Help Me Pick a Mediterranean Cruise! (Family)

I'm looking at 4 options.

 

Going with family (not tryna party a lot).

 

I want to maximize the cool touristy stuff to see.

 

Which ports are must-sees in your opinion?

 

Option 1

1. Livorno, Italy **Leaning tower of pisa!**

2. Genoa, Italy

3. Marseille, France

4. Palma de Mallorca, Spain

5. Ibiza, Spain

6. Olbia, Italy

 

Option 2

1. Barcelona, Spain **Want to go here!**

2. Ajaccio, France

3. Civitavecchia, Italy

4. La Spezia, Italy

5. Genoa, Italy

6. Cannes, France

7. Palma de Mallorca, Spain

 

Option 3

1. Messina, Italy

2. Valletta, Malta

3. Barcelona, Spain **Again!**

4. Marseille, France

5. Genoa, Italy

6. Naples, Italy

 

Option 4

1. Venice, Italy **Heard great things**

2. Bari, Italy

3. Mykonos, Greece

4. Heraklion, Greece

5. Corfù, Greece

6. Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

I'm only concerned about having fun. Not too worried about price, cruise ship line, etc. Please let me know if you guys have any must-go suggestions for the places here. Having a hard time choosing one!

Edited April 23, 2018 by ucla2018

What is the mimimum price of each cruise?

No of days of each?

Which cruise ships?

Provide all information please

What is the price of each cruise?

Which cruise ships?

Provide all information please

 

I'm only concerned about having fun. Not too worried about price, cruise ship line, etc. Please let me know if you guys have any must-go suggestions for the places here. Having a hard time choosing one!

I would choose the Greek islands option 4, because the most of the other cities can be easily done by land based tours.

I would choose the Greek islands option 4, because the most of the other cities can be easily done by land based tours.

It really depends on what you're after. Most of the city based itineraries are more about sightseeing, while the Greek Islands one will probably be more relaxing. When you talk about having fun, you would probably find it beneficial to do a bit of research in the cruise line as well, as different lines have a different atmosphere and some can be more fun than others, depending on what you enjoy doing.

 

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Carnival is the ultimate party cruise. Royal has non stop activities. Costa is good for dancing and pool games. Norwegian and Princess have fabulous shows. MSC has cirque du Soleil. Now you decide

I'm only concerned about having fun. Not too worried about price, cruise ship line, etc. . . Having a hard time choosing one!

 

If you are not concerned about price, look at the small ship cruise lines. For example, Sea Dream, Seabourn, Silverseas. They will go to the smaller more interesting ports, like itinerary #4. The fact that your first three itineraries include Genoa lead me to believe those are big mass market ships, like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. The last one could well be on a smaller, luxury line. Go to the boards (and websites) for the different lines and get a better feel for what would fit you better.

 

Large, mass market ships: more entertainment and on board activities. Bigger crowds, waiting for tenders, larger commercial ports, possibly shorter time in each port.

Small, luxury lines: More subdued entertainment, all-inclusive (mostly), no crowds, no lines, longer time in port, more interesting smaller ports.

If your focus is really on maximizing " the cool touristy stuff to see" and wanting to know which ports are must-sees, then I would choose Itinerary 3. It doesn't sound like you're necessarily looking for beaches...

 

Messina gives you the opportunity to visit the very charming Taormina

 

Valletta has one of the most beautiful sail-ins/sail-outs in the Med and it is a very unique place

 

Barcelona has lots to see and is fun (not to mention good food), as you seem to already know ;p

 

Marseilles is a good jumping-off place to visit some charming towns in the south of France --I would recommend Avignon

 

Genoa -- haven't been, doesn't really have iconic sites

 

Naples -- lots of fantastic choices such as Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Capri

 

 

Edited to add: Frankly, I don't think any of these itineraries offer a truly great Med itinerary; I've seen lots of better ones. All of these have a few duds in addition to a few gems. Ports not on this itinerary that I consider iconic in the Med include Civitavecchia (for Rome), Piraeus (for Athens), Venice, and Santorini.

Cruise mom always has the best advice

Fun is in the eye of the beholder, and when you say "family," fun is different for an 18 yo than a 50 yo.

 

 

It might help if we know the ages traveling and what you like to do. My family really likes food tours, not so much beaches. We've had our fill of art museums, and are full up on cathedrals as well, all of which are the main "tourist" stops at many ports. Pompeii was awesome, but maybe not fun, per se.

 

 

I'd say that Genoa is not on the top of my "fun" list, though I'm sure you could find something there.

 

 

Mallorca was my favorite port on our Med cruise this past summer. It was beautiful.

 

 

Pisa is a nice location to check off your bucket list, but there isn't much else there. I quite liked Lucca, which is the next town over, and would complete the day -again, depending on what the family is looking to do.

If your focus is really on maximizing " the cool touristy stuff to see" and wanting to know which ports are must-sees, then I would choose Itinerary 3. It doesn't sound like you're necessarily looking for beaches...

 

Messina gives you the opportunity to visit the very charming Taormina

 

Valletta has one of the most beautiful sail-ins/sail-outs in the Med and it is a very unique place

 

Barcelona has lots to see and is fun (not to mention good food), as you seem to already know ;p

 

Marseilles is a good jumping-off place to visit some charming towns in the south of France --I would recommend Avignon

 

Genoa -- haven't been, doesn't really have iconic sites

 

Naples -- lots of fantastic choices such as Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Capri

 

 

Edited to add: Frankly, I don't think any of these itineraries offer a truly great Med itinerary; I've seen lots of better ones. All of these have a few duds in addition to a few gems. Ports not on this itinerary that I consider iconic in the Med include Civitavecchia (for Rome), Piraeus (for Athens), Venice, and Santorini.

Hi Cruise mom, at Genoa, Marseille, Mahon, Cagliari, Messina, are there unbooked taxis/minivans/minibuses waiting for cruise tourists?

Can we get on the spot shared minivan tours at Genoa, Marseille, Mahon, Cagliari, Messina? Thanks

Edited April 24, 2018 by drsel

Hi Cruise mom, at Genoa, Marseille, Mahon, Cagliari, Messina, are there unbooked taxis/minivans/minibuses waiting for cruise tourists?

Can we get on the spot shared minivan tours at Genoa, Marseille, Mahon, Cagliari, Messina? Thanks

 

You've asked this several times. I honestly can't answer for every port. In some it is possible there will be tour operators. But -- is it worth taking a chance? Some of the ports are a long way from the places you want to see. Isn't it better to pre-arrange something, rather than waiting? What if it turns out there is no suitable option on the day you turn up? What will you do then?

 

Europe isn't like the Caribbean, with lots of small-time operators waiting to get a mini-van full of passengers together. Instead, it's more likely that you'll find individual taxi or small van drivers who won't charge much less than if you arrange something in advance. (And if you arrange in advance, you're more likely to ensure that you have a driver who speaks good English and can give you some information, rather than just driving you from point to point.)

Thanks again Cruise mom!