Anyone cruise through Mediterranean in November?

Hi, I'm new to this board so please excuse me if I've posted this thread in the wrong section.

My husband and I are booked on the Celebrity Millennium Nov 4-18/07 Mediterranean cruise sailing out of Barcelona and ending up in Venice (included ports are Nice, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Piraeus, Istanbul, Mykonos, and Santorini). I was pretty excited for this trip until a couple of days ago when I "chatted" with people on another board and discovered that weather can be pretty iffy - as in lots of rain and fog and pretty much more rain and fog (esp. in Italy). I had done some quick search on the net for average weather in each port prior to booking and they all seem okay. My travel agent also said it would probably be okay before I put my money down. Now, I'm not so sure. After finding out that rain and rough waters may be more likely rather than okay weather, I'm totally disappointed.

My question is: has anyone sailed through the Mediterranean (especially the ports of call I have listed above) in November and what were people's experiences?

Thanks for sharing!

We did a very similar cruise last Nov.- Dec. and the weather was fine. There were no rough seas and only a half day of light rain in the French Riviera. We are doing it again this year but a bit earlier. I hope our weather is as good as last year. We were on an eastern Med. and a TA, the Atlantic was very calm.

We were on the Millenium last November. The weather was perfect plus you have the advantage of having no crowds or lines. We literally walked into everything without lining up. We are heading back to the Med this November. Can't wait. The cool weather makes touring much more comfortable. In 4 weeks, we only had 2 hours of rain. Seas were calm. Everything is cheaper too.

Have a terrific time.

November is a great time to visit the Med. The crowds are not nearly as bad and the weather is mild enough to enjoy a stroll.

If you are looking forward to baking on a beach, however, this is not so good.:)

Paul

We cruised last year in mid November to many of the ports you listed. The weather was fine in all of them. It varied though -- was cooler in Istanbul and in Rome (stayed there post-cruise), and warmer in Mykonos, Athens (Piraeus), and Naples.

Nowhere did we hit rain except a brief shower disembarking the ship in Civitavecchia. As Ab0si says, it is not likely to be beach weather, if that's what you had in mind.

There was absolutely no rough sailing. One of the smoother cruises I've been on.

We just completed a 14 day vacation including a 10 cruise on Azamara from Nov 1-14. The weather was perfect the entire trip. Clear skies and 50°. We wore sweaters, shells, and light scarves.

We just completed a 14 day vacation including a 10 cruise on Azamara from Nov 1-14. The weather was perfect the entire trip. Clear skies and 50°. We wore sweaters, shells, and light scarves.

Did you notice that this is a 5+ year old thread. I think OP has probably been.

Our favorite time to cruise the Med.

2 in November and 1 in May. May was nice too but we prefer November.

We were on the Millenium last November. The weather was perfect plus you have the advantage of having no crowds or lines. We literally walked into everything without lining up..

Agreed. We cruised Rome, Olympia, Athens, Ephesus & Alexandria last year on the Norwegian Jade in mid-late November. The weather was great. We found that wearing a light jacket (like a windbreaker or small sweater) worked fine for the mornings, and by the late morning, those were discarded. We never had rain. This is not to say, obviously, that you might not have a different experience...but I'd not hesitate to go again this time of year.

If you are someone who enjoys lots of time around the pool soaking up the sun in your bathing suit...then you might be disappointed.

The weather can be iffy....which means it can be "iffy good" or "iffy bad." We just returned last Saturday from 25 days in the Med/Holy Land and the weather was relatively warm thoughout the entire cruise (60s - 70s) with a few rainy days. The norms would probably be about 5-10 degrees cooler...and rain is simply like rolling the dice.

Hank

Up to this year I would have said November in the Med is great and sunny and warm, but since this last cruise I know it can be different too. For the last 5 years, the Med in November was 17-24 °C (63-75 F°), but this year we had temperatures between 2 and 8 °C (35-45 °C), and it was not dry and sunny either.....We even took a ships panorama tour in Rome because it was too freezing to DIY. We were told by locals they had never seen weather this cold for many years either.

Up to this year I would have said November in the Med is great and sunny and warm, but since this last cruise I know it can be different too. For the last 5 years, the Med in November was 17-24 °C (63-75 F°), but this year we had temperatures between 2 and 8 °C (35-45 °C), and it was not dry and sunny either.....We even took a ships panorama tour in Rome because it was too freezing to DIY. We were told by locals they had never seen weather this cold for many years either.

Yes, weather can certainly vary!

When I responded earlier to this thread (in 2007!), we'd had good weather on our cruise. Since then, I've been on 4 more Med cruises from mid October to mid November. The weather has varied from hot (October in Alexandria and Israel) to cool, windy and rainy.

In October 2012, it was so windy and rough that the ship could not dock in Civitavecchia -- so no Rome. I've been to Rome enough times to not be bitterly disappointed, but some must have been. In Livorno, it rained all day (we went to Florence on our own and then on to Fiesole to see the Roman ruins -- it was so wet that we could barely even take photos.)

Both times I've been to Palermo in late October it has rained all day.

In Fall 2011, the weather on the seas was definitely not smooth. We had our "Welcome Aboard" party cancelled twice due to rough weather -- they didn't want folks walking around in heels, nor waiters carrying trays of food and drinks in those seas..... When we were tied up at Rhodes overnight, the waves crashing over the dock were incredible.

All that said, all the other cruises and ports not mentioned were fine, and I'd much rather take my chances with rainy, cool weather in order to have fewer crowds.

The Western Med weather is more apt to be cool and rainy in that time period than the Eastern Med, but in the long run, you cannot predict what the weather will be for ANY cruise at ANY time of year....

Our last cruise in this area was November 2011. I think we boarded on Nov. 7th. 11 days and all perfect. When we returned to Rome we did have some rain but not enough to slow us down :D

Our favorite time is April, or October.

Keith

Did the Eastern Med from 11/18-11/28 in 2011. Weather was great,high 60's/ low 70's and NO crowds. We are going again in late October this year, hope we have same weather again.

We have cruised the Med during October,November and early December multiple times. The weather has generally been very good, with occasionally wet or cold days. For the most part, generally pleasant weather and smooth seas, but it can vary. As in all things nature!

Please be aware that some of the shops and cafes on the Greek islands, esp Mykonos and Santorini, close for the season around the end of October.

Go and plan on having a good time whatever weather you have, and you will have a great cruise.

It can be very iffy in the Med in winter (late Oct - Mar). This is why it is so much cheaper to cruise this time of the year. This season has been very cold in 2012. Also remember that one part of the Med can vary greatly from another. Definitely not sunbathing weather.