Help an overwhelmed mom choose a 2027 Mediterranean Cruise

[Anonymous]

We just came back from a Mediterranean cruise with kids ages 11-14. Is chose the first option. 10 days is not too long. The ports are not that far from the cities.

FYI, we went on Norwegian. But if celebrity speaks to you more, I would still with that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this! Would you mind saying what Norwegian itinerary and ship you were on and if you all enjoyed it?

[Anonymous]

We did Italy and Greece a couple of years ago on NCL. It was lovely. If I had it to do over I would have come into Rome a couple days early to see more of the city. We stopped in Malta - it was underwhelming to me. We did the bus transfer to Florence with no tour attached, met some friends, and spent the day with them. There was a huge accident on the way back to the ship - so being on the NCL branded excursion was helpful since we weren’t worried about being late. We had plenty of time in Florence.

For us we did not want to be on a meal schedule and I did not want to get dressed for breakfast and lunch. NCL allows for that. And we did not have to dress for dinner every single night. We have been on one other cruise ever and we had a great time on NCL. Every kid we saw looked like they were having the time of their life. We have friends who cruise multiple times per year and they love Celebrity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m planning WAY in advance, but I’m a single mom turning 50 in 2027, and I’ve always wanted to take a Mediterranean cruise. My girls will be 13 and 14 at the time, and Celebrity feels like the right line for us. I’ve checked out some cruise forums, but I’m open to any and all thoughts! Here are the three options I’m considering:

1. Italy–Greece–Croatia (10 nights) on Celebrity Ascent - July
https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary/10-night-italy-greece-croatia-from-rome-civitavecchia-on-ascent-AT10M397?packageCode=AT10M397&sailDate=2027-07-16
Roundtrip from Rome. Newer ship, but 10 nights might be too long for my kids.

2. Greek Isles & Malta (7 nights) on Celebrity Xcel - June
https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary/7-night-greek-isles-malta-from-barcelona-on-xcel-XC07U252?groupId=XC07BCN-1090890497&country=USA&packageCode=XC07U252&sailDate=2027-06-19
Barcelona > Athens. Brand-new ship with a chill, beachy vibe, but less of an “exciting” itinerary.

3. Italian Riviera, France & Spain (9 nights) on Celebrity Equinox - July
https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary/9-night-italian-riviera-france-spain-from-rome-civitavecchia-on-equinox-EQ09M334?groupId=EQ09ROM-1710631289&country=USA&packageCode=EQ09M334&sailDate=2027-07-06
Rome > Barcelona. Older ship, but I love the itinerary and the opportunity for a one-way cruise.

Thanks for reading!

#3. But as someone said stay tuned to happenings/disappointments out of Barcelona. Will they change ports.

Also #1. But as someone said, think of distance between ports and attractions and factor that in. Y

You could do one way and actually visit ciies/attractions on own time. Rome has so much to see but like everywhere else with many people traveling, expect crowds lines it's rather annoying at times. Go during non peak time if you don't want to be in large crowds of tourists.

[Anonymous]

The standards on a lot of the European centric cruise ships and food/service are mediocre at best. I would just train it between a few cities.

[Anonymous]

A cruise sounds like a miserable way to turn 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did a Mediterranean cruise with our kids last year, but over spring break. We were on celebrity equinox I think which is an older ship, but the kids loved it. They are dying to go back. I think what made it really great for us, though was that it was spring, and we were the only ship in port in most cases, so it wasn’t very crowded. I would look and see how busy the ports are on the days you’re docking. Celebrity was a great line for our family, with a 9, 12 and 14 year-old.

Thanks so much for this comment. Several people have advised me against celebrity with kids. We’ve done an RC Caribbean cruise with the water slides and they had a blast but don’t really need all that to be entertained. I want this cruise to be more about the ports than the ship, and I want a more upscale environment for me!

