What if we want to go to Europe?

I have always wanted to do a Med Cruise - now Carnival isn't sailing in Europe - which line do I look at next? Does it really just come down to itinerary and price? Just not sure where to start...:confused::confused:

I'm looking too. I think NCL because of pricing. Good ports for summer mths too. I really was hoping carnival would be back for 2015. I cruised royal two summers ago. It was good but a bit more money.

I have always wanted to do a Med Cruise - now Carnival isn't sailing in Europe - which line do I look at next? Does it really just come down to itinerary and price? Just not sure where to start...:confused::confused:

Just do some research on other lines.

There are tons of cruises to the Med.

The ones most similar to Carnival would be NCL, RC, Costa, and Thompson

Other mainstream lines possibly of interest may be MSC, Celebrity, HAL or Princess.

Of course most the premium and luxury lines as well as small ships go there too.

 

Disney may have a ship there too.

 

Do a search and find what suits you. Good luck

*************.com Look at all the cruises. Dates, times, prices.

I don't book with them because I usually book several rooms side by side.

 

Use CC to figure out what ports you want to see.

 

Have an awesome time.

 

The Med is on my bucket list.

I love taking cruises. They are completely relaxing and you don't have to plan anything except getting to the port. That said, at the risk of being completely off topic from this web site, may I gently suggest that it is not necessary to take a cruise to see Europe. Some of the world's most beautiful places, such as Paris or Florence, are not really places that a cruise can sail to. You can easily spend a fabulous week or more in any of those cities, or literally thousands of other places, and not even scratch the surface. Plus, the food is some of the best in the world and you won't get to enjoy much of it if you have to return to the cruise ship at the end of the day.

Edited February 18, 2014 by azlefty

Thanks everyone! I've been researching all evening and its pretty fascinating. I actually agree that a cruise might not be the best way to see Europe but since I don't know exactly where to go first...I thought a cruise would be a great introduction to Europe. Get a taste of a few countries and then plan land trips. It seems like the best of both worlds - like cruising recon. :D

My favorite way to plan a trip to Europe is to pick one or two places to visit by throwing a dart at a map or choose someplace based on a dream you had in middle school, and check out some travel guides from the library or a bookstore on those places. If you have never been to Europe, Rick Steve's guidebooks are good. Also, you can get some great ideas from reading travel blogs (thanks, Google) to see what other travelers and Americans who have relocated there have done that look interesting. Most of them have a lot of good photos too.

 

One other thing to consider is that most places you might consider visiting in Europe have much more to do and see than a Caribbean island, so anything the cruise shows you will be pretty limiting, and most likely focused on tourist traps and shopping for things you can buy cheaper from Amazon.com. Also, most of Europe is safe compared to the US and other countries so going off on your own is not particularly dangerous. The best experiences I've had in Europe are the intangible things you can't really get out of a tour guide or from a hotel concierge (hence my encouragement of reading blogs which often describe these things) and are not expensive. Things like shopping for cheese and bread in open air markets, having picnics in the park, walking in out of the way neighborhoods, checking out some of the more unusual or offbeat museums, etc.

Edited February 18, 2014 by azlefty

I have always wanted to do a Med Cruise - now Carnival isn't sailing in Europe - which line do I look at next? Does it really just come down to itinerary and price? Just not sure where to start...:confused::confused:

 

May I suggest you have a look at P&O- if you are looking at the Med they have Ventura doing 7 days itineraries this year that you could do back to back I suspect they will do the same next year sailing from Genoa (Milan airport) or Venice taking in Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Rome, Livorno (for Florence/Pisa, Kotor there 2015 will not be out until late March

 

I have also sailed MSC from Venice to Istanbul which was excellent but very Italian

Thanks everyone! I've been researching all evening and its pretty fascinating. I actually agree that a cruise might not be the best way to see Europe but since I don't know exactly where to go first...I thought a cruise would be a great introduction to Europe. Get a taste of a few countries and then plan land trips. It seems like the best of both worlds - like cruising recon. :D

I live in the UK and Croatia.I live near both walled cities Chester and Dubrovnik. The unfortunate truth is the people in both cities have a love hate relationship with mass arrival tourism. We love to take your money but hate you being there. We had a wonderful afternoon at Tito's tomb and gardens in Belgrade.Two coach loads of Americans arrived:eek:,their Serbian guides got upset when my Serbian Mil, Croatian Fil(retired submarine officer) and my Yugoslavian wife hosted a question and answer session in the gardens.The guides did not like the truth being told. These Americans were a credit to your country. The rule of thumb in Dub or Split for us is if the C/ships are in port stay in Cavtat or Hvar.

