Traveling Europe AFTER a Mediterranean Cruise

[Ofinn]

London thoughts.

FWIW, my son at 10 *loved* (it was his request) going to the Tower of London. He was absolutely insistent on it, and made sure we went to see the crown jewels. We did the free tour (with a yeoman guard) first, which was fabulous and funny and informative, then went to see the jewels and then saw the rooms with the weaponry and armor.

Westminster was good, too.

My yougest still has Big Ben as his screen saver. Maybe it will get replaced with Acropolis in October when we visit Greece.

 

[NancyIL]

Yeah I guess. Its just with all unique things Europe has to offer it wouldnt be something I would do. Theres a lot of Disney famatics on this board so I could see it being worth it to them. To each their own I guess.

True, and many of them will sail only on DCL!

ETA: With all the unique things the US has to offer, spending every vacation at WDW, Disneyland, or on a Disney cruise ship isn't something I would do.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

We just returned from a cruise (non-DCL) and pre and post stays in Europe. We did have the luxury of 6 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona, our 10 night cruise ending in Athens and then 4 nighs post-cruise in Rome. I am sure you will be porting in Civitavecchia but you sure can't see Rome in a day! My kids love Paris and we have also been to London but with boys in the 10/11 range I would highly recommend spending a few days post-cruise in Rome. You can do a relaxing day when you port for your cruise and then delve into the Colosseum, Forum, gladiators, pizza and gelato for a few days after. I am very lucky that my kids love museums but if you aren't sure that your boys will then Rome might be better than Paris or London.

 

[scgustafson]

In 2014, my wife and daughter did a week of travel to London and Paris before our 12-night Med cruise from Barcelona to Venice (I had to meet them in Barcelona due to work). They loved London far more than Paris - did a lot in London including the Harry Potter Tour at Warner Brothers Studio London, and saw the big things in Paris and one day at Disneyland Paris. After the cruise, we flew Venice to London and finished up with two full days there where we knocked out things for the 3 of us, avoiding repeats for them (so they deferred a lot of big things on the first part of their trip). We actually found the Port Adventures on the cruise far more tiring than the pre and post-cruise travel/sightseeing.
In 2015, the three of us did 5 days in Amsterdam and Copenhagen before our 7-night Northern Europe cruise and followed up with a day in Copenhagen before flying home. This seemed like a good balance.
This summer, we did the 12-night British Isles cruise out of Dover and flew in just before the cruise and then did Dover and Canterbury for two days following the cruise. Once again, the Port Adventures on the cruise were more tiring than the post-cruise sightseeing.
So from all of this, we have found that even doing sightseeing/travel after the cruise is not as tiring as the cruise Port Adventures, mostly because you control the pace when not on the PAs, so no early wake-ups if you need to rest a little longer. My opinion, delay the sightseeing until after the cruise so as to let the boys finish what they need to so they can enjoy the trip. Post-cruise sightseeing is not bad at all, especially because you control the pace.

 

[disneyholic family]

my kids also weren't much impressed by paris, but they were a bit older - in their mid-teens...
well, it wasn't paris as much as the parisians that they were less than impressed by (especially the guys who kept trying to pick our pockets on the metro, LOL)..
the one thing they did like in paris was the city of science....we spent the good part of a day there..
oh and they liked the rodin garden a lot....we went back 3 times!!!....
not to say we didn't have fun in paris, as we did....but they have no interest in ever returning, so that kind of says it all..

we did spend a day at disneyland paris and it was painful....the hardest thing was constantly fighting the linejumpers...not something you encounter that often at WDW....and not something i enjoy at all....it was a pretty park, but that constant push in every line was more than we were willing to deal with ever again...(and we've been to lots of disney parks all over the world, only paris had that feeling)...

i suppose i should add that we were in paris for 2 weeks - well, we stayed there for two weeks, using it as our base to travel around within about a 2 hour radius...

personally, i think london is more fun (as is the UK in general)....but of course everyone has their own preferences...

..

 

[trvlgirlmq]

my kids also weren't much impressed by paris, but they were a bit older - in their mid-teens...
well, it wasn't paris as much as the parisians that they were less than impressed by (especially the guys who kept trying to pick our pockets on the metro, LOL)..
the one thing they did like in paris was the city of science....we spent the good part of a day there..
oh and they liked the rodin garden a lot....we went back 3 times!!!....
not to say we didn't have fun in paris, as we did....but they have no interest in ever returning, so that kind of says it all..

we did spend a day at disneyland paris and it was painful....the hardest thing was constantly fighting the linejumpers...not something you encounter that often at WDW....and not something i enjoy at all....it was a pretty park, but that constant push in every line was more than we were willing to deal with ever again...(and we've been to lots of disney parks all over the world, only paris had that feeling)...

i suppose i should add that we were in paris for 2 weeks - well, we stayed there for two weeks, using it as our base to travel around within about a 2 hour radius...

personally, i think london is more fun (as is the UK in general)....but of course everyone has their own preferences...

