thoughts on 2017 7nt Mediterranean from Barcelona

[pkkz124]

looking into booking a 2017 Europe 7 night Mediterranean trip and interested in thoughts from those who have done it. We have 3 little ones (7, 5, 4) and this would be our first trip to europe. Have heard from folks some of the ports are far from the sites (ie Rome, etc) and hard to get back to the boat in time for dinner, etc. but would love to get people thoughts on this route and the excursions. DH thought this would be 'easiest' way to do Europe with 3 little ones. Initially was considering Alaska for summer of 2017, but considering the DCL prices just released, Europe might even be cheaper (except for the airfare)!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

These cruises are fantastic, this ( whilst 12 nights, but your ports included) will influence you, photos, navigators, private tours, pre hotel stay all in there.

http://mickeymed.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[o&smom]

This is the best way to have your kids experience Europe! We took our son soon after he turned 7 and our daughter was 3 mos old on our first Disney cruise to the Med. it allowed us to get a "taste" of many different countries and a "home" to come back to at the end of the day. (Complete with Disney characters!) Make sure you spend some extra time in Barcelona. It is a beautiful city, and fun for kids. I recommend Cosmocaixa, Park Guell, and Parc de la Ciutadella which has a zoo and a beautiful lake where you can rent row boats. Happy cruising!

 

[cherylc4]

I'm in the same boat, our 2 children will be 7 and 9 August 2017 and I thought this cruise would be a great first intro to Europe for them. I too would love to hear others experiences!

 

[ebradley23]

I loved my Meditterranean cruises (both Eastern and Western). Most economical way to see a lot of places in Europe. The ports are not close to anything worth seeing in Italy. You will likely need to do a tour. We booked our tours outside of the cruise, and I found other passengers on the same cruise via cruise message boards to split the cost. Most of the small tours take 6-8 people, so you could look for another family to go with you. Those tour companies are great at getting you back to the ship in a timely manner. We never had a close call at making the final boarding at any port.

 

[ldo]

well, with kids under 7, I think the ports don't matter much and you just want kids friendly stuff. At 7+, they can understand, appreciate more. But, as someone who traveled to Hawaii from the East Coast with barely 3 yr old twins, I get that sometimes parts of the vacation might not be "worth it" for younger kids. For your ages, I would also recommend the Baltic cruise. There are a lot of fun things to Stockholm, Copenhagen and other ports for kids and the weather is milder. Summer in the Med is HOT. Drier than the East coast USA, but hot.
For Barcelona, we loved Fat Tire bike tours. They have kids bikes and maybe bike carriers for tots.
For Naples, you can take a tour or EASY DIY to Pompeii via tram right at the port (buy ticket at tobacco booth right there, switch to circumvensia train right to Pompeii. Less than $100 total for a family. It's super easy and I think quite safe (having done it 2X) if you take the tram (do not try to walk to the train station). Go 1st thing in the AM to avoid the heat. Easy to be back on the boat by 2pm. Rome is 1 hr from the port, with a family, it's cost effective to book a private tour. You can also DIY if you get right off the ship and buy your ticket at the tobacco stand next to train station. But, this might be your splurge/comfort private tour day.
Livorno--go to Pisa. I would either DIY via train (sort of tricky to get a shuttle to the train station or to the city and then bus/cab--but perfectly safe). With a family of 4-5, you might pre-reserve a taxi or private tour--but the train is super cheap. You can do a pre-reserved taxi there and then figure out the train back for 1/2 the cost. kids under 9 cannot climb the tower, but it's fun to look at, go into the cathedral, and then wander down the streets back to the train (again, safe and easy, 30 minute walk). Pisa is a nice town once you get a few blocks off the tourist areas. Another great option is to get to Lucca 1st thing (train, taxi), explore (you can walk around on the outer walls--like a park), then train to Pisa for a quick stop, then back on train to boat. Getting to the boat is easier than getting off the boat--as there are shuttles that go to the train and to the town--ifyou go to the town, you have to get the bus to the train--sucks up an extra 30+ minutes. Florence is too long of a day trip with young kids (or teens, lol), IMHO. Lucca is really nice and the DIY combo makes a lovely DIY tour. good luck. Also, for younger ages, I find Princess and RCCL are also good options in Europe. My kids stayed in the kids club for 6 hours instead of a port tour one day and loved that option (which you also have on DCL).
lastly, I have found that kids do well in the AM and with a heavy snack, then back on the boat by 2pm, for late lunch, swim, rest. We always try to be back on the boat 2 hrs prior to all aboard, in case we get lost, train delays, etc., so this has worked well for us and kids don't get too tired.

