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Home  >  Family Travel • Musings  >  Should I Cruise Or Fly To Europe?
Family TravelMusings

Should I Cruise Or Fly To Europe?

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 31, 2018July 31, 2018 25 Comments

I’m looking ahead to Christmas travel to Europe this year and seriously considering a ship over a plane. 

Little Augustine (who’s running circles around me and starting to put sentences together) has reached the age in which flying is no longer ideal. I’m thankful for the three superb trips we had to Europe together by air, but the fourth one last month did not go as well…at least that’s what my wife tells me. Benadryl made him more active, not less. We are hoping for “Terrific Twos” not “Terrible Twos” at my house, but it never hurts to prepare for the worst. The little rascal is restless and has a lot of trouble sitting still. He’s hardly unique in that respect. We can keep him quiet for a half hour, but a 10-hour flight is a totally different matter. 

I’ve never actually even stepped foot onto a cruise ship before. The thought of a cruise intrigues me, though I’m not sure where to start. I do understand that cruise lines vary in quality just like airlines do. I’m not looking for an Allegiant or Spirit Airlines-like experience. At the same time, I don’t need Singapore Suites or an Etihad Residence. No stops in Iceland or the Azores are necessary. I just want to get across the Atlantic as fast as I can.

Then again, if we have to depart from the East Coast, that means we’ll need two flights, not just one. Five hours from Los Angeles to New York or Baltimore, then the cruise, then another hour from England or Ireland to Germany. Maybe this is not a such a great idea after all…

CONCLUSION

For parents with young children, have you ever opted to take a boat over a plane to Europe? I’m hoping this is just a very short 1-2 year period in young Augustine’s life, but I’m not looking to practice my child discipline on a plane full of people at 40,000 feet.

Perhaps we should just stay home this Christmas…

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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25 Comments

  1. Ed Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    When my son was between the ages of 1 – 5 I took him to Hong Kong each year from the US. Changing diapers in-flight, bottle feeding, toys and needing to keep him occupied over a 14 hour sleepless trip were all challenging, no doubt about it. That said, I did survive and I chalk up the experience to a life challenge accomplished. I’ve also taken him on a few cruises. While I think cruises are great, they are best experienced in warm weather when you can walk the decks and take advantage of all the outdoor activities. I liked island hopping and outdoor cinema nights by the pool. A Christmas crossing of the north Atlantic seems chilly. I’d take the flight and save the cruise experience for warmer weather.

  2. df Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    As someone whose cruised…a lot… a trans atlantic cruise is a long cruise for a first timer. Very few leave from the west coast. Honestly pass….

  3. DaninMCI Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    The choice for a quick transatlantic cruise are really only Cunard on one of the Queens. Christmas time is usually more expensive for cruises because……kids are out of school. A cruise across the North Atlantic in December will not likely be a warm affair outside so the inside activities are where you are going to spend time. It looks like the only short crossing that time in December 2018 going Eastbound is The QM2 leaving on December 8th from NYC and arriving in Southhampton 7 days later for around $1,200 PP (not sure about kids) one way. keep in mind this includes food, room, etc. January 3rd is the next direct return for about the same money.

    I would take a practice cruise out of SoCal down to Mexico to try out the idea of cruising first. It’s awesome fun but a North Atlantic crossing in December with 7 sea days is “serious” cruising.

  4. Richard Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 1:47 pm

    Just fly.

    If you go for the flight and it isn’t fun you’ll only have like 8 hrs of pain. If you cruise, and aren’t feeling by the third morning, that’s 4 more days stuck on the boat.

  5. Lantean Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    Definitely cruise since you’ve never done it.

  6. MeanMeosh Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    We took our son on a week-long cruise last fall, when he was about 16 months old. There were some challenges; he never did get comfortable with the main dining room for example. But overall it was really enjoyable. I put together a “lessons learned” post on my blog a few months ago if you’re curious.

    That being said – I don’t think a cruise to Europe is necessarily the best choice for a first-time cruiser, either for adults or kids. If you decide you hate it, you’re stuck with 4 days at sea with no escape. As a couple of others have mentioned, the weather won’t be great that time of year, so the outdoor decks probably won’t be a lot of fun (if they’re even open). If you’re intrigued by cruising, I suggest starting small, maybe with a 4-day cruise from LA down to Baja. If you and the crew love it, try something longer next time. If you hate it, well, it’s only a couple of days until you get back home.

