Which cruise would you do with an 8 year old?

[Little Mermaid 35]

Would you choose an eastern Caribbean or a Mediterranean cruise with an 8, almost 9 year old and why?

We've cruised the Caribbean with DCL twice on the Dream and Fantasy. Wondering if we should do something different next time...if we did the Med it would be for our 10th wedding anniversary. Also considering Norwegian Fjords if the dates work. The catch with us doing Europe is it wouldn't be until summer 2020...not sure I can wait that long!

 

[lorimay]

For my grandkids it wouldn't matter. They are annoyed whenever we get off the boat. They just want to be in the clubs or pools, they have no patience for ports except Castaway Cay. They are 9 & 7.

 

[msmama]

I decided against the Med with my 9 year old. It was just too port intensive for us. And they all seemed like very long days with essentially no breaks (don’t know what the current end curises look like honestly though. This was last year).

That said, the Caribbean holds no appeal at all. It seems like a beach vacation which I’m not into because I live 10 minutes from a beach.

They seem like very different vacations to me - like not even in the same ballpark. So what are you looking for in a vacation? That might make your decision easier.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I decided against the Med with my 9 year old. It was just too port intensive for us. And they all seemed like very long days with essentially no breaks (don’t know what the current end curises look like honestly though. This was last year).

That said, the Caribbean holds no appeal at all. It seems like a beach vacation which I’m not into because I live 10 minutes from a beach.

They seem like very different vacations to me - like not even in the same ballpark. So what are you looking for in a vacation? That might make your decision easier.

I can't figure out what I want lol A part of me wants a more relaxing vacation and another part wants to see and do more which would be Europe...I'm so ok the fence whether an 8 year old would enjoy Europe at all...we've done two Caribbean DCL cruises and our son has loved them. Just wondering if we should choose something different next time or go for another Caribbean one we know he'll enjoy.

 

[seacruise]

We have a 7 and 10yr old and we are holding off a few more years on doing Europe. Our kids wouldn't yet have the patience for the long days touring, or any appreciation for what they would be seeing. I would go with the Caribbean since you already know you will enjoy it.

 

[Shanti]

I'd save European ports for a child old enough to really appreciate and learn from them.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

We have a 7 and 10yr old and we are holding off a few more years on doing Europe. Our kids wouldn't yet have the patience for the long days touring, or any appreciation for what they would be seeing. I would go with the Caribbean since you already know you will enjoy it.

I think this is what I'm worried about the most is him being bored/agitated during the long days in port. I'm dying to go back to Europe but also don't want to be miserable while we're there bc our son is bored to tears.

 

[cruiser21]

I can't figure out what I want lol A part of me wants a more relaxing vacation and another part wants to see and do more which would be Europe...I'm so ok the fence whether an 8 year old would enjoy Europe at all...we've done two Caribbean DCL cruises and our son has loved them. Just wondering if we should choose something different next time or go for another Caribbean one we know he'll enjoy.

Alaska is great for kids. So is Norway and Northern Europe. The med is kind of boring with long port days. My kids are a little older, but Alaska, Norway and Iceland were their favorite cruises.

 

[mmmears]

I was going to suggest Alaska or Norway, but the poster above beat me to it. I think the long port days and touring in the heat will make the Med hard if he isn't really interested in what you're seeing there. But I also think it's good for kids to see other places, so I'd pick the Med over the Caribbean since you've done that one already.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I was going to suggest Alaska or Norway, but the poster above beat me to it. I think the long port days and touring in the heat will make the Med hard if he isn't really interested in what you're seeing there. But I also think it's good for kids to see other places, so I'd pick the Med over the Caribbean since you've done that one already.

I was thinking of doing Norway...we've already been to Alaska. DCL would just have to offer it earlier in the summer than they did this year...if they bring back an early June Norwegian fjords we may jump on it

 

[o&smom]

Cruising with Disney is a great way to introduce kids to Europe. Our son had just turned 7 on our first Med cruise. We did take him into consideration for some of our port adventures so that our days were not too intense. We did Herculaneum in Naples instead of Pompeii. Our son chose to go to Pisa for one of our excursions. Our really full day was Rome and he was a trooper and still talks about some of the things we did that day. Gelato and ice cream along the way always helps. It is so incredible to come back to the ship at the end of the day. Our daughter has been on Europen cruises when she was 3, 5 and 6. She had a great time on all of our cruises as well. Barcelona is a great city for kids if your cruise leaves from there. There is a chocolate museum where kids can make chocolate if you reserve ahead. One of our kids' favorites was the children's museum Cosmo Caixa. Seeing Europe through a child's eyes is amazing! Go ahead and share this adventure that will live in your memories forever.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm so ok the fence whether an 8 year old would enjoy Europe at all.

I can’t see why he wouldn’t.

