Interested in Europe Disney cruise, but have 2 concerns

[cozyplaidblanket]

We are a family of 4, and we all love Disney, with the exception of my son who is in college, and is very ready to travel abroad and do a non Disney vacation. We have been to Europe once, had a great trip, but I planned every aspect of it - itinerary, transportation, hotel, etc. I would really like to not do that this time.

Is there any thing on the ship that would appeal to a 20 year old guy?

Other concern: husband loves the idea of this trip, but gets incredibly sea sick on small boats. Any input from people with experience on this would be appreciated.

 

[Marc D]

Unlike a Caribbean cruise, a European cruise is much more about the ports and shore excursions than the onboard activities. You are off the ship most days, for most of the day. Days at sea are helpful to relax between those long days. He will not run out of things to do. There is an 18-20 group that organizes activities but, from past posts, it is not very active on European cruises.

Concerning sea-sickness, you can never know. Some will be fine on ships and not on small boats. Others have problem with every means of transportation. You can spend multiple cruises not feeling anything then hit a type of waves that does not suit your body. In general, less than 10% of cruisers feel inconfort linked to the movement of the ship and, for most of them, medecine such as Bonine or the patch.

 

[Ladybugx87]

We have done 3 European cruises and I do get some motion sickness - I was completely fine on the Med and the Baltic. On this year's Norway/Iceland, there were two nights we had rough seas and I used the pressure point bracelets, which much to my surprise worked incredibly well. I will also note that I felt fine on the different tenders I have had to do and also on the Norway fjords excursion I did.

Regarding your 20 year old, my girls are much younger - observationally, it seems to depend on the cruise - on my Med cruise it skewed younger. On my Baltic, it was a mix but my young girls (2 and 7 at the time) definitely seemed to stand out more. On Iceland/Norway - there were plenty of 18-20s. And then we are doing Greece/Italy next year - there are already discussions of 18-20 activities in the group.

 

[cozyplaidblanket]

We have done 3 European cruises and I do get some motion sickness - I was completely fine on the Med and the Baltic. On this year's Norway/Iceland, there were two nights we had rough seas and I used the pressure point bracelets, which much to my surprise worked incredibly well. I will also note that I felt fine on the different tenders I have had to do and also on the Norway fjords excursion I did.

Regarding your 20 year old, my girls are much younger - observationally, it seems to depend on the cruise - on my Med cruise it skewed younger. On my Baltic, it was a mix but my young girls (2 and 7 at the time) definitely seemed to stand out more. On Iceland/Norway - there were plenty of 18-20s. And then we are doing Greece/Italy next year - there are already discussions of 18-20 activities in the group.

Do either of you think one stateroom would be big enough for 4 of us? We usually share a hotel room, if that helps.

 

[Geomom]

Your 20 yr old has access to all the adult areas--so he can go to the gym, adult only pool/hot tubs, lounges, etc--he just can't buy alcohol. Sometimes at night they'll have the silent disco in one of the lounges which could be fun for him. As others have said, there is an 18-20 club--have him go the first night meet up--he can meet others in the same age range, and they decide the type of activities they'd like to do during the cruise. Usually the first night is in Cove Cafe with free coffee drinks. Sometimes they meet for lunch together, have an ice cream social, do some sports together, or crafts together--the times/activities will be listed in that day's navigator and on the app. Disney shows recent Disney movies in the Buena Vista theater--that includes Marvel and Star Wars movies, so that could be of interest to him as well.

Take a look at some personal navigator's from previous Europe cruises to see the types of activities offered for adults, etc.
Northern Europe:
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...-europe-cruise-from-copenhagen-august-1-2019/Mediterranean:
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...ors-7-night-mediterranean-cruise-june-1-2019/

 

[Adventurelawyer]

We are a family of 4, and we all love Disney, with the exception of my son who is in college, and is very ready to travel abroad and do a non Disney vacation. We have been to Europe once, had a great trip, but I planned every aspect of it - itinerary, transportation, hotel, etc. I would really like to not do that this time.

Is there any thing on the ship that would appeal to a 20 year old guy?

Other concern: husband loves the idea of this trip, but gets incredibly sea sick on small boats. Any input from people with experience on this would be appreciated.

I’ve never done Europe or a Euro cruise, but I do get intensely sea sick. My suggestion is to get a script for Meclazine (sold over the counter as Bonine, but Rx strength is what I take), and start taking it before bed about a week prior to your sail date. People always make the mistake of taking something day of or when they get ill and it just doesn’t work as well. Once you puke, its over for you.

