MSC Divina - Mediterranean Cruise

Park Guell - Barcelona

  Cruising Mediterranean with Toddlers!

We booked this cruise with our 2 small children (almost 3 year old son and 1 1/2 year old daughter) and my parents.  MSC is an Italian cruise line and kids sail for free!  Since our kids are too small to sleep in pullman beds, we booked a balcony room.  Some balcony rooms on this ship have pull out beds and we booked one of these rooms.

This was our first time sailing in a balcony room.  Unfortunately, we got one of the balconies that have the steel enclosure instead of plexiglass, but it was still nicer than an ocean view room.

Wed., Sept. 23, 2015 - Barcelona

We had a long flight and I made the mistake of bringing a car seat on the plane for my 2 year old.  I read extensively and most say this is the safest option.  I figured he would fall asleep easier in his car seat as he sleeps in his car seat all the time in the car.  I was WRONG!  My youngest was on my lap, as she was still free to fly (being under 2).  Neither child really slept much on our red-eye flight to Barcelona.  My youngest ended up throwing up on me as we landed.  Oh well, at least it was at the end of the flight!

Car Seat on Airplane

One of the challenges of traveling with little ones is the amount of things you have to pack!  Neither of my children were fully potty trained at this point, so I packed enough diapers for both.  I also brought along the car seat (which was barely used and didn't help my son sleep on the plane).  I also brought my little one's car seat (but checked it).  They DID use them on the taxi ride to the port, but I think you can book car's with car seats for airport rides and this would have probably been an easier option.

I did buy lightweight car seats for this trip that were approved for airline use.  Both were relatively inexpensive.  We use these in my husband's car as extra seats, so it wasn't a total waste.  We've also used them on subsequent trips when we have rented a car.

We purchased the Evenflo Maestro Booster car seat.  And also the Cosco Scenera NEXT car seat.

Another option is to purchase a CARES Harness.  We have not used one, but I thought about it.  You can also rent them from sellers on eBay.

We arrived at the port, but it was too early to check in.  Luckily, they were able to check our luggage and we headed into the city of Barcelona to explore a bit.  We took an MSC shuttle (for a fee) back into the city.  My little one was getting extremely cranky, but fell asleep on the shuttle.  Luckily we brought our umbrella stroller and we were able to grab a little breakfast at a cafe on the Ramblas while she napped.

Umbrella stroller is a lifesaver!

After exploring the Ramblas for a bit, we headed back to the ship.  We were able to board at 12 pm.  Check in was pretty quick and easy.  We then headed to the buffet for lunch.  The buffet on the MSC Divina was pretty extensive.  We particularly liked the pizza and pasta sections.  There is even a separate section for children.  Unfortunately, we only found chicken nuggets here on a few days (a staple for my son).

After lunch, our room was ready (around 2pm), so we headed there - hooray!  This was a pretty long day for my kids (and for us!), so we decided to take a nap.  We called and asked for a pack and play and had that set up for my little one.  We pushed this next to the couch and instead of having the steward pull out the couch, had him make the bed on the couch.  It worked pretty well.

Pack and Play next to couch - Steel balcony in background

For dinner, we had early seating and were at a table for 6.  They had a high chair for my little one.  My picky 2 year old didn't find much he liked most nights.  It is an Italian cruise line and they didn't have chicken fingers in the dining room any nights (his staple).  They do offer a children's menu that varies slightly daily.  Some items they often had included pizza, hot dog, and hamburger.  I believe they always had grilled chicken.

High chair in dining room

Thurs., Sept. 24, 2015 - Sea Day

We slept in today until 11:30am!!  We all really needed the sleep!  Today we just explored the ship a little.

Fri., Sept 25, 2015 - Naples - Capri

We took our time eating breakfast as this was one of the meals both of my picky eaters were able to find food they liked.  My son enjoyed pancakes almost every morning on the ship, while my little girl loved eggs.  This would prove to be a mistake for most of our trip.  Next time we will wake up early to eat breakfast and not waste precious time in port.

