1st time cruising in Europe & need advice

Hello all,

Although we are avid travelers, we only cruise once in a while & I am not nearly as well versed as all of you. In summer 2016, I will be traveling with my daughter to Europe from Alaska for 3-5 weeks following her high school graduation. We will be touring the UK (where my husband & I met and got married) for a portion of the time. She would also like to visit Italy & possibly Croatia (my grandparents were from Dubrovnik & Zagreb). As we have been trying to piece this trip together, we have decided a cruise might be our best bet for the Italy/Croatia portion of our journey. With all of this in mind, I am pretty clueless on how to proceed. I'm hoping such well versed cruisers can give me some suggestions on cruise options in this region, particularly for a mother/daughter pair. We will be mid-40's & 18yo at the time of travel. We are pretty independent & adventurous and have traveled a good deal out of the US.

TIA

Check out Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise ports. Lot of usefull info.

Hello all,

 

Although we are avid travelers, we only cruise once in a while & I am not nearly as well versed as all of you. In summer 2016, I will be traveling with my daughter to Europe from Alaska for 3-5 weeks following her high school graduation. We will be touring the UK (where my husband & I met and got married) for a portion of the time. She would also like to visit Italy & possibly Croatia (my grandparents were from Dubrovnik & Zagreb). As we have been trying to piece this trip together, we have decided a cruise might be our best bet for the Italy/Croatia portion of our journey. With all of this in mind, I am pretty clueless on how to proceed. I'm hoping such well versed cruisers can give me some suggestions on cruise options in this region, particularly for a mother/daughter pair. We will be mid-40's & 18yo at the time of travel. We are pretty independent & adventurous and have traveled a good deal out of the US.

 

TIA

Azamara has Venice to Croatia July 3. We're doing that and then spending time in Italy after the cruise.

I agree that it's worth the investment of Rick Steve's European Ports book (although Lisbon is conspicuous by its absence).

Do not listen to people on CC regarding best places to visit. That said, you should include Sicily in your itinerary - Italian? Not really!

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Although we are avid cruisers (and also love driving trips in Europe) we are not sure that a cruise is your best option. While it is certainly possible to find a cruise that goes to some ports in Italy plus Dubrovnik, your times in these countries is very limited when on a ship. You might want to consider a land trip or tour. Keep in mind that there are many low priced airfares within Europe (although luggage can really add to the cost).

But if you do want to look at cruise options it is just a bit too early to find most of the schedules for the summer of 2016. Most itineraries are not finalized at this point. Also consider that air cannot generally be booked until 330 (or less) days in advance or your last flight.

Hank

While one could rarely disagree with Hank, you should know that some cruise lines like Celebrity have posted their 2016 schedules.

He may be right about a land tour but to give you a taste of Italy and your included Dubrovnik stop an EASTERN Med cruise is your best bet. You will not get to Zagreb via ocean liner. When you can find and compare schedules of ships departing from Barcelona, Rome or Venice you should pay particular attention to the time you will be in each port. Most of the stops will only give you a taste, and a quick one at that, of the cities/countries you will visit. The docking ports for Rome, Florence and Athens are between 45-60 minutes the cities. You can pack a lot of sites in some very long days but it is really not the best way to experience the treasured cities of Europe.

Smaller luxury or premium cruise lines may offer an overnight to enhance your travel. Azamara does and it's a wonderful way to cruise.

Most of the cruise line schedules will be released within the next few months. And do not overlook some of the European companies either.

You and your daughter will create a life time of memories.

I'd save a bit of time and effort and contact a TA. Tell them basically what you're looking for, compare itineraries, lines, time in port(s) etc. As above posters have stated, depending exactly where you want to go and how much you want to see, a cruise may not be your best option. You might also want to consider a cruise followed by a post cruise extension to some places that are a priority for you, but maybe not a viable option as part of a cruise.

I'm in agreement with Hank. Rent a car and drive. We did this in 2011, picking up a lease car in Nice and driving in Italy and then to Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. We had a fantastic time and were able to spend more than one day in places such as Venice, Split and Dubrovnik.

http://www.renault-eurodrive.com/en/source/

http://www.peugeot-openeurope.com/en/

The above sites explain how you can lease a brand new, fully insured car and very good prices.

