Deciding that the best way to experience Europe is through beaches and coastal towns, our family went on a 5 night Mediterranean cruise over the Easter break. We had invited and organized 6 other families to join us and later learned there were another 5-6 families from St. John’s that would be on the cruise as well. It was an amazing experience. Our ship was the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and quite an improvement over our last ship (Voyager of the Seas). This ship had multiple pools, a mini golf area, an ice skating rink, a rock climbing wall, Johnny Rockets restaurant, and the usual restaurants, gym, spa, etc.
So as not to be too detailed, I’ll give you the highlights of each port:
Day 1 - Nice (Villefranche, France): The cruise ship docked in the ocean and after a leisurely morning at the pool and lunch on the ship, we took smaller boats into the port. The view from the cruise ship was amazing! Unfortunately the main attraction for our group was to see the Promenade Anglais in Nice, but it was shut down for some sort of race. We happily meandered along the quaint cobblestone streets in Villefranche shopping for jewelry, pottery, lavender, herbs de provence, etc. The beach was rocky, but still fun for the kids to play in the cold sea water. A few hours later and bellies full of gelato, we headed back to the ship. For sure the South of France is a place where we must return.
Day 2 - Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy): Many of our group had been to Rome so we organized an Etruscan tour with our Rome Connection tour guide, Marco. Upon meeting Marco in the port, he informed us most places are closed in Italy on Mondays. (Something he failed to mention when we were booking the tour, but I digress). Driving through the countryside was idyllic and beautiful, but rather uneventful. Luckily, our three hour lunch and wine tasting experience saved the day! Nicholas and Lindsey weren’t thrilled we had left them on the cruise ship in the kids club all day, but it’s safe to say they would have been miserable on the tour.
Day 3 - Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy): Again, we had a leisurely morning on the ship and headed into town after lunch. We had been told that Sardinia boasted Italy’s longest beach and were determined to get there. Unfortunately, it was quite windy that day and our plans changed to include a horse & carriage ride around the castle district. A few hours later and our bellies full of gelato once again, we headed back to the ship.
Day 4 - Day at sea: You can guess we spent a lot of time at the pool this day. We also watched Nick master the climbing wall. Before dinner we saw professional ice skaters put on a great production in the skating rink.
Day 5 - Return to Barcelona, Spain: We spent the next 3 days exploring Barcelona through a hop-on, hop-off bus, eating tapas, drinking sangria, buying souvenirs, going to the aquarium on our rainy day, walking Las Ramblas, and swimming in the hotel pool. What a fun city!
We have decided cruising with kids is a win-win vacation. You don’t get to know the port cities very well, but the experiences you do have are well worth it! :)
