I am looking for a good Italy cruise and have yet to see one that fits my needs?

Looking for May of 2019. I have looked at every cruise I can find no matter what the date. I am thinking of going out of Rome of Venice staying an extra 2 days in Venice. I would like about a 10-14 day of mostly just Italy. I want to hit the Amalfi coast for at least one day if not 2. I have looked at them out of Barcelona also. I mostly want to stay in Italy. I do not want to do a land trip. Does anyone know of any that I may be missing? Any ideas? Thanks

You may have more choices if you wait until more cruise lines post their sailings for May of 2019.

Princess and HAL and others have yet to do so.

I figure the same that is why I have been looking at itineraries from 2018 expecting the same for 2019 and still missing what I am looking for. It may not be available at all. Thanks

Most Med cruise itineraries cover more ground than a single country since distances are small and a good number of the passengers onboard want to experience a wider range of places. However, there are the occasional itineraries that are focused primarily on one country -- albeit with at least one port tossed in to satisfy requirements (which I know exist at least in Italy) for having a call in a foreign port.

You may need to look at smaller/specialty lines for such an itinerary. For example, I'm booked on a cruise next May (2018) on Aegean Odyssey (Voyages to Antiquity, 350 pax) that starts in Venice, ends in Rome, and visits Ancona, Brindisi, Taormina, Salerno, and has two overnights in Sorrento -- all in Italy. However, it also visits Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu and Sarande Albania -- which satisfies the ex-EU requirement.

Of the mainstream cruise lines, Princess, and I think RCI and Celebrity, offer approx. 11-day one-way cruises Rome to Venice or vice-versa.

But not just calling at Italian ports, for instance they may include a Croatian port such as Split or Dubrovnik and a Greek port or two like Corfu or Katacolon - the route passes close to these ports so it would be rude not to stop by ;)

Most include Naples or Salerno, from which you can explore the Amalfi coast, but I've never seen one that overnites there.

Or as cruisemom's post check out the smaller lines, such as Azamara. Some include stops at Sorrento & Amalfi, both ideal for exploring the Amalfi coast.

OK, you don't want a land tour, but for longer in the Naples / Amalfi / Capri / Pompeii area consider........

- a cruise which ends in Rome with Naples as the last port-of-call, and jump-ship in Naples for post-cruise time in Amalfi. Requires permission from the cruise line, but normally granted.

- or a cruise which ends in Rome, then spend post-cruise time in the Amalfi area - it's something over 4 hours away by road or rail.

JB :)

As already said doubt you can find one with more than a day in Amalfi coast, I also love Italy and did a RCCL last year 12 days with 5 stops in Italy, some do have overnight in Venice

Can you do April? We sail April 18 12 days ending in Venice. I think it meets your requests.

Holland America- Oosterdam

My message to the OP is simple. Sit back, take a deep breath, and think what you really want out of your trip. It sounds to me like you want to see and enjoy Italy. And doing this via cruise is just not the best method! I have driven over 10,000 miles through Italy from the Northern borders to the South of Sicily. I have also taken numerous cruises around Italy (and Europe).

So consider that a cruise will only give you a limited amount of time in a few places. And in many cases (such as Rome and Florence) you are going to need 1 1/2 hours each way to simply get from your ship to your destination. So, if Italy is your goal, consider a 2 week (or longer land trip). There are quite a few different options including tours (in all price ranges), renting a car, or using trains...or perhaps a combination of all those ideas. The Italy you will see and experience on land is totally different then what one experiences on a ship.

Consider one example. Some cruise ship excursions, from Livorno, will go to the wonderful walled town of San Gimignano. You will arrive on a bus (with 60 others) and be walked through the walled town that is crowded with hundreds or thousands of other folks on buses. Now consider when we spent a week in a gorgeous hotel just outside of that same town. We would drive over to San Gimignano about 6pm, after all the day tours were gone. The town was charming, quiet, shops were not crowded, locals and workers had time to chat with us, etc. When we left our restaurant around 11pm, we walked through the quiet eerie streets which looked much the same as they had over 1000 years ago.

