Mediterranean cruise or land tour for first Europe trip with kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a cruise could be ok, especially with those age kids. Do they like summer camp? That’s kinda what the kids club on the cruise would be like.

Yes, the port in Rome isn’t anywhere near Rome but that really only matters if that’s a stop not the embarkation point. You fly to Rome a few days early and hit the sights and then go to the ship.

What are the other ports of call?

Thanks, all. This is what I was considering, staying a couple of days early in Rome and a coupe days late in Barcelona. Here are the ports:
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy (overnight)
• Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy
• Portofino, Italy
• Nice (Villefranche), France
• Provence (Marseille), France
• Barcelona, Spain

I did my first trip to Europe as a combined land trip and Mediterranean cruise. We were a bargain hunting family on a long trip and my grandparents paid for the cruise. I was about 10. I liked both the land and sea portions of the trip. What was most important to me were the sights at the destinations, not the mode of travel.

I would say some of the ports/stops you have listed above are not going to be as fun for kids as a land trip to different places.

My Mediterranean cruise went to:

Genoa, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Tunis (Carthage), Malta, a Sicilian port, Naples (Pompeii) and back to Genoa. So a bit more exotic than OP's cruise and more focused on archaeology. It was a Costa cruise. There were no kid activities beyond a costume competition.

On board, you don't see a lot of recognizable landscapes so you don't learn how the areas look different from a close-up perspective. You also can't control the length of your sightseeing excursions. The cabin may be dark and small compared to a hotel.

Have you looked at the Rick Steves family bus tours? That might be more interesting to kids.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/family-europe-london-florence

I would expect Paris, Rome, and Venice to be more fun than some of the above port cities, based on my kids' experience. Venice really sticks out because it's so memorably different. My kids did not like Florence very much (13 and 10) compared to Rome and Venice. Kids do get tired of museums and churches.

Be aware that 2025 is a pilgrimage to Rome year called a Jubilee.

My kids loved Florence. It totally depends on their level of knowledge before going. There are lots of very cool and exciting stories in the history of Florence that you can share before going (and specialized tours when you go).

PP. I understand. I can't help their reactions. They liked what they liked. We stayed in a cool hotel with a tower (Hotel Torre Guelfa). They liked that and gelato. Also a kid's museum with DaVinci machines. They were a little scared of the Duomo climb. Not interested in the outdoor David replica, the Duomo, Baptistery, Duomo Museum, Uffizi, Palazzo Davanzati, Dante house museum
or the market with the bronze boar, or the bridge. We did suboptimize food there to save time. I enjoy Renaissance history and I laid out the itinerary based on my priorities.

My kids often receive pre-education materials. But they sometimes find prepping for vacation to be "too much".

Venice was a real hit. We stayed in an attic hotel near the Rialto Bridge.

You went to Florence and didn’t prioritize food? And give your kids homework before you travel? We never could be friends, this all sounds awful.

[Anonymous]

We did an 11 night Med cruise plus a few nights in Rome and a few nights in Venice pre and lost cruise, and it was a lot of fun.

So, it’s a combo land and sea.

We only had 2 sea days, so we hit a lot of different ports/cities up and down both coasts of Italy plus Croatia and Montenegro.

We ate a lot of terrific food off the ship including breakfast and big lunches.

Med cruises tend to have early mornings and late all aboard times (some weren’t until 8pm).

We were able to do a real mix of historic stuff and beach time.

We had fun on the ship each night thanks to live music and entertainment (including performers from italy).

[Anonymous]

We did a combo land and cruise for our first trip, but our land stops were Rome and Athens pre and post cruise. DCs were into Percy Jackson and Roman history so they were more interested in those places than they would have been in somewhere like Spain. It was a good way to get a sense of a lot of places, without the packing and unpacking, which one of my DCs would have found stressful.

[Anonymous]

The cruises disgorge so many people that there is no such thing as a quiet day. At least by land you can rent a car and go somewhere not so over run with tourists

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a cruise could be ok, especially with those age kids. Do they like summer camp? That’s kinda what the kids club on the cruise would be like.

Yes, the port in Rome isn’t anywhere near Rome but that really only matters if that’s a stop not the embarkation point. You fly to Rome a few days early and hit the sights and then go to the ship.

What are the other ports of call?

Thanks, all. This is what I was considering, staying a couple of days early in Rome and a coupe days late in Barcelona. Here are the ports:
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy (overnight)
• Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy
• Portofino, Italy
• Nice (Villefranche), France
• Provence (Marseille), France
• Barcelona, Spain

I did my first trip to Europe as a combined land trip and Mediterranean cruise. We were a bargain hunting family on a long trip and my grandparents paid for the cruise. I was about 10. I liked both the land and sea portions of the trip. What was most important to me were the sights at the destinations, not the mode of travel.

I would say some of the ports/stops you have listed above are not going to be as fun for kids as a land trip to different places.