My kids LOVED celebrity! We have done 3 cruises with them (but 2 were when they were super young) and they loved all the activities that were for "all ages" like the pub quizzes and trivia contests. They didn't do much in the kids clubs at all except the younger 2 did a scavenger hunt once. Otherwise we hung out at the pool, read a lot, played games, had amazing private tours that I planned in all the ports and spent lots of time just hanging and talking. The ports were amazing (we went from Athens - where we did 2 days early and 2 days after - to Thessaloniki, Ephesus, Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, Napflio and back to Athens) and on prior trips I've done more of the Italy/adriatic tours which were also great. Malta is lovely! My concern would be all of the people in the smaller ports/smaller Greek isles but if you plan well I'm sure you can make it an unforgettable trip. Celebrity does a great job with kids/teens. I'm sure my kids would've loved big water slides and that stuff too but on the Med cruises you don't need all that stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A cruise sounds like a miserable way to turn 50.

LOL OK what do you suggest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the Greek isles, but I don't think that cruise would be as interesting for teens. I think the other cruise itineraries would offer a better mix of beaches, cultural sites, and activities. Also I just didn't care for Athens - the Acropolis is interesting, but as a city, Athens left a lot to be desired, especially as a final destination. I don't know your teens' interests, but I think they would have more fun with itinerary 1 or 3, which includes other major cities + beaches and a chance to see Pompeii.

I don't agree with this... but you can't go wrong with either Greece or Italy, as long as the weather is OK. Lots of fun activities in Athens, especially if you spend just a little time learning the Greek myths, etc. and do some investigation of cultural opportunities. The same would be true in Italy.

The weather is not ok in the summer for Athens, Rome, or Barcelona. I would never do land activities in the summer there - it is literally an oven and just too hot for me. Very unpleasant. Summer is when the locals flee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look carefully at those itineraries. Mediterranean schedules are notorious for having the cruise terminal and the interesting sights far, far apart. Your “Rome” port is an hour away from the city. Ditto your “Florence” port. “Nice” is half an hour. Combine that with the limited time in many of those places and you will be racing to do one thing before heading back to the ship (because it may take you a while to disembark, and you have to be on board at least an hour before departure).

If you’re set on a cruise, look into the Caribbean itineraries because all the lines do them well. And there will be more kids in the teen club.

If you’re set on Europe, consider doing a land tour or DIY your schedule to visit 2-3 cities (depending on time and location).

Or talk with yourself and your kids about what you’re hoping to get out of this trip, to make sure your expectations line up with what the trip can deliver. You deserve to have an amazing time!

Agree with this which is why I’d choose the Greek isles cruise. Smaller islands are easier to visit on a cruise vs. a huge city an hour away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the Greek isles, but I don't think that cruise would be as interesting for teens. I think the other cruise itineraries would offer a better mix of beaches, cultural sites, and activities. Also I just didn't care for Athens - the Acropolis is interesting, but as a city, Athens left a lot to be desired, especially as a final destination. I don't know your teens' interests, but I think they would have more fun with itinerary 1 or 3, which includes other major cities + beaches and a chance to see Pompeii.

Disagree. My family loved Athens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look carefully at those itineraries. Mediterranean schedules are notorious for having the cruise terminal and the interesting sights far, far apart. Your “Rome” port is an hour away from the city. Ditto your “Florence” port. “Nice” is half an hour. Combine that with the limited time in many of those places and you will be racing to do one thing before heading back to the ship (because it may take you a while to disembark, and you have to be on board at least an hour before departure).

If you’re set on a cruise, look into the Caribbean itineraries because all the lines do them well. And there will be more kids in the teen club.

If you’re set on Europe, consider doing a land tour or DIY your schedule to visit 2-3 cities (depending on time and location).

Or talk with yourself and your kids about what you’re hoping to get out of this trip, to make sure your expectations line up with what the trip can deliver. You deserve to have an amazing time!

Agree with this which is why I’d choose the Greek isles cruise. Smaller islands are easier to visit on a cruise vs. a huge city an hour away.

I haven’t been to Greece so I don’t know but my question was whether a small island would be overwhelmed with a big cruise ship disgorging lots of tourists. Someplace like Messina has lots of places to send them though.