..

Yes, Paris Disney is horrible. The Italians and Spaniards have no idea how to line up in an orderly fashion. We had a miserable day there plus the rides in Fantasyland kept breaking down. We vowed to never return.

I feel differently about Parisians I guess because we have been several times and I understand that their culture is more standoffish and formal than we are in America. Paris is my absolute favorite place to visit and I can't wait to return (hopefully in a couple of years).

 

[disneyholic family]

Yes, Paris Disney is horrible. The Italians and Spaniards have no idea how to line up in an orderly fashion. We had a miserable day there plus the rides in Fantasyland kept breaking down. We vowed to never return.

I feel differently about Parisians I guess because we have been several times and I understand that their culture is more standoffish and formal than we are in America. Paris is my absolute favorite place to visit and I can't wait to return (hopefully in a couple of years).

no actually it was the french who didn't line up and were pushy, as they always tend to be....
not a fan of the french (i'm fluent in french and have been to france many times, first time when i was seven years old for an extended period)..

anyway....this is straying into a political discussion i fear..

as i said in an earlier post, everyone has their own likes and dislikes...
personally, i find the UK to be more fun and interesting, for both children and adults...
but that's me....possibly a bit of an anglophile...
.

 

[chicagolaw]

Why do you say this is a once in a lifetime trip? So you think your young children will never get to Europe again? At their age, baseball season is probably more important to them than the trip. However, for you it's probably just the opposite. I'm sure a traveling after the cruise will be just fine.

MUN

They will definitely go to Europe again, it just won't be with me. I don't have the money to take this type of trip on a regular basis. This is a pretty big trip and I want to enjoy it with them. I am worried that after 10 days of traveling and being on the ship we will all just want to get home, we will all be crabby doing another 10 days traveling around Europe.

 

[remlap]

While I know the 10 day is slightly different, move to one of the later 7 night Mediterranean cruises, let the boys finish baseball, travel by land an extra 3 days prior to to the cruise and then hop on the ship.
Other wise, I agree with above, just travel after.

 

[MUN]

They will definitely go to Europe again, it just won't be with me. I don't have the money to take this type of trip on a regular basis. This is a pretty big trip and I want to enjoy it with them. I am worried that after 10 days of traveling and being on the ship we will all just want to get home, we will all be crabby doing another 10 days traveling around Europe.

You have a legitimate concern. It's always good to be home after a vacation, no matter how much fun the vacation was.

 

[MUN]

Yes, Paris Disney is horrible. The Italians and Spaniards have no idea how to line up in an orderly fashion. We had a miserable day there plus the rides in Fantasyland kept breaking down. We vowed to never return.

How does the castle compare to the one at WDW?

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I don't recall it being as impressive but I have tried to block those memories!

 

[ldo]

we just did 24 days. my kids are teens and it was too long. IMHO, 10 days extra is TOOOO long for 10/11 year olds. I would cut the post-trip to 5 days max. Also, you could consider another cruiseline. We love DCL and just did the Magic in Norway, but, honestly, in Europe, you are in port so much, the cruiseship does not really matter that much. We have done NCL and RCCL and they were fine for Europe. It matters MUCH more in the Carib. where there are more sea days and we tend to do 1/2 days and are back on the boat earlier. In Europe, after an all day, or even 1/2 day in the summer heat, we were so tired, we just went to the pool for a while, dinner, and many nights didn't even go to the entertainment b/c we were so tired.

 

[o&smom]

They will definitely go to Europe again, it just won't be with me. I don't have the money to take this type of trip on a regular basis. This is a pretty big trip and I want to enjoy it with them. I am worried that after 10 days of traveling and being on the ship we will all just want to get home, we will all be crabby doing another 10 days traveling around Europe.

We have been lucky enough to do a few Disney Cruises in Europe. We have spent time before a cruise, after a cruise, and before and after a cruise. We have enjoyed our time either way. My DS is 13 and DD is 6 currently. We have all just looked at our extra time as a different adventure to look forward to. If you let your boys pick out something to do, or a place to visit, or some special food item to try in Paris or London it will give them a more personal tie to this part of your vacation after your cruise. We spent time in Paris and London before our cruise this summer and more time in Copenhagen after our cruise. I knew my son really wanted to see the Tower of London and to visit Greenwich, so we made that happen. My daughter really loved Tivoli Garden last summer, so we spent another day there after our cruise this summer. If it were just my husband and myself, we would plan our days both on and off the cruise, differently than we do with our kids, but we all have amazing experiences and a wonderful vacation. Happy cruising!

 

[kaseyC]

You may want to go in a different direction than touring London and Paris. Maybe something more laid back and relaxing. We did a 10 night port intensive Eastern Med cruise from Barcelona to Athens with 3 busy pre-cruise days in Barcelona. This cruise had only one sea day. We were in a port and touring basically every day. Even though I booked private tours in every port, with activities that appealed to my teens, the days were still long and exhausting. I knew this going in and from traveling through out Europe the past 6 years with my 3 DDs, I knew how they would handle it. I decided to do something relaxing post cruise. I let the girls pick a Greek Island, they picked Mykonos and we spent a week post cruise relaxing at a Beach resort. It was fantastic.