Might I suggest:

A TA to England- lots of options there. Do this in April. You will have more daylight to enjoy Europe which is rather quiet at that time- early to mid May.

A rental car might be nice, but some of the more eastern European countries might present a challenge. I would look into the airlines that service Europe. Norwegian Airlines and others do lots of flights. Go to seacanner dot come for some help. Rick Steves' website might provide help and ideas as will the forums of Tripadvisor.

We have done TAs that originate in Rome (fall- west bound) and one that ended in Copenhagen (spring- east bound). We took Norwegian Air to Krakow and spent a week. We did a day trips with a driver who helped us with some family genealogy (Rick Steve's recommendation) and that was an unforgettable day that was fabulous. Another driver took us to an ethnographic village in Poland and the salt mine. We also went to one on our own in Sweden. These places are really treasures and give you an idea on how our ancestors lived. Enthnographic (outdoor) museums are all over Europe.

Now that we have been to central Europe, we might be brave enough to rent a car. We have no hesitation in England or western Europe, but the languages in eastern or central Europe are more of a challenge. If this is a "once in a lifetime" trip, consider hiring a driver who can talk to locals. Most everyone we spoke to in Krakow spoke English, but if you are interested in getting to the ancestral villages...oh not so much! I felt like I was five years old back in my Polish grandparents' home with me being the only one who didn't know what was going on. Many people 35 and older may have learned a little English, but are very hesitatant and a person who can translate would be invaluable.

Yes, a cruise only gives a fleeting glimpse of the places visited, and alcpa makes the very good point that in some places eg Rome & Florence, travel from port to city cuts that time down even more.

But a halfway house is to take a cruise of about 10 days, ideally a one-way cruise rather than an out-and-back, and spend some time in the embarkation (and disembarkation?) city.

Rome to Venice immediately springs to mind. Several cruise lines offer this route or vice-versa (Princess, Celebrity?) including several Greek islands and at least one port in Croatia, usually Dubrovnik.

Cruise schedules & prices for 2015 will give you a pretty good idea of what will be available in 2016.

JB :)

Others have posted Rick Steves book, but he also does tours. You might want to consider. I don't see Dubrovnik but you might be able to rent a car and drive there from one of the locations on one of the tours.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy

Land travel in Europe is relatively easy. We had no problems from Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and France, other than lots of traffic in the main cities. We soon learned to stay clear of Rome, Naples, Paris, etc.

Have fun planning your trip, then taking it. Europe is an awesome destination. So much to see and do, I've done 7 trips (1 cruise and 6 land trips) and still only feel I've scratched the surface.

Yes, a cruise only gives a fleeting glimpse of the places visited, and alcpa makes the very good point that in some places eg Rome & Florence, travel from port to city cuts that time down even more.

But a halfway house is to take a cruise of about 10 days, ideally a one-way cruise rather than an out-and-back, and spend some time in the embarkation (and disembarkation?) city.

 

Rome to Venice immediately springs to mind. Several cruise lines offer this route or vice-versa (Princess, Celebrity?) including several Greek islands and at least one port in Croatia, usually Dubrovnik.

 

Cruise schedules & prices for 2015 will give you a pretty good idea of what will be available in 2016.

 

JB :)

Seconded -- after your stay in England, get yourself to Venice for a day or two prior to boarding a ship stopping along the Adriatic en route to Rome, where you should give yourself a couple of days before flying home. This way you will have a fair exposure to Italy and a taste of the Balkans.

Am enjoying all the opinions. I want to add to my prior suggestions. DW and I have been debating the merits of cruising versus land trips for over thirty years. Having done over 25 Med cruises (some over a month in length) we still love cruising in those waters. Our future will certainly include more cruises. But to really discover Italy one needs to spend some time on land (we have driven more then 10,000 miles within Italy). The two most common (and arguably popular) Italian ports (Civitavecchia and Livorno) are more then an hour's drive from their primary destination cities (Rome and Florence). Dubrovnik is a great cruise port, but a port day in Dubrovnik is a far cry from exploring Croatia (one of the major hot spots of European tourism). One facet that we really miss when on cruises is the ability to enjoy long wonderful dinners at various Euro destinations. Some longer cruises do offer overnights in certain ports (i.e. Lisbon and Istanbul) but this is not an option for Croatia.

