European cruises

[Beachin]

My family wants to take a cruise in Europe somewhere along the Mediterranean. What are the best ports? When is the best time of year to go? I've heard that July and August are too hot. Thanks for your help.

[eightofninekev]

My family wants to take a cruise in Europe somewhere along the Mediterranean. What are the best ports? When is the best time of year to go? I've heard that July and August are too hot. Thanks for your help.

 

I went in April and in October ,April was loveley nice weather the sea wasnt to bad a little rough .In October the weather was alot worse the first day at sea was rough there was a thunder storm we coudent go out on deck ,the next few days we had rain .The ports went to starting from Palma Mallorca ,villefranche ,livorno ,Rome ,Toulon,Barcelona that was the April cruise the October one we went to Propriano Corsica instead of Toulon .

[chipmaster]

Hmm what is best :rolleyes: When I think of Europe citeis like Rome, Athens, Venice, Florence come to mind, others have other cities in mind.

 

First you need to decide what cities you want to visit. A good place to look at his this site: http://www.europeportreviews.com/

 

If Paris or places in Switzerland are your fancy a cruise may not be for you. Be warned many ports, Rome, Florence, are a few hours round trip from port so you have tradeoffs. With a cruise you can hit many cites with one pack/unpack but spend much time travel and so little time in palces you have to pick carefully what you do in the ports. That being said our trip two years ago was just a dream one.

 

As to dates, clearly summer is what works for many and yes it is hot and crowded. Not so hot and crowded one can't do it enjoyable. If you aren't limited by family then spring fall is best for weather, crowds and price.

 

Happy planning!

 

My family wants to take a cruise in Europe somewhere along the Mediterranean. What are the best ports? When is the best time of year to go? I've heard that July and August are too hot. Thanks for your help.

[paul929207]

If you have not been to the Ned before then you want to go to the major areas like Venice, Rome, Florence, Athens, Istanbul and Alexandrria (Cairo).

[Talisker92]

We took a med cruise in 2007 from Venice to Istanbul. The story is on our website

http://www.stevekathytravels.com

[aohkay]

There's both Eastern Med and Western Med cruises to choose from. As others have said, you need to decide what ports you would be interested in. The Med cruises are very port intensive and typically it's one port, per day!

 

We went in mid August to early September. It was hot, hot, hot. I LOVE the heat, so I had a great time. Perhaps May or June would suit you better?

 

Be aware that the ships don't necessarily dock at the advertised port; for instance for Florence, the ship docks in Livorno...which by the way is beautiful. Where you dock may depend on what line you are sailing with.

 

We loved the Med and would be more than happy to do it again...maybe an Eastern Med cruise next time :p

[GlendaleCruiser]

We went in September last year and are going in May next year. Weather was great last year and I'm hoping for the same for May.

 

Florence, Venice, Rome were the tops on my list but still loved Dubrovnik, Monaco. Just okay for me was Naples and Messina except I loved the volcano (Mt. Etna).

 

Would love to go to Milan and Verona.

[beckntom]

We did 20 days on HAL's Noordam this past September which covered ports in both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. We thought that itinerary was just about perfect although we wished Venice were included. The cruise could also be booked as two 10 day cruises, one to Eastern ports, one to Western. You might want to check those itineraries. We were on the ship from September 8th until the 28th, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We were never "hot" on our tours and only started the day out a few times with a lightweight sweater. I'd say definitely avoid the summer months if that is at all possible for you.

[jocap]

Hi, Beachin...it sounds as though you don't really like the very hot weather....these days, we only holiday in the Med in April-May, or the last week in Sept to the end of Oct, as I can't deal with the heat. The further south you go, the hotter it is...if we're going for a week at the end of Oct, we choose a southern Greek isle, Cyprus or Tunisia, where the weather is still pleasant and mild.

You have a wealth of cruise ships, and ports, during the spring/summer months, until the middle of Oct, when most lines return to the Caribbean for the winter.

How to choose? Start looking at the countries you'd most like to visit, then check which ships are going there. Ask for brochures at your TAs, check the internet, see where you can fly from/to with the least inconvenience. Once you've narrowed it down a little, we can help you more. :)

Jo.

[PROCRUISE]

We took our Mediterranean cruises in mid September and the first weeks of October and the weather was perfect!

[maryann ns]

Don't rule out November. We were often the only ship in port last fall and yet had wonderful (eat outside) weather in Rome, Amalfi Coast, Chios (Greece), Turkey (5 ports) Cyprus, Alexandria, and Athens.

[celyvabeach]

WE did our western Med cruise ( Barcelona R/T, ports included Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence, Naples, Sicily) last part of October into first week of November. Weather was perfect...

[5326jan]

My family wants to take a cruise in Europe somewhere along the Mediterranean. What are the best ports? When is the best time of year to go? I've heard that July and August are too hot. Thanks for your help.

 

Speaking from personal experience, don't go to Italy in late July and August. You will be miserable. :( In fact, many Italians go on holiday during that time period and close their businesses. May is a perfect time to go to Southern Europe!

 

If July and August are your only available dates, go to the Baltics! The fjiords are magnificant, the scenery is beautiful and the weather is much cooler!

[operafan]

We've always gone in May and had beautiful weather and moderate temps.

[Beachin]

Thanks so much for your help. I'm thinking mid September would work well. Now I just need to narrow down my ports!

[5326jan]

Thanks so much for your help. I'm thinking mid September would work well. Now I just need to narrow down my ports!

 

Congrats on picking the time frame. Sometimes that is the hardest part! Take a look at some of the smaller ships too as they can get into ports that many large ships either miss or tender passengers in. Have a great time!:)