Best Europe Cruise

[nancy110868]

Two of my friends and I are wanting to take our graduating seniors on a cruise to Europe next June. It will be 3 moms in their 40's, 2 18 yr old boys and 1 19 year old girl. Which cruise line and routes are the best? I'd like for it to include France and Spain if possible. Thanks in advance.

[Hlitner]

There is not a good answer to your question as there are just so many different cruise lines, ships, and itineraries cruising all over the Med every year. You probably should start by looking at lots of different itineraries, cost of the various offerings, etc. There are some excellent cruise search engines and data bases (all owned by cruise agencies) you can find online (we are not permitted to mention the here because of Cruise Critic rules).

 

We assume you are all from North America and English speaking,,,so you probably should limit yourself to lines that specialize in that market and use English as their main onboard language. So you are talking about lines like Celebrity, RCI, Princess, Holland America, and a few other mass market lines. Then there are other smaller ship lines that are more upscale (and more expensive) like Azamara, Oceania, Seabourn, Silverseas, etc.

 

Keep in mind that a Med cruise involves more then the cost of the cruise as you have to deal with airfare, at least one night pre-cruise (not flying over at least a day early is crazy), and the cost of exploring the ports whether it be with pricy cruise line excursions, private tours, or simply on your own (possible if you do your homework).

 

Since you mention Spain and France (both wonderful countries to visit) you might want to consider spending some extra time (pre or post cruise) in a place like Paris :).

 

Hank

[nancy110868]

Thank you so much!! I've been researching different cruise lines and itinerary's. I was hoping to hear different people's opinion on what cruise line they used and ports visited. We are from America and English is our primary language.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Essiesmom]

Cruising Europe is more about the ports than the ship or cruise line. Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and from the Ports of call list, plug in the ports you want to see the most, and then the time you want to cruise. It will tell you who calls there, and their itineraries. Pay close attention to the time the ship stays in port. One member was just reviewing her eastern Med. cruise on MSC Orchestra, and her times in several ports were less than six hours.

The Med cruises of 7 days are usually divided into the Eastern and Western Med. They are very port intensive so ship size and amenities are not as important as the itinerary. Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and study the ports you really want to visit and decide which ones are most important. Be sure to involve the kids in the discussion. Once you have decided where you want to go, it's time to work on the ship. Keep in mind that it will be really busy in August, as that is the month that most of Europe goes on vacation. And it will be really hot, especially in the Eastern Med. EM

[Hlitner]

As has been said, it should be all about itinerary. When you do your research, pay attention to the hours in port (the more hours the better) and also the days of the week. You do not want to get to a specific port on a Monday...only to find that the place you want to visit is closed. In Europe, Sunday, Monday, and the popular closing days...and many museums close one of those days. Sundays in France and Spain will also find many shops and larger stores closed...except in a few places.

 

But we want to stress the issue about hours in port. There are some cruise lines (Costa, MSC and NCL..quickly come to mind) that will sometimes crowd in extra ports and limit their time in a few places. Ideally, you want a full day in most ports.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

Certainly the itineraries are important. In particular, I suggest picking start/end ports that deserve extra time pre/post cruise (e.g., Lisbon to Rome).

 

Where I disagree with the earlier posters is the importance of the ship itself. For the week or more that you will be on the cruise, that ship is your home. And, if quality food, bedding, amenities and service are important in your daily life, finding a ship that meets/exceeds your needs is just as important as where you're headed.

 

Two suggestions:

 

First: Don't pick a cruise on comparison of cabin prices alone. Use "net daily rate (I.e., all associated expenses)." Adding things like beverages, tips, airfare to the cheapo cruises increases that "net daily rate" in a significant way. (And use a top producing TA to book).

 

Second: take time to read some CC threads regarding the behavior/culture/issues on different cruise lines. You will very quickly figure out which line's ships will best suit your needs and preferences.

[maryann ns]

Time in port is crucial.

 

If you are going to include Rome (and of course you should) then it is good to make it the starting or ending point for your cruise. Its port is well over an hour from the city so if you are just there for a one day port stop you have very little time in Rome.

 

I have yet to get to Barcelona but I hear it is great to visit and as a cruise port.

