Greek Isles Cruise Ideas?

[Intr3pid]

We are booked on DCL's Mediterranean and Baltic cruises for summer 2019 and planning on touring the rest of Europe in the middle (in July 2019). Greek isles (and possibly the Dalmatian coast) are on our wish list as well. We are two adults and three kids (ages 10 to 14).

What really has us stumped is how best to tour this part of the region. Travelling with kids is generally expensive in that season - but, frankly, we would like to avoid the hassles of flying from airport to airport or through ferries with all the luggage in the tow. Ideally, a cruise out of Italy that visits some or all of the ports (think Santorini, Kotor, etc.) would be preferable - but we are open to ideas.

Has anyone toured this region on a cruise ship? Woud you be willing to share some of your thoughts? We aren't expecting a DCL-type experience, but it may still be better than hopping from hotel to hotel and day to day with kids. Which cruise lines or ships or itnineraries/ports do you prefer and why?

From what we have gathered:

* RCL, Princess, and NCL have multipe itineraries in the region
* Celebrity and HAL have one-off cruises
* Cunard and P&O primarily sail out of UK or leave the Greek Isles till later in the season
* MSC is very active but has no Yacht Club product in Eastern Mediterranean
* Celestyal operates older ships though exclusively in the Greek Isles
* Several luxury cruise lines visit the region - but may not be terribly exciting for the kids

In all honesty, DCL should really resurrect the Eastern Med cruise back into its lineup. A one-off from Rome or Venice would be lovely.

 

[Dug720]

I’m doing a Greek Isles cruise on RCCL’s Jewel of the Seas on July 1 and plan to do a trip report on the RCCL board here.

 

[owensamo]

We sailed Italy and Greece on the Celebrity Reflection and were very happy with our experience. The service was on par with Disney, the ship was great, and there were a lot of included extras you don't get on Disney. Since it was a port-intensive cruise, we liked that we didn't feel like we were missing out on the ship-board fun just to spend longer in port, or that we were missing out if we skipped the dining room or show after a long day of touring. It was our second Celebrity cruise, and we will sail them again.

 

[aggiedog]

We did MSC for the Med last summer, but were in the Yacht Club. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd like cruising them w/o YC. For our cruise, each port was an embarkation/debarkation port, so crowd size changed daily, but some nights it was very crowded. There are no hallways per se, you just have to walk thru one space to another, lounge to lounge, etc. We tried the buffet one night and were not super impressed. The smell coming from the main dining room was also kind of funky. (I'll readily admit I'm weird about smells.) The many number of pools were nice for the kids. I'm not a show person, but my parents and dh felt they were pretty good. The non-YC prices were super tempting. Sooo much cheaper than DCL.

The YC, though, was ah-mazing. I would totally do that again. In a heart beat.

 

[Intr3pid]

We sailed Italy and Greece on the Celebrity Reflection and were very happy with our experience. The service was on par with Disney, the ship was great, and there were a lot of included extras you don't get on Disney. Since it was a port-intensive cruise, we liked that we didn't feel like we were missing out on the ship-board fun just to spend longer in port, or that we were missing out if we skipped the dining room or show after a long day of touring. It was our second Celebrity cruise, and we will sail them again.

Did you travel during the summer holidays? Were there enough kids or families on board?

 

[Intr3pid]

We did MSC for the Med last summer, but were in the Yacht Club. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd like cruising them w/o YC. For our cruise, each port was an embarkation/debarkation port, so crowd size changed daily, but some nights it was very crowded. There are no hallways per se, you just have to walk thru one space to another, lounge to lounge, etc. We tried the buffet one night and were not super impressed. The smell coming from the main dining room was also kind of funky. (I'll readily admit I'm weird about smells.) The many number of pools were nice for the kids. I'm not a show person, but my parents and dh felt they were pretty good. The non-YC prices were super tempting. Sooo much cheaper than DCL.

The YC, though, was ah-mazing. I would totally do that again. In a heart beat.

That's pretty good intel. We were hoping to find a YC itinerary in Eastern Med, but no joy, I guess. Do you think booking a suite (instead of a standard or balcony room) would help? And how about the mix of guests - or even languages spoken?