 

[mrsp1030]

Great post. I was so tempted to do one this summer but then hubby backed out. Next summer our kids will be 11, 8, 5 and wanted to do it then too but we are doing the double dip I believe as that is my kids ideal trip: 2 days at Castaway Cay. Holding out for 2018 as it will be my 40th birthday and figure I could convince hubby then!

 

[crafty91]

our kids were older; young teens when we went and I was always debating when the 'best' time would be to go. bottom line its a Disney cruise and they will have a blast, though probably won't "get" or truly appreciate the history of Europe but I wouldn't let that change your mind. If them remembering the trip and getting the most from it educationally, I'd wait a few years or just go back! FWIW, Europe cruises are VERY busy so they will be worn out with all the traveling from the ports and the walking tours etc. A longer cruise IMO would be worth it so there are a couple more sea days thrown in for relaxing. We did the 12 night and it was fabulous!

 

[abja09]

I just booked this cruise for my son and I in August. He will 14 at the time so I know he is older than the op's children but we are so excited! It's great to hear everyone positive responses.

 

[abja09]

These cruises are fantastic, this ( whilst 12 nights, but your ports included) will influence you, photos, navigators, private tours, pre hotel stay all in there.

http://mickeymed.blogspot.co.uk/

Just beautiful! Thanks for the link

 

[mrsp1030]

Those photos posted are amazing and definitely have me saving up for 2018! We just started a new savings fund for our cruise love!!!

 

[ldo]

I could do the W. Med. every year and not tire of it. So interesting and so many different options to do in each port. If coming from the US, try to add at least 3 days land prior for jet lag and to enjoy the sights. You can also fly into a different city and take a cheap flight to/from BCN. We have added Rome, Paris and London before. You can even pop over to Disney Paris. Those flights are only about $100PP. We then fly in/out of that city from the US.

 

[pkkz124]

I could do the W. Med. every year and not tire of it. So interesting and so many different options to do in each port. If coming from the US, try to add at least 3 days land prior for jet lag and to enjoy the sights. You can also fly into a different city and take a cheap flight to/from BCN. We have added Rome, Paris and London before. You can even pop over to Disney Paris. Those flights are only about $100PP. We then fly in/out of that city from the US.

I like the suggestion of doing another city before my trip. Was thinking of possibly flying into London or Paris and do a few days, get over jet lag before maybe a day or so in Barcelona.
Any thought of doing this on the front end or back end of a Europe cruise?

 

[tink1970]

I'd think front end for a couple of reasons:
1) help with the jet lag
2) these aren't your relaxing cruises typically
both port intensive
and
the HEAT!

so after the cruise you might just want to get home and rest

 

[jenf22]

I like the suggestion of doing another city before my trip. Was thinking of possibly flying into London or Paris and do a few days, get over jet lag before maybe a day or so in Barcelona.
Any thought of doing this on the front end or back end of a Europe cruise?

We ended up flying into London for our Norway cruise last year. I couldn't get frequent flyer seats for Copenhagen. So flying into London turned into 2 nights there, the train to Paris and 2 nights there, and then to Copenhagen for the 7 night Norway cruise. Then we couldn't get to Denver from Copenhagen easily without going through Iceland, so we spent 2 nights there too. Best vacation ever! I agree with the other poster - do it on the front end. Helps with the time change!

 

[ldo]

done it both ways. liked both equally. And, it's easy and cheap to do London and Paris if you want to be really crazy. We did that on our last trip. Eurostar is 2 hrs (3 if you count getting to the station and waiting) from London to Paris and udner $100PP. It's easy to just keep adding on. We also had to FF miles issue and even went into Zurich once. This year, we're going to Copenhagen via Germany for 3 days. The combinations are endless. For 1st time in Europe, I like London, then Paris. London is more $ to fly out of back to the USA.

 

[bethy]

I'm following this thread. We are planning for 2018. We definitely want to do a land portion as well and I had thought about doing the cruise first because it's easier than land travel. We are not busy vacationers and wouldn't plan on getting off at every port. Is that a reasonable expectation? Are services available all day on the ship?

Also - great point about the heat of the Med versus the Baltic. I had not considered that . . .

 

[GeneMachine]

I think a Med cruise with kids of any age is a good cruise! It is a good way to see a lot of different things and places, and as long as you don't try to "see everything," you will have a great time.

On our first Med cruise in 2011, our kids were 11 and 6 at the time. I just looked at the itinerary for your cruise, and can talk a little bit about the ports and what we did.

