There's not a lot of organization involved with a cruise. Much is arranged for you and you can outsource almost everything, even excursions. However, there are a few things you should consider beforehand.
Which company do you choose?
We always travel with MSC cruises and so far, we've always been very pleased: child-friendly, affordable and well-organized. The ships are in excellent condition. The food is delicious and of good quality. There's always plenty of choice. There's plenty to do on board throughout the day. The entertainment team organizes all sorts of activities: dancing, games. Every evening, there's a show in the large theater.
For sure, You'll find more or less the same with other companies. We don't have any experience with them yet.
Which ship do you choose?
We started with smaller ships: the MSC Armonia and the MSC Sinfonia. Even those ships were very impressive in our opinion. However, we wanted to experience the newer, larger ships on subsequent cruises. We cruised on the MSC Seascape and the MSC World Europa. To be honest, they didn't immediately offer us any added value. There is, of course, a wider selection of restaurants, bars and pools. Everything looks a bit newer and more modern. But there are also a lot more people on the ship. We got the impression that it was much busier and we'll definitely choose a smaller boat next time.
Which cabin do you choose?
On our first cruise in 2019, our daughters were still quite young. We had an ocean-view cabin. Space in such a cabin is very limited. That's not a problem in itself; you're mainly there to sleep. But with older children, we didn't see this type of cabin as practical. The children's beds extend from the wall, on either side of the double bed. They even hang slightly over the double bed. This means you can't stand up next to the main bed, so you have to crawl into bed from the back. Not impossible, but not very practical either.
Once the girls were a bit older, we opted for a balcony cabin. They're much more spacious. There's a separate lounge where the sofa converts into a bunk bed. So you can move freely throughout the cabin and around the double bed. The balcony also allows you to occasionally open a window for ventilation, which isn't possible in a cabin with an ocean view.
Children up to 17 years old can stay in the same cabin as their parents for free (or at a reduced price). Once our children are past that age, we'll have to opt for two cabins and a cruise will suddenly become considerably more expensive.
Departure and return?
It's a good idea to arrive one or two days before the ship departs. You never know, problems might arise on the way to the port of departure. The ship won't wait, of course. We always combine it with a short city break and have already visited Miami (twice), Venice and Rome.
Upon our return, we always travel directly back home. Please note that a return flight early in the day is not possible. It always takes a while for the entire disembarkation process to be completed, your luggage might take a while to arrive and then you still have to get to the airport. A flight from 2 p.m. is certainly feasible, without any stress.
If your return flight is late at night, it's sometimes possible to schedule an excursion with the cruise line during the day. They sometimes organize excursions that end at the airport. Your luggage can be taken on the bus all day. Very convenient. We find it a bit nerve-wracking to plan something ourselves on that last day, because here too: the plane won't wait.
Excursions?
Cruise line excursions are a safe bet. You're guaranteed to be back on the ship on time and you don't have to search for a contact person in the harbour yourself. However, in our opinion, there are also drawbacks to these excursions. For starters, they're not cheap, especially for a family of four. Moreover, you travel in a large group, usually by bus. We're not so keen on that.
If we're in a port for a full day, I usually arrange our excursions myself. You can find a lot of information online about possible activities at each port. There are organizations that will meet you upon arrival and then take you on an excursion. You can also take a taxi or Uber locally. (They're usually waiting in the port when a ship arrives.) In some ports, you can simply walk to the town center. Plenty of options!
When we're only at a location for half a day and want to explore something a bit further from the port, we usually opt for an organized excursion with the cruise line. We don't want to risk not getting back to the ship in time.
Costs
We pay between €2,000 and €3,000 for the cruise itself for the entire family, depending on the cabin type. Because the daughters are under 17, they only pay port fees.
This price includes all meals and entertainment. Drinks must be paid for on-site. Excursions are also included in the price. Their cost shouldn't be underestimated. A trip can easily cost €80 or €90 per person. Children up to 17 cruise cheaper but excursions cost the full price from age 13 onward. So, it's definitely worth exploring other options for local visits.
Would you like to read a short report about our cruises? Then be sure to check out our travel stories:
2019: cruise MSC Armonia
2026: cruise MSC Sinfonia