Kids on Mediterranean Cruise Advice

[CluelessDisFan]

DH and I are contemplating the idea of taking our kids on a Mediterranean Disney cruise. We've discussed the possibility of taking them in August 2018. So They'd be 13, 8, and 6. I've looked up the potential costs, and believe three years of saving and planning is an obtainable goal. For those that have taken kids on this cruise how was it? In general any pros or cons of taking kids this age also any links to Med Cruise with kids trip reports would be awesome too!

 

[thinkoflaura]

we did this cruise twice -- once when DD was 5 and again when she was 7. the itinerary changed a bit between the two sailings (2nd time I think it was a 12 night including 2 nights in venice)... both experiences were phenomenal. These med cruises are a great way to give your kids a first exposure to many European cities/landmarks with the luxury of not having to pack/unpack multiple times. But the best part I thought was when you get back on the ship at the end of the day, you get to stop worrying about everyone. I feel DCL does an amazing job at taking care of the person who PLANS THE TRIP. The person who worries about making sure everyone has fun, the one who researched the best excursions, mapped out all the public transportation, located the best restaurants in each port, made sure everyone has their water bottles, that enough photos were taken and who lugged around everyone's stuff. your time in the ports will be hectic, exciting, exhausting and memorable. And after 8 hours of THAT, you get to get back on the ship and let the amazing DCL crew take care of everyone INCLUDING YOU. Dinner? Check! Entertainment for all? Check! Your kids will even want their own chill time in the clubs which means no guilt when you and DH decide to go for a walk around the ship or hang in the lounge.

I hope you take this message in the spirit in which it's intended. DCL Med cruises are not only amazing for your family, but it will also be amazing for YOU!!!!!

PS -- not to complicate matters for you, but this summer we took the 7 night Norwegian Fjords cruise. It was glorious! I hope you get to have that experience one day!

 

[o&smom]

We have also done two different Med itineraries with DCL as a family. The first time, our son had just turned 7 and our daughter was 3 mos old. On our second Med cruise, our son was 9, and our daughter had just tuned 3. We all had great experiences on each of the cruises - even with a couple of duplicate ports. There is so much to explore and experience. Also recommend a few days in Barcelona before or after the cruise. Both my kids still talk about it.

 

[Saamh]

We did the 12 night Med cruise from Barcelona to Venice in 2014 with our 6 year old and 9 year old daughters. It was an amazing way to expose them to Europe without overwhelming them (or me!). We had breakfast on the ship, experienced authentic, local cuisine for lunch when in port and then were back on the ship for dinner. I didn't need to worry about unpacking and repacking or trying to find somewhere family-friendly to eat. We tried to alternate our port plans so we had a long day followed by a short day so we didn't exhaust them. I would highly recommend it if you can make it work. Even our 6 year old (now almost 8) remembers so much and has had quite a few "Ah Ha" moments in school based on things she saw that summer.

 

[ctnurse]

We haven't done the Med cruise, but have it scheduled for August 2016. We have done the 12 Night Baltic cruise the past July with our 11 and 2 year olds. Both are great travelers, they have been all over the world, and did great. DD 2 slept for 3 hours in the Hermitage in her stroller. Her only real meltdown was the last night of the cruise when we thought it was a good idea to bring her to the show and dinner. It was just too much for her and she was a mess at dinner.

 

[aggiedog]

We did the Baltic cruise, with 10,13,16, 16 yo's, with a week in Iceland/Copenhagen first. They did great. This was their first cruise, which may have spoiled them for anything else. I think your kids would be fine. I would recommend you look at TripAdvisor and consider non-DCL tours in the ports. They will be significantly cheaper, and in our experience, much better, than the DCL versions. Less people, less rushed, and you will be able to tailor the experiences to fit your family.

 

[DISGRL13]

I would highly recommend taking your family on the DCL Mediterranean cruise! As other posters have said it is a great way to see many places with only unpacking once and having the comforts of the ship. There is plenty for the kids to do and some of the excursions are geared directly for kids. DCL does a great job. The only drawback is that it is an exhausting cruise. There is so much to see and do we did not rest much. You might need to schedule down time for the younger children. I would also arrive a few days before the cruise in the city you are leaving from to adjust to the time change before the cruise. We also loved Barcelona and wish we could have stayed there longer. Good luck with your decision....I think you would have a fabulous time!

 

[SailingSeas]

I want to add another benefit - college. The experience my daughter gained in learning about other cultures, helped make her stand out when she was applying for college. Along with her foreign language learning, it earned her a scholarship, along with an invitation to attend a year abroad in a special program. Never in our wildest imagination, did we see this as a benefit while traveling, and she did not realize how the experience would look to the schools and downplayed their interest in the her exposure. Do it, you've got three to put through school.

 

[DJinPA]

June 2014 we also did the Barcelona to Venice 12 night Med cruise. Best vacation ever. My kids were 10 and 13 at the time. I want to second what was said above, on this longer, port intensive trip we did plan some shorter days at some ports so that we were not worn out. We also varied the type of tours. As amazing as it is to see historical sites, we went to a beach in Corfu and visited the Alcantara Gorge in Sicily, so that the kids stayed engaged. My older son did the research for Rome and Pompeii ahead of time and was not only a great resource, but he was so excited and it got him really engaged.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Oh my goodness! I'm overwhelmed with happiness with all of your replies, and encouragement. I want to make this trip happen now more than ever! Let the saving and research begin! I love the idea of getting the kids engaged to help plan and research areas of interest. We had them study french with us this summer leading up to mine and DH anniversary trip to Paris. I believe they're ready to throw in some Italian and Spanish now too. Thank you all so much!

 

[jburge12000]

We took our kids on the Med cruise last month (Sept) and they had a blast. Son just turned 13 last week and my daughter is 9. My son had a world language class the last half of the year with Spanish and French, and started world history with parts of the Roman Empire. He went to each teacher the last month of school to talk to them about what to see, and he came home with a list of what he wanted to do that really got him excited not just for the cruise but for what else we would see. We went a week early and spent 3 days in London and then 3 days in Paris before taking the train to Barcelona and the trip was incredible, but I would agree with another post that we also wish we could have spent more time in Barcelona. Take pictures of everything for them. A month into school and my daughter's fourth grade teach tries to introduce a book from all the places she has traveled to and the first book was "Around Barcelona with Guadi" and she brought in her pictures from Park Guell that they learned about in the book. My son had to do a report on Roman innovations, and chose roads and included pictures and info that we picked up from our trip to Pomeii. It has been very cool to see how much both of them learned on the trip. Even though it was hectic schedule, at no time did the kids seam board or not having fun. I will add that of all of our cruises, this one my son made the most friends on. I was surprised when I would ask him about the kids he was hanging out with at Edge or after dinner on the ship. Netherlands, Australia, Spain, England, US... a group of 5 or 6 boys that every night they were out doing things together. Always amazes me that kids are just kids no matter where they are from. He texts with them still.

 

[aggiedog]

I want to add another benefit - college.

Wow, with two HS juniors, this gets me excited, though it seems a stretch. Hey, I'll take any edge we can get on scholarships! Our oldest had just finished AP World History. They were excited to "see" that history on the cruise.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

I have a question someone might know the answer to. If you book a cruise through Costco, and you use your Disney visa, will you get the perks of using your Disney visa, like the on board credit, and 0% apr and such? I know through Dreams unlimited it worked that way. Wondering if its the same Costco.

(edited) Never mind just remembered going to book Med cruise as dummy cruise when we sail in January. 10% savings!

(2nd edit) And back to booking at Costco or Dreams unlimited didn't realize there was only 24 months to book next cruise.