[whogo]

Royal Caribbean allows 18 year olds to drink alcohol on European cruises, Holland America doesn't. I don't know about other lines. I would consider one of Royal Caribbean's sailings from Barcelona for a taste of Spain and France and more. How do these look?

 

Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, from $1349:

Tue Jun 6 Barcelona, Spain 5:00pm

Wed Jun 7 Cannes, France 9:00am 6:00pm

Thu Jun 8 La Spezia, Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Fri Jun 9 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Sat Jun 10 At Sea

Sun Jun 11 At Sea

Mon Jun 12 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 6:00am 6:00pm

Tue Jun 13 Ephesus / Kusadasi, Turkey 8:00am 6:00pm

Wed Jun 14 Santorini, Greece 7:00am 5:00pm

Thu Jun 15 At Sea

Fri Jun 16 Valletta, Malta 7:00am 5:00pm

Sat Jun 17 At Sea

Sun Jun 18 Barcelona, Spain 6:00am

 

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, from $699 (similar cruises each Sunday):

Sun Jun 4 Barcelona, Spain 5:00pm

Mon Jun 5 Marseille, France 9:00am 6:00pm

Tue Jun 6 Nice (Villefranche), France 7:00am 7:00pm

Wed Jun 7 La Spezia, Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Thu Jun 8 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Fri Jun 9 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am 6:30pm

Sat Jun 10 At Sea

Sun Jun 11 Barcelona, Spain 6:00am

 

Holland America's Westerdam from $1999:

Fri Jun 16 Barcelona, Spain 4:00pm

Sat Jun 17 At Sea

Sun Jun 18 Cadiz, Spain 8:00am 11:00pm

Mon Jun 19 Gibraltar, UK Territory 8:00am 11:00pm

Tue Jun 20 Malaga, Spain 8:00am 6:00pm

Wed Jun 21 Alicante, Spain 10:00am 6:00pm

Thu Jun 22 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 8:00am 11:00pm

Fri Jun 23 At Sea

Sat Jun 24 Toulon, France 8:00am 6:00pm

Sun Jun 25 Calvi, Corsica, France 8:00am 6:00pm

Mon Jun 26 Monte Carlo, Monaco 8:00am 6:00pm

Tue Jun 27 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Wed Jun 28 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am

[donaldsc]

Your question is totally answerable since everyone's parameters for defining "best" are totally different. I look at some of the cruises in brochures that I get in the mail and I can not imagine why anyone could possibly take them. However, all of the cruise lines offer them and they go every year so there has to be a whole bunch of people whose tastes I can not fathom. Conversely, some of the trips and ships that I go on would probably be unfathomable to others.

 

My point is that you have given us no information at all for any of us to make an intelligent suggestion for you and even if you did come back with more information about your interests, I still don't think that Ideas would be useful.

 

Do some research. Pick out one or 2 tours that you think that you might be interested in. Then come back to us and we can tell you specifically why we think that they are wither good or bad tours. Bottom line is that you have to most of the work first.

 

DON

[Keith1010]

This is one where I would do some reading about the various cruise lines and there is a lot of information on Cruise Critic for that. Or a great source for cruise lines and ships is the annual book on cruising written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz which is easily ordered on Amazon.Com.

 

I would start with a Mediterranean itinerary.

 

Consider ones that include some stops in Italy and Greece or Italy, Spain and Greece.

 

But there are many.

 

The is no best but there are many terrific ones out there to sail.

 

Keith

[Floridiana]

Find one that includes airfare which will eat up a large chunk of your budget.

[zqvol]

The answer in large part depends on how much you are able to spend. If you can afford to avoid the mass market lines you will be much better off and have a much more enjoyable voyage.

[zoncom]

The 12 nighters going between Barcelona and Rome are designed for first timers. Just watch out for too many Spain Ports.The so called budget lines are CCL,NCL and RCL .Mid range Princess and Celebrity. Avoid HAL because it really is geared towards the really old .MSC best for Europeans. Good books include Fodors European Cruises, 700 pages. Also Frommers and LonelyPlanet. You will find lower cruise prices for 17 next year. Just Google or use Search Cruise Critic at top of this page for more info TRipadvisor.com good..As said here, its all about the ports and you do not need an expensive cabin as you will be in port most of time.

Edited June 20, 2016 by zoncom

[Flatbush Flyer]

Find one that includes airfare which will eat up a large chunk of your budget.

