cruising

To Cruise or Not to Cruise? Weighing the Pros and Cons

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Imagine this scenario: You have two weeks of vacation. It’s the only vacation time you have all year, and you want to make it count. You know you want to go to Europe, and you’re presented with the option to take a cruise—11-12 nights, departing from Barcelona and hitting ports all over the Mediterranean. You get to see some sites in France, Italy, Greece, and beyond. Your other option is to fly directly into a city—let’s say Athens—and see Santorini and Mykonos, spending a few nights in each place.

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6 Reasons to NOT Take a Cruise Excursion

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When traveling by cruise, you may feel like the cruise ship has everything under the sun to keep you entertained and show you the world. While that may be true on the ship, it’s when you get on land that they lack the same oomph. Excursions are run by local guides and work on a partnership level with cruise lines. You can trust they have been reviewed and they will get you back to the ship on time, but they don’t give you a chance to explore and discover a new port stop as you would if you were to arrive by plane or train.

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Top Tips for Cruising with Toddlers, Babies And Kids

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Cruises today are gearing more toward families, offering an array of activities, accommodations and services to appeal to parents. With our top tips for cruising with toddlers, babies and kids, you maximize your vacation when taking a cruise with your kids. The first tip is to check for the minimum age requirement for traveling with kids. Most start with a minimum age of 6 months, so before you plan a family cruise vacation, review each cruise line’s age requirements. From there, pick your destination and you’ll find ships able to make kids happy, especially toddlers and young kids who will be excited by all the offerings on the ship, as well as your excursions on land.

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Iconic views from Oia in Santorini

Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for Cruise Day in Santorini, Greece

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Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Santorini

Of all the places we visited on our 9-month journey around the world, both of us feel Santorini deserves to be on our top 10 list. You’ve seen the iconic pictures — awe-inspiring how they built the city into the mountain — and it’s everything you have ever imagined. Actually, even more so for Natasha – she ranked Santorini as her top experience during our world sabbatical.

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The iconic Kato Milli windmills in Mykonos, Greece

Ultimate Kid-Friendly Itinerary for Spending a Cruise Day in Mykonos, Greece

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Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Mykonos

The moment your ship arrives in Mykonos, you’ll notice white buildings everywhere with the blue roofs that provide the backdrop you were expecting about the Greek islands. It’s amazing to experience the island – even the streets are white to help keep the buildings cool and reflect the sun. Plus, there are no cars on the narrow streets, making it great for young kids, who can run around as you explore.

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Incredible mosiac floor from Ancient Greek times

Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for Cruise Day in Olympia, Greece

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Why The 2 Idiots recommend Olympia

Entering the port of Katakolon, you’ll have the option to travel 4 hours to Athens or an hour to Olympia. Both options are exceptional, as they ooze history at every turn. When traveling with a younger child, however, we recommend the closer Olympia, which is home to the original Olympic Games. Ancient Olympia is an archeological site with more than 70 structures from ancient Greece, dating back to 4,000 years AD. It’s truly impressive, and there are tons of open spaces for your child to run and play safely.

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Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for a Cruise Day in Kotor, Montenegro

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Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Kotor?

We didn’t have any expectations of Kotor; in fact, it wasn’t even on our radar. Our original cruise stop was supposed to be Istanbul, but we were rerouted due to security issues. Natasha didn’t even know it existed and was wondering where we were going and if it would be any good after Mykonos and Santorini. But boy, were we blown away! It’s stunning; old school medieval times – with cats (read on).  Just pulling into port while on the Adriatic Sea, we were able to take in the most incredible scenery of the medieval city that is still surrounded by its original fortification walls as it was generations ago. The city only truly began seeing tourism in the 2000s, so its relatively undiscovered. Pictures don’t even do it justice. 

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Amazing view of Positano

Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for a cruise day in Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Italy

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Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring the Amalfi Coast?

Every picture you have ever seen of the Amalfi Coast on Instagram is THAT– the coast looks just like the photos you have seen. It is so stunning and, for Natasha, the highlight of our tour of Southern Italy. For me, Pompeii blew me away – the archaeological site is the most preserved of any site I’ve ever seen and it feels like you are transported back in time and able to visualized what Italy was like centuries ago. When we visited Naples, it was through a Mediterranean cruise – the last stop of one of our favorite cruises we took with our son. Taking a tour that incorporates stops in Sorrento, Pompeii and a drive along windy cliff roads overlooking the sea will be a long day, but for us, a definite you should do when in port in Naples. 

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The cathedral was supposed to be the star of Miracle Square in Pisa

Ultimate Kid-Friendly Itinerary for a Cruise Day in Livorno and Pisa, Italy

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Why The 2 Idiots Recommend exploring Livorno and Pisa

When we visited Pisa, it was through a Mediterranean cruise – the best of the three cruises we took when we went around the world with our son. Having wanted to see the Tower of Pisa since she was a child, Natasha was especially excited about the visit, but we discovered the port is actually in the city of Livorno and that you’ll need to travel inland to find Pisa. It’s a place everyone should see and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but we were surprised to discover Pisa isn’t much a city to visit; it’s truly just a square for tourists. However, we still enjoyed our day in Pisa, with some extra time to wander in Livorno, a very pretty town. Where Pisa is touristy, Livorno is not. Just as we like it!

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