  7. Robert Shannon Fields Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    It depends on the child and what stage they are at.

    Daughter went through a terrible tantrum throwing phase where I opted to stay in Las Vegas one summer rather than fly first class to Europe on TWA (those were the days!). Her younger brother only had 1 difficult flight at age 14 months which was not his fault and by 18 months he loved flying, only complaining once when he woke up in Rome having slept from before take off in Athens. He wanted a take off roll!

    It also helped that we tended to go business class on long flights or if in economy on Singapore Airlines.

    Daughter quickly adjusted. At the age of 9, she unexpectedly had to fly as an UM from Bangkok to LAX. She had the time of her life!

    As for the cruise idea (and I almost never fly transatlantic these days but cruise instead), it only works once or twice a year out of L.A., then it’s min. 4 weeks each way.

    I say stay at home. Do Knott’s Merry Farm.

  8. Mike Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    Matthew, Gary Bembridge has a very good site on cruises. https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/

  9. Imperator Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    Ok. I’ve got to get nitpicky. Matthew is talking about a transatlantic crossing, not a cruise. They are not the same thing.

    I love transatlantic crossings. There is something so peacefully hypnotic about bundling up in a deck chair and staring out over the ocean. It’s a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it, even in winter. If you’re lucky, the ship will go through a squall and you’ll have the adrenaline rush of watching waves crashing over the bow.

    Side note: My mother’s parents decided to spend their honeymoon–which was way back in 1913–traveling the American West. They sailed to America aboard the steamship Imperator. As a kid, I would relish listening to my grandfather tell his stories of that crossing aboard that magnificent ship.

    Matthew, you should do the crossing. It would be something very special and different; it would be the stuff of wonderful bedtime stories for Augustine’s children.

  10. Debbie Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    Definitely cruise. There are enough activities away from the chill if the north Atlantic to keep you busy, or just longe in your cabin and be comfortable. It is exceedingly frustrating for passengers on a flight to be subjected to crying or unruly children, especially long flights. Take the cruise and be happy.

  11. Gypsy Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    I love transatlantic crossings but I don’t have kids. If you have the time it is a wonderful way to relax. Get a mini-suite. I put up a tiny 2 ft tall Christmas tree in the cabin & we spent the holidays on board. Rarely do we give ourselves time to read, relax, enjoy what a ship has to offer. When I can I avoid 16 hour flights & hop on the Ruby Princess.

  12. Mary Runyon Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    Cruise.
    With the small areas and long flights there has been problems all over.
    People also pay a lot of money for their trip and don’t want to be kicked in the back or hear crying for hours on end.
    Or stay home and enjoy some time there, nothing wrong with that.

  13. Carlos Fierro Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 4:03 pm

    First of all, if you have trouble with very active children, why not take them to such wonderful and natural places near the same pacific Coast as Los Angeles (Baja, Mexico, Alaska, Central America. ….) instead of Europe?
    Second, if they are so restless, I wonder if you will have a permanent headache with the innumerable risks on a cruise ship…. begging with the possibility to fall overboard to the motion sickness that drama mine could not stop. …

    • Matthew Reply
      July 31, 2018 at 5:15 pm

      My wife’s side of the family lives in Germany. We are going to see family, not for tourism. That said, I love taking my family up the California Coast.

  14. Michael Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    Walla,

    Stay home and tend to your kid. Fly only if you need to. Take my advice and listen!

  15. Mick Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 5:53 pm

    We did Christmas in Cancun last year and it was wonderful (skipped going back to oz). I have a 2,5 and 7 yo. The latter two are simple to travel with (just did theee weeks with them in Australia (using alaska miles f and j 😉

    The younger one is much trickier. Doesn’t want to use an iPad…

    However, I take a lot of care in booking the right tone to fly. From Ord we always leave after 830/9. Youngest bed time is 7:730 so he has time to explore on the plane then goes to sleep.

