Best cruises from Europe with kids.

[NewtoOrlando]

We’ve never cruised before so wanted to look into it a little, as we want something a little bit different.

Who would be the best cruise line to go with from Europe? Would prefer to sail from Southampton if we could, would be a family of 4, kids 14 & 12, one active one not so much lol. And my parents who are 70!

Just a few ideas of what to look at, as I have no idea whatsoever!

[OrlandoLes]

Hi,
We are going on a 9 day Baltic cruise on the NCL Getaway next month, it’s from Copenhagen though but managed to pick up cheap Easyjet flights & so will have a couple of days either side to see the sights of Copenhagen.
We are a family of 4 & the kids are 13 & 17.
I found that this 9 day cruise worked out to be a similar price to 7 days around the Med but didn’t really look at sailing out of Southampton.
Cheers
Les

[jazzmic]

just came back from a cruise me and dgd went to germany Norway and bruges on the indy it was amazing sailed from Southampton would definitely do it again it was amazing for all ages

jaine

[Smilesonfaces]

We have cruised with Royal Caribbean and Thomson. Royal Caribbean were fabulous especially if you have different age groups in your family. Lovely food, spa, pools. Dodgem cars, climbing walls,cinema, fabulous shows,I fly and wave riders. From next year Anthem of the Seas will be sailing from Southampton to Spain and Portugal.
We absolutely loved our cruise and will definitely do another at some point. You can be busy or relax,something for everyone!

[Caroian]

My parents cruise frequently and have used the same cruise agent for years, so we use them too. They reckon that RCI, NCL and Princess are great choices for families. They all have dedicated kids clubs on all cruises and their ships are full of activities for families. Speaking with an experienced cruise agent may be a good idea if you really have no idea what you want, as they have staff that have sailed on lots of ships and can give great advice (and usually get great prices, but there is no obligation to book through them if you find it cheaper elsewhere - once you know what you want!)

Originally Posted by OrlandoLes

Hi,
We are going on a 9 day Baltic cruise on the NCL Getaway next month, it’s from Copenhagen though but managed to pick up cheap Easyjet flights & so will have a couple of days either side to see the sights of Copenhagen.
We are a family of 4 & the kids are 13 & 17.
I found that this 9 day cruise worked out to be a similar price to 7 days around the Med but didn’t really look at sailing out of Southampton.
Cheers
Les

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I'll be interested to hear your review of the Getaway when you come back. We're sailing on her from NOLA next year, and as with all cruise ships, reviews online are a full range! Looks like a great ship to me though!

[Hudson]

With most of the major cruise lines, NCL, Carnival, Princess, MSC, Royal Caribbean etc. you can't really go wrong as they all cater for kids and adults alike.
We have 2 boys 9years and 13 years and they love cruising.
I usually look on vacationstogo.com (you may have to register)
I enter the month that I want to go, area I wish to cruise and see what comes up. I then check the itinerary, ship and cost. Once I've done that I send Rebekah at Cruise118 a screen shot and ask if she can match or better the price.
We cruise out of New York in 4 weeks and Rebekah called me this afternoon to check that I was on top of all my documentation and if I needed any help... great service.

[randc]

I would recommend p and o have done 2 multigen cruises with DH, Dd, dm and df which were excellent. My daughter loved kids club. There was something for everyone and we are not far ftom southampton so we started our holiday in less than an hour after we left home.

[disney_l81]

Up to now we've only ever cruised RCL, however this year we are trying Celebrity. We have heard lots of good things about them. RCL are great in terms of their offerings for kids and activities etc on their ships. I'm sure you will have a great time, whichever line you choose. 😁

[Licoricelover]

We have just come back from a trip on Cunard Queen Victoria to fjords from Southampton.
Lovely ship but definitely adult orientated. There were a few children on board but limited facilities and entertainment for children.
There were all ages on board but we felt it catered more for the over 50s (we are in our sixties) and it is more formal than other cruise lines, especially the evening dress code. We are used to Disney cruises so was complete opposite.

[Just_Pete]

I think in terms of something for everyone then it is really NCL and RCI. P&O and Princess don't have some of the "attractions" that these two can offer in terms of things like Ice Rinks, Laser Tag, Water attractions, Flow Riders (on RCI) and with the larger ships you get the shows too. So I think these hit the mark a little more in terms of spectacle

That said a big provider of these (especially from Southampton) was Independence which has now cancelled it's next round of European Sailings. Although RCI does continue to send an Oasis class over every year for the Med sailings, which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this does really provide something for everyone. Departs from Barcelona/Rome though.