Barcelona We arrived three days early and had some lazy days adjusting to European time. Barcelona is a beautiful city with a great subway system that will get you anywhere you want to go. There are plenty of parks where your kids can run around, and lots of interesting things for them to see. Spanish culture is very child-friendly, and there will be kids out at all hours of the evening. I would suggest getting on "Barcelona Time," which means eating late (around 9-10), and napping or relaxing in the early afternoons. As far as places to stay go, I would recommend "apart-hotels," like Erik Vokel Suites http://www.ericvokel.com/hotel?lg=en&id=barcelona-bcn-suites or Hispanos 7 Suites http://www.hispanos7suiza.com/en/, where you can spread out and have a little bit of privacy. We've stayed in both apart-hotels and liked both of them. They are more convenient than a hotel room, especially if two kids need to crash but the rest of you feel like it's 10am! (Or you need to crash and the kids are raring to go, which is more like our family!) We loved Barcelona. It's a great way to start the vacation.

Naples is an easy port to do with the kids, because you can walk right into the city from the boat. Or, if you are going to head to Pompeii or anywhere on the Amalfi coast, there is a taxi stand right at the port. Or, take a kids-themed Disney port adventure. I recommend Pompeii, though that should really depend on your kids' interest levels. Not every kid likes to walk through ancient ruins.

Civitavecchia and Livorno are both ports that require some transportation to the featured cities. Expect to spend about an hour getting into Rome and an hour and a half getting into Florence, both by car. If you want to visit those cities, expect to be up and off the ship pretty early, to allow for enough time to get there and back. We used Disney transportation to get into Florence, and we visited the city center and museum on our own. For Rome, we hired a private company and driver because we wanted to see a lot. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of time in either of these ports, so my advice would be to pick one big thing to see (good kids sites are the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on the way to Florence, and the Colosseum in Rome), and spend the rest of the time walking around, finding fountains, old windy roads, and gelato shops on your own, allowing plenty of time for relaxing under umbrellas in cafes. I recommend Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports book, if you want to do some of your own planning. Some of the Disney port adventures are great, and others are like forced marches. I'm a fan of getting into a city and going off on our own. Following 75 other people on your bus is a total drag, in my opinion, and doesn't allow for parents to adjust their plan in relation to their children's energy level.

Villefranche is a beautiful, tiny port with quaint streets, cafes along the water, and a rocky beach that is perfect for swimming. From Villefranche, it is easy to get to Monaco, Cannes or Nice from the train station, which is within walking distance from the port (this is a tender port, so you will take a boat from the Magic to the port). My recommendation would be to use this as a beach day, since you will likely be worn out from the previous port days. You can take the train to Cannes, which is lovely and large, or you can just stay put and use the rocky beach at Villefranche. The restaurants in town are convenient and serve delicious food. It's smaller and quieter than the surrounding, more exciting, cities, but that's what I like about it. August in the Mediterranean is hot and crowded, so all our choices are made with this in mind.

The Med cruises with kids are a lot of fun, and are a great way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time. On reflection, the best piece of advice I can give you is to temper your expectations, and follow your children's leads. Probably you should not expect to see the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Trevi Fountain all in one day. Probably your kids are not going to be interested in seeing Renaissance paintings at the Uffizi, either. Choose a few things that interest the kids, and go with the flow. It will be very hot and crowded, so allow for frequent rests (and find places with bathrooms, since they seem to be few and far between just about everywhere in Europe!) and diversions from the expected path of the day. You don't have to get off at every port, either. As far as dinner seating goes, we prefer second seating on the European cruises (I think it's 8:30 or 8:45). It's late, but we were always back to the ship late. But main dining is fine, too. If you miss it, there's always room service or quick service food. Or you can just show up a little late and they'll get you fed and out of there. One last thing I wanted to mention was the availability of the kids clubs during port adventures. On our first trip, the kids stayed on the boat while we took a few hours to visit Pompeii on our own. It was a good way to see the ruins on a hot day, without dragging bored kids behind us. They stayed on the ship, had fun, and ate lunch, and then we joined them in the afternoon. I don't know how your family feels about something like that, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

PM me if you have any specific questions or if I haven't been clear on some points. You will have a great time! Go!

 

[bethy]

I think a Med cruise with kids of any age is a good cruise! It is a good way to see a lot of different things and places, and as long as you don't try to "see everything," you will have a great time.

On our first Med cruise in 2011, our kids were 11 and 6 at the time. I just looked at the itinerary for your cruise, and can talk a little bit about the ports and what we did.