To be blunt, we find Croatia a challenge because of the geography and lack of cruises that embark or debark in or near this country. While countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Germany are pretty convenient for driving trips, Croatia's location does not fit well with many driving itineraries. But there is much to support the idea of driving through Italy, Croatia and even Montenegro. Just fruit for thought.

Hank

It may be worth looking at both Costa & MSC as they are Italian lines and Costa start many cruises from Savona. Not sure which port MSC go from.

Cheap airlines to look at include Ryanair and Easyjet. There are others which you could check on Skyscanner.

It may be worth looking at both Costa & MSC as they are Italian lines and Costa start many cruises from Savona. Not sure which port MSC go from.

 

Cheap airlines to look at include Ryanair and Easyjet. There are others which you could check on Skyscanner.

When considering either of these Italian lines, one needs to double-check the times in port. They often give only half a day, even for places like Barcelona!!

I guess it's an Italian thing, perhaps the Italians are cruise-led rather than destination-led

JB :)

Am enjoying all the opinions. I want to add to my prior suggestions. DW and I have been debating the merits of cruising versus land trips for over thirty years. Having done over 25 Med cruises (some over a month in length) we still love cruising in those waters. Our future will certainly include more cruises. But to really discover Italy one needs to spend some time on land (we have driven more then 10,000 miles within Italy). The two most common (and arguably popular) Italian ports (Civitavecchia and Livorno) are more then an hour's drive from their primary destination cities (Rome and Florence). Dubrovnik is a great cruise port, but a port day in Dubrovnik is a far cry from exploring Croatia (one of the major hot spots of European tourism). One facet that we really miss when on cruises is the ability to enjoy long wonderful dinners at various Euro destinations. Some longer cruises do offer overnights in certain ports (i.e. Lisbon and Istanbul) but this is not an option for Croatia.

 

To be blunt, we find Croatia a challenge because of the geography and lack of cruises that embark or debark in or near this country. While countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Germany are pretty convenient for driving trips, Croatia's location does not fit well with many driving itineraries. But there is much to support the idea of driving through Italy, Croatia and even Montenegro. Just fruit for thought.

 

Hank

Agreed that the only way to see Croatia is on land - but since Italy has priority in OP's planning - after some time in England - on a three to five week trip, a driving tour of both Italy and Croatio would seem to really push the envelope; while a seven day cruise between Venice and Rome (either direction) with a couple of days in each, pre- and post-cruise, would probably most conveniently meet the major goals.

Celebrity has 2016 European cruises available for booking, including Croatia. I am already booked.

This sounds like a great mother and daughter trip! :)

This seems to me to be a perfect trip for cruising so I respectfully disagree that a land trip would be better.

There are numerous ferries from Italy to Croatia . . . Then overland to Zagreb.

Celebrity has 2016 European cruises available for booking, including Croatia. I am already booked.

 

This sounds like a great mother and daughter trip! :)

 

This seems to me to be a perfect trip for cruising so I respectfully disagree that a land trip would be better.

Guess we can add some more info. Yes, Celebrity, Silverseas, Norwegian and some other cruise lines have 2016 summer cruise schedules. But many other lines do not. As to whether a land trip would be better, we assume you have lots of experience with both cruise and land options and have come to such conclusion based on your vast experience. So, accordingly we do respect your opinion :)

Hank

Hello all,

 

Although we are avid travelers, we only cruise once in a while & I am not nearly as well versed as all of you. In summer 2016, I will be traveling with my daughter to Europe from Alaska for 3-5 weeks following her high school graduation. We will be touring the UK (where my husband & I met and got married) for a portion of the time. She would also like to visit Italy & possibly Croatia (my grandparents were from Dubrovnik & Zagreb). As we have been trying to piece this trip together, we have decided a cruise might be our best bet for the Italy/Croatia portion of our journey. With all of this in mind, I am pretty clueless on how to proceed. I'm hoping such well versed cruisers can give me some suggestions on cruise options in this region, particularly for a mother/daughter pair. We will be mid-40's & 18yo at the time of travel. We are pretty independent & adventurous and have traveled a good deal out of the US.