However, I can’t imagine touring Europe by cruise at all. Our way of touring other countries is to settle in and pretend we live there. We don’t do giant “see all the sites” days of touring.

And I cannot see how Alaska is better for kids than the Mediterranean. So I would do the Caribbean.

 

[tlprice]

It depends on if it is your first Disney cruise or not. Your kid is probably going to want to do a lot on the ship their first time, so I'd say E. Caribbean because there are more sea days and more time on the ship. If you've already been on a Disney cruise and had some of the ship experiences then Med. could be good. I am taking my daughter who will have just turned 11 on a Med. cruise this summer. It will be our 5th Disney cruise though. We are also mostly only doing half day excursions. I specifically booked the cruise I did, because it ends in Rome so that we can stay there and have extra days to see everything instead of trying to fit it all into a day.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

It depends on if it is your first Disney cruise or not. Your kid is probably going to want to do a lot on the ship their first time, so I'd say E. Caribbean because there are more sea days and more time on the ship. If you've already been on a Disney cruise and had some of the ship experiences then Med. could be good. I am taking my daughter who will have just turned 11 on a Med. cruise this summer. It will be our 5th Disney cruise though. We are also mostly only doing half day excursions. I specifically booked the cruise I did, because it ends in Rome so that we can stay there and have extra days to see everything instead of trying to fit it all into a day.

This will be our 3rd Disney cruise. We've been on the Fantasy and the Dream. So I feel like he's definitely experienced the ships...if we do the Med I'm really wanting the one that ends in Rome as well for the exact reason you stated...I'd love to spend several days in Rome! Hope you have a great cruise!

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I can’t see why he wouldn’t.

However, I can’t imagine touring Europe by cruise at all. Our way of touring other countries is to settle in and pretend we live there. We don’t do giant “see all the sites” days of touring.

And I cannot see how Alaska is better for kids than the Mediterranean. So I would do the Caribbean.

I've done Europe both ways...I've been on a 17 day long Med cruise with Holland America and also spent a month in Scotland/England and a week in Paris...I agree I'd much rather settle in and stay for a while rather than cruise however my wife loves to cruise and I feel like this may be a good way to keep our son happy with the Disney side of it and also give him a taste of Europe.

 

[MM123]

Each child is so different, you know your son the best and if you really think there is a chance he will be bored to tears then I would not do it. It would ruin the holiday for the whole family and such a pity of the time and money spent on it.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

I can’t see why he wouldn’t.

However, I can’t imagine touring Europe by cruise at all. Our way of touring other countries is to settle in and pretend we live there. We don’t do giant “see all the sites” days of touring.

And I cannot see how Alaska is better for kids than the Mediterranean. So I would do the Caribbean.

Alaska would be a lot more fun for kids. Panning for gold, helicopter landings on glaciers, moose and bear sightings, lumberjack competitions, taking a train up the mountain or a prop plan over the arctic circle. Those are just to name a few.

 

[YawningDodo]

However, I can’t imagine touring Europe by cruise at all. Our way of touring other countries is to settle in and pretend we live there. We don’t do giant “see all the sites” days of touring.

I've done only very limited European travel, but when I spent only two days in Cardiff I never felt like I'd settled in enough to really experience it. If I'm going to a place for the sake of the place I'm more inclined to spend a solid week there. When I studied abroad in Russia we did one weekend trip up to Moscow and I spent the entire time we were there feeling completely disoriented -- all the churches on our jam-packed tour blurred together and it didn't feel meaningful. We visited the Red Square and I don't remember a thing about it other than the security line to get in because I was so overwhelmed by everything. I imagine a series of port days throughout the Med feeling a lot like that: not enough time in any one place to orient oneself. I'm less bothered about that in the Caribbean because frankly I'm more there for the ship than the location. I think Alaska would be a bit more manageable, too, because the port towns are so much smaller. And, then, I think separating the idea of traveling to Europe from the idea of Disney travel might help set realistic expectations that would allow you and your child to better enjoy a European trip. When I was a kid, we went on any number of family trips to national parks, museum-heavy cities, etc. and my brother and I weren't disappointed by the more "cultural" parts of the trips because we were never set up with any expectation that we were going on a Disney-style vacation.

I'm not going to lie, too, one of my immediate thoughts when I first saw this thread is that if you live in North America, the Caribbean cruises would require shorter flights.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

We've discussed it and we're going to do the Mediterranean for our 10th anniversary! It's going to suck having to wait two years but it will be worth it! Hoping to book one leaving or ending in Rome so we can spend some time there before or after! Super excited to sail on the magic too! Thanks for everyone's input and advice!

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

Alaska would be a lot more fun for kids. Panning for gold, helicopter landings on glaciers, moose and bear sightings, lumberjack competitions, taking a train up the mountain or a prop plan over the arctic circle. Those are just to name a few.

We've already done Alaska and I agree it's amazing and lots to do!