Another trick is to get into the water when you start feeling uncomfortable movement. I get a rainforest pass for length of stay and head up to the spa hot tub where I can see out on the horizon while in the water. It really helps.

never look down on the water, look out at the water. Find a point on the horizon and watch it, even if there’s nothing there. Focus on it.

Dont go lay down in your cabin. Absolute recipe for getting sick. Ideally,those of us with this misfortune should have veranda cabins. Open the door, get fresh air, go outside etc. but don’t lay down. If you are inside, go to deck 4 and sit up on a lounger and look at the horizon or walk the deck. The breezeways help me because they blast air into my face.

Eat salty things. Suck on ginger candy or morning sickness candies (actually very tasty and not expensive).

I was 20 on my first Disney cruise on the Magic. I found plenty to do, but I have always been a big Disney fan.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I get queasy on small boats, but the Magic is not a small boat. I've never had any significant seasickness on a Disney cruise (once felt slightly queasy for about 30 minutes while sailing the Pacific Ocean on the Wionder), and I've sailed on all four ships and never medicate. I don't recommend taking any medication in advance unless you know from experience that your husband tends to need it on cruise ships (not just on little boats, which are completely different). Medications, especially the patch, can cause side-effects, so it's best to avoid medicating unless you know it's necessary. Bring some Bonine and ginger candy onboard with you, just in case your husband begins to feel nauseous.

 

[Intr3pid]

Our kids are in middle and high school, so we have been traveling a lot together. I know how they tend to feel about family travel once in college/university.

Our eldest will be 16 soon, and he says he had his best cruise this summer on the Magic. Not because of Disney - but because of the friends he made on that 10-night sailing. They still keep in touch.

Mediterranean cruises are very port intensive, but the Northern European cruises are standard cruises with enough sea days in the mix. If into history, a Mediterranean cruise will keep yours busy. Family chemistry also plays its part - as in how well your kids get along and gel with you.

 

[Mommb]

My son was 20 on our last Mediterranean cruise. He had a great time with the 18-20 Society — they had meet-ups at least once a day, and went to the adult clubs together most nights.

We had 4 people in a Category 4, and thought that was ample space. My teenage daughter took the top bunk, my son took the dropdown bed, and we had the sofa to sit on or use for temporary storage. We did fit in Category 5-6 cabins when the kids were younger, but felt the Cat 4 was worth the extra cost.

The seas in the Med are generally calm. There was one night I remember feeling the motion, but I often couldn’t even tell if we were moving without looking out a window. As mentioned above, the Magic is large enough to be much more stable than a small boat. Do be aware that some ports do require a tender when you disembark. I don’t recall the tender at Villefranche being very bumpy, but it is bumpier than the main ship.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We are a family of 4, and we all love Disney, with the exception of my son who is in college, and is very ready to travel abroad and do a non Disney vacation. We have been to Europe once, had a great trip, but I planned every aspect of it - itinerary, transportation, hotel, etc. I would really like to not do that this time.

Is there any thing on the ship that would appeal to a 20 year old guy?

Other concern: husband loves the idea of this trip, but gets incredibly sea sick on small boats. Any input from people with experience on this would be appreciated.

The Mediterranean waters were super still when we went and I almost never felt rocking. That being said, my husband also gets seasick and uses the Transderm patch for seasickness for the duration of the cruise. He highly recommends it!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

My kids are 20 and 21. They love Disney cruises. Last summer we did Alaska in an oceanview room. Plenty of space. I tried to book Princess, but they both threw a fit! LOL. My daughter loved the 18/20 Society- she was 20 at the time. They met up both with the group and outside the group during that trip. She had fun. My son was 19 at the time. Participated in a few events with them. The CM running the group was great. My kids also loved being able to utilize the adult areas. So that worked out great. We are doing Italy/Greece next year in a deluxe inside. We will be cozy. But the trip is so port intensive, we will be in the cabin just to sleep. We stay organized and there are plenty of common areas if we get on each other's nerves.

My son is the one that tends to get seasick out of all of us. Alaska was not a problem as it was quite calm.. We had his doctor prescribe the patch for him in case he needed it, which he did not. This trip we will probably just bring some seasick meds as most of the time we will be in a port somewhere.

 

[cozyplaidblanket]

I’ve never done Europe or a Euro cruise, but I do get intensely sea sick. My suggestion is to get a script for Meclazine (sold over the counter as Bonine, but Rx strength is what I take), and start taking it before bed about a week prior to your sail date. People always make the mistake of taking something day of or when they get ill and it just doesn’t work as well. Once you puke, its over for you.