 

 

Yet another reminder to not get sucked in by low cruise prices, which reflect only the cost of the cabin. OP: make a spreadsheet and include all necessary and projected cost (e.g., airfare, beverages, specialty restaurants, gratuities, alcohol, excursions, cruise line and TA OBC, etc). That total, divided by number of cruise days gives you the "net daily rate." You may be quite surprised by that comparison.

Floridiana mentions one of the biggies, international airfare (which is included on premium/luxury lines like Oceania and Regent).

Always consider the full range of lines, particularly since there's also what you DON'T get when you move up from the mass market: nickel/diming, bothersome photogs, "Walmart" art shows, liberal smoking policies, endless hordes of folks, and, often, a Vegas-like amusement park atmosphere with a sea of backwards-turned baseball caps.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[griffy116]

We did this same thing as you are planning. There were five of us. We researched and decided to cruise Royal Caribbean 7-night, leaving from Civitevecchia (Rome). We fly to Rome and stay in Rome for 2 nights pre-cruise. It gave us a chance to get over the jet-lag, see as much of Rome as possible and then board the ship. It worked perfectly. We hired a private car. No dragging the luggage up and down steps, and it was very reasonable. We used Bob's Limo (which was a van). They picked us up at FCO, took us to the hotel. They also drove us to the port (approx 45 minutes away) to start the cruise. They picked us up at the end of the cruise and took us to a hotel in Rome for one day and night, and then picked us up the next morning and took us to FCO to board our flight. We got a discount because of the multiple pick-ups. Split five ways, this turned out to be a good deal per person and NO STRESS, no loading and unloading luggage during the entire trip..well worth it. We did this two years in a row, with a different itinerary but again leaving from Rome because we enjoyed it so much and there was so much to see. We used private drivers in most of the ports. Cheaper than ship excursions, customized to what we wanted to see, faster than ships excursions or using public transportation and again, per person it was very reasonable. In some ports, we didn't need a private driver (Barcelona, for example). We booked our tours with reputable companies, based on reviews on Cruise Critic and TripAdviser in each port. Each driver was waiting on us, took great care of us, adjusted the drive if we wanted to stop or spend more time or less time at any of our stops, got us closer to the places than the big buses and we got to the sights ahead of all the buses. We found out when talking to fellow cruisers that we managed to see SO much more without feeling rushed and we were able to rest in comfort during the drives from one spot to the next. Each driver kept ice cold bottles of water for us, which was much appreciated during the HOT June weather. It was the trip of a lifetime. You won't regret it.

[2specialkidsforme]

I have sailed the Epic from Civitavecchia (port near Rome) a few times and really enjoyed it.

 

Here is the itinerary for June 2017:

 

 

7-Day Western Mediterranean Round-trip from Civitavecchia

View All Ports Print Itinerary

Day Cruise Ports

Arrive

Depart

Wed Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy (EMBARK) --- 7:00 pm

Thu Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00 am 7:00 pm

Fri Cannes, France 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Sat Provence (Marseille), France 7:00 am 4:00 pm

Sun Barcelona, Spain 5:00 am 6:00 pm

Mon At Sea --- ---

Tue Naples, Italy 7:00 am 7:00 pm

Wed Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy (DISEMBARK) 6:00 am

 

 

The great part of this cruise is you can choose to embark in Rome, Barcelona or Marseille. So you can spend a few days prior to the cruise exploring that city. I embarked in Civitavecchia each time and spent time in Rome.

 

The ports give you an opportunity to visit:

Livormo - Florence, Cinque Terre and more

Naples - Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi Coast

Barcelona - La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, etc

 

 

The Epic is a great ship for all ages - fantastic evening entertainment and beautiful ship. Freestyle cruising so you can dress up or not.

 

 

On the NCL website - right now I noticed the June 7-14 and 14-21st itineraries are 3rd and 4th guest free. There might be dates also in May that include that promo but I did not check.

 

Regardless of what you pick - hope all of you have a fantastic European adventure!!!!

[SuiteTraveler]

Two of my friends and I are wanting to take our graduating seniors on a cruise to Europe next June. It will be 3 moms in their 40's, 2 18 yr old boys and 1 19 year old girl. Which cruise line and routes are the best? I'd like for it to include France and Spain if possible. Thanks in advance.

