Planning Our Summer Cruise From Barcelona to Lisbon With Kids
Why We Chose a Royal Caribbean Cruise for Europe, How We're Booking Open-Jaw Flights & Our Plan for the Days Before We Sail
10/23/20263 min read
Next summer, our family is heading back to Europe for another cruise! Last year, we sailed out of Southampton along the north coast of Spain and on to Lisbon. This time, we booked a Royal Caribbean sailing from Barcelona to Lisbon, and we are already counting down the days.
A cruise in Europe is a little different from our easy weekend cruises out of Port Canaveral, so we wanted to share how we're planning it, from choosing the itinerary to booking flights with points. We'll share a full recap after we sail!
Why We Chose a Cruise for Europe
A few years ago, we spent five weeks in Florence with our kids, and we loved it. Slow travel with a home base is still one of our favorite ways to see Europe. But this time, we wanted to see a lot of places in one trip without packing and unpacking every few days.
A few things we love about a cruise for this trip:
Unpack once and wake up in a new place
See several countries in one trip
Kid-friendly food, pools, and activities on board for the downtime
A taste of Morocco! It's been high on our list, and a cruise stop is a great way to experience it with kids
How We're Booking Flights: Open-Jaw Tickets
Since the cruise starts in Barcelona and ends in Lisbon, we're booking open-jaw flights. That just means flying into one city and home from a different one, so we don't have to backtrack.
Getting There: Using Points to Madrid
For the flight over, we're planning to fly Iberia nonstop from Orlando to Madrid using Avios points, then continue on to Barcelona. Nonstop flights from Orlando to Europe are a huge win with kids!
Getting Home: Nonstop From Lisbon
For the trip home, we're planning to book TAP Air Portugal's nonstop flight from Lisbon to Orlando with cash. After a long trip, a nonstop flight straight home is worth it.
Tip: Always compare the cash price with the points price for each direction. Sometimes the best value is using points one way and paying cash the other way, like we're doing on this trip.
Arriving Early: Our Days Before the Cruise
We're planning to arrive in Europe about 6 days before the cruise leaves. Arriving early gives us:
Time for everyone to adjust to the time difference
A buffer in case of flight delays (you never want to miss the ship!)
Extra days to explore Spain before we sail
Since we're flying into Madrid, we'll spend some time there before heading to Barcelona. We're still working out the details, and we'd love your suggestions for Madrid and Barcelona with kids!
Our Cruise Room Plan
On our short weekend cruises, all 4 of us usually share one room. For longer cruises like this one, we often book two connecting rooms. Having the extra space and a second bathroom makes a big difference over a longer trip!
And of course, we'll be packing our white noise machine and magnetic hooks. You can read more about our cruise room tips in our Easy Weekend Cruise on Utopia of the Seas post.
Our Planning Tips for a Europe Cruise With Kids
Fly in a few days early, never the day of the cruise
Look at open-jaw flights when your cruise starts and ends in different cities
Try to book nonstop flights, especially with kids
Compare points and cash for each direction of your trip
Book connecting rooms on longer cruises if you can
Plan port days around the kids' energy, just like we do on CocoCay
Final Thoughts
We are so excited to get back on a cruise in Europe! Between a few days in Spain before we sail, a stop in Morocco, and ending in Lisbon, this trip is going to be a big adventure for our family.
Have you taken a Europe cruise with kids? We'd love to hear your tips!
Family Travel Tip: When your cruise starts in a different country, give yourself a few extra days before you sail. It's less stress and more vacation.
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