Med in November itinerary choices - Venice to Rome vs. RT Venice?

We're debating between two different Mediterranean itineraries on the Pacific this November, one right after the other. Both are 12 days and the price is the same. We haven't done the Med yet or been to either Italy or Greece, so all ports would be new to us. Airfare is more or less the same.

Is there a clear preference to either itinerary? Would being a little earlier in Nov make the first one better? I know this is late in the season for the Med, but it's about half the cost of September and October. Here are the choices:

Choice one, Nov. 11 - Nov. 23, RT Venice:

Venetian Connoisseur

Choice two, Nov. 23 - Dec. 6, Venice to Rome:

Adriatic & Aegean Connoisseur

Choice one we would get to see more of Greece and spend a couple of days in Venice at the end. Choice two we would get to spend a couple of days in both Venice and Rome, and see the Almafi coast in Italy. I wish we could do both, but I'm not retired yet so we can't. We have both on a courtesy hold which expires tomorrow.

I would go for the second cruise, which ends in Rome. Day stops on a cruise are good for a quick taste of a place but having the chance to spend those extra days before and after the cruise at not one but two iconic Italian cities would be just too tempting if you've never been there before.

I looked/am looking at the November 11th cruise. I ran into issues getting decent flights into Venice so am not sure if I will be on this trip (booked it and then recently dropped it). I looked up the weather in November in Greece and it looks delightful!

It is easier to fly into and out of Rome but I prefer the RT Venice itinerary.

Definitely the Venice to Rome.

November is the Alta Aqua (high water) season in Venice. You can expect to find streets covered in water.

We've been there twice end of October. The first time the tables were in the street, getting ready to be laid out for walkways.

The second time, St Marks had standing water.

First - I've visited all these ports and cruised the Pacific Princess several time.

The difference between these 2 cruises is really Greece versus Italy. As both these cruises visit Venice the risk of flooding is a wash. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acqua_alta BTW the Pacific is less than 100 tons so it gets to dock in Venice under the new docking rules.

If you have pre or post cruise time and you have never visited Rome, then the 11/23 cruise. IMHO you will need at least 3 full days to see the key Rome attractions. This cruise gives you get a lot of Italy, including Pompeii when you visit Naples, and a taste of Greece.

If you do not have time to add Rome, then go with the 11/11 cruise. You get Athens, which is fantastic (Acropolis, New Acropolis Museum, etc.) and all the classic Greek Islands (Santorini and Mykonos).

I will also note that the 11/11 cruise has better itinerary ports (Athens, Santorini, Mykonios, and Dubrovnik). The 11/23 cruise less so (Naples and Dubrovnik). Again IMHO the 11/11 cruise offers 4 top shelf ports versus the 11/23 with only 2.

We did both of these cruises on the Pacific Princess just last year, and I've blogged about the November weather and the ports at http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/.

You can use the labels on the right side to browse the blog by date, focusing on November, 2016, or by port.

I have also been to all these ports. Choices would be more of Italy or more of Greece. Santorini and Mykonos are awesome. Dubrovnik and Split are ports where you can walk to their towns. Actually you can walk to town in Mykonos too. Kotor is like a fjord; beautiful. Venice is great; everytime I visit I find something new to explore. Rome, Pompeii, and Sicily are nice too. My choice would be the 1st one. The weather in Greece should still be ok, Venice may be a little cold that time of year. You can't see Rome in a day; however if you only have a day; book a private tour; they will get you more bang for the buck

Venice to Rome. Rome is really neat and the amalfi coast is beautiful!

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Can't beat either one. :)

We did your choice two last November. Weather in some of the ports was quite cool. We were in Venice at the low point in tides which is between the new moon and the full moon and had no problem with flooding. The platforms were staged for when needed. Kotor was cool and rainy but we had beautiful days in Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Sicily and Rome. We did have heavy seas that forced the cancellation of Khios. We ended up having one very rough sea day with high seas. With all of that we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. Be sure to allow several days before your cruise in Venice and after your cruise in Rome if you select your choice two.

There is a new moon on November 18th so the flooding chances will be decreasing somewhat if you arrive on the 20th or 21st. There is a third quarter moon on November 10th and a first quarter moon on November 26th which is when tides are the lowest. Agua Alta should not be much of a problem before or after in Venice if you select choice one.

My choice would be, and was last year, your choice two.

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