Barcelona We arrived three days early and had some lazy days adjusting to European time. Barcelona is a beautiful city with a great subway system that will get you anywhere you want to go. There are plenty of parks where your kids can run around, and lots of interesting things for them to see. Spanish culture is very child-friendly, and there will be kids out at all hours of the evening. I would suggest getting on "Barcelona Time," which means eating late (around 9-10), and napping or relaxing in the early afternoons. As far as places to stay go, I would recommend "apart-hotels," like Erik Vokel Suites http://www.ericvokel.com/hotel?lg=en&id=barcelona-bcn-suites or Hispanos 7 Suites http://www.hispanos7suiza.com/en/, where you can spread out and have a little bit of privacy. We've stayed in both apart-hotels and liked both of them. They are more convenient than a hotel room, especially if two kids need to crash but the rest of you feel like it's 10am! (Or you need to crash and the kids are raring to go, which is more like our family!) We loved Barcelona. It's a great way to start the vacation.

Naples is an easy port to do with the kids, because you can walk right into the city from the boat. Or, if you are going to head to Pompeii or anywhere on the Amalfi coast, there is a taxi stand right at the port. Or, take a kids-themed Disney port adventure. I recommend Pompeii, though that should really depend on your kids' interest levels. Not every kid likes to walk through ancient ruins.

Civitavecchia and Livorno are both ports that require some transportation to the featured cities. Expect to spend about an hour getting into Rome and an hour and a half getting into Florence, both by car. If you want to visit those cities, expect to be up and off the ship pretty early, to allow for enough time to get there and back. We used Disney transportation to get into Florence, and we visited the city center and museum on our own. For Rome, we hired a private company and driver because we wanted to see a lot. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of time in either of these ports, so my advice would be to pick one big thing to see (good kids sites are the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on the way to Florence, and the Colosseum in Rome), and spend the rest of the time walking around, finding fountains, old windy roads, and gelato shops on your own, allowing plenty of time for relaxing under umbrellas in cafes. I recommend Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports book, if you want to do some of your own planning. Some of the Disney port adventures are great, and others are like forced marches. I'm a fan of getting into a city and going off on our own. Following 75 other people on your bus is a total drag, in my opinion, and doesn't allow for parents to adjust their plan in relation to their children's energy level.

Villefranche is a beautiful, tiny port with quaint streets, cafes along the water, and a rocky beach that is perfect for swimming. From Villefranche, it is easy to get to Monaco, Cannes or Nice from the train station, which is within walking distance from the port (this is a tender port, so you will take a boat from the Magic to the port). My recommendation would be to use this as a beach day, since you will likely be worn out from the previous port days. You can take the train to Cannes, which is lovely and large, or you can just stay put and use the rocky beach at Villefranche. The restaurants in town are convenient and serve delicious food. It's smaller and quieter than the surrounding, more exciting, cities, but that's what I like about it. August in the Mediterranean is hot and crowded, so all our choices are made with this in mind.

The Med cruises with kids are a lot of fun, and are a great way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time. On reflection, the best piece of advice I can give you is to temper your expectations, and follow your children's leads. Probably you should not expect to see the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Trevi Fountain all in one day. Probably your kids are not going to be interested in seeing Renaissance paintings at the Uffizi, either. Choose a few things that interest the kids, and go with the flow. It will be very hot and crowded, so allow for frequent rests (and find places with bathrooms, since they seem to be few and far between just about everywhere in Europe!) and diversions from the expected path of the day. You don't have to get off at every port, either. As far as dinner seating goes, we prefer second seating on the European cruises (I think it's 8:30 or 8:45). It's late, but we were always back to the ship late. But main dining is fine, too. If you miss it, there's always room service or quick service food. Or you can just show up a little late and they'll get you out of there. One last thing I wanted to mention was the availability of the kids clubs during port adventures. On our first trip, the kids stayed on the boat while we took a few hours to visit Pompeii on our own. It was a good way to see the ruins on a hot day, without dragging bored kids behind us. They stayed on the ship, had fun, and ate lunch, and then we joined them in the afternoon. I don't know how your family feels about something like that, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

PM me if you have any specific questions or if I haven't been clear on some points. You will have a great time! Go!

Love this post thank you. This is exactly what I envision for our family - hopefully in 2018 and hopefully on DCL.

 

[disneyholic family]

I think a Med cruise with kids of any age is a good cruise! It is a good way to see a lot of different things and places, and as long as you don't try to "see everything," you will have a great time.

