Kickin 'on a cruise to Europe with the children

Children were everywhere – splashing in the ship's pools, touring the Colosseum and Pompeii, posing for family pictures before dinner.

Cruising the Mediterranean on the Disney Magic, there were at least 1000 children on board, more than half of those over 10, many not yet out of preschool.

"Travel can be so stressful," says Geri Markey in Los Gatos, California, traveling with a 7 to 10 years old. "Pack and unpack, make sure you do not forget anything, to find the food they eat. Here are all happy. "

Whatever your budget or travel style, there has never been so many kid-friendly options – from ultra-deluxe Crystal, Regent Seven Seas Norwegian Cruise Line, which has three ships in Europe, including Jade, who cruises year round and is touting a special Nickelodeon theme cruise from Barcelona set for late July. There is also Royal Caribbean, opens its largest season ever with 11 ships operating in the region, and MSC offers seven ships, 85 routes and child-cruise-free offer for those under 12 sharing a cabin with parents (or grandparents ).

The new Carnival Magic will cruise the Mediterranean – the line's first full season overseas cruise in three years. If you are looking for a special trip with your adult children – a degree perhaps – or a parents-only retreat, while the children in the camp, Windstar Cruises has deals on their yachts, offering close to half off the Greek Isles voyages.

Balancing fun with historyIt is easy to understand the appeal. There are only so many Gothic churches and museums staid a child can take. Adults too. No wonder cruise lines to report an up-tick in families cruising Europe. Crystal – the only deluxe cruise line with dedicated children's space – now carrying triple the number of children on European cruises, while Royal Caribbean is expected to carry well over 24 000 children on its overseas routes, including its new Adriatic sailing starts in Venice.

Disney touts special child-friendly tour excursions. We took a pasta making class at a Tuscan farmhouse. (If you want to cruise with your mouse, go this year. In 2012, all four vessels will be Stateside.) Even Uniworld River Cruises reports that children join parents and grandparents on itineraries that might include Normandy or Prague while SeaDream Yacht Club, which usually turns to a very exclusive few, is the marketing of its August 3 sailing from Rome to families, offering special excursions, meals and more.

Aboard a cruise ship, you can relax and meet families from all over the world, instead of schlepping from city to city. And after an exhausting day of touring, return to a place where most everyone speaks English and there are large pools, familiar foods and, with morning-to-night youth activities, a welcome break for mom and dad. "It's nice to get rid of the kids for a bit without feeling guilty," laughed the mother board the Disney Magic.

You could not let your 14-year-old wander alone in a European city, nor would she want to, but on the ship, she can certainly have all the freedom she longs for – and plenty of company his own age. "The best part was meeting new people and make new friends," says Jennifer Davidson, 17, cruising with his aunt and cousin.

Children with special needs – mental, physical, severe food allergies – are also addressed. No worries if you're encouraging kids to branch out with their food choices and they turn up their nose when the dish arrives, will force the waiter to give them something else.

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Let the children onboardYou can also let the youngest cruisers remained on board while you travel websites. "The cruise is for children, the shore excursions are for us," explains Mika Herrelbrink, who was cruising with three friends – all wives of U.S. Air Force pilots stationed in Afghanistan – and their 10 children, all under 6 years of age. "We can focus on ourselves, that we must never do at home," she says.

The downside? You can not take as long as you want in a museum or enjoy the atmosphere of a coffee shop because you have to return to the ship. You will not hit as many locals as you can have if you were touring on their own. And you may end up with cranky kids on a long shore excursion.

But it is a small price to pay, families cruising in Europe said. Ayman Neoman and Irene Malek, both doctors from Huntington Beach, California, and traveled with their four children, 6 to 12, and Malek's parents, brother and sister in law. She chose this trip so far from home because she wanted the children to begin to appreciate that the U.S. is not the center of the universe. But she did not want her and her husband crazy in the process. "This is so much easier," she said, watching the kids in the pool when the ship on its way to the next port.

Be forewarned that the cruise excursions – especially in Europe – can be costly. That's why savvy family travelers, especially when touring with relatives or friends, book your own independent tours that not only saves them money but also give them more flexibility.

Do not expect children to be fascinated by all the sites either. Steven Tuck, a classics professor at the University of Miami and chairman of Vergilian Society, which offers all kinds of travel in Europe, proposes to "make it about the people, not buildings." Tuck was on board the Disney Magic resident historical expert and has traveled widely with her own children, as well as others.

"What you are trying to do is to plant a seed so that they would come back and explore foreign cultures and travel," he says. "You do not want all they remember is that hot and exhausted."

Parents either. Ready to jump in the pool?

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Submited at Saturday, May 14th, 2011 at 6:00 am on Family by alliana
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