Best RC European cruise for our first time to Europe?

Hi! My husband and I are experienced cruisers - however, neither of us have ever been to Europe. For our 2 year anniversary, we are wanting to do our first European cruise. We do not have a specific country, or place we want to see... as we’ve never been anywhere over there, so it’s all new!

My questions are:

1. What is the easiest airport in Europe to fly into that is close to a cruise port? We will be flying out of Tampa, Florida when we do fly.

2. What 6-9 day European cruise would you choose? Frankly, we’re a bit nervous about our first laaaaarge travel adventure, so if there is one particular airport that is super close to one port, we would probably choose this based simply off of proximity.

Any tips/advice for planning? We have a TA, but I wanted to get the communities thoughts first.

Thank you!

- Megan

Personally, nothing beats the view you get sailing out of Venice and the ports of Croatia and Kotor. Stunning scenery and more manageable than Rome or Barcelona.

Smaller ship too.

Stay a few days in Venice before the cruise. Buy a vaporetto ticket (they are the water taxis) and use these to travel to the outlying islands of Murano and Burano (gorgeous) as well as sitting at the back whilst you go down the Grand Canal.

There are no direct flights so you will need to change somewhere!!!

Would agree with Venice and a cruise to Greek islands. We have sailed out of Venice many times. Flight into Venice, then take either a water taxi or the airport water bus (Alilaguna) we always stay on the Lido (Hotel Riviera) much cheaper than staying in Venice on the other side of the water (you are only 15mins on the vaporetto from St Marks square) and on the morning of departure for the cruise take the Alilaguna direct to the cruise port. Good and reasonably priced restaurants on the Lido, also has a great sandy beach for a paddle. The RCI ship sailing out of Venice is Rhapsody. You could fly with BA from Tampa to Venice with a change at London Gatwick.

Enjoy!

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Also agree with Venice and another plan would be to fly into Rome,spend 2-3 days in Rome and then take a short flight or high-speed train ride to Venice for your cruise. Rome is almost a must-see in Italy as is Venice. We did similar trip and used Alitalia air. Great trip.

Personally, I would pick two cities and spend a week in each.

And SEE them.

This versus a port a day, if it is Tuesday, this must be X type of cruise itinerary.

Hi! My husband and I are experienced cruisers - however, neither of us have ever been to Europe. For our 2 year anniversary, we are wanting to do our first European cruise. We do not have a specific country, or place we want to see... as we’ve never been anywhere over there, so it’s all new!

 

My questions are:

 

1. What is the easiest airport in Europe to fly into that is close to a cruise port? We will be flying out of Tampa, Florida when we do fly.

 

Europe is great. First, let me say, don't worry about what the best airport is. Focus on what you want to see. Example, you main choices are Italy, Spain, and Baltic areas. Just pick one. I have been to Barcelona and am going to Amsterdam, but I can't tell you what's best until I leave from Italy. (I have been to Rome, and loved it)

Secondly, when you do decide, don't stay fixed on Tampa. Book with Air2Sea because they usually have the best prices for European flights. Be flexible. Many times, Miami is much cheaper. For me, I saved over $1000.00 for two people out of MIA instead of Orlando or Jacksonville or Tampa.

 

2. What 6-9 day European cruise would you choose? Frankly, we’re a bit nervous about our first laaaaarge travel adventure, so if there is one particular airport that is super close to one port, we would probably choose this based simply off of proximity.

 

Many airports are easy to get into town from. For example, in Amsterdam, we will land at the airport, and take the train/tram to Central Station, and walk a block to our hotel. Super easy, but the airport is outside the city.

 

Any tips/advice for planning? We have a TA, but I wanted to get the communities thoughts first.

 

Stay a few days in a hotel. Flights going to Europe will usually land in the early AM hours, and flights on the way home, will usually leave early in the day. So, when going home, you need a flight after noon, which I find those to be more expensive. I rather leave the next day, enjoy a day and night in the city.

 

Thank you!

 

- Megan

Don't stress. Just plan, and enjoy.

This is something that interests me too.

Personally, I would pick two cities and spend a week in each.

 

And SEE them.

 

This versus a port a day, if it is Tuesday, this must be X type of cruise itinerary.

I fully understand that point of view. On the flip side, this is a second anniversary---which indicate this couple likely has many more year of travelling together to look forward to.

A cruise can be the vacation equivalent of a wine tasting----get a small sample of many places so you can decide which ones you want to go back and spend a week in later on.

We have been to most of them. Easiest departure ports, considering getting from a city hotel to the ship, are probably Amsterdam or Barcelona. These are both great cities to visit for a couple of days before the cruise. Their airports are within a 20 minute taxi ride to downtown hotels, and there is also public transportation available. Venice is a beautiful sail a way, depending on which ship you are taking. Our first European cruise was the Baltic, and we were hooked on Europe. We have been back many times, both cruises and land tours.

We did our first Europe cruise last November - on Rhapsody, sailed out of Venice and went to Kotor, Dubrovnik, Naples, Livorno, Rome and ended in Barcelona - spent 2 nights in Venice pre-cruise and 2 nights in Barcelona post-cruise. Live in Fort Myers and priced flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami - Miami was the cheapest - flew from there to Philly and then to Venice, and flew non-stop from Barcelona to Miami. Airports were easy and close, and one highlight of our trip was taking a water taxi from Venice airport across the lagoon and into Venice right to our hotel - an amazing experience!