I love taking cruises. They are completely relaxing and you don't have to plan anything except getting to the port. That said, at the risk of being completely off topic from this web site, may I gently suggest that it is not necessary to take a cruise to see Europe. Some of the world's most beautiful places, such as Paris or Florence, are not really places that a cruise can sail to. You can easily spend a fabulous week or more in any of those cities, or literally thousands of other places, and not even scratch the surface. Plus, the food is some of the best in the world and you won't get to enjoy much of it if you have to return to the cruise ship at the end of the day.

Well said, cruise tours are like only eating the dessert course of a seven course banquet.

When you cruise the med you should add pre and post cruise days and not be afraid to visit a city and then train it over to the port city

 

Such as. 4 days pre cruise in Rome train to Venice for a night and next day 12 day grand med cruise on Ncl or princess and a post cruise stay in Barcelona. This is based on 2012 itins for these lines.

 

Also a med cruise is a lot of money unless you go 2 weeks minimum and extend your stay as long as possible a d get reasonable airfare. Airfare in 2012 for my family ran from 6000 to 10000. If I didn't know what I was doing I might have stupidly purchased the direct flight for $10000

 

I suppose a 7 day cruise with no pre or post stops is doable only I wouldn't bother but we have been able to figure out ways to extend our trips

 

Oh and Europe is very expensive but there are ways to reduce costs but that takes patience research and much experience. Excursions are expensive regardless of if they are ship or private excursions and if you go it on your own do be very very detailed and always have plan b. it is rare on a med cruise to just be able to stroll into town. Many but not all ports of course are and hour away and will require a transportation pre plan. Be it ship or private tour or public transport which may require shuttle bus then cab to the train station in some ports or simply tender boat and walking up some stairs in Monaco

 

Trains are easy and so is self touring on most ports just do your research and do it extensively and do not plan to just walk up to the tix counter at say the Vatican or colesieum or sagrada familia and just stroll on in.

 

Many places require advance ticket purchases unless you like standing in a 3 hour line on a 10 hour port stop

 

Btw I love med cruises and they are heads above a Carib cruise but they are not relaxing and should by taken in conjunction with pre and post hotel stays.

 

Just my 2 cents

Edited February 18, 2014 by Crusin6

You might want to factor in the up-coming restrictions on cruise ships sailing out of Venice. It is probably the best sailaway there is, but may not be available much longer - experience it while you can.

May I suggest you have a look at P&O- if you are looking at the Med they have Ventura doing 7 days itineraries this year that you could do back to back I suspect they will do the same next year sailing from Genoa (Milan airport) or Venice taking in Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Rome, Livorno (for Florence/Pisa, Kotor there 2015 will not be out until late March

 

I have also sailed MSC from Venice to Istanbul which was excellent but very Italian

 

Yeah have a look at P&O Ventura now does 7 and 14 night with airfare included (probably from the London, Birmingham or Manchester not sure) and excellent service. Not exactly Carnival style (because the Ventura isn't tacky or ugly in and way shape or form like quite a few Carnival ships are:)) but reasonable. UK and US prices to date (approximately):

 

7 night - £799 - about $1335

 

14 night - £1049 - about $1750

 

All prices approximate

There are tons of cruises to the Med.

The ones most similar to Carnival would be NCL, RC, Costa, and Thompson

Other mainstream lines possibly of interest may be MSC, Celebrity, HAL or Princess.

Of course most the premium and luxury lines as well as small ships go there too.

 

Disney may have a ship there too.

 

Do a search and find what suits you. Good luck

 

RCI and Celebrity also have several ships each with a number of different itineraries.

You might want to factor in the up-coming restrictions on cruise ships sailing out of Venice. It is probably the best sailaway there is, but may not be available much longer - experience it while you can.

 

Why scare everyone. There has been no decision made to stop all cruise lines. The last rumor I heard was that none will be stopped until a new channel is completed. If anyone is planning on cruising to/from Venice do some research first to see what the latest thinking is.

Edited February 18, 2014 by goose30

When we did the Med -- we carefully checked itineraries -- you have to decide what ports are important to you.

We have done various Med cruises on Cunard, NCL, Princess and HAL.

Thanks everyone! I've been researching all evening and its pretty fascinating. I actually agree that a cruise might not be the best way to see Europe but since I don't know exactly where to go first...I thought a cruise would be a great introduction to Europe. Get a taste of a few countries and then plan land trips. It seems like the best of both worlds - like cruising recon. :D

 

This is indeed true...I had travelled in Europe quite a bit growing up, but my wife and our friends had never been. Cruising was a fantastic way to introduce them to several areas and countries, and a quite enjoyable way at that !