Or think about Florence (one of the top tourist cities in the world), We had first visited this city on 2 different cruise line excursions and thought it was an OK place. Then, on a lengthy driving trip in Italy, we stopped at Florence for a few nights. For the first time we fell in love with this city, felt its amazing spirit, discovered some of its good restaurants, etc. We did not have to rush from place to place and worry about the 1 1/2 hour trip back to the port. We could spend a long day exploring the city, go back to our hotel to shower and have a drink, and then back out in the evening for some shopping and a great meal. And after dinner we could stroll along the quiet river and duck into a bar for a few nightcaps.

You mention the Amalfi Coast...and its similar to other parts of Italy. You can try to rush through in a one day bus excursion...but a bus cannot even take you into Positano (no tour buses allowed). Or, you can spend a few days (or even a week) staying on the coast (we stay in the small village of Praiano) and explore Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, Sorrento, Salerno, Capri, etc etc. You do not have to choose between seeing the coast from a boat, a car or even a bus...you can do it all :). We have done it on cruises (many times) and on extended land visits (twice) and while we loved our cruises....staying on the coast was the only way to really get to know and love this area.

You want to see Italy? Stay in Italy. You want to see the Adriatic and other bodies of water....take a cruise. We love both forms of travel, but land is the only way to truly experience a country.

Hank

Amen, Hank!:halo:

Well said, Hank - precisely my sentiments!

My message to the OP is simple. Sit back, take a deep breath, and think what you really want out of your trip. It sounds to me like you want to see and enjoy Italy. And doing this via cruise is just not the best method! I have driven over 10,000 miles through Italy from the Northern borders to the South of Sicily. I have also taken numerous cruises around Italy (and Europe).

 

So consider that a cruise will only give you a limited amount of time in a few places. And in many cases (such as Rome and Florence) you are going to need 1 1/2 hours each way to simply get from your ship to your destination. So, if Italy is your goal, consider a 2 week (or longer land trip). There are quite a few different options including tours (in all price ranges), renting a car, or using trains...or perhaps a combination of all those ideas. The Italy you will see and experience on land is totally different then what one experiences on a ship.

 

Consider one example. Some cruise ship excursions, from Livorno, will go to the wonderful walled town of San Gimignano. You will arrive on a bus (with 60 others) and be walked through the walled town that is crowded with hundreds or thousands of other folks on buses. Now consider when we spent a week in a gorgeous hotel just outside of that same town. We would drive over to San Gimignano about 6pm, after all the day tours were gone. The town was charming, quiet, shops were not crowded, locals and workers had time to chat with us, etc. When we left our restaurant around 11pm, we walked through the quiet eerie streets which looked much the same as they had over 1000 years ago.

 

Or think about Florence (one of the top tourist cities in the world), We had first visited this city on 2 different cruise line excursions and thought it was an OK place. Then, on a lengthy driving trip in Italy, we stopped at Florence for a few nights. For the first time we fell in love with this city, felt its amazing spirit, discovered some of its good restaurants, etc. We did not have to rush from place to place and worry about the 1 1/2 hour trip back to the port. We could spend a long day exploring the city, go back to our hotel to shower and have a drink, and then back out in the evening for some shopping and a great meal. And after dinner we could stroll along the quiet river and duck into a bar for a few nightcaps.

 

You mention the Amalfi Coast...and its similar to other parts of Italy. You can try to rush through in a one day bus excursion...but a bus cannot even take you into Positano (no tour buses allowed). Or, you can spend a few days (or even a week) staying on the coast (we stay in the small village of Praiano) and explore Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, Sorrento, Salerno, Capri, etc etc. You do not have to choose between seeing the coast from a boat, a car or even a bus...you can do it all :). We have done it on cruises (many times) and on extended land visits (twice) and while we loved our cruises....staying on the coast was the only way to really get to know and love this area.

 

You want to see Italy? Stay in Italy. You want to see the Adriatic and other bodies of water....take a cruise. We love both forms of travel, but land is the only way to truly experience a country.

 

Hank

We're going with Azamara to Italy next Oct and hate being rushed seeing the sights. We've never been to Italy so would you recommend that we stay in Liverno and Portofino that the ship docks in for a less rushed and more authentic Italy?