We headed to the boats to Capri (we decided to do all "do-it-your-own" as we didn't want the kids to disrupt any tours).  We just missed the 9:30am boat, so had to wait for the 10:10 boat.  When we arrived at Capri, it was very crowded.  We had THOUGHT about doing the Blue Grotto, but I wasn't sure if the kids could handle it.  Well, the tide was too high or too rough that day - can't remember which - but there were no tours to Blue Grotto that day, so the decision was easy.

We decided to head up to Anacapri.  The line for the funicular was crazy long as was the line for taxis.  We decided to wait in the line for taxis as they looked so cute with their convertible tops.  As we waited in line, my father went and bought tickets for the boat ride back to Naples as I had read sometimes you might miss getting back.  We booked tickets for the 2:50pm boat ride back.

Capri was a lovely little town and we really loved the little taxi ride (I had seen them on an episode of Rick Steves).  We just had a leisurely lunch and walked around the shops for a bit and enjoyed the views.  We did bring the umbrella stroller with us again and the little one napped a bit.  We took the funicular back down.

View in Capri - can't get 2 toddlers to smile!

Sat., Sept 26, 2015 - Civitavecchia - Rome

My parents have been to Rome several times and my husband and I had just gone on our "babymoon" when I was pregnant with my 1st, but we decided to still make the trek to get some photos with the family and enjoy the city a bit.  Again we should have gotten off the ship earlier, but you live and learn!  We had to take a shuttle to the end of the port and then ANOTHER shuttle to the train station.  I believe we didn't get on the train to Rome until about 10am or so.  

When we arrived in Rome we decided to do the hop on hop off bus to just ride around.  It was late in the day to do this I think, as it was EXTREMELY crowded in Rome (maybe it being a Saturday made it worse?).  We bought tickets for the bus, but then couldn't get on!!  It was too crowded!  We decided to take the Metro to the Colosseum as I really wanted to get a family photo here and pick up the hop on hop off bus there.  We got our photos, but then again we had trouble getting on the hop on hop off bus.  We had to wait in line and let several buses go by before we were able to get on.  

The Colosseum

Once we were on, we decided to just stay on the bus and enjoy the sites.  It was enjoyable once we were able to get on the bus, but the waiting in line was terrible!  I think maybe if we would have gotten off the ship as soon as we could it wouldn't have been so crowded.  We took the 2:42pm train back to port.

As we were getting ready for dinner, my kids were playing around in our cabin.  My older one was standing on a little ottoman type chair and I asked him to get down.  As I turned my back to dress my little one, he fell!  He hit his head on the corner of something and there was blood everywhere!  I was so scared!  We called the medical center and they sent someone up right away and escorted us to the medical center.  He ended up needing stitches on his scalp!  He was fine, but my husband and I were terrified.  We were very lucky this happened on the ship and not in Rome.

Sun., Sept. 27, 2015 - La Spezia - Cinque Terre

We took a shuttle to the end of the port and then a taxi to the train station.  We took the 10:10 train to Riomaggiore.

Train to Riomaggiore

We had been to the Cinque Terre on our babymoon as well and had walked the Via dell' Amore and loved it.  We were sad to read that this nice walkway was closed due to landslides.  We walked around a bit and then bought tickets for the boat ride to Manarola.  The line was VERY long to get on the boat once it arrived - it was chaotic and crowded.

Cinque Terre

We walked around and then took the train to Vernazza.  We had eaten lunch here on our babymoon and we enjoyed lunch in the same spot - now with our 2 children!

Lunch in Vernazza

We then decided to head back to La Spezia on the train.  It was CRAZY CROWDED!  I mean - pushing and shoving - people being shoulder to shoulder crowded.  In fact, my parents, husband and son were on the train and people tried to push me off with my little girl in my arms.  One lady yelled at me to get off the train (an American).  I was shocked!  I yelled back that my whole family was on the train and I was not getting off.  Finally once on, someone offered me their seat and I gladly accepted it.

