Mediterrean Cruise - Italy & Greece

Hi everyone! I hope like crazy that I will not annoy you nice cruisers out there. I did post some time back, a year ago I think, and got wonderful replies.

I mentioned (LAST TIME I POSTED HERE) that my daughter was in Pre-Med and that when she graduates I would like to whisk her away BEFORE she enters Medical school this Fall. I've raised her alone since she was 5 years old and am so proud of her. She is graduating with honors, with a Major in Biological Sciences and a Minor in Chemistry. She will be graduating mid May and will have the Summer off...after that, off to Med school so who knows when she will have another break to do ANYTHING!! She's worked very hard to get through the MCAT and was accepted into Medical School being one of the 5% in the pool of 5,000 applicants. Am I proud? NO!:eek:

But I AM thankful for having such a sweet little blessing as my daughter! She soooo deserves a break with some relaxation and enjoyment.

She has always wanted to go to Italy and also we both have a hankering to go to see the beautiful places like Santorini Greece. I was in a very bad car accident in 1997 which has kept me in so much pain (and 2 back surgeries later) that walking any long distance is impossible. I imagine that I will be forced to use a scooter on the cruise line in order to enjoy it at all.

I have thought of a 3-4 day "tour" in Italy and then board a ship for a nice decent length Mediterranean cruise.

My questions for you all - and I have looked at many places here on the forum - is whether you all have experienced a short tour of Italy and then embarked on a cruise from an Italian port?

I noticed that Venice is a port of call...the only one where the cruise ship embarks it looks like. Of course the pictures that many people pin onto Pinterest are of the lovely cobblestone streets/walkways in different parts of Italy and that is what we'd really like to see. I have no idea where they are in relation to Venice.

(I guess that part could be found on Pinterest if the pinners put the location down)

I was surprised at how few days you actually are "at sea" on the different

Mediterranean cruises and wonder of all of the stops they make everyday are accessible for a scooter. I don't own one, but will have to either purchase one or rent one for the trip.

Do the ships charge more for a handicapped balcony room?

Which cruise line(s) would you suggest would have the best food and care for their customers more carefully?

I am at a total loss as to how to go about all of this, and wonder also what are the best months for this type of trip?

What is the weather like in May-June for this type of cruise?

How is the weather in Italy in May-June? And Greek beaches?

Do the cruise ships stop near any beautiful beaches on this type of Mediterrean trip?

I would like for my sweet daughter to enjoy some clean clear swimming in the ocean and that's one reason I think a beach in Greece would be nice.

I would hate to have rain the entire trip.

I wish I had someone to help me plan all of this, but I don't, so this seems like the best place to start.

I know I am cutting it close to go right after graduation, as neither of us even has a passport!! :confused:

I am worried and fit to be tied.

Please help and advise. Thank you!:o

 

I was surprised at how few days you actually are "at sea" on the different

Mediterranean cruises and wonder of all of the stops they make everyday are accessible for a scooter. I don't own one, but will have to either purchase one or rent one for the trip.

 

Do the ships charge more for a handicapped balcony room? No

 

Which cruise line(s) would you suggest would have the best food and care for their customers more carefully? This is totally subjective. If this is your first cruise, you won't go wrong with any cruise line.

 

I am at a total loss as to how to go about all of this, and wonder also what are the best months for this type of trip? Go over to the Med Ports board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603

 

for a lot of very good info.

 

What is the weather like in May-June for this type of cruise? Some reading on the Med Ports boards would see May June is a good time. Fair weather, moderate crowds.

How is the weather in Italy in May-June? And Greek beaches?

Do the cruise ships stop near any beautiful beaches on this type of Mediterrean trip? Generally I think you will find most Med beaches not like Hawaii beaches. Many are rocky. Others will identify nice beaches, but it isn't like Hawaii, with a nice, sandy beach on every corner.

 

I would like for my sweet daughter to enjoy some clean clear swimming in the ocean and that's one reason I think a beach in Greece would be nice.

 

I would hate to have rain the entire trip. Very unlikely.

 

I wish I had someone to help me plan all of this, but I don't, so this seems like the best place to start.

 

I know I am cutting it close to go right after graduation, as neither of us even has a passport!! :confused:

 

I am worried and fit to be tied.

 

Please help and advise. Thank you!:o

A passport with take you a month or so to put together and get ordered.

