Greece and Italy -- what time of year?

I'm in the very beginning stages of looking at a family cruise (2 adults, 2 teens) for 2018 (yes, I know, itineraries aren't even out yet) to Italy/Greece/France. Obviously we haven't chosen a ship, an itinerary or even a cruise line yet!

I would like to have temperatures during the day above 60 and below 90 while we're in port, so what months would you suggest I should be looking at?

And on that note… if you have particular recommendations for itineraries or cruise lines I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

A little reading here and on the Italy board would reveal the common discussion of avoiding July and August. September and October, May and June, much better.

Your time line is so far out, it is impossible to tell what routes will be common 4 years from now. There currently are a number of 10-14 day routes that will probably appeal to you.

Forgive me for not checking the Italy board yet. I checked Greece, did a search and apparently didn't use the appropriate terms because I didn't find much telling me best times of year. Thanks for your input.

I sailed on RCCL Liberty of the Seas end of September from Barcelona to Toulon, Cannes, Livorno, Rome and Naples. Weather was perfect. Our sea day from Naples back to Barcelona was sunny and warm enough to be out at the pool. A fabulous ship and a fabulous itinerary.

June and July are peak season and stinking hot.

August a bit cooler.

September & October shoulder peak. Less people moderate temperatures.

The Med is in our backyard and we go 2 or 3 times a year..........

July & August are the hottest and the busiest (school holidays). September is a great month to go, October can be great but it can be stormy..........best months? I agree with CruiserBruce......May & June are perfect.

The seas are calmest in late May and early June compared with later in the summer as well, due to the meltemi winds, particularly in the Eastern Med.

The seas are calmest in late May and early June compared with later in the summer as well, due to the meltemi winds, particularly in the Eastern Med.

Glad to hear that. We'll be sailing on RCCL, Splendour of the Seas, from Venice to Greece and back next month: May 17 to May 24th. :D

May, June, September and October are not that hot and/or busy as July and August. Just note that September the sea is much warmer than May or June.

Wow, my family and partner think I'm crazy for planning a 2015 cruise!

June and July are peak season and stinking hot.

August a bit cooler.

September & October shoulder peak. Less people moderate temperatures.

June is usually not that hot, but August is. Typical extremely hot weather is mid June to late August. The worst is usually between early July and mid August.

Wow, my family and partner think I'm crazy for planning a 2015 cruise!

 

 

 

June is usually not that hot, but August is. Typical extremely hot weather is mid June to late August. The worst is usually between early July and mid August.

Do it. I got the best price when the cruise first became available for booking: it's almost doubled in price since then. I booked over May 21st, because that will be our 30th wedding anniversary. Otherwise, I think September would be a good month.

I booked with RCCL, which cruise lines are you considering?

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Do it. I got the best price when the cruise first became available for booking: it's almost doubled in price since then.

Ron, deals are available at other times in Europe than in North America. Also, we do not get options like price drop or free cancellation.

Ron, deals are available at other times in Europe than in North America. Also, we do not get options like price drop or free cancellation.

My cruise is a European cruise. It's a Royal Caribbean cruise from Venice to/from Greece for 7 nites. There has been no deals offered or advertised. No price drops. No free cancelations. No ship board credits. No nothing. I booked the cruise when it was first advertised on the RCCL web site last year for about $3900 for a JS for 2. Last time I looked the price was about $7000 US dollars. The price never went down, just up, up, and away.

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We sailed last Sept from Barcelona to Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus and Malta. The weather was absolutely perfect in the low 8o's with the exception of Ephesus which I believe was in the 90's. I tracked the weather all summer and was glad that we selected Sept as temps were high 90's and up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the region in July and Aug.

We would have been miserable touring in that heat.

Loved our itinerary so much that we hope to repeat it in 2016.

We were on a HAL cruise last spring, round trip from Rome, visiting Greece and Turkey, end of April to Mid May.

It was over 30C in Athens and Santorini, mid to high 20s many other days. We needed light jackets while on deck one day sailing from southern Italy towards Greek isles. The sea was calm and beautiful.

Most of the tours we took left the ship around 8am to avoid the heat.

I'm sure others have recommended it, but fly to your port of embarkation a few days before the cruise. We spend 2 days in Rome, wish we could have been there for a longer time, but I was glad for what we could see.

Have fun researching!

We were on a HAL cruise last spring, round trip from Rome, visiting Greece and Turkey, end of April to Mid May.

It was over 30C in Athens and Santorini, mid to high 20s many other days. We needed light jackets while on deck one day sailing from southern Italy towards Greek isles. The sea was calm and beautiful.

Most of the tours we took left the ship around 8am to avoid the heat.

I'm sure others have recommended it, but fly to your port of embarkation a few days before the cruise. We spend 2 days in Rome, wish we could have been there for a longer time, but I was glad for what we could see.

Have fun researching!

Thanks for this info! Really glad to hear this; I will be embarking exactly a year from today and was wondering about the weather too. Glad to hear it won't be stifling hot.

Happy and safe cruising all!! :)

Sailed the western Med (out of Barcelona) mid September, 2013. Weather was very comfortable. Rome and Florence were very busy. Naples (Sorrento), Marseilles and Palma were less frantic. Thinking seriously about eastern Med for Apr 2015, mainly to avoid the heat and the crowds.

We are booked on RCCL Serenade of the Seas September 5, 2014. Glad to hear September will be warm but not sweltering.

We plan and book pretty far out too...though not 2018 :) The great part of planning is having time to research all of the potential ports and deciding which you'd like to visit. Then when the itineraries do come out, you can match what you'd like to see with what is available. And it doesn't hurt that you have 4 years to save money for the cruise. Our September cruise is by far the most expensive vacation we have ever taken... and we've gone to Hawaii and French Polynesia (cruise and land vaca).

Kathy

We are booked on RCCL Serenade of the Seas September 5, 2014. Glad to hear September will be warm but not sweltering.

We plan and book pretty far out too...though not 2018 :) The great part of planning is having time to research all of the potential ports and deciding which you'd like to visit. Then when the itineraries do come out, you can match what you'd like to see with what is available. And it doesn't hurt that you have 4 years to save money for the cruise. Our September cruise is by far the most expensive vacation we have ever taken... and we've gone to Hawaii and French Polynesia (cruise and land vaca). This will be my 35th cruise.

Kathy

We like spring or fall. We avoid the summer months. Our preference would be the spring.

Having said that, we spent four glorious days in Rome last mid-late November. Weather was perfect for walking and there were fewer tourists than normal.