selling tips
Helen and her kids on MSC World Europa
How to sell... First-time family cruises
Fresh from her first cruise with her husband and their three young children, Helen Ochyra picks out five key selling points for new-to-cruise families
Value for money: Our cruise in the Med on MSC World Europa was great value, especially for picky eaters. Rather than having to guess what our toddler might be happy to eat, then inevitably ordering dishes he would only reject, we could load up at the EXਬHW ZKHQHYHU KXQJHU VWUXFN DQG OHW WKH NLGV FKRRVH IRU themselves. And because everything was already paid for, there were no nasty surprises at the end of the week.
FOXEV ZHUH IUHH RI FKDUJH UDQ XQWLO ODWH ۑVGLN Kids’ clubs: ौH into the evening and took the children on fun activities around WKH VKLS IURP EDVNHWEDOO WR GDQFH SDUWLHV ौDW PHDQW P\ husband and I could leave our three on board while we headed into Marseille for a languid harbourside lunch of bouillabaisse.
Safe environment: With no cars to worry about, the kids can KDYH PRUH IUHHGRP WKDQ RQ ODQG :H IHOW VDIH OHिLQJ RXU WRGGOHU KDQGV DQG FRXOG PRVWO\ ۑVUHWVLV ZDON DKHDG KROGLQJ KLV ROGHU leave the buggy in the cabin. Two of our children are scared of dogs and having none on board was a relief – no having to cross the street or switch restaurant tables to avoid an animal.
Travel tasters: A few hours in a new city is more than enough for a toddler. We spent four hours walking around Barcelona
14 December 2025
and that was plenty: we strolled up La Rambla and around La %RTXHULD PDUNHW ZDQGHUHG WKH *RWKLF ोDUWHU DQG VWRSSHG Rਬ IRU FKXUURV DQG WKLFN KRW FKRFRODWH $़HU DOO WKDW WKH NLGV ZHUH keen to get back on the ship. Over a week, we introduced them to multiple new destinations – including Malta, which was a new country for all of us – without the usual fatigue.
Entertainment aplenty: Having quality evening entertainment HQGHG XS VLिLQJ HYۑHZ LV SULFHOHVV 2Q SUHYLRXV ODQG EDVHG WULSV in hotel rooms whispering to each other in the darkness while SOHQW\ RI IDPLO\ IULHQGO\ VۑHUHKW WKH NLGV VOHSW EXW RQ D FUXLVH HQWHUWDLQPHQW D़HU GLQQHU VR ZH FRXOG HQMR\ DQ H[WUD FRXSOH RI hours all together. We particularly loved the Panorama Lounge on MSC World Europa with its plush sofa seating and light-up drinks tables, not to mention the jaw-dropping aerial acrobatics that featured in the shows.
BOOK IT: MSC Cruises sells a seven-night Mediterranean cruise round-trip from Barcelona on MSC World Europa from £5,592 per family, based on two adults and two children sharing an interior cabin. Includes flights from Manchester on April 24, 2026.
msccruises.com
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
The Lego Room PICTURE: MSC Cruises/Ivan Sarfatti
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