Take a deep breath. You have a good amount of time for some reading and figuring this all out.

If I were you I would speak to a travel agent and book the cruise first and then start planning your excursions. There is a ports of call board on cc that will be of great help to you. Also once you choose the cruiseline you can go on that lines board and ask ship specific questions there. Lastly you can go to The roll call board and chat with your fellow passengers and set up tour shares and perhaps join the meetn greet. My Greek island cruise in May is pretty booked so I think that you need to speak to a knowledgable TA and narrow a couple of cruiselines/itineraries/dates down and then pick one to book.

PS I agree with the first poster. You need to get your passports ASAP May is just around the corner.

Congratulations on having such a smart daughter. We're in Canada, and our daughter is just finishing 3rd year university, in Bio-Med and chemistry, and preparing to write the MCAT in September. We are equally proud of our daughter.

On to your trip.

Are you cutting it close? Very much so. When we went to Italy in 2012, I planned for almost 6 months ahead of our trip.

Some of the things to plan.

1. The cruise itself

2. Land tours if you are staying before or after your cruise. I recommend before, takes care of any overseas flight delays.

3. Flights to Italy. They book up early. Venice generally requires 2 flights minimum. In your case from Cincinnati, maybe 3 flights each way. Flights to Rome from New York are generally non stop. Ours from Toronto was.

4. Definitely a passport. Get that as soon as possible.

5. Hotel reservations in your destination city. Last minute booking will cost you more. Keep in mind european hotel rooms are generally small, and elevators tiny.

6. All this also keeping in mind the mobility questions with a scooter. Probably rent one when there, might be a better option.

Just a bit about Italy and Venice. Italy is a beautiful country with very diverse topography, climate and culture is everywhere.

Venice is in the extreme north eastern part of the country, great on its own, but you have to go a long way to connect to other cities and places. Some tour operators may argue this point. What do I know, I was only born there.

Almost all cruises originating in Venice go to Greece. Although there are beautiful places, beaches, churches, etc..., you need to be prepared for a lot of steep areas that you may not be able to access. Mind you, the same can be said for most walking tours in a lot of European towns and cities.

They were originally built on the top of hills for self defence in case of attacks, and to stay high above the lowlands and away from bugs and mosquitoes.

We originally thought about a cruise out of Venice, but felt that we would experience enough italian culture and sightseeing from Venice.

We chose to spend 5 days in Rome before our cruise on the Mariner of the seas. We visited the Vatican, museums, cathedrals, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, markets, and did 2 day trips. One was to Tuscany, visiting two beautiful towns of Cortona and Montepulciano. The other was to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. Both were about 13 hour tours, and awesome.

Our cruise left from Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), to Genoa(Italy), Cannes (France), Barcelona(Spain), Palma de Mallorca(Spain), Valencia (Spain) and then return to Rome.

Through our cruise, there was only one sea day. Almost all daytime hours we were in ports of call.

For that matter, consider your ports of call as being more important than your ship itself, and also you may want to consider saving your money for excursions and shopping and forgo a balcony stateroom. You won't have time to use it much in daytime since you will be off the ship anyway.

And trust me, you will buy things over there. Awesome handbags, shoes, clothing, wines.

All in all a fabulous trip, to be treasured for a lifetime.

Tough to choose exactly what to do and where to go. I like to plan everything ahead of time. Especially something like Europe, you don't want too many surprises.

Weather wise, May is around mid 70's and June to about 80.

When does your daughter start med school? Maybe you might want to plan it a bit more and go just before school starts up again. But one warning, late July and August is hot, not unbearable, but hot, mid 80's.

Best advice I can give is get a travel agent that specializes in Europe, and cruises. They can do all the planning for you, and recommend anything else that you may not realize.

Good Luck planning your trip, and best wishes to your daughter in med school.

At this point, you will need to book any handicapped stateroom available, if any. Most people who need a HC stateroom book a year out, as they are few. Since the May /June cruises are past final payment, any remaining HC cabins will likely be opened to and booked by able bodied folks. Several ports in the eastern Med/Adriatic are tender ports and you will not be able to take a scooter on the tender. Kotor, Split, Santorini...come to mind. And at this p oint, airfare is going to be a killer. EM

I misread the original post. I thought you were planning for May 2015, not next month. Wow...that is incredibly tight. I agree, airfare is probably going to be a shocker at this late date.