 

[Intr3pid]

I’m doing a Greek Isles cruise on RCCL’s Jewel of the Seas on July 1 and plan to do a trip report on the RCCL board here.

Looking forward to it!

 

[blabadie]

We have traveled to Italy, Greece, and Istanbul (pre-kids), but not as part of a cruise. However, for a first Mediterranean family trip, we are definitely thinking cruise.

We're waiting for our youngest two to get a little older (our kids are ages 3, 5, and 7), but we really like HAL's 12 day Greek Odyssey itinerary. Lots of ports for historical interest excursions (our family loves history and mythology), as well as classic scenic ports. Also, beginning in Rome and ending in Venice gives the option to properly explore those ports if desired.

Being on a quality cruise line is important to us, but lots of ship entertainment on a non-Caribbean cruise is not a priority for our family--especially with a highly port intensive itinerary. Different families might have different preferences though...

 

[MUN]

We are booked on DCL's Mediterranean and Baltic cruises for summer 2019 and planning on touring the rest of Europe in the middle (in July 2019).

This sounds great! How much time do you plan on spending in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine? Will you hit Ireland, UK, and Iceland on the way over or the way back?

 

[aggiedog]

Do you think booking a suite (instead of a standard or balcony room) would help? And how about the mix of guests - or even languages spoken?

Language was not an issue. Lots of languages spoken, but the staff spoke good enough English that we never had a problem. The announcements take some time, as they cycle thru 3 languages, and since every port is an embarkation port, there is a lifeboat drill every night. You only go once, but you hear it every night, in multiple languages.

My issue wasn't the rooms but the rest of the ship. There were times it felt really, really crowded, again because we had to walk thru those areas to get to/from dinner. On Splendida, the YC dining is on the opposite side of the ship from the YC. What was heaven was the YC lounge. It was frequently almost empty. The service was good and it was like an oasis of calm amid the hustle and bustle. We spent a good bit of our down time there. We brought board games, and dd had her Switch. She made a few international friends that way, since she has a few extra controllers she brought.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Language was not an issue. Lots of languages spoken, but the staff spoke good enough English that we never had a problem. The announcements take some time, as they cycle thru 3 languages, and since every port is an embarkation port, there is a lifeboat drill every night. You only go once, but you hear it every night, in multiple languages.

My issue wasn't the rooms but the rest of the ship. There were times it felt really, really crowded, again because we had to walk thru those areas to get to/from dinner. On Splendida, the YC dining is on the opposite side of the ship from the YC. What was heaven was the YC lounge. It was frequently almost empty. The service was good and it was like an oasis of calm amid the hustle and bustle. We spent a good bit of our down time there. We brought board games, and dd had her Switch. She made a few international friends that way, since she has a few extra controllers she brought.

Were there any kids' clubs or teen clubs on the MSC?

 

[aggiedog]

Yes, but I have no experience with them. There were no sea days on our cruise. We were out in port all day, and my kids are not big fans of any kids/teens clubs, even DCL's. One of the upsides of 4 kids is they tend to hang with each other. Well, middle dd liked DCL's Edge, just to beat boys at video games.

There was a dance space that was for teens, but we only saw it during the day, when it was empty.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Yes, but I have no experience with them. There were no sea days on our cruise. We were out in port all day, and my kids are not big fans of any kids/teens clubs, even DCL's. One of the upsides of 4 kids is they tend to hang with each other. Well, middle dd liked DCL's Edge, just to beat boys at video games.

There was a dance space that was for teens, but we only saw it during the day, when it was empty.

Good point about fewer sea days. Even for the evenings, probably the kids would have been too tired to start socializing with other kids. Also with the way new people are on and off the ship all the time, there are fewer chances to make lasting friends.

 

[Intr3pid]

This sounds great! How much time do you plan on spending in Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine? Will you hit Ireland, UK, and Iceland on the way over or the way back?

In Eastern Europe, not much. With kids in the tow, we have to do a trek from Mediterranean to Northern Europe/UK - and we are trying to stay within the visa-free countries. No particular rhyme and reason though - just wanting to avoid any unknowns at border crossings.