Another trick is to get into the water when you start feeling uncomfortable movement. I get a rainforest pass for length of stay and head up to the spa hot tub where I can see out on the horizon while in the water. It really helps.

never look down on the water, look out at the water. Find a point on the horizon and watch it, even if there’s nothing there. Focus on it.

Dont go lay down in your cabin. Absolute recipe for getting sick. Ideally,those of us with this misfortune should have veranda cabins. Open the door, get fresh air, go outside etc. but don’t lay down. If you are inside, go to deck 4 and sit up on a lounger and look at the horizon or walk the deck. The breezeways help me because they blast air into my face.

Eat salty things. Suck on ginger candy or morning sickness candies (actually very tasty and not expensive).

I was 20 on my first Disney cruise on the Magic. I found plenty to do, but I have always been a big Disney fan.

Thanks so much!

 

[aggiedog]

Something else to consider - we've used a company "France Just for You" who is reasonably priced and will plan whatever French vacation you want. They were exceptional. We did a week in France, and they picked hotels (fabulous), arranged tour guides, had Paris metro tickets for us, rental car reservations, driving directions, pretty much everything. Then sent us a 100 page book with detailed itinerary, contact info, driving tips, suggested off time ideas.

We used the money on the France trip from what we saved by doing our Med cruise with MSC concierge instead of DCL regular. It was less than half the cost.

 

[Jessicabr]

Wherever your cruise will bring you in Europe, you will be off the ship most of the time. And the times you will be on board, there is always something to do for any age group. Is it your 20-years old sons first cruise? he probably thinks there are only kids and Disney movies onboard with characters walking around 24/7.
If you have decided on a cruise, show him the itinerary and let him focus on that. There is so much that Europe has to offer!

 

[cozyplaidblanket]

Something else to consider - we've used a company "France Just for You" who is reasonably priced and will plan whatever French vacation you want. They were exceptional. We did a week in France, and they picked hotels (fabulous), arranged tour guides, had Paris metro tickets for us, rental car reservations, driving directions, pretty much everything. Then sent us a 100 page book with detailed itinerary, contact info, driving tips, suggested off time ideas.

We used the money on the France trip from what we saved by doing our Med cruise with MSC concierge instead of DCL regular. It was less than half the cost.

Thank you. I think we're looking into something like this now.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Im from Ireland and I have booked my first cruise 5 Night Western Europe from Dover September 13 2020. The ports are Amsterdam, Le Harve and Bruges / Zebrugge. I have started a meet up thread where I have posted all my planning so far https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...-europe-from-dover-13-september-2020.3760176/

 

[aggiedog]

I can't speak highly enough of the company, if you choose to use them. We were just about to sign a contract for a Paris/Normandy/Loire Valley tour with friends this summer with them when we had to back out due to my dad's illness. Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.

 

[cedricandsophie]

My grand daughter has always had a good time with the 18 20 group. But I will say they tend to stay out pretty late. She didn’t get back until 2 most nights, so if having your son come in late is going to wake you up that is something to consider when booking cabins.

 

[KashasMom]

Especially at 20 no way would I want to do a European cruise over a land trip! Traveling by train, seeing small villages, staying in hostels, meeting new people, figuring your food, etc, etc. - amazing!! There is so much info online that it's easy for him to plan everything. At 20 - he, NOT you should be doing that. If he has a friend to go with, all the better. If not, maybe a small group tour of very young people would be fun (like GAdventures) .

Just reread your question and think I misunderstood. If you meant ALL of you going to Europe, you can easily plan that or go on a family tour. Lots of companies where they handle all the details. Or if your son is intent on doing a land trip, let him work on the plans for the family.

 

[WvT3rd]

We are a family of 4, and we all love Disney, with the exception of my son who is in college, and is very ready to travel abroad and do a non Disney vacation. We have been to Europe once, had a great trip, but I planned every aspect of it - itinerary, transportation, hotel, etc. I would really like to not do that this time.

Is there any thing on the ship that would appeal to a 20 year old guy?

Other concern: husband loves the idea of this trip, but gets incredibly sea sick on small boats. Any input from people with experience on this would be appreciated.

I did the Northern European Cruise a couple of years ago and loved it. We were on the Disney Magic, so I wouldn't consider it a "small boat", and I can't recall any problem with waves on the Baltic sea. Just avoid the jetboat transfer in ST. Petersburg. We really saw a lot and loved being able to take a cruise to see it.