A cruise round the Med - am I mad??

[adifferentwoman]

Having vowed never to go on a cruise until I'm retired, I'm now considering a cruise around the Med this summer. DH has a bad knee and back so avoiding a flight sounds ideal, but I probably have lots of preconceptions about what a cruise is like...mainly fed to me by my mum who loves cruising! So, which cruises / companies are best for kids? Thanks!

Ooh can I piggyback on here and watch for ideas? DH and I have just talked about a cruise in early summer as our last holiday as a 3 before DC2 comes.

What age kids? As P&O is definitely best for under 3's as it's the only one to offer a night nursery. P & O Ventura and Azura are fab for families and in the school hols will have up to 700 kids on so a lot of families bringing the average age down. Royal Caribbean also good for kids - are you wanting to cruise from the UK as that limits your choice.
Lexyma you are only allowed to cruise up to a certain number of weeks in pregnancy, it might differ with each cruise line but I think it's up to about 23 weeks. It's because although the health centres on board are very good, they aren't set up for giving birth and you might be a few days' sail away from a hospital.
Very happy to answer any questions - but be warned I am biased in favour of cruises!

23 weeks!! Gosh. But thanks, that makes a massive difference. There was me thinking the travel insurance would have more to say about it than the cruise line. They must deal with more complex health issues in the elderly than a straightforward pregnancy though surely? And we would only go if it was genuinely straightforward.

Here's the info on the P&O website:
Can I travel when I am pregnant?

Yes, depending on how far into your pregnancy you are. Please advise us at time of booking or as soon as you are aware that you are expecting a baby.

Passengers who are pregnant may travel as long as they do not enter their 24th week of pregnancy by the final day of their cruise and their doctor has agreed both mother and baby are fit to travel.

Proof of EDD and Fitness to travel will be required by the medical department prior to travel.

All cruise lines are very strict about it, as they aren't set up for prems or even newborns. There was a case a couple of years ago where a staff member didn't know (or didn't say) they were pregnant, and ended up having prem twins. Luckily all was OK but the kids club staff all volunteered loads of extra hours looking after the babies round the clock and the ship was a couple of days away from any port. We saw pictures up in the kids' club.

We did a cruise round the Med
Celebrity Eclipse around Spain
Was fantastic .
Our DC were 13 and 15 we hardly saw them the entertainment for them was so good , from treasure hunts to careers talk!
Highly reccomend it

boards.cruisecritic.com/
It's always fun on here , if you want to winess an argument , ask if you can wear jeans on formal night ... Hee hee
It's a bit American based , but a lot of info on UK based cruises too

I found Disney Cruises the best for children. The ships are mid sized and beautiful. Their standard cabins are the same size as mini suites on other ships. I did a med cruise in summer 2011 and it was one of my best holidays.

Doing RC again in July on the 14 day Europe one. Can't wait

Don't cruise Greece in August, they have very strong winds and I was so seasick I had to abandon ship!