Priority seating on train

Mon., Sept 28, 2015 - Cannes

There was a long wait for a tender here as we made the mistake of waiting to get out tender tickets until after finishing breakfast.  In the future, I would get the tender tickets first and then eat breakfast as there will still be a wait.  Once in Cannes, we decided to take the Petit Train tour (around 11:20am).  This was a nice little ride and my little one fell asleep on my lap.  

Petit Train in Cannes

We then walked around a bit and decided to have lunch and a lovely little restaurant called Riviera Beach.  They even had a children's menu with chicken nuggets (Score!!) and the kids were able to play on the beach a bit.  

There were lots of vendors selling their goods by the tender area as we waited to go back to the ship.  We all bought cute little hats.

Tues., Sept 29, 2015 - Palma de Mallorca

We took the MSC shuttle (for a fee) to the center of town and walked around a bit.  We decided to take the hop on hop off bus here and it was quite enjoyable (and not so crowded like Rome).  The town is lovely and we had never been.  We just stayed on the bus until it returned to town.  We then shopped a bit and headed back to the ship.

Hop on Hop off in Palma de Mallorca

Wed, Sept. 30, 2015 - Barcelona

We debarked the ship around 10:50am and took a taxi to our hotel, H10 - Port Vell.  This was a nice little hotel.  It looked pretty new and was comfortable.  They did provide a pack and play for us and we just let our older one share our King size bed with us.  We had a little balcony and our room was next door to my parents which was nice.  I did have one issue with the hotel (maybe not their fault), but I booked our tickets to Sagrada Familia for the next day using their wifi and my credit card information was stolen.  It was then cancelled for the rest of the trip!  Luckily my husband and parents still had credit cards to use.

We had dinner and then strolled to the Cathedral.  There were street performers including a "bubble guy" that the children loved!  We grabbed some gelato and headed back to the hotel.

Cathedral in Barcelona

Bubble guy

Thurs., Oct. 1, 2015 - Barcelona

We had tickets booked for Sagrada Familia at 10:15am.  We did not go up as our kids were too young.  The church was lovely and we really enjoyed it.

Inside Sagrada Familia

We took the funicular to Castell Montjuic.  There were great views here of Sagrada Familia.  The kids enjoyed playing and hiding in the Fort.

View of Sagrada Familia

Playing at the Fort

We had lunch at a place by our hotel and it was quite possibly the worst pizza I've ever had!  We napped and then walked to dinner at a place near the beach.  The kids really enjoyed it and they even had breaded chicken (close enough to chicken nuggets - ha!)

Fri., Oct. 2, 2015 - Barcelona

We did not make reservations for Park Guell as I was nervous about someone else's credit card information getting stolen.  We got there early, but had to wait for a 12:30pm entrance.  We had breakfast at a place near the park that had the most delicious orange juice we've ever had!  The kids then played in the playground near the park before we entered the ticketed area.

Playground at Park Guell

Slide at playground - Park Guell

We then took a taxi to the Ramblas and had lunch.  We picked a restaurant right by McDonald's so we  could grab the kids some chicken nuggets and we could eat something else.  I really enjoyed my paella.

Paella

We went back to the hotel and napped.  We then headed out for our last night to see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic.  It was a late night, but the kids loved it.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

This was a great cruise/trip.  We had our issues, but I think we learned a few things.  Traveling with kids can be a challenge, but you have to find what works for you.  We for the most part enjoyed hop on hop off tours or small train tours.  We also should have awaken earlier as the kids really need naps in the afternoon still.  We really enjoyed Barcelona and found it an easy port to fly into/out of and reach the port.  For a multigenerational trip, cruises are a good option.

Day Out with Thomas

My almost 2 1/2 year old son simply adores Thomas the Train.  When I heard about Day Out with Thomas and that it was coming to our neck of the woods, I knew we had to go!  The event was about 45 minutes away in Parrish, Florida at the Florida Railroad Museum.  Tickets were $19/person (for ages 2 and up) and parking was free.