We're going with Azamara to Italy next Oct and hate being rushed seeing the sights. We've never been to Italy so would you recommend that we stay in Liverno and Portofino that the ship docks in for a less rushed and more authentic Italy?

WOW! You can get a lot of different opinions on your question as there is no right/wrong. But if you truly do not like being rushed seeing sites, a cruise is going to leave you somewhat disappointed. Personally, we would not stay in either Livorno or Portofino and neither of those places are among our favorites (or even near favorites). We would certainly recommend staying in Florence (instead of Livorno). If you did not want to stay in a large city we would suggest staying somewhere between Florence and Siena (such as the Chianti area, San Gimignano, etc).

As to Portofino, its a very small (and quaint) port often used by luxury yachts as a place to stop for lunch, shopping, dinner, etc. While we enjoy visiting Portofino for a few hours, its just not a village we would choose for overnights.

DW and I think that Italy is a fantastic country to visit. The differences in food, wine, and even culture as you work your way through the country....really adds to the fun. A first time visitor might be very happy to split their time between Rome, Florence and Venice...using the trains to get between those cities. But as long time visitors we now find that the Italy outside the major cities is also very enjoyable. But to see the more rural parts of the country you need a rental car or a decent bus tour.

If you want to get some ideas, simply look at some decent tour itineraries. Tauck (a verry high end tour company) has some great itineraries as do plenty of other tour companies. We will sometimes use the tour companies to give us itinerary ideas....and then we duplicate some of their ideas with our own rental car. But driving in Italy is an experience in itself so there is much to support the idea of taking a decent tour. One travel trend is to look at renting apartments (we have done this several times in France) rather than using hotels. Another idea in Italy is to stay at some of the rural Agritourismo (Google this word) places...but for this kind of travel you do need a car.

One couple we met on a recent cruise said they have long looked at European driving trips...but got so frustrated with all the options that they decided to take a cruise :) For us its just a lot fun...but for many others its too hard to make the choices.

Hank

Thanks everyone. I am set on a cruise although it may miss some I am trying to get in as much as possible. Most of 2019 will be out pretty soon and I will have to make a decision. Thanks again.

Here is a very heavy Italy cruise on Oceania...but it's in August. Only one night in Amalfi.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Mediterranean-cruises/venice-to-monte-carlo-SIR190806/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%2F%23sailDates%3D2019%7C05%2C2019%7C06%2C2019%7C07%2C2019%7C08%2C2019%7C09%2C2019%7C10%23destinations%3Dmediterranean

Have you looked at Wind Star Cruises? We are putting 3 cruises back to back in September 2018 leaving out of Lisbon, to Barcelona, to Rome, around Sicily and ending in Rome. Wind Star also has cruises from Rome to Venice (or vice versa). Typically WS is very port intensive which we love. It looks like May 15, 2018 they have one cruise Tuscany and the Typrrhenian Sea that departs Rome and sails for 10 days on the eastern side of Italy ending in Rome. Following that they have a cruise Sailing Southern Italy and Croatia May 25, 2018 from Rome to Venice. They also have several other ones you could make back 2 back if you wanted to end up seeing some of Nice and southern France. Of course this is for 2018 but at least it might give you ideas.

We did 17 days of a land tour of Italy traveling by train and car from Rome to Pisa, Tuscany, Florence, Venice and Milan. We took a private car tour down to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast while staying in Rome. If you really want to see Italy, I would vote for a land tour. We stayed in mostly apartments for 3 - 5 days in each place and that gave us lots of time to tour, eat and drink ;)

In October 2018, we are on a Celebrity itinerary (Reflection)

that in ONLY Italy and Greece ports. You might take a look

at the Celebrity itineraries.

Thanks everyone. RC newest cruises just came out finally. I have a room on hold on the

12 NIGHT

Mediterranean Venice Cruise.

It looks like the best fit for my wallet and ports at this time. It sails May 6,2019. I think my eternal search for a cruise is over. I have been doing this for so long that I will be glad to be done with it....I think. Thanks again