Gosh, where do I start??

The more I research, the more my head spins! There seem to be lots of cruises that stop at some of the Greek Islands ... but what do I choose?

Is a smaller ship best?

Is in-port time a factor? (I would think so)

I would like to have before/after time in Athens or Istanbul ... should I try to include both?

Which line? Some seem to have good itineraries ... but are so much more expensive than others!

Would prefer May or Sept. or thereabouts ... prefer to be home in the summer and prefer to avoid the high tourist season.

If you have a recommendation (or two) - I would appreciate it!

The more I research, the more my head spins! There seem to be lots of cruises that stop at some of the Greek Islands ... but what do I choose?

 

Is a smaller ship best?

 

Is in-port time a factor? (I would think so)

 

I would like to have before/after time in Athens or Istanbul ... should I try to include both?

 

Which line? Some seem to have good itineraries ... but are so much more expensive than others!

 

Would prefer May or Sept. or thereabouts ... prefer to be home in the summer and prefer to avoid the high tourist season.

 

If you have a recommendation (or two) - I would appreciate it!

All your questions are really of a personal matter as to what size ship YOU like,yes port time is important..the longer the bettter,where you YOu would like to spend some time before and after by doing some research to pick one or do both if you have the time,Sept is a good time,but some prefer May so what time is best for YOU..summer is worse. My thought would be to do some reading on the places that you would really like to see and things you would really like to do and go from there then come back with some questions.If you want port intensive smaller can be better,but if you want a ton of things to do on board..big is better.Read some of the board postings as well.

Ah ... ok ... yes, port time more important than stuff to do on board.

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First, the ship - Celebrity Equinox - We have sailed on this ship before and loved it. Second, Celebrity offers I believe a good value. In my opinion, the cruise that we are booked on leaving Sept. 7, 2015 has a great itinerary.

We leave from Barcelona and are spending a couple of days pre-cruise. The

ports are Marseille, Fr., Nice, Fr., Florence, Italy, Rome, Italy, Malta, Mykonos Greece, Athens, Greece, Ephesus, Turkey and ending up in Istanbul, Turkey. We have never been to Europe before and I believe this will give us a wonderful sampling. Just my suggestion for something to look into and will fit a lot of your wish list.

We're doing the Island Princess, also another good choice. 9/19/15 - Venice(2) (over night) 2 sea days, Istanbul, Mykonos, Athens, Naples, Rome, Florence, Toulon & ending in Barcelona where we're staying a couple of days.

Choices are a good thing - have fun deciding, I'm on information overload at the moment but at least I have the pre & post hotels booked, along with the air :)

For the Med, the common advice is that the itinerary is more important than the ship, so I'd focus on finding itineraries that meet your needs first and then look at the competing options and consider other factors that matter to you.

I just finished a cruise about a month ago that started in Istanbul and ended in Athens and even though I've been to both cities before, I spent a few extra days on each end, as there is always more to see (at least in my opinion).

Smaller ships have some pluses -- they sometimes visit ports that bigger ships won't or are able to dock in areas that are closer to the actual sites you want to see (although this isn't THAT prevalent in the Med). The bigger issue is when you have to tender -- for example, in Santorini. If you are on a LARGE ship, and you don't have some kind of priority (suite, high-level past passenger), you may not get off the ship until mid-morning at best.

However, smaller ships also tend to be more expensive per person (makes sense as there are fewer people sharing the fixed costs), and there is often less entertainment onboard.

Time in port is VERY important. The European lines (Costa and MSC) tend to have shorter times in port than the mass market lines that cater to the American cruiser (e.g., HAL, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, etc.) Also very important: look at what days you'll be in which ports. Most museums in Europe are closed on Mondays, and other attractions may be closed on other days as well. For example, in Istanbul, Haghia Sophia is closed on Mondays (although ship tours can often get in anyway) and Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.

And finally, May and September have really become part of the peak season in the Med, with the explosion of tourism and cruise ships there. Don't necessarily expect any good deals (especially for European hotels and airfare) unless you go to the "real" shoulder season of April or October/early November. I hate heat and crowds and am perfectly happy sailing at those times of year. (In fact, all of my Med cruises except 1 have been in late April or October/November.)

Agreed…… late April or November. Our next booked one leaves Rome on 4/27 and we will be spending a couple of day pre cruise there. Have also done a 5/3 and numerous ones in November (early, mid and late) And one in mid Oct. ending in early Nov. Every single one was nice weather, less crowds (lines) and almost all were great values.

As for ships…. we love Celebrity Solstice class (Solstice, Equinox, Silhouette all sailed so far) with Reflection booked for 2015. Not the mega ship but not too small either. While the itinerary and port times are first on the list, a great ship experience is also a must !!!! There is still plenty to do on sea days or in the evenings on this class of ship. They are also Beautiful ships !!!

As for pre and post cruise - if you have the time add it in. We love Rome and always add a few days pre and most times 1 night post cruise.

