Oosterdam 12n Med Cruise

[Hilohattie]

This will be our first cruise to the Mediterranean (April) and for those of you who have done this cruise before, I was wondering if it is better to do the tours the ship offers or find our own private tours. Also, any suggestions regarding what to see will be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!

[rochelle_s]

I am doing an Oosterdam Mediterrainian cruise in April as well. I have done the Mediterrainian in the past on Celebrity. European cities are most often very easy to navigate on your home and alot of the tourist attractions are either centrally located or fairly easy to get to using public transportation. It is also relatively easy to find someone who speaks English if you are have no knowledge of the local language. If you decide to do any ports on your own I would suggest doing your research first....it makes things that much easier. If this is your plan I would also suggest checking out the ports of call boards here on cruisecritic, there is a wealth of information to be found there.
I find ship shore excursions expensive, especially so in Europe. If budget is a concern and you are not comfortable with the 'doing it yourself' option, you can book private tours for less. Also check your roll call as there is often people posting looking for others who would like to share private tours to keep costs down.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you are comfortable with. There is a level of peace of mind that comes from booking ships tours, but there is also something to be said to being able to visit exactly what interests you that comes when planning independently or privately. Perhaps a combination of the two options would be just the ticket.
Whatever you decide...do your research first and most importantly, enjoy your cruise.

Rochelle

[NHRedSoxFan]

What are your stops? Is it the Tapestry cruise?

[Hilohattie]

Yes, The Tapestry, Barcelona to Venice.

[fun*n*sun]

I'd advise you to go search and ask questions on the ports board. There is a lot of information about the ports and tour guides and such. I'm finding it very helpful in planning our cruise this coming spring. :)