Best cruise line for Western Mediterranean

Even if the itinerary is port-heavy with only one sea day, I want to make sure it is on a good ship. Also, when looking at itineraries, I noticed different ships sail to different ports depending on the cruise line. Are any cruise lines better in the region than others at creating cruise itineraries and relevant onboard activities?

The smaller the ship the more interesting the itinerary in my opinion as they can sail into a greater range of places. Therefore you may feel there is some trade off between interesting ports and the quality of the ship. Although not all smaller ships are older or less "exciting" that does seem to be the situation currently in most cases. Having said that most ships on any of the major lines should be of a reasonable quality. I wouldn't concentrate on one line specifically but identify ships you are happy to sail on and then compare their itineraries. I'm not sure what you mean by "relevant onboard activities". I've not noticed much difference in activities on ships in different parts of the world. The more adult focused lines like princess and celebrity are probably better at port talks or speakers on local history etc than the more family focused lines.

There is no best ship that is best for everyone. We all have different tastes and budget.

What I would do is start with itinerary.

Consider ports of embarkation and disembarkation because I would recommend spending a few days pre cruise in one of the areas which ensures that you not miss the ship if you fly in close to the embarkation date, allows your luggage to show up should there be an issue, allows you to get over jet lag and also allows you to tour the city/town.

Once you narrow this down to a finite set of itineraries, then read the reviews about each ship, study the layouts, read about the cruise line so you can figure out which one works best for you.

Keith

Itinerary is important to us.

You need to decide what ports are important to you and then start to check the ships that include them.

Also check the times you are in the ports. Some cruise lines stay longer in ports than others.

Since I believe this is your first Med cruise, you will presumably want to visit the most well-known ports. Any of the mass market lines will have put together some good "sampler" itineraries -- it just depends on finding the combination you want.

I often recommend the Princess "Grand Mediterranean" cruise as a good starting point for cruising the Med. It's a 12-day cruise that goes from Barcelona to Venice and includes Livorno (for Florence), Civitavecchia (for Rome), Naples, Venice, Athens, and Istanbul -- all of which are on many peoples' "highlights" list.

Princess has a couple of very new ships -- large but should be lovely with plenty to do.

These posters are spot on. A Mediterranean cruise is very different from a Caribbean cruise. You will not want to spend time on the ship since it's all about the itinerary. Excursions can be expensive, so many of us recommend Rome in Limo, which would involve you setting up a group of 8 on your roll call. I loved the overnight in Venice, which is a beautiful DIY kind of city. And definitely plan on days pre and post cruise.

Get a copy of Rick Steves' book Med Cruise Ports. It contains detailed instructions for visiting these ports on your own.

We have been on more than 30 Med cruises and have always made our decision based on the itinerary with little regard to ship or line other then sticking with the accepted mass market or luxury lines. In the Med we think that itinerary is what is truly important. Not only do we look at the ports, but also pay very close attention to the hours in those ports, the day of the week in various ports (Sunday and Monday's can be problematic in many places) etc. And since we usually stay in Europe before and after our cruises the day of the week for embarkation and debarkation can be vital since a majority of European rental car agencies are closed on Sundays. End a cruise in Civitavecchia on a Sunday and a cruiser might find that its difficult to impossible to rent a car at their chosen agency.

As to what we do in ports, it will nearly always be something on our own and once in a long time we might join a few others on a private tour (only in ports where it is near impossible to do things on our own).

Hank

There is no best ship that is best for everyone. We all have different tastes and budget.

 

Once you narrow this down to a finite set of itineraries, then read the reviews about each ship, study the layouts, read about the cruise line so you can figure out which one works best for you.

 

Keith

I couldn't agree more. There is no one "best" just about anything. If there was, that "best" provider would be charging a mint for their product, and everyone else would be deeply discounting just to get anybody to use their product. Instead, in the real world, we have many providers of products which are "best" for somebody, all selling successfully.

You know, sort of the Chevy vs Ford debate...Starbucks vs Peets...Burger King vs McDonalds, etc.