Entrance to Day Out with Thomas

There were several different times you could reserve to ride Thomas.  We booked a few days ahead and tried to book for Saturday, March 14, but most of the times had limited availability.  The website said that there were limited seats available at the event, but we didn't want to chance it.  We decided to book ahead for Sunday and were able to get the time we wanted.  They advised getting to the event an hour ahead of your scheduled time.

Thomas the Train

The event had several tents set up with a rather large gift shop, several food vendors (hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, etc), an Imagination Station, Temporary Tattoo station, area to take your picture with Sir Topham Hatt, a small train ride (in addition to riding the real train), a bounce house and slide.  There was stroller parking by the big train ride.

Imagination Station

The train ride had a few open gondolas at the front and one at the back with enclosed cars in the middle.  We weren't in line early enough for the front cars near Thomas, but did sit in the back open car.  If you want to sit in one of the open cars near the front, I suggest lining up early.  I'd also suggest trying to take a picture with the front of the train early if you can as the lines were quite long after our train ride and we missed getting "the money shot".  The train ride itself was nice.  We passed a few farms and saw some cows which my son enjoyed.  In all I'd say the day was worth it, as my son seemed to really enjoy himself.

Costa Maya and Cozumel

Our first port was Costa Maya and we decided to do the cruise tour of the Chacchoben Ruins.  It was a 4 hour tour (1 hour each way on the bus).  We brought along the portable DVD player and this kept my son entertained on the bus ride.  My little one was able to nap on the bus ride there.  The tour guide advised us not to bring the stroller, so we left it on the bus.  I did see others using strollers while we were there, though.  The ruins were interesting to see and the tour wasn't too long.  My son seemed to have fun as well.  They both napped on the bus ride home which was nice.

Chacchoben Ruins

The area near the port here was nice.  The shops were cute and there was even a pool right by port.  I've read there are nice beaches pretty close as well.  Costa Maya seems like a great port for little ones.

Our second port was Cozumel.  We decided not to do another excursion.  Our plan was to just walk around the shops since the ones in Costa Maya looked so cute.  There weren't that many cute shops near our cruise port though (not enough for a day at least).  I had been to Cozumel on a cruise a few years ago and I think we docked at a different port closer to downtown.  We decided to go with my backup plan of going to a nearby resort - El Cid.  There was a $20 entrance fee, but it included a $12 credit for food and drink.  There was a nice pool with a zero entry kids pool attached.  It was perfect for us!  We didn't want to deal with car seats and taxis and this was walkable from the port.  

Pool at El Cid - our ship in background

My little one was able to nap on me on a lounge chair under the trees as well.  We were able to order 2 virgin pina coladas, several sodas, cheese nachos, cheese quesadillas and beef tacos for the cost of 4 adults.  The kids were free.  There was a little sand to play with, but not much.  I believe it's a man made beach.

I'm sure there are lots of better options in Cozumel without kids, but with little ones, this is a great choice.

We loved our Royal Carribean cruise!  I would definitely do another one, but kids aren't free.  That's my only beef.  When your kids are so small it's hard to justify the cost.

**NOTE - We did this cruise in Feb. of 2015

Royal Carribean Brilliance of the Seas with Toddler and Baby

We decided to do a short cruise out of Tampa, our home town with my parents.  My mom watches the kids while I'm at work and they had this cruise planned already.  Since I'd have to take the days off anyway, we decided to go.

Traveling with little ones takes a lot of planning.  What will we need to pack?  What will our sleeping arrangements be?  At the time of our sailing, my oldest was a little over 2 and my youngest was almost 1.  You plan trips ahead of time, but it's hard to know what your little ones will be like once you go.  We decided to book 2 adjoining Ocean View rooms for our family of 4.  My parents booked a room next to us.  Both of my kids still needed pack-n-plays at this time and I wasn't sure 2 pack-n-plays would fit in a single room.  The price of 2 Ocean Views on Royal Caribbean was less than one balcony room.  This worked for us and I didn't feel too cramped.  I also purchased magnetic hooks and a cheap shower curtain to hang so that my little one wouldn't see us when she tried to sleep.  I also brought our baby monitor from home, so that I could watch my older one, who slept in the connecting room.