Have fun planning - to most of us here its a big part of the fun :D

The more I research, the more my head spins! There seem to be lots of cruises that stop at some of the Greek Islands ... but what do I choose?

 

Is a smaller ship best?

 

Is in-port time a factor? (I would think so)

 

I would like to have before/after time in Athens or Istanbul ... should I try to include both?

 

Which line? Some seem to have good itineraries ... but are so much more expensive than others!

 

Would prefer May or Sept. or thereabouts ... prefer to be home in the summer and prefer to avoid the high tourist season.

 

If you have a recommendation (or two) - I would appreciate it!

May or September sounds great, even early June. And yes, book some time at both ends--we did 6 days in Greece and 6 days in Istanbul. Try to get out of Athens to either an island or a nice part of the mainland.

Yes, port time is important. So is ship size, but small usually comes with a price. Do what your budget will allow!

Edited to add: April can be quite delightful in Greece, btw.

Wow ... this is great info! Thanks, everyone!

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And finally, May and September have really become part of the peak season in the Med, with the explosion of tourism and cruise ships there. Don't necessarily expect any good deals (especially for European hotels and airfare) unless you go to the "real" shoulder season of April or October/early November. I hate heat and crowds and am perfectly happy sailing at those times of year. (In fact, all of my Med cruises except 1 have been in late April or October/November.)

Thanks Cruisemom42, I've been following your posts on the Rome board too. Question for you from a newbie to Europe: We're leaving out of Venice 9/19 and ending in Barcelona 10/1. Weather wise what should I be expecting? I saw low 70's posted, is this accurate? So, layering, ie. short sleeves, light sweater, capris or lightweight pants good? No real summer clothes? I was thinking perhaps long knee length shorts? I'm assuming too, in Mykonos it won't be swimming/beach weather? Would appreciate your input :)

Thanks Cruisemom42, I've been following your posts on the Rome board too. Question for you from a newbie to Europe: We're leaving out of Venice 9/19 and ending in Barcelona 10/1. Weather wise what should I be expecting? I saw low 70's posted, is this accurate? So, layering, ie. short sleeves, light sweater, capris or lightweight pants good? No real summer clothes? I was thinking perhaps long knee length shorts? I'm assuming too, in Mykonos it won't be swimming/beach weather? Would appreciate your input :)

The weather can really vary at that time of year. Layers are definitely your best bet -- I'd probably bring a mix of short- and long-sleeve shirts (depending on your itinerary -- if mostly in the more southern Med, you'll have warmer weather, obviously) and capris or lightweight pants. I'd probably leave the shorts home or bring only a pair to wear onboard ship or on a beach day. Bring a light rain jacket and maybe a lightweight fleece that you could wear separately or layer under the jacket if you get some unseasonably cool weather.

You actually could hit swimming weather in Mykonos. A couple of years ago I departed Athens on a Med cruise on Sept 29 -- and it was 100 degrees that day (and for several days following we had VERY warm weather). The trouble is that you can't count on it.

I see Celebrity has one they call "Greece and Italy cruise" ... it makes one stop at Mykonos! Not much Greece!

So is 8 am - 5 or 6 pm as a port call adequate to see places like Ephesus, Rhodes, Santorini, Olympia?

I see Celebrity has one they call "Greece and Italy cruise" ... it makes one stop at Mykonos! Not much Greece!

This is going to depend on how long a cruise you are taking…..

Our next is 11 nights, Rome and Naples for Italy, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens for Greece and Istanbul and Kusadasi(Ephesus) for Turkey.

There are some that will go to Crete and other ports - you just have to keep looking.

So is 8 am - 5 or 6 pm as a port call adequate to see places like Ephesus, Rhodes, Santorini, Olympia?

I would say "adequate" is a good word to use. If you plan your time wisely, it is probably adequate. Though there is more than you can see in a day , it is enough time to get the flavor of the places.

Put another way, you can see the main "must sees" in each of these places in a day. However, you could also find interesting things to do on a subsequent visit -- perhaps with the exception of Katakolon, where the only compelling reason to stop is to see the ruins of Olympia.

We've booked a Hal cruise in july 2015 (it's the only time of the year my husband can take off from work, if i could choose I would choose september, november is rather late if you want to be sure of sunny/warm weather). I think it's a very nice itenary: rome - messina-malta-argostoli- corfu - Kotor - Croatia (dubrovnik, split and Korcula) -venice.

ten years ago, we've also done a Med Cruise, but on the MSC Armonia. The itenary was also very interesting, but it was a big ship and it felt sometimes crowded. The staff wasn't very friendly and there were language difficulties. With Hal, we are staying late in Dubrovnik and 1 night in Venice, so we can visit those cities in the evening too.

Only you can determine which is more important for you. We can only tell you what worked for us.

Have you cruised before? Do you know if you like small ships, or big ships?

I like to start a graph chart, putting the ships/cruiselines across the top, then the things of interest (ship size, cabin type, cost, ports, times in ports, sights to see, etc) down the side. As you research each cruiseline, but an "x" in the conjoining box. As you near the end of your research, one should have more x's than the others.