    The absolute KEY for us is traveling with his car seat. He’s locked in, feels comfortable and doesn’t squirm the whole Flight. They dim the lights and he gets his teddy and he’s off. When we arrive we have a car seat for the taxi to the hotel. We’ve done quite a few long hauls (and shorter flights eg Ord Salt Lake City (always fly in afternoon for shorter flights so he naps)) and had great success.

    Also our mantra has been always “the worse the Flight, the less jet lag we encounter”. Keep kids up during the day after the flight and they often sleep trough the next night.

    Mind you, everyone has advice re kids and it usually horses for courses.

  16. I Götsch Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    With so many unprofessional experiences on a flight by the stewardess / flight attendants, I defeiniyrly would cruise over flying to Europe!! I love cruising, and kids have a great time too! It’s laid back, peaceful and a very nice experience! Great accommodations and entertainment.

    Nowadays, even in first class you don’t get top notch service brigade flight attendants forget th they are in the service business! By all means… take the transatlantic 🙂

  17. Marilyn Liston Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    I spent 14 hours on the worst flight ever sitting in front of a mom and her 2 small children. They yelled and cried, stuck their feet between the seats and all while mom slept! We complained and were told “kids will be kids”. I am a mom and have been a foster mom for troubled children……so I have had many children in my life. Parents simply need to have things to keep their children busy and be responsible!

  18. JW Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 7:32 pm

    I just decided to keep travels domestic until my kids were above 5. Saves me the hassle and reduces their anxiety and pain of needing to sit still for a long time.

  19. Sam Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    Definitely fly. Cruise is winter won’t be fun. If necessary, take two flights LA-NYC/BOS, then NYC-Germany if indeed the 11 or 12 hrs are too long for Augustine. A stop of maybe a day in the East Coast could make it more bearable.

  20. Carly Stewart Reply
    July 31, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    I have heard that Benadryl can have that reverse effect on children – especially when flying. That said, I would still go by air and just try to break the trip up a little bit and book flights during bed times (although time adjusting from the West Coast might be a bit more difficult.)
    We have never cruised before but I do find the thought of crossing the Atlantic to be quite charming, especially around the holidays. I can’t help but think about sailing to Europe like Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds…

    • Mick Reply
      July 31, 2018 at 11:53 pm

      100% Benadryl can have the opposite affect. Our daughter did 10hrs overnight to London wide awake egad! Always do a test run at home

  21. 121Pilot Reply
    August 1, 2018 at 9:20 am

    As others have noted the North Atlantic in winter time can be rather ugly. You really are gambling with weather. A cruise ship in heavy weather (even one of the Queens) isn’t going to be a fun ride period.

    I have 4.5 year old twins and there is no doubt that 2 was the toughest age to fly. They were far too active to sit still on a long flight and not yet at the point where they could be entertained by an iPad full of movies or other items for very long. I remember one flight from BOS to DEN for a family reunion when my son was 18 months where we spent an hour just walking up and down the aisle because he simply had to move around. My wife swore after that trip we were done flying for while.

    That being said people take long flights all the time with kids of all ages. Doing a long transatlantic flight with a 2 year old is likely to register a big zero on the fun meter. But it’s several hours of pain to be able to join with family for Christmas which to me would be worth it.

    The key I think to minimizing the pain would be getting a suite with a door. You. Close the door and he’s trapped but he has a space that he can move around in without you having to watch his every move. Best of luck and I look forward to the trip report no matter what you do!

  22. Arthur Reply
    August 1, 2018 at 10:36 am

    After a trip with small children (flying) where everything went wrong, we pretty much quit traveling at Christmas time. I would not recommend a cruise for small children, either, as they are mostly about sitting and eating, with breaks for planned activities. Now, that sounds great to me, but not with small children. I think you would get serious cabin fever. (Once they get older, a cruise can be great to get together with an extended family and let the tweens run around on their own much of the day, meeting up for family meals together.) So if I needed to travel at Christmas with small children, I would definitely fly. By the way, Virgin Atlantic used to have special kids activity boxes and meals. Don’t know if they still do.

  23. Phil Duncan Reply
    August 1, 2018 at 11:54 am

    A north Atlantic crossing in winter having never made the journey before with a two year old?

    Well good luck but maybe think about the tightest seats on Norwegian as a prefereable option.

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