My Mediterranean cruise went to:

Genoa, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, Tunis (Carthage), Malta, a Sicilian port, Naples (Pompeii) and back to Genoa. So a bit more exotic than OP's cruise and more focused on archaeology. It was a Costa cruise. There were no kid activities beyond a costume competition.

On board, you don't see a lot of recognizable landscapes so you don't learn how the areas look different from a close-up perspective. You also can't control the length of your sightseeing excursions. The cabin may be dark and small compared to a hotel.

Have you looked at the Rick Steves family bus tours? That might be more interesting to kids.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/family-europe-london-florence

I would expect Paris, Rome, and Venice to be more fun than some of the above port cities, based on my kids' experience. Venice really sticks out because it's so memorably different. My kids did not like Florence very much (13 and 10) compared to Rome and Venice. Kids do get tired of museums and churches.

Be aware that 2025 is a pilgrimage to Rome year called a Jubilee.

My kids loved Florence. It totally depends on their level of knowledge before going. There are lots of very cool and exciting stories in the history of Florence that you can share before going (and specialized tours when you go).

PP. I understand. I can't help their reactions. They liked what they liked. We stayed in a cool hotel with a tower (Hotel Torre Guelfa). They liked that and gelato. Also a kid's museum with DaVinci machines. They were a little scared of the Duomo climb. Not interested in the outdoor David replica, the Duomo, Baptistery, Duomo Museum, Uffizi, Palazzo Davanzati, Dante house museum
or the market with the bronze boar, or the bridge. We did suboptimize food there to save time. I enjoy Renaissance history and I laid out the itinerary based on my priorities.

My kids often receive pre-education materials. But they sometimes find prepping for vacation to be "too much".

Venice was a real hit. We stayed in an attic hotel near the Rialto Bridge.

I object to this both as a word and a concept. “Deprioritize,” if you must.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Land-based FTW

+1 my kids were 6 and 8 and I drove them all around France. So much more to see and experience.

[Anonymous]

LAND 100%

[Anonymous]

LAND- I took my kids at 5 and 7 and it was wonderful. We did Italy and it was so simple. Spend a few un rushed days in each spot/city, each pasta and pizza and gelato. All the Italians were so kind to our children so they got totally spoiled even when we went to a wine tasting (nona of the house brought out some special sweet treats for them)

[Anonymous]

More than 40 trips to Europe, and never a cruise. Cruises are trash for people who can’t plan or travel on their own. So that’s my answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Land based is my vote. We visited Italy in 2023: Rome > Venice > Amalfi > Rome. Italy was very easy to visit. We did not use rental car and used mostly train and taxis. The people were incredibly welcoming and their English was worlds better than our Italian. The sites and food were amazing.

What a unique and original itinerary! lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Land based is my vote. We visited Italy in 2023: Rome > Venice > Amalfi > Rome. Italy was very easy to visit. We did not use rental car and used mostly train and taxis. The people were incredibly welcoming and their English was worlds better than our Italian. The sites and food were amazing.

What a unique and original itinerary! lol

Do you want some sort of prize for staying in a converted farmhouse in Puglia? Nobody’s winning an award for ‘most original’ for any trip to Italy but plenty are having a lovely vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Land based is my vote. We visited Italy in 2023: Rome > Venice > Amalfi > Rome. Italy was very easy to visit. We did not use rental car and used mostly train and taxis. The people were incredibly welcoming and their English was worlds better than our Italian. The sites and food were amazing.

What a unique and original itinerary! lol

Do you want some sort of prize for staying in a converted farmhouse in Puglia? Nobody’s winning an award for ‘most original’ for any trip to Italy but plenty are having a lovely vacation.

PP here. Oh no of course not. Apulia is incredibly touristy. We would never do that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Land based is my vote. We visited Italy in 2023: Rome > Venice > Amalfi > Rome. Italy was very easy to visit. We did not use rental car and used mostly train and taxis. The people were incredibly welcoming and their English was worlds better than our Italian. The sites and food were amazing.

What a unique and original itinerary! lol

Do you want some sort of prize for staying in a converted farmhouse in Puglia? Nobody’s winning an award for ‘most original’ for any trip to Italy but plenty are having a lovely vacation.

PP here. Oh no of course not. Apulia is incredibly touristy. We would never do that!

Congratulations. Enjoy your canoe trip on the Sepik. Don’t forget your antimalarials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cruises disgorge so many people that there is no such thing as a quiet day. At least by land you can rent a car and go somewhere not so over run with tourists

Um, savvy cruisers hire private drivers or boats to take them off the beaten path. And some cruise ships venture to less touristy areas (particularly the smaller ships). Fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cruises disgorge so many people that there is no such thing as a quiet day. At least by land you can rent a car and go somewhere not so over run with tourists

Um, savvy cruisers hire private drivers or boats to take them off the beaten path. And some cruise ships venture to less touristy areas (particularly the smaller ships). Fwiw.

Nope, sorry. There’s no way you can spin one day in port as a valid form of traveling. It’s just sad.