For our Med cruise, we knew we wanted to see Italy and Greece. I found a really nice 12 day cruise on the Grand Princess. I went against my better judgment on the size of the ship (won't do that again). We left from Civitavecchia (port for Rome), to Monte Carlo, to Livorno (port for Florence and Pisa), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi Turkey, Mykonos (aborted due to high winds), Athens, Katakolon (Olympia), Corfu and ending in Venice. The ports were fantastic, but we didn't enjoy the ship at all, it was just too big.

So you are the only one that knows your likes and dislikes, or what you want to see and do. Have fun planning and researching, then taking your cruise. Have a Plan "A", then a Plan "B" for when Plan A falls apart, and still be prepared to just go with the flow when everything falls apart. And take half the clothes you think you need and twice the money!

The Mediterranean covers a lot of ground. Are you more drawn to Italy ports or are you more drawn to Eastern Mediterranean? I agree stick with the American market ships unless you can't find one to meet your needs. The NCL Jade has some nice itineraries at the time you are looking

When it comes to Greece, I absolutely fell in love with Santorini. I've also been to Mykonos (loved it), Delos, Rhodes (so-so), and Athens. This fall we're doing a cruise that includes Greece, Croatia, Venice, Kusadasi/Ephesus and Istanbul. We're staying over in Venice and Istanbul. Can't wait; sounds like a fabulous itinerary. It's on the new Viking Oceans' Star for late September 2015; totally booked up otherwise I'd suggest you take a look! There's probably a few cruises on them to same places next year, though!

Obviously everyone likes different things. We love the smaller ships (especially under 1,000). Smaller ships often get to go places where bigger ships can't go, and then there's little waiting to get off the ship so you get more time than on mega ships. We love the ships that go to a lot of different places with few sea days. If you prefer nights in port and more than one day in port you might like Azamara. We love Oceania, and quite honestly, some people think it's an expensive line, but when you see what it includes (air fare, special restaurant meals, tons of ports, etc.) and how well they do things, many people decide it's definitely worth paying a bit more. We do. They go everywhere, so they probably have a nice cruise for you. Then again, if you're not over 50, you may not like cruising with an older crowd - but it's not stuffy, is casual but classy at the same time. Food and service are fabulous and there's lots of outside dining, which we love.

I would choose more on the basis of itinerary than anything, but obviously, that's personal preference. You may want to mostly just chill, be pampered, and relax.

My thoughts: With pricing, make sure you know everything that's included and what's not. The lines all do it differently, and some definitely cheat!! Watch the extras, too. We know people who've walked off a cruise ship owing $1,000 or more, and others (like us) who've walked off owing $2. (That was for laundry tokens; my husband is such a nut; likes to go home with clean clothes!) Also, even though an inside or port hole cabin sounds iffy, keep in mind that most of the time there won't be a whole lot to view even if you have a veranda cabin. You can save a lot by taking a cheaper cabin, and quite honestly, I'm not much happier in a veranda cabin than I am in an inside cabin. Windows and balconies are over-rated!

Yes, I'd say 8 to 5 or 6 in a port is adequate. Of course you won't see ALL of the city, but if you plan and research ahead as I do (and get up early!), you can see quite a bit! I would not, however, go on a cruise that spends only 8 - 2 or something like that in a major port, or in Santorini. (Mykonos, yes, but not Santorini, mostly because you tender and it takes a while to get anywhere worthwhile, especially beautiful Oia.)

Yes, shoulder seasons are best times to go in my opinion, but I can tell you that late Sept. and early October, at least for Venice, is still a very busy time. Oh well, at least the weather's still good!

Having time pre-cruise to get on the local time schedule helps, so we tend to plan to get to the embarkation city a day or two ahead of time. It looks like you've figured out that you probably won't see much of the embarkation and disembarkation cities unless you go early and stay late - yep, true! Most cruise ships kick you off the ship by 8 or 9 in the morning, so it's possible you could store your bags somewhere and go sightseeing for a few hours before going to the airport. Realistically, however, this has seldom been possible for us, as the flights to the U.S. almost always aren't timed well enough to do that.

Don't be afraid of booking on your own, and taking cabs to the cruise ship and airport instead of taking the expensive ship transfers. Same goes for cruise insurance - get it on your own, not through the ship. You may want to use a travel agent to book. Ours gives us a little discount, plus goodies like shipboard credit, so we always use him. Once you book something and IF you have a pre-existing medical condition, be aware that to have that condition covered, you will probably have to buy insurance within 2 weeks of making your initial payment to the cruise line.

My goodness, we love the OP's questions as they are very well thought out and she is asking very perceptive questions. Accordingly, we will dispense no advice (not like us) or recommendations. We have the impression that Linda already knows the answers and just wants some support,...and she has ours :).

Our only advice (not answering a question) is try to beg, borrow and steal as many extra days as possible for your trip. It costs a lot of money and aggravation just getting to that part of the world, so every extra day is another win!

Hank

Oh to spend longer! But some family obligations limit the length of our trips.