🛳️ 7 Days, 5 Ports, and 3 Teens: What It’s Really Like to Cruise Europe as a Family

As someone who writes weekly about what to do, where to go, and what’s worth your time, I take family vacations seriously—especially when they involve international flights, tight schedules, and teenage moods. So when we booked a 7-day European cruise out of Rome for our family of five, I promised myself two things: we’d pack light, and I’d write a full review for all of you curious about cruising Europe with kids. Here’s how it went—what we loved, what we’d do differently, and whether we’d do it again.

🛳️ The Cruise: Quick Overview

• Cruise Line: MSC Cruises – MSC Divina

• Duration: 7 nights

• Departure Port: Civitavecchia (Rome)

• Ports of Call: Rome, Mykonos, Kusadasi (Turkey), Santorini, Naples

• My Crew: 2 adults + 3 teens

This was our second MSC cruise in Europe. The first was over six years ago, back when the kids were all under 10. This time, they had their own room, more independence, and opinions—lots of them. It was also our first time exploring the Greek Islands and Turkey. This post focuses on the onboard experience. Click here to see the ports of call details and photos!

📅 Booking Process: Stellar Customer Service! We booked about eight months in advance and worked with one rep, Troy, from MSC’s U.S. office in Florida. Troy became my go-to cruise concierge, answering all my questions about staterooms, excursions, dining options, and what to expect onboard. He even called me a few weeks after booking to offer a balcony upgrade—more on that next.

🛏️ Staterooms: Comfy & Convenient. We ended up with a balcony stateroom for my husband and me, and an interior cabin directly across the hall for the kids. That setup? Total game-changer. Everyone had space, privacy, and their own beds. The best part? Thanks to the ship’s shape, our balcony was extended—huge shout-out to Troy for flagging that for us. We drank coffee in the mornings and wine in the evenings out there, soaking in ocean views while the kids recharged in their room.

🍽️ Dining: Included With the Cruise

• Main Dining Rooms (Black Crab & Villa Rosa): We ate dinner here most nights. The menus rotate daily, and each night had at least 4-5 options for appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Not everything was a slam dunk, but the service was always excellent, and they had no problem swapping out dishes if something missed the mark.

•  Buffet: We only hit the buffet twice—once for lunch, once for breakfast. It’s ok for what it is: quick pizza, pasta, salads, fruit, pastries. The pizza was actually pretty good!

• Bar Pastries: Hidden gem alert—self-serve mini croissants and chocolate pastries at nearly every bar. Perfect with a morning cappuccino.

Specialty Restaurants (Extra $$ but Worth It):

• Butcher's Cut Steakhouse: For $60 per person, you get a full steakhouse experience—appetizers, perfectly cooked steaks, classic sides, and a dreamy dessert. Totally worth the splurge.

• Galaxy Kaito: A sushi bar by day, nightclub by night. We did a la carte and ordered rolls, tempura, and miso soup. Great value (we fed all five of us for under $60), and a fun change from Mediterranean fare.

• La Cantina di Bacco: Italian-style wine bar with live music and excellent pizza for about $10 each. Generous size and a great spot to wind down after a port day.

• Sports Bar: Catch a game, play some bowling, and indulge in bar food like nachos and sliders. Felt a bit like home.

• Gelato Stands: Two on board, both delicious. At $4 per cup, it’s cheaper (and better) than what we found in some ports.

🍹 Drinks & Bars: Cheers to That

• Live Music & Bars: Starting around 5 p.m., the ship comes alive with live bands, singers, and DJs. Our favorite was the Golden Jazz Club, where a jazz/Latin fusion band played most nights.

• Clubs & Late-Night Fun: Themed nights, dance parties on the pool deck, and lots of late-night energy.

• Drink Packages: We typically skip these, but this time a promo offered the Easy Package, and we took it. It included cocktails, beer, wine, soda, bottled water, smoothies, protein shakes, and specialty coffees. Totally worth it. Even without the package, drinks were reasonably priced ($2-5 for coffee, $8 for large beers, $10 for cocktails).

🎭 Nightly Entertainment: Don’t Miss Cirque! MSC has a massive theater onboard, with two showtimes each night. The productions ranged from an Abba tribute to magic acts and a legends of rock revue. The Cirque-style show was hands-down our favorite—acrobats, aerialists, live music, the whole thing.

💅 Spa & Fitness: Wellness at Sea. I treated myself to a pedicure at the Aurea Spa, and to my surprise, the pricing was similar to back home in the Tri-Valley. The service was excellent and professional. The gym? Also top-notch. Ocean views, clean equipment, and plenty of free weights and machines. I even squeezed in two workouts. (Okay, one and a half.)

🏊 Pools & Outdoor Decks: Claim Your Spot Early! On sea days, the pool deck gets busy fast. If you don’t claim a lounge chair early, good luck finding one by the afternoon. The ship has a waterslide and several Jacuzzis, all buzzing with energy. Our teens happily spent both sea days lounging poolside, sipping virgin piña coladas, and soaking up the sun. The hubs and I played bingo by the pool, enjoyed a casual lunch and afternoon cocktails at one of the pool bars where we could snag a seat. 

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What About the Kids? Compared to some of the Caribbean and Mexican cruises we’ve taken (different cruise lines), this one skewed a bit younger—with lots of Italian families traveling with small kids. MSC offers kids’ clubs and teen lounges, but our teens opted to roam freely. Whether they were exploring the ship, grabbing snacks, or people-watching from the upper decks, they were always entertained—and never bored.

👀 Final Thoughts: Would We Do It Again? Absolutely. Was it all smooth sailing? No. But for a family of five to visit multiple countries with no repacking, plenty of food options, and something for everyone to do every day—it’s hard to beat. MSC is budget-friendly and they have dozens of European itineraries to explore. I’m already looking for our next European adventure on MSC!

If you’re on the fence about cruising Europe with kids or teens, I say do it! Just know your crowd, plan your downtime, and always say yes to gelato.

Next week, I’ll be diving into our port adventures—from ancient ruins to surprise donkeys to the most amazing pizza I’ve ever had. Stay tuned!