You guys have all been WONDERFULLY helpful. We live with an elderly great aunt of mine and so everything is "tentative" in a way. We never know from week to week what might occur to change everything. We are torn about leaving her alone, yet I believe we need -- and I know my daughter needs a break! The tentative situation is why no decent planning was done. Perhaps the Europe trip should be at another time. I just don't know enough about any if this to figure out another cruise that wouldn't be as complicated. I will have to dig in and do some major research, quickly. The weather is important to us, as neither of us enjoys HOT, humid weather. I'll check out Alaskan cruises and see about that. If any of you can recommend another cruise possibility, please speak up.:)

She starts Medical School August 7th. We can forgo all the wonderful things t_car mentioned for another trip. I imagine they will give her a break SOMETIME. Money will be much more plentiful in a year or so. She (and I) both need a break now though and aboard a ship without a lot of stops sounds good to us also. The other type of trip will have to wait for another time, when I can plan ahead.

Thanks and I'll keep checking the thread for further words of wisdom. :)

You guys have all been WONDERFULLY helpful. We live with an elderly great aunt of mine and so everything is "tentative" in a way. We never know from week to week what might occur to change everything. We are torn about leaving her alone, yet I believe we need -- and I know my daughter needs a break! The tentative situation is why no decent planning was done. Perhaps the Europe trip should be at another time. I just don't know enough about any if this to figure out another cruise that wouldn't be as complicated. I will have to dig in and do some major research, quickly. The weather is important to us, as neither of us enjoys HOT, humid weather. I'll check out Alaskan cruises and see about that. If any of you can recommend another cruise possibility, please speak up.:)

 

She starts Medical School August 7th. We can forgo all the wonderful things t_car mentioned for another trip. I imagine they will give her a break SOMETIME. Money will be much more plentiful in a year or so. She (and I) both need a break now though and aboard a ship without a lot of stops sounds good to us also. The other type of trip will have to wait for another time, when I can plan ahead.

 

Thanks and I'll keep checking the thread for further words of wisdom. :)

If you are looking for a break to relax and just enjoy, I would seriously consider a cruise to Bermuda.

We are doing one in the fall for our 30th anniversary. But May and June are great months to go there. Great weather, wonderful people, Some of the best beaches in the world. And no hassles, no Walmarts, no MacDonalds, and no Starbucks on Bermuda. :eek::D

Best of all, you can choose a departure port on the east coast. Either Boston, New York, New Jersey, or Baltimore.

We loved Bermuda so much, we are doing it again this October from Boston.

way too late to book med cruise..airfare will roast you....but on the other hand this will give you something to plan for...half the fun of cruising is the plans.

since mobility is an issue that will also take planning...cinque terra and other scenic parts of Italy are cobblestone and not scooter friendly

I would suggest a cheap caribbean cruise...lots of last minute deals out there. Cruise critic rules do not allow suggestions as to agencies so just look around lots. google is your friend

we recently did the Oasis and the ship is an attraction to itself

hope you find something good.

congrats to your daughter..she obviously can delay gratification so planning for a med cruise should give her a goal too...

I believe Santorini is tender only, so I don't know if you'd manage to get ashore.

Bermuda sounds like an excellent choice, and I believe it is still possible to take a closed loop cruise to Bermuda without a passport. However, with the necessity for a HC cabin, your choice may be limited to whatever ship/date has a HC cabin available in any category. EM

It sounds like you don't actually need a HC cabin, that you are able to walk and stand, just not for long distances.

I'm going to strongly suggest that you take a close look at the Windstar Wind Surf. It is a masted sailing ship with only 300 passengers. It's small enough that you will probably not need the scooter while on board. Additionally, most passengers take the stairs, so there is never more than a moments wait for an elevator.

I spent two weeks on the Surf visiting Italy, Croatia, Montegro, and Greece. It was an amazing journey, we saw so much. Most of the ports we visited were accessible to at least a degree. The crew on the ship will be happy to assist you on and off--there is a set of steps to go up and down for all tenders, but they will help without fail. And again, it sounds like you can do this, just not for any length of time or distance.

There is much already included in the cruise fare and they don't push you onto expensive shore excursions, but are happy to give information on DIY in most of the ports.