 

TIA

I can't answer your questions but I do have a suggestion. A couple of years ago I read a book from our local library on the history of the "Grand Tour." It strikes me that you are contemplating a modern version of such a Tour and it might be fun for you and your daughter to read the book. If you can track it down - I cannot remember any more details like title, author, etc. have fun!

When considering either of these Italian lines, one needs to double-check the times in port. They often give only half a day, even for places like Barcelona!!

I guess it's an Italian thing, perhaps the Italians are cruise-led rather than destination-led

 

JB :)

Odd, apart from our last Costa cruise, the times have been excellent. NCL is the only other line that came close.

One thing no one has yet mentioned is be sure to inform your credit and/or debit card carrier where you will be. Otherwise, your card might be flagged for suspicious use, and the next time you try to use it you might find it blocked.

Whichever cruise line and ports you choose, remember that these are very port intensive cruises. Choosing for the ports is more important than choosing for whatever extra bells and whistles some ships might have.

Odd, apart from our last Costa cruise, the times have been excellent. NCL is the only other line that came close.

I didn't search hard for these, I just plucked them at random, they're very typical of those cruise lines.

Here's an MSC example:

1 depart Genoa 18:00

2 Naples [B]13:00 18:00

3 Messina 13:00 19:00 [/b]

4 La Goulette, Tunisia 09:00 17:00

5 Barcelona 07:30 16:30

6 At sea

7 Marseille 12:30 18:30

8 Return Genoa 06:00

I'm used to the occasional half-day on other cruise lines.

But at three ports out of five? Including Naples??

------------------------------------------

And one from Costa

1 Venice (Italy) - -

2 Venice (Italy) - 16:00

3 Split (Croatia) 08:00 13:00

4 Corfu (Greece) 09:00 14:00

5 Santorini (Greece) 15:00 21:00

6 Piraeus/Athens (Greece) 08:00 14:00

7 Istanbul (Turkey) 15:00 -

8 Istanbul (Turkey) - -

9 Istanbul (Turkey) - 16:00

10 Mykonos (Greece) 15:00 23:00

11 Santorini (Greece) 08:00 14:00

12 Argostoli/Kefallinia (Greece) 09:30 14:30

13 Dubrovnik (Croatia) 09:30 14:30

14 Venice (Italy) 12:00

I make that a half-day in 8 ports out 10.

Including depart Piraeus 2pm, which effectively means depart Athens 122.30.

Like I said, do watch out for times in port, especially on the Italian lines. ;)

JB :)

It may be worth looking at both Costa & MSC as they are Italian lines and Costa start many cruises from Savona. Not sure which port MSC go from.

 

Cheap airlines to look at include Ryanair and Easyjet. There are others which you could check on Skyscanner.

As an American, you have to be out of your mind to go either on Costa or MSC. Read the reviews!

I cruised Europe with my mom. We did an 12 night RCI cruise Barcelona R/T inclusive of Sicily, Egypt and Greece. My mom to this date said that was the BEST cruise ever. Although she is active she is getting a little old and timid. She did not what to drive or check in and out of hotels. That was her first time in Europe and she said "although I did not get to see everything this trip I hope to go and cruise to different ports on another trip. I saw Egypt, Greece, Italy and Barcelona. I am happy and thankfu that I was able to do that and still have enough time to relax".

We stayed in Barcelona for 4 nights, cruised 12 nights, then stayed in Venice 3 nights and then Rome 4 nights. With travel it was a 25 day trip. I had been to Europe several times before and I have to agree with my mom for ease of travel and relaxation while still seeing some of the most beautiful cities in the world the cruises my first choice.

"Half of a DINK and proud of it!."😜