Connecting Door

Pack-n-Play in room

My oldest is a pretty picky eater, so this is also a concern when on vacation.  Royal Caribbean always had chicken fingers on the kids menu in the Dining Room and Grilled Cheese was also always available, so we had no trouble there.  Once the Dining staff knew our preferences, they would have fruit ready for the kids once we sat down.  I had also purchased a portable DVD player prior to going and brought movies for the kids to watch during dinner so they wouldn't be too disruptive.  This worked great!  I also loved the high chairs on Royal Caribbean.  They had little trays on them that were so nice.  I brought disposable bibs for my little one, too.

Fruit plate always ready at dinner

Great high chairs

I also knew from reading the boards on Cruise Critic (so helpful!), that the rooms would have showers only.  One tip that I picked up there was to buy an inflatable baby tub.  We used it for both kids.  I've read that some parents also use it as "baby pool" type thing since children who are not potty trained cannot use the pools on this ship.  We did not do that, but it sounds like a good idea.

Inflatable Duck Bath Tub

Instead of bringing my big double stroller, I brought 2 single strollers.  One was our original stroller I already had with my 1st child and I purchased a second umbrella stroller.  I researched a lot and ended up with a Chicco Echo.  It's not the cheapest stroller out there, but it fit our needs.  We were already familiar with the Chicco brand, it had the 5 point harness, it reclines and isn't too bulky or heavy.  It provided a nice place for my little one to nap.

Chicco Echo Stroller

Our ports of call were supposed to be Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  When we boarded we found out we would not be going to Grand Cayman due to the weather, but would instead visit Costa Maya.  I had to do some last minute research on what to do!

Golf Course on Brilliance

Our second day was a Sea Day, so there was plenty of time to research.  I knew my kids couldn't use the pools on this ship so we found other things to do.  My son loved the golf course!

Polynesian Resort - Disney World

The Polynesian was having a Florida Resident Special and was undergoing renovations so we found a decent rate (if you can call $300/night decent).  We've never stayed at a monorail resort and I've kind of always wanted to.  I researched a lot and it seemed the biggest draw back was that the main pool was closed.  We weren't planning on using the pool anyway, so we decided to go for it.

Mickey Towel Roll

My two children were a little over 2 years old and 11 months old, so we definitely wanted to be close in case there were any melt downs at the park.  We also have a large Bob Duallie stroller and I thought not having to fold it up to get on the parking tram would be a big plus.  One nice thing about Disney hotels is they offer both pack n plays and portable cribs.  My 2 year old is on the big side, so the crib was perfect for him and we used the pack n play for my youngest.  The rooms were quite large and there was plenty of room for both.  The bathroom was large enough for us to fit the crib in there!  My oldest really needs to not see us when going to sleep, so he slept in the portable crib in the bathroom.

Portable crib and Pack n Play

We booked a standard view room.  I asked about any upgrades to a room where we could possibly see fireworks, but the woman checking us in said it would cost for an upgrade, so we declined.  Our room had a view of the monorail which my son really enjoyed.  We really weren't in the room much, so I felt the upgrade would not have been worth it.

View of Monorail

We went down to "the beach" at the resort one night to watch Wishes.  They pipe in the music that goes along with the fireworks.  We found it a nice way to catch the fireworks away from the crowds and still get our little ones to bed before it was too late.

My kids ended up napping in our stroller, so we didn't need to go back to the resort for naps, but it gave me peace of mind knowing that we could.  We also had our stroller loaded up with purchases, diaper bag, etc. and I know it would have been a pain to try to fold our huge stroller up.  Being able to hop on the monorail was very convenient!

Napping in the stroller

Would I stay there again?  I would if we could find a good rate.  For our same dates the Grand Floridian was a little over $500/night and the Contemporary was over $1000/night!  

What's your favorite place to stay at Disney World?