British Isles vs Fjords/Iceland with kids

[mm824]

Does anyone have an opinion on taking a 7-year-old on the 7-Night British Isles Cruise from Dover vs the 11night Fjords/Iceland cruise?

My concern with the 11-night is that the ports and excursions may be better suited towards an older child/teen.

Thanks very much!

 

[o&smom]

Have you looked at the excursions offered for each cruise? I just checked DCL and it appears most of the normal PA are still listed. I would choose the 11 night. One, because it is 11 nights, and I think the ports are more varied and interesting. We did the 11 nt when our kids were 4 and 10. We all had a great time.

 

[Marthasor]

We did the Norway fjords/Iceland cruise on DCL Magic in its inaugural year when DS was 7. He loved it! There was plenty of stuff to do to keep him busy in the ports. What is the itinerary of the 11-night? Maybe I can give you an idea of what we did when we sailed. Especially if you are flying over from the US, I prefer a longer itinerary. It gives you a chance to settle in and really enjoy the ship as well as the ports.

 

[blabadie]

I think either itinerary would be fun for a 7 year old. We took our 3 kids (ages 5-8 at the time) on on the DCL British Isles Cruise and we had a fantastic time exploring London (and Leeds and Dover Castles) for a week prior the cruise.

Full disclosure---our kids are more interested in history than most kids their ages, but this is just because they have been exposed to a lot of history bc I'm a history lover. We cruised with friends whose 8 year old daughter enjoyed herself quite a bit--they just made sure to read some interesting children's history books with her beforehand. I think exposing a child to the history pre-trip (books, playmobil/toys, audiobooks of history or historical fiction, videos, etc.) is key to maximizing their enjoyment--although I think most kids could enjoy exploring castles like the Tower of London or Dover Castle regardless.

We were physically active doing a lot of walking and exploring (with beautiful scenery), but it wasn't a nature adventure type of trip. I think the Norwegian Fjords would give a mix of nature hiking/rib boats and Viking history (or you could do nothing but nature if you preferred), so if your child isn't interested in history yet, the fjords might be an easier fit for now.

Either trip sounds spectacular to me. We loved the British Isles and want to eventually go on a Norwegian Fjords cruise with our kids. I'd rather explore Iceland on a land trip to see it more thoroughly, so I'd personally lean against doing it on a cruise, but no doubt it would be fun too.

 

[JulieODC]

We took our daughters on the 2019 11-night Norway and Iceland when they were 7 and 4, and we all loved it!! It was the trip of a lifetime.

 

[vacay77]

I took my son on an Iceland/Fjords cruise when he was 6 and he still talks about it! We saw an iceberg in the distance and it left quite an impression with him.

 

[msmama]

We did the Iceland/Norway cruise when my son was about 9 (I think). We left from Dover so spent a couple days in London to adjust to the time change. The only excursion he was iffy on was a boat ride up a fjord and he wasn’t really that bad, he just had no interest in anything but sitting inside and looking out the window (but he still talks about the Norwegian waffles that were part of the trip). It was a great hint of Iceland and we want to go back someday.
But let’s be honest, you probably will have a great time either way!