And no Iceland on this trip - we are leaving that for either a future cruise or possibly a Transatlantic stop.

1. The plan is to start the trip in early July with the Med cruise (Barcelona to Barcelona), catch the bull run (from a balcony, I must add) in Pamplona, and tour some of Spain. Not entirely committed yet to exactly how.
2. Stop in Milan for several days and use it as a base to tour Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Northern Italy. It is around this time we are hoping to catch a Greek Isles cruise (preferably from Venice).
3. Stop in Vienna for a few days and use it as a base to tour Austria, Hungary, and Czech Republic.
4. Catch the Baltic cruise and stop in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris either before or after the cruise.
5. UK will be the last stop, and we fly back from London.

One thing that has helped us is the Adventures by Disney (ABD) itineraries. In fact, we are trying to recreate them at a fraction of cost by going DIY. Not yet entirely sure whether to do a one-way car rental or stay in trains.

It may sound like we have nothing else to do in life (LOL) - but we have tried hard to block off 6 weeks of vacation next summer. Goodness heavens, we attempt it every summer - but it's the first time we may be able to actually pull it off.

 

[aggiedog]

In Eastern Europe, not much. With kids in the tow, we have to do a trek from Mediterranean to Northern Europe/UK - and we are trying to stay within the visa-free countries. No particular rhyme and reason though - just wanting to avoid any unknowns at border crossings.

And no Iceland on this trip - we are leaving that for either a future cruise or possibly a Transatlantic stop.

1. The plan is to start the trip in early July with the Med cruise (Barcelona to Barcelona), catch the bull run (from a balcony, I must add) in Pamplona, and tour some of Spain. Not entirely committed yet to exactly how.
2. Stop in Milan for several days and use it as a base to tour Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Northern Italy. It is around this time we are hoping to catch a Greek Isles cruise (preferably from Venice).
3. Stop in Vienna for a few days and use it as a base to tour Austria, Hungary, and Czech Republic.
4. Catch the Baltic cruise and stop in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris either before or after the cruise.
5. UK will be the last stop, and we fly back from London.

One thing that has helped us is the Adventures by Disney (ABD) itineraries. In fact, we are trying to recreate them at a fraction of cost by going DIY. Not yet entirely sure whether to do a one-way car rental or stay in trains.

It may sound like we have nothing else to do in life (LOL) - but we have tried hard to block off 6 weeks of vacation next summer. Goodness heavens, we attempt it every summer - but it's the first time we may be able to actually pull it off.

Can I come live with you?

 

[Intr3pid]

Can I come live with you?

Yes! Always looking to sharing journeys.

And costs.

 

[Intr3pid]

We have traveled to Italy, Greece, and Istanbul (pre-kids), but not as part of a cruise. However, for a first Mediterranean family trip, we are definitely thinking cruise.

We're waiting for our youngest two to get a little older (our kids are ages 3, 5, and 7), but we really like HAL's 12 day Greek Odyssey itinerary. Lots of ports for historical interest excursions (our family loves history and mythology), as well as classic scenic ports. Also, beginning in Rome and ending in Venice gives the option to properly explore those ports if desired.

Being on a quality cruise line is important to us, but lots of ship entertainment on a non-Caribbean cruise is not a priority for our family--especially with a highly port intensive itinerary. Different families might have different preferences though...

I hear ya. Europe is much more about the ports - and the destinations - and that's why we won't mind looking into other cruiselines (particularly where DCL is MIA).

 

[owensamo]

Did you travel during the summer holidays? Were there enough kids or families on board?

We did travel over the summer, and there was a good amount of children on board. The kids clubs seemed decently populated. My teen spent some time in the X club but spent most of her time with us - however, we were able to share an excursion with another family with teens in Sicily, so that worked out well. I would say in general it was probably fairly evenly split between families and adult-only parties travelling on the cruise.

One big plus for us over Disney was the buffet was open for dinner. This meant that we could tour all day and not worry about being able to find dinner - or having to be back on time for a set dining time. They also have a larger variety of specialty (extra cost) restaurants, and they're not limited to 18+. Our daughter really enjoyed the experience of dining with us in those venues.