On our first Med cruise in 2011, our kids were 11 and 6 at the time. I just looked at the itinerary for your cruise, and can talk a little bit about the ports and what we did.

Barcelona We arrived three days early and had some lazy days adjusting to European time. Barcelona is a beautiful city with a great subway system that will get you anywhere you want to go. There are plenty of parks where your kids can run around, and lots of interesting things for them to see. Spanish culture is very child-friendly, and there will be kids out at all hours of the evening. I would suggest getting on "Barcelona Time," which means eating late (around 9-10), and napping or relaxing in the early afternoons. As far as places to stay go, I would recommend "apart-hotels," like Erik Vokel Suites http://www.ericvokel.com/hotel?lg=en&id=barcelona-bcn-suites or Hispanos 7 Suites http://www.hispanos7suiza.com/en/, where you can spread out and have a little bit of privacy. We've stayed in both apart-hotels and liked both of them. They are more convenient than a hotel room, especially if two kids need to crash but the rest of you feel like it's 10am! (Or you need to crash and the kids are raring to go, which is more like our family!) We loved Barcelona. It's a great way to start the vacation.

Naples is an easy port to do with the kids, because you can walk right into the city from the boat. Or, if you are going to head to Pompeii or anywhere on the Amalfi coast, there is a taxi stand right at the port. Or, take a kids-themed Disney port adventure. I recommend Pompeii, though that should really depend on your kids' interest levels. Not every kid likes to walk through ancient ruins.

Civitavecchia and Livorno are both ports that require some transportation to the featured cities. Expect to spend about an hour getting into Rome and an hour and a half getting into Florence, both by car. If you want to visit those cities, expect to be up and off the ship pretty early, to allow for enough time to get there and back. We used Disney transportation to get into Florence, and we visited the city center and museum on our own. For Rome, we hired a private company and driver because we wanted to see a lot. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot of time in either of these ports, so my advice would be to pick one big thing to see (good kids sites are the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on the way to Florence, and the Colosseum in Rome), and spend the rest of the time walking around, finding fountains, old windy roads, and gelato shops on your own, allowing plenty of time for relaxing under umbrellas in cafes. I recommend Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports book, if you want to do some of your own planning. Some of the Disney port adventures are great, and others are like forced marches. I'm a fan of getting into a city and going off on our own. Following 75 other people on your bus is a total drag, in my opinion, and doesn't allow for parents to adjust their plan in relation to their children's energy level.

Villefranche is a beautiful, tiny port with quaint streets, cafes along the water, and a rocky beach that is perfect for swimming. From Villefranche, it is easy to get to Monaco, Cannes or Nice from the train station, which is within walking distance from the port (this is a tender port, so you will take a boat from the Magic to the port). My recommendation would be to use this as a beach day, since you will likely be worn out from the previous port days. You can take the train to Cannes, which is lovely and large, or you can just stay put and use the rocky beach at Villefranche. The restaurants in town are convenient and serve delicious food. It's smaller and quieter than the surrounding, more exciting, cities, but that's what I like about it. August in the Mediterranean is hot and crowded, so all our choices are made with this in mind.

The Med cruises with kids are a lot of fun, and are a great way to see a lot of things in a short amount of time. On reflection, the best piece of advice I can give you is to temper your expectations, and follow your children's leads. Probably you should not expect to see the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Trevi Fountain all in one day. Probably your kids are not going to be interested in seeing Renaissance paintings at the Uffizi, either. Choose a few things that interest the kids, and go with the flow. It will be very hot and crowded, so allow for frequent rests (and find places with bathrooms, since they seem to be few and far between just about everywhere in Europe!) and diversions from the expected path of the day. You don't have to get off at every port, either. As far as dinner seating goes, we prefer second seating on the European cruises (I think it's 8:30 or 8:45). It's late, but we were always back to the ship late. But main dining is fine, too. If you miss it, there's always room service or quick service food. Or you can just show up a little late and they'll get you fed and out of there. One last thing I wanted to mention was the availability of the kids clubs during port adventures. On our first trip, the kids stayed on the boat while we took a few hours to visit Pompeii on our own. It was a good way to see the ruins on a hot day, without dragging bored kids behind us. They stayed on the ship, had fun, and ate lunch, and then we joined them in the afternoon. I don't know how your family feels about something like that, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

PM me if you have any specific questions or if I haven't been clear on some points. You will have a great time! Go!

wonderful post!! thanks!! i've just copied and emailed it to my daughter, who's going this summer (with my son in law).
they don't have kids, but it's so informative, i thought it would also help her in her planning.