Just booked Disney Cruise 7 day Mediterranean Italy/France. Any one done it before? Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did the Barcelona/Naples/Rome/Tuscany/Villefranche cruise. It was the first cruise we've ever done, and I was not sure we were going to like it, but we all had a fabulous time. Everything was very well organized, and there is plenty to do for all ages.

We spent a couple of days in Barcelona on the front end, and flew home immediately after the cruise, and I would definitely do it that way again. We got a day or two to get over the jet lag before getting on the boat, and we were ready to head home at the end.

My one tip is to not over schedule yourself with tours. Don't try to see everything, particularly if your kids are younger. In some cases, the ports are quite a hike from the things you will want to see. We looked at it as an "introductory" tour for kids. They got the flavor of the various cities, and we told ourselves that we'll go back and spend more time in specific places when they're older. For example, in Naples, I'd focus on Pompeii and the Museum in Naples. We did Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii all in one day. It was beautiful, but it's a hard pace to sustain for very long. On the day we were in Tuscany, we went to Pisa for half a day, climbed the leaning tower, and went back to hang out by the pool, and I'm so glad we did. Trying to haul the kids through all the museums in Florence would have been a nightmare at that point. Like I said, we'll go back when they're older and will actually appreciate it.

We mostly booked the tours through Disney, and the tour guides were all excellent. I read that you can save $$ by booking your own tours, but the tour guides I found on line were at least as expensive. Particularly if you're familiar with an area, you could definitely just arrange your own transportation and do your own thing. We hired a car and driver at Villefrance, and it was lovely. Never having been on a cruise before, though, I was concerned about literally "missing the boat," and you are guaranteed that the boat will wait for you if you're on a Disney tour.

My kids are begging to go back. I'm looking at the Baltic cruise next!

Our friends did the Baltic cruise last year and loved it. We have different friends doing the Baltic cruise this year.

[Anonymous]

There are laundry machines on the boat, so we carried on our luggage the whole way and did laundry midweek. It really speeds up the debarkation process, in particular, if you carry your own luggage off the boat. We got out before everyone else, snagged a cab immediately and were on our way to the airport to catch an earlier flight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are Disney cruises like this best for teenage kids (who can "fend for themselves) or would 8 or 10 year old kids have fun too (presumably supervised in kids programs when onboard)?

My 10 year old would die of mortification if I tried to put him
in some kind of supervised kids club. That age is old enough to roam free and just check in.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting the prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Magic or Wonder?

The Med cruise has been the Magic in the past.

Yes. The Magic does the European cruises in the summer, and the Wonder is in Alaska.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are Disney cruises like this best for teenage kids (who can "fend for themselves) or would 8 or 10 year old kids have fun too (presumably supervised in kids programs when onboard)?

My 10 year old would die of mortification if I tried to put him
in some kind of supervised kids club. That age is old enough to roam free and just check in.

Well, he would be missing out on a huge amount of fun. The Disney cruises' kids clubs are not your standard-issue kids clubs. They are pretty spectacular for all ages. Oceaneer Club and Lab go up to age 12, and there are also tween and teen clubs. We just got off the Disney Dream. DD, 11, was old enough to check herself in and out of the clubs when she wanted. The Disney Infinity stations were huge hits. She and her new friends could entertain themselves in the club and then roam when they wanted. Win-win for everybody. Don't knock it until you've tried it, PP.

[Anonymous]

NP here - just did the same as OP! Very excited! I've never been to Europe at all... but based on past cruise experience, I'm inclined to figure out our own ways at the ports instead of booking excursions through Disney.

We're not completely ignorant travelers, but I would love to hear any advice from people who have lugged children around Rome, Florence, Naples, Pisa, Nice or Barcelona...

Definitely want to see Pompeii and the Coliseum but beyond that, not sure.

I'm guessing we'd have to skip museums/famous artwork that would bore the hell out of my kids.

[Anonymous]

We have been on all the ships. They're very family friendly. Have a great time!

[Anonymous]

There's a tween and a teen club on the ships. Not just kids clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are Disney cruises like this best for teenage kids (who can "fend for themselves) or would 8 or 10 year old kids have fun too (presumably supervised in kids programs when onboard)?

My 8 year old loves the kids clubs. There's video games. The dream has a millenium falcon. Magic (and soon the wonder) have a marvel area.

[Anonymous]

My advice is to check in as early as possible to get the highest boarding number. Then go immediately to the excursions desk if you have business there. Go to lunch after that. The buffets get mobbed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My one tip is to not over schedule yourself with tours. Don't try to see everything, particularly if your kids are younger. In some cases, the ports are quite a hike from the things you will want to see. We looked at it as an "introductory" tour for kids. They got the flavor of the various cities, and we told ourselves that we'll go back and spend more time in specific places when they're older. For example, in Naples, I'd focus on Pompeii and the Museum in Naples. We did Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii all in one day. It was beautiful, but it's a hard pace to sustain for very long.

Having been to Pompeii and Capri, I can't imagine doing both of those AND Sorrento in one day. You must have spent about 2 hours in each. We spent a half day in Pompeii last year and it was exhausting. This year (earlier this week) we spent 3 days in Capri and didn't see everything we wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here - just did the same as OP! Very excited! I've never been to Europe at all... but based on past cruise experience, I'm inclined to figure out our own ways at the ports instead of booking excursions through Disney.

We're not completely ignorant travelers, but I would love to hear any advice from people who have lugged children around Rome, Florence, Naples, Pisa, Nice or Barcelona...

Definitely want to see Pompeii and the Coliseum but beyond that, not sure.

I'm guessing we'd have to skip museums/famous artwork that would bore the hell out of my kids.

OP here. NP what date are you going?

[Anonymous]

Double-check where the ship actually docks...the port cities are often a schlep from the prime tourist destinations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Double-check where the ship actually docks...the port cities are often a schlep from the prime tourist destinations.

Look at the excursion lists on the disney website. Their european ones begin with "a scenic 90 minute drive"