded with the guides. I think the Norway cruises look wonderful with the many ports and outdoor excursions - so good luck and enjoy all the planning! Maybe a river cruise is not too far off for you!!

 

[GrantFam]

for those with kids considering Balitcs, here is what we did in 2 Baltic ports with kids.
Stockholm: take the HO-HO that picks up right at the pier (get SEK for the Ho-Ho (Swedish $$) before you leave the US--they are not on the euro). Take the Ho-HO to downtown and walk around. You can go into the Palace, etc. but the BEST place was the Livrustkammaren. Founded in 1633, it is also Sweden's oldest museum. Set in the palace vaults, this armory isn't just about weapons but displays some of the world's most magnificent state coaches and coronation robes, even the costume worn by Gustav III at a fatal masked ball. (The king was assassinated at the 1792 ball, and the incident inspired Verdi to write his opera The Masked Ball.) They have a free kit that you can borrow for the kids--it is a box with a fake mouse and you find clues throughout the museum. My kids spent 2 hours doing this--super fun. They also have a good dress up place with princess/knights stuff, as well. We got the combo Ho-HO ticket and also took a boat tour. We did not have time to see the Viking ship (on the HO-HO bus/boat line). As an adult, I also really liked the above.
Tallin--easy to walk from pier to town and they have costumed persons selling nuts, sodas, etc.--very festive. Plus, you can do archery outside the fort with Red Riding Hood type costumed workers, fun to watch, even if you do no participate. Large square in center of town to get food, etc. Tallin looks like a storybook village from a fairy tale.
From an old DCL, I got the idea to make "secret agent" dossiers with 5 things to find/do in each port--like try ____ dessert (famous for ____), climb the _____ tower, count how many steps at the _______. At the end, they got a little prize.

Thank you for sharing this information! We're going to be doing the Northern Europe cruise with two kids who will be 4 and 6 1/2 at the time of the cruise and this is helpful. I love the idea about creating a dossier!

 

[michellekcm]

Thank you for sharing this information! We're going to be doing the Northern Europe cruise with two kids who will be 4 and 6 1/2 at the time of the cruise and this is helpful. I love the idea about creating a dossier!

Another option in Sweden is the Skansen Open Air Musem - tons of recreations of how people used to live, eg a Sami camp, a historic school house, bakery, etc. that you can go in and out of and do activities etc. They also have some animals there. My kids loved it.

They also loved the Astrid Lindgren museum, I think called Junibacken? There was a ride through storybooks, and Pippi Longstocking's house to play in.

 

[o&smom]

Another option in Sweden is the Skansen Open Air Musem - tons of recreations of how people used to live, eg a Sami camp, a historic school house, bakery, etc. that you can go in and out of and do activities etc. They also have some animals there. My kids loved it.

They also loved the Astrid Lindgren museum, I think called Junibacken? There was a ride through storybooks, and Pippi Longstocking's house to play in.

This is what we did in Stockholm. We ended up soending over 4 hours in Junibaken! We could not get our kids 5 & 11 to leave. They have a great cafeteria here with lots of yummy food and dessert. We did walk over and spend a little time exploring Skansen. Loved the reindeer! There is also the Vasa Museum with a mostly intact Viking ship, an amusement park and the ABBA museum, all within walking distance. Lots to do here.

 

[o&smom]

Another great thing to do in Tallin is visit the Seaplane Museum. We spent a few hours here, even enjoying a lovely lunch. We grabbed a taxi from the port and then got a taxi from the museum to the palace and then walked through old town and back to the ship. It was a wonderful day!