After my experiene on this ship, I don't care to ever sail the Med on any other.

Bermuda sounds like an excellent choice, and I believe it is still possible to take a closed loop cruise to Bermuda without a passport. However, with the necessity for a HC cabin, your choice may be limited to whatever ship/date has a HC cabin available in any category. EM

I thought Bermuda required a passport, even on closed loop cruises.

Hello, I know you said your daughter would like to swim in clear water at some nice beaches so I thought I'd mention my suggestion. Have you considered Hawaii? We just spent a few weeks in Maui on a land vacation, and the beaches were all gorgeous! Also, it seems like they have done a lot of work toward making the public beaches HC accessible. We saw ramps at almost every park we went to!

We enjoyed Maui for a land vacation, but there are cruises available too that stop at the 4 main islands. NCL has a seven day that starts/ends in Oahu and many other lines have 14 or 15 night cruises that depart from California. Also, no need/worry about passports or foreign currency :)

Happy Travels and Congratulations on your daughter's accomplishments!

I read your posts from 2012 OP and I was really surprised to read that you were planning to go on a cruise in 2014 even back then. Getting your passports and having that part done would have given you many more last minute options. It's mid April and booking overseas flights for a month from now without passports would be a little nerve racking to me.

If you go on a relatively inexpensive Caribbean cruise in May and then plan for a European cruise for 2015 or 2016 I think that younger end up spending about the same amount of money because a last minute European cruise and last minute European airfare is not going to be cheap.

Okay everyone out there trying to help this poor old soul out!

I have to call RC back and secure these dates and room ASAP.

I was able to get a HC accessible room on deck 10 on the oasis but I have to call her back with my CC# for the reservation to be confirmed and held for us.

I am so appreciative of your help and trust you to tell me is this sounds "okay" to you all. I need fast replies.:eek:

It is for a back to back 2 leg Caribbean cruise. First is Eastern Caribbean from June 14-21...then second leg 21-28 same ship same room. I wanted something a bit longer than 7 day and the back to back seemed good.

I was quoted a HC accessible 272 sq. ft balcony ocean view.....

Eastern leg $2,619.00 Western leg $2197.62 = 2 weeks 4816.00

I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU ALL, BUT NEED TO SECURE THIS RESERVATION IF IT IS A "GOOD DEAL" - THANKS!! WATCHING AND WAITING! :)

Okay everyone out there trying to help this poor old soul out!

 

I have to call RC back and secure these dates and room ASAP.

I was able to get a HC accessible room on deck 10 on the oasis but I have to call her back with my CC# for the reservation to be confirmed and held for us.

 

I am so appreciative of your help and trust you to tell me is this sounds "okay" to you all. I need fast replies.:eek:

 

It is for a back to back 2 leg Caribbean cruise. First is Eastern Caribbean from June 14-21...then second leg 21-28 same ship same room. I wanted something a bit longer than 7 day and the back to back seemed good.

 

I was quoted a HC accessible 272 sq. ft balcony ocean view.....

Eastern leg $2,619.00 Western leg $2197.62 = 2 weeks 4816.00

 

I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU ALL, BUT NEED TO SECURE THIS RESERVATION IF IT IS A "GOOD DEAL" - THANKS!! WATCHING AND WAITING! :)

Well, I HAD to go ahead, ripped off or not. :( Because I waited for an hour or so, We lost having the same room for the second leg of the trip. At the end of the first week, we will be moving to a different room. I was unaware of all the "extra" charges, but it's settled, for now.

My daughter told me she will have one summer off after starting med school in the fall - between the freshman and sophomore year they have that summer off. I guess I should start planning the Mediterranean cruise soon - or something as wonderful.

What are some of your most memorable trips (cruises)?

I wondered about Scotland/Ireland/New Zealand also. Since I am somewhat limited on walking far, I think cruising seems like a good alternative to land trips.

Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks, Lily

your price not too bad...about 10% more than I was finding but you wanted HC room so that factors in. you got most of what you wanted so do not sweat it.

we were on the Oasis in December. great ship. tons to do. do not forget to book your shows before you board. you can get into a lot of them last minute but they only started seating for no shows 10 minutes before the show. you can only reserve 1 seating of the same show so try and work out when you want to see the big ones and work the others around that. you can likely see what you missed on the second leg anyways.

have fun