 

[Ofinn]

They will definitely go to Europe again, it just won't be with me. I don't have the money to take this type of trip on a regular basis. This is a pretty big trip and I want to enjoy it with them. I am worried that after 10 days of traveling and being on the ship we will all just want to get home, we will all be crabby doing another 10 days traveling around Europe.

Maybe consider another cruise line and it won't be a once in a lifetime trip. There are some nice ships over in Europe next year Freedom of the Seas, Norwegian Epic come to mind. We're sailing on the new Carnival Vista in October. It was 2,400 for four people in a deluxe Ocean view room 230 sq ft. This ship has more to offer kids then the Magic. I don't know what you're paying for DCL, but I'm guessing it's at least 5 times that. Carnival is launching another new ship in Europe in 2018.

If it's not working out the way you want or you're stressed about the money maybe wait another year and look at some of new ships launching in 2018. DCL in Europe is a lot of money not to have it perfect.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am worried that after 10 days of traveling and being on the ship we will all just want to get home, we will all be crabby doing another 10 days traveling around Europe.

Which begs the question....how are you planning to tour around Europe.

In my family, we like to pretend we're locals. That means we aren't killing ourselves every day with activities and such. We find a spot, we find a bakery and a coffee shop and a pub, and we settle in for a few days. We aren't doing Rick Steves style different-day-different-city touring. I adore RS for the knowledge we get (and watching our DVD set is how my son found out about the crown jewels), but I have little interest in moving around like he does. When I went to Ireland the first time we landed at Shannon, stayed in Galway for a night, moved on to Sligo expecting it to be one night, and then just STAYED. Never hit Dublin or anything outside of Sligo. AT the end of the week, made our way back to Shannon and went home.

2014 as a family we stayed 14 days and did NOT want to go home. Got to Dublin, hung out for a few days, took the ferry and train to Birmingham for a few days, took the train to London then Nottingham (DH was on a work trip and drove our bags there with his coworker), got to Nottingham and realized London needed more time, went back and stayed the night, etc. Went back to Ireland on our own time, went to Sligo and settled in. Family loved Sligo as much as I did.

None of that exhausted us, all of it made us happy.

It's always good to be home after a vacation, no matter how much fun the vacation was.

Ah, I disagree! If I could travel for a living (bringing DS with me with DH joining us when work allows) I would do that.

Maybe consider another cruise line and it won't be a once in a lifetime trip.

YES.

 

[gwmort]

We literally just returned from our European tour and 7 night Disney cruise 2 days ago.

We started with the land tour, flew into Paris stayed at Disneyland Paris but arranged private tour of the city one day, walked right out of the hotel and onto the Eurostar train to London, stayed in a hotel near the train station for a couple of days (which is also right next to Kings Cross Station for Potter fans) and did London for a few days. Rented a car and drove to Stonehenge and onto Wales, then the next day took ferry to Rosslare Ireland, drove on to Blarney for a couple of days and then flew from Cork to Barcelona for the cruise.

I really appreciated getting to the ship and finally being able to relax. As the chief planner I was anxious about the connections and transfers and meeting the tour operators and stuff along the land route, once we got to the ship I was able to let Disney do the driving as it were and let go of the worry.

That said we really enjoyed the places we went on our own more than any of the port adventures we booked. There was something so same about the check off procedure, boarding a bus, getting off at sight #1, etc... that homogenized a lot of the cultural elements compared to walking to the tube station figuring out which train to take and exploring on our own.

Buy in from the kids is a big thing though, you don't want to spend all that money to drag them to places they are going to be resentful about. I think I would rebook and accomodate the baseball schedule if that is important to them.

 

[Love2Cruz]

Here is how I see it, you're the adult, and you're paying for the trip...I say YOU make the decision on how to plan the vacation. Your kids will come around when they start having fun and going to new places, they won't think about their sport.
I try to include my DD, who is only 7, in shore excursions and make some decisions as far as where to eat...etc...small decisions...but she knows Mommy makes the rules and the big decisions.

But that's how I was raised, so I'm following suit. She's a great traveler and we've been traveling since she was 2.

 

[NancyIL]

Here is how I see it, you're the adult, and you're paying for the trip...I say YOU make the decision on how to plan the vacation. Your kids will come around when they start having fun and going to new places, they won't think about their sport.
I try to include my DD, who is only 7, in shore excursions and make some decisions as far as where to eat...etc...small decisions...but she knows Mommy makes the rules and the big decisions.

But that's how I was raised, so I'm following suit. She's a great traveler and we've been traveling since she was 2.

I generally agree with this. However, in this case, with the ex-husband on the side of the kids, to make them miss the end of their baseball season when the dates are known in advance is just asking for the kids to be resentful. If the OP couldn't do the land trip after the cruise - that would be different.