 

And you'd be amazed how much you can see/do/experience...both on the cruise itself, and during the suggested (highly suggested) pre and/or post stay. As an example...when we took our Baltic cruise out of Southampton, we spent 3 days in London first. Because I had been to London twice before, I had a good idea of what to see/where to go etc...and although we had some long days/nights exploring...it was worth every second ! However, we also spent one full day and took the high-speed train to Paris, and totally enjoyed a full day exploring (Segway tour first, and exploring on our own after) all the major sites there as well.

 

Just pick the main ports/countries you'd love to see...then find a cruise that matches your desires, and cost considerations...and go for it ! Then join your Roll Call to get suggestions/travel/transportation advice from others; do some research and on-line or guidebook planning...and with some great advance planning you can and will see quite a lot...all while enjoying the wonderful benefits of cruising !!

 

Enjoy...whatever you decide...but since it seems you "want to go to Europe"...do go !!

 

Woody

OP, you have a good thought when saying a cruise might be a good introduction to seeing Europe.

There is SO much to see in SO many places in "Europe" ..... where does one start?

 

IMO, a cruise is a great way to see a bit of several places without having to navigate getting to each place on your own via plane or train. In essence, your "floating hotel" takes you there. A cruise can let you see enough to help you decide what places you want to explore in greater depth in the future.

 

I had never been to Europe until about 18 months ago, when I did a Princess cruise out of Venice, and got to sample places like Rome, Pompei, Pisa, MonteCarlo, Barcelona, plus Casablanca!! .... all places I had read about and seen only on TV or in books. I was thrilled, and when it was over, I couldn't wait to book another cruise to see more places. Seven months later I sailed again from Venice (a city I was delighted to get to spend some more time in), and went to Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey. Then, 3 months later, I flew to London for yet another cruise, and got to visit the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal, and tour a little of England.

 

In a little more than a year, I have seen so much, thanks to cruising. Now I am in the planning stages of yet another cruise to Europe ...... so much more to see and I can't wait!!

IMO, you should decide which ports you want to visit most and start your research from the point forward.

 

There are so many choices....

Go read on various cruise line web sites and research what itineraries they offer.

It takes time but is worth it for you to find the cruise you really want.

 

OR use a really good cruise TA and let them do the research for you. :)

 

Well, if you are a Carnival fan you might do well to consider RCI. Princess would also be a pretty good fit if you stick with their larger vessels. As to the P&O recommendation (above) we would not recommend that line to any fellow American used to traveling on Carnival. P&O is a decent line, but is oriented towards British culture which might be a bit of a shocker for some Americans who have not traveled to the UK. On the other hand, DW and have a lot of fun with our English friends and have no problem cruising P&O. But you will never find DW eating bangers and mash or mincemeat pies :)

 

Hank

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports, study it, and decide which ports you want to visit the most. Then go to http://www.cruisetimetables.ccom, choose a departure port from the first list, or a destination port from the second. Click on it, then choose when you want to sail, and it will give you the ships that are sailing from or calling there, and their itineraries. the itinerary is the important thing in Europe, especially the Med. Cruise are very port intensive, and you won't spend much time enjoying the amenities of the ship. After a full day or touring/sightseeing in 90 degree temps in July/August, all you want is a shower, a meal, and bed! Just to get up and do it again the next day. EM

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports, study it, and decide which ports you want to visit the most. Then go to http://www.cruisetimetables.ccom, choose a departure port from the first list, or a destination port from the second. Click on it, then choose when you want to sail, and it will give you the ships that are sailing from or calling there, and their itineraries. the itinerary is the important thing in Europe, especially the Med. Cruise are very port intensive, and you won't spend much time enjoying the amenities of the ship. After a full day or touring/sightseeing in 90 degree temps in July/August, all you want is a shower, a meal, and bed! Just to get up and do it again the next day. EM

 

Wow, never saw that website (minus the extra C). It's really good!

Yeah have a look at P&O Ventura now does 7 and 14 night with airfare included (probably from the London, Birmingham or Manchester not sure) and excellent service. Not exactly Carnival style (because the Ventura isn't tacky or ugly in and way shape or form like quite a few Carnival ships are:)) but reasonable. UK and US prices to date (approximately):

 

7 night - £799 - about $1335

 

14 night - £1049 - about $1750

 

All prices approximate

 

We like Carnival:D

Easiest way to start for a first Med cruise - decide if you want Eastern (Greece, with usually a smattering of Italy and Turkey) or Western (which usually includes the ports in which you can travel to Rome and Florence - while also visiting a city or two in France and Spain). Then, decide where you would like to start and end - allowing you to spend more time for more intensive touring. Read Rick Steve's Mediterranean port guide. Read, research and ask questions on the port boards once you decide on your cruise to figure out what you can do on your own. Join your roll call and see what other people on you ship are setting up for possible excursions if you think you would rather have a tour in each port.