Some have proposed banning the "best" word and questions on Cruise Critic. There is merit to that proposal.

Hank, I know this is off topic....I apologize everyone...but I've done western. What should I do next? Cruise line?

This OP specifically mentioned RELEVANT onboard activities, so I don't think that a mass market cruise line is appropriate for what they want. This isn't someone who wants to go to the Med to play bingo or watch a hairy leg competition onboard the ship. RELEVANT onboard activities would include having a menu from the area for dinner, having lectures about each individual port and entertainment from those ports. ALL of this describes a small ship experience such as Seaborn, Regent, or Tauck or even a river cruise where tours are included such as Uniworld or Viking.

Hank, I know this is off topic....I apologize everyone...but I've done western. What should I do next? Cruise line?

Hard for me to know another's personal taste and preferences. But my quick suggestion is to look for a cruise that does something different then you did on your previous cruise (that is the spirit of adventure in my blood). One fantastic port (and the perfect place for an overnight) is Istanbul (try to visit Wed-Sat). And another popular port is Santorini. Find a cruise going to those two ports and you are off to a good start. Pireaus (Athens) is also a good port if you like history and ruins. And then there is always Venice, which is one of the most unique places in Europe and always fun for a day (or a few days). As to cruise lines, for those that like the mass market lines the usual Celebrity, Princess, HAL or RCI are fine if you find the right itinerary. If you are willing to spend some more money we really love cruising on smaller ships (no more then 800 passengers) and you can consider lines like Azamara and Oceania. And we are not even talking about the real ultra-luxury lines (with mostly very small ships) which are hard to beat for those with no budget.

Hank

Excellent, Hank! Thanks! Spot on, as I expected after reading your posts on CC. Great start. PS....I've been to Venice and adore it! Santo ring was high on my list too!

We have been on more than 30 Med cruises and have always made our decision based on the itinerary with little regard to ship or line other then sticking with the accepted mass market or luxury lines. In the Med we think that itinerary is what is truly important. Not only do we look at the ports, but also pay very close attention to the hours in those ports, the day of the week in various ports (Sunday and Monday's can be problematic in many places) etc. And since we usually stay in Europe before and after our cruises the day of the week for embarkation and debarkation can be vital since a majority of European rental car agencies are closed on Sundays. End a cruise in Civitavecchia on a Sunday and a cruiser might find that its difficult to impossible to rent a car at their chosen agency.

 

As to what we do in ports, it will nearly always be something on our own and once in a long time we might join a few others on a private tour (only in ports where it is near impossible to do things on our own).

 

Hank

Haven't done as many cruises in the Mediterranean as the above cruiser... but fair number on various lines: Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Crystal, Cunard, NCL ... for the most part all of these lines are very similar. Would say Cunard probably had the best port lectures. Cunard is a more formal - traditional cruise experience, not everyone enjoys that, we do. NCL is just the opposite, very informal and less expensive too. We always research ports ahead and generally explore on our own.

I copied the other contributors post because I fully agree... we look at itineraries carefully, regarding time in port, day of week, checking out local holidays too. For example, last year we were in Spain during Easter week a very different experience. We also consider what the air to and from the port may be like and how far the port is from the airport. We try to fly the most direct route ... reduces chance for delays and problems with lost luggage. We book our own air as a result.

I would start with what ports interest you the most, the primary issue is the ports. Especially when you are new cruising the Mediterranean. These cruises are very port intensive, I recall being on the Grand Princess when it was new l998, we barely explored the ship at all, we started in Istanbul, hit major ports along the way to Barcelona... each offered us so much to do on our own, we simply returned to the ship for dinner and sleep... very little time was spent roaming the ship. When we got off in Barcelona, we stayed 3 days at a Ritz Carlton - The Arts hotel... and slept we were so tired. We learned from that experience to better pace ourselves better.

I would also say any where you go in the Mediterranean is fabulous... so pick a cruise and go, you will mostly return again, so don't try to do it all.