We had such a great time that we booked a Baltic cruise on Serenade for this May as soon as we got home!

We did our first Med cruise from Rome. We contacted a company named Bob's Limo because we wanted pick up at FCO airport to a hotel in Rome for 2 nights. Then pick up at our hotel to the port. Upon our return, we had Bob's Limo pick us up at the port, take us back to a hotel in Rome for one last night and pick us up the following morning to take us back to the airport. They gave a discount for 4 transfers and it was absolutely wonderful. They were waiting for us at each step and handled everything flawlessly. Our cruise was very port intensive and knowing that we would be returning each night to the ship was just what we needed.

It's such a long way to fly, we prefer to do the longest cruise we can possibly afford. In your shoes, we would take the 9 night cruise and tack a pre- and post-cruise hotel for a few days on each end. Like I said, it's a long and expensive way to fly for a short 6 night cruise. Europe is phenomenal and you will want to get the biggest bang for your buck by staying as long as you possibly can. :)

Our first cruise from Europe left from Rome. Fascinating city with so many things to see.

But if it is your first trip to/from Europe, I think that Barcelona is an easier port to arrive and depart from. Barcelona is such a fun city with many, many colorful things to see. Spend a few days if you can. The ports after that don't really matter, because you will just get a taste of them. Pick what interests you! :)

Have fun! We are looking forward to spending more time in Europe. There are so many fabulous things to see and experience. :D

‘We had such a great time that we booked a Baltic cruise on Serenade for this May as soon as we got home!’

We did this cruise last May. It was one of my favourite cruises ever! Wonderful ports, beautiful ship.

I would probably recommend sailing out of Barcelona for a first Europe cruise, as the port is reasonably accessible. Or Venice....

So many choices.

Hi! My husband and I are experienced cruisers - however, neither of us have ever been to Europe. For our 2 year anniversary, we are wanting to do our first European cruise. We do not have a specific country, or place we want to see... as we’ve never been anywhere over there, so it’s all new!

 

My questions are:

 

1. What is the easiest airport in Europe to fly into that is close to a cruise port? We will be flying out of Tampa, Florida when we do fly.

2. What 6-9 day European cruise would you choose? Frankly, we’re a bit nervous about our first laaaaarge travel adventure, so if there is one particular airport that is super close to one port, we would probably choose this based simply off of proximity.

 

Any tips/advice for planning? We have a TA, but I wanted to get the communities thoughts first.

 

Thank you!

 

- Megan

I'm not sure if you are limited to a 6-9 nights, but my preference si a 12 niter out of Barcelona that covers the Medit. with a overnight stay in Venice. I've done it 4 times on a Radiance class and enjoy even more every time we cruise this itinerary. Barcelona is an easy city to fly in and getting to the crusie port.

I would say, be stereotypical and do the 7 night from Barcelona. The ship can be easily accessed from the airport, and the city is SO captivating. Spend a few days before your cruise in Barcelona, or, start in Paris or Madrid, spend a few days there, head into BCN the day before or morning of your cruise by train or cheap flight, and then spend a few days in Barcelona afterwards. Plus, the itineraries from Barcelona are very nice and give a good tasting of A) stereotypical European destinations and B) some new places you may have not considered. Plus, the ship.

But, I could also recommend the cruise from Venice. I have not been to Venice, but I've been to most of the Greek Isles, and they are absolutely stunning. That would be another good choice, fly into Venice Airport, stay a few days there, with maybe even a day trip to Milan, and then cruise to Croatia and Greece. While I originally thought the recommendations of the Baltic for your first trip seemed somewhat odd unless you had a real interest in the cities, considering you live in Florida, maybe the weather would be a nice summer break for you. Amsterdam and Copenhagen have very nice airports that are close to the ship.

Plus, I do agree with the above poster that being flexible could help. Flying from MIA or MCO even instead of TPA could save you some money. Plus, flying on maybe a Tuesday (perfect to spend a few days in the city before catching your ship for a Saturday or Sunday departure) would save a lot of money instead of flying on a weekend.

We did our first cruise in Europe leaving from Rome. One thing to remember is that you only have one day in port to sightsee. There were more attractions and sights that we wanted to see in Rome then any other port. We could never have done it in one day. We flew in three days before the cruise and stayed in Rome three days after the cruise.

This time we are sailing from Barcelona and I have been lining up our pre cruise tours. For our stops in Italy we are going again with Romeinlimo. We used them before and their service was excellent and dependable.

Thank you all so much for your comments, thoughts, and ideas! We are wanting a 6-9 day cruise because we do want to spend 2 or so days in the end and beginning port just exploring. There are so many to choose from, it’s almost overwhelming! Thanks for making it a little easier, though! :)

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There's a cruise that does Copenhagen, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. That could be a really great intro to Europe as they're all wonderful cities.

Mediterranean or Scandinavia. Either are awesome.

I would agree that Venice is the best departure port. Unfortunately the airfares tend to be much higher to that city than the others. I’ve also done Rome and Barcelona departures. All of them were fantastic. It truly is just a taste of the cities but still wonderful.

If you can manage to get 2 weeks, spend a week on land for adventure then cap it off with your planned cruise... Europe is beautiful and easy.

Greek Isles would be a good start.

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Be sure to check out Royals Air2Sea program. Look at two one way flights as they are a better deal then round trip. We just booked Lax to Barcelona. One way flights under $300.00 for coach, business class was $625.00 pp. happy cruising