Cruising in the Eastern Mediteranean?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone done a cruise in the Eastern Med? (Croatia, Italy, Greece, Turkey)

We're considering doing this with our two young kids (4 and 2). I've only been on one cruise before, as travelling in highly structured groups is not generally my first choice for travel.
I'd be interested in cruise lines you'd recommend (or not recommend), cities to see, and the general experience.

I THINK we'd rather go with a European/local cruise line, rather than a big American cruise line, but I'm not sure.

I don't need (or even want) lots on on-board activities. I want a clean ship, good food, and lots of time in interesting ports.

And what about the kids? I'd like a "nice" cruise, but don't want one that it so fancy that people glare at me for having children.

Anyone have tips or recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Ten years ago (our honeymoon) we did Windstar in Turkey and Greece. The youngest kid on the ship was about 12 and the next youngest were honeymooners. The 2nd Windstar trip we took, I don't remember seeing any kids. It fits your bill on a clean ship, good food and good ports and little on-board activities. We've taken our young son on two Carrib cruises on big ships and didn't like the atmosphere nearly as much for us but found it great for having a small child around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone done a cruise in the Eastern Med? (Croatia, Italy, Greece, Turkey)

We're considering doing this with our two young kids (4 and 2). I've only been on one cruise before, as travelling in highly structured groups is not generally my first choice for travel.I'd be interested in cruise lines you'd recommend (or not recommend), cities to see, and the general experience.

I THINK we'd rather go with a European/local cruise line, rather than a big American cruise line, but I'm not sure.

I don't need (or even want) lots on on-board activities. I want a clean ship, good food, and lots of time in interesting ports.

And what about the kids? I'd like a "nice" cruise, but don't want one that it so fancy that people glare at me for having children.

Anyone have tips or recommendations?

bolded says it all. Cruises anywhere-yuck! I really don't like to feel like cattle being herded through ports with a few hundred or thousand of my shipmates. I have only been on cruises b/c someone else has paid. Each time it exactly the same. You never get a real taste of the country. It's like staying in a big huge hotel.

However I DO reccomend Instanbul, but you have to spend 2 weeks to get the real flavor of this very vibrant city that amazingly blends east and west.

[Anonymous]

Celebrity is a large but excellent cruise line that has great food and good European itineraries. There are activities for kids over 3, babysitting, etc. It's very different from something like Carnival.

[Anonymous]

You're sorta addressing two different topics - a cruise in general (whether a Disney, a carribean, a medit, etc.) AND a specific destination - in this case the Medit.

My inlaws just got back from a Medit. cruise. They had a blast. They flew into Rome a day early to take in the sights and then met up with the cruise the next day. They had 3 full days on the boat and the remaining 9 days were "exploration" days where the boat docked and you were free to get off and take a tour. You can pick and choose what you want to see and do so definitely do your homework.

I'll have to ask them about kid activities, but based on all the great things they did and saw I am not sure a 2 and 4 year old would appreciate a day trip (tour started at 9am!) in Pompeii. Also, would a 2 and 4 year really behold the awesome sight of the island of Stromboli as the boat passes it?
Also, the stop in Croatia was filled with history (again, not sure if a 2 or 4 year old will have the attention span) and the public bathrooms there were, literally, holes in the ground.

Didn't mean to rain on your parade, but it would seem like a Medit. cruise is more adult-oriented unless your 2 and 4 year old can appreciate the sights, history, and foreign culture.

As for cruise ships in general - sure, we all hear about the Norwalk virus, but also consider what cruises offer t - tons/variety of free food (well, it is included in the price of the ticket) at all different times, formal and casual dining, loads of entertainment, fantastic views, pools galore, spa treatments, pretty much anything you want...you almost forget you're on a boat.

[Anonymous]

louis cruise lines. They are Greek, which by the way LOVE children. Really reasonable. I am sure you could google them. Have a great time and don't worry about the children. They will enjoy being with you. Our children love to vacation with us and they might not remember everything, they are quite the little travelers now.

[Anonymous]

OP here. thanks for the tips everyone. (Especially the Windstar recommendation -- it looks like they have several good itineraries)


For 15:41 (and others), I'm not sure ALL cruises are giant cattle herding experiences (although the only one I was on certainly was), but to get something more intimate/different, you have to get away from the big cruise lines. Part of the reason I think a cruise might be a good way to do this, is that there are a number of places to see, but travelling (solo) in Turkey, Greece, and Croatia is a bit intimidating for me with young kids. I'm a pretty seasoned traveller myself, but we've only taken the kids to Western Europe, where services/transportation are very reliable. I think in these countries... they're a little less reliable (but having never been there, I don't really know). In addition, I don't speak any of these languages. So I thought a short cruise where I got to hit 2 or 3 countries would be a good "taste". If I like it, I'll definitely plan to go back and spend more time when the kids are older.

I really don't expect my kids to get much out of this trip. Basically they're getting dragged so that my husband and I can have a little fun. Hopefully it will be fun for them too, but you're correct... the historical significance of Pompeii will be totally lost on them. But, I figure a floating hotel is easier on them (and us), than driving/training around the country side, moving to a different hotel every night.

I would love to find a trip where you spend most of your time in-port in interesting cities. I feel much more capable of dealing with "day trips" in these countries with my family, rather than taking on the added transportation hassels of a do-it-yourself trip.

We looked into doing the Greek Isles last year, but the flight schedules alone were prohibitively expensive... and included a number of layovers that would've been disastrous with small kids.

I'll definitely look into Louis. Thanks for the tip.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,

Just wanted to let you know that, in terms of services and transportation being reliable, we drove around Turkey for a week (and spent another week in cities) and have nothing but great things to say about our experience. We found the country to be much cleaner, more efficient and an easier travel experience than France or Italy. The roads were modern, restaurants clean, hospitality wonderful; there was almost always someone who spoke English; we had no problem with renting a car or flying in country; the gas stations and rest stops were all modern, very clean and well-maintained, etc. There are millions of Western Europeans who vacation there each year, with their kids. I would love to go back again soon with my child.