 

On Med cruises your ship is really nothing more than a floating place to sleep and eat breakfast and dinner as you spend most days in port and come back to the ship exhausted, so all you want is dinner and bed. Every cruise line out there can make breakfast competently and offer many options for dinner, so you really cannot go wrong in your choice of ships. Many Med cruises only have 1 day at sea. The excursions in Europe are VERY expensive and it is best to get on the Roll Call for your cruise and join others for small privately arranged tours. With 6 of you, you could do all tours together or add in one more couple from your Roll Call so that your cost is minimized. Here are the cruise lines which probably offer the lowest prices:

 

Carnival

NCL

RCCL

MSC

Costa

Azamara

 

and then one step up:

Princess

Celebrity

HAL (agree this is a cruise for the elderly, not for your age groups)

Viking

 

IMO, look at all of the above lines (except HAL) and compare prices. Check each cruise line's website. Some offer free drinks or free internet or free tips or other perks. Get the BEST deal while spending the least possible on the cruise itself. I also want to note that when you are comparing these lines, MSC does not encourage tipping - so you will save money there, whereas all the other lines either have a prepaid service charge above the cruise fare OR you are expected to tip.

 

If you are looking for stuff to do onboard for the kids, then definitely consider NCL Epic and RCCL Freedom - but again, keep in mind that the only time your kids will have to experience the onboard amenities might be the 1 day at sea and in the evening. So while the water slides and flow riders are nice, there is not a lot of time onboard to use them on a Med cruise.

 

Just a couple of other thoughts, I have found that in general Princess is a nice cruise, but they typically have very hard mattresses, which may or may not be an issue for you. NCL - there are MDR's but also specialty restaurants. We generally prefer to eat in the specialty restaurants over their MDR and that costs extra (although they sometimes offer packages with specialty restaurants included.) Also, you need to make your dining reservations in advance of your cruise. NCL does have some ships with 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom suites with a large living room and private hot tub and private deck called Garden Villas which on certain cruises can actually come out cheaper when shared than say, 3 mini-suites.

 

RCCL has Royal Family suites which include 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and could possibly accommodate your entire party. Celebrity has family verandahs but on Solstice class, there are only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for up to 6 passengers unless you add in the ocean view next door (which connects via a vestibule to this suite.)

 

Barcelona is a very convenient port to sail into and out of as the port is only 20 minutes away from the cruise port by taxi. That said, you need to book one night in a hotel prior to the cruise in case your international flights are delayed for any reason. On our first flight to Europe, we encountered a 6 hour delay in Boston. Luckily, we were flying in early, so we arrived around 3:30pm the day before embarkation.

 

In terms of Rome, there is much to see there BUT the airport is 90+ minutes away from the cruise port in Civitavecchia. The cheapest way to get there is via train which will require some effort on your part to go to Roma Termini from the airport, perhaps stay in Rome 2 - 3 days, and then back to Roma Termini and take the train to Civitavecchia on boarding day.

 

Venice is also an interesting port of embarkation, but often it is cheaper to fly to/from Rome than Venice so what you do in that case is take the train. In some cases, to get the right flight home you have to go to Rome.

 

Keep in mind that there are many locations in Europe where shorts are not permitted ( such as churches and cathedrals) and also, many toilets don't have toilet seats. For this reason, I find it more convenient to wear dresses while touring in the Med and I bring along a lightweight knit jacket that I can wear to cover my shoulders in holy sights. European walking shoes are your best bet for comfort. I wear fully adjustable Ecco walking sandals. These are great in case your feet get swollen from all the walking.

[Texas Tillie]

Azamara is not a low cost line! It has many costs included and is more or less equal to Oceania, perhaps even includes more.

[zoncom]

Also delete Costa, MSC and Azamara. First 2 for Europeans, AZ is tiny and pricey. Carnival not big in Europe, usually not even there. A short 7N cruise will yield not much but jet lag.Food better on Princess and RCL. NCL has mediocre food in non pay restaurants and really steers you to their many pay ones.

Edited June 20, 2016 by zoncom

[Flatbush Flyer]

Azamara is not a low cost line! It has many costs included and is more or less equal to Oceania, perhaps even includes more.

 

 

One if the few things of significance that Azamara includes that Oceania doesn't is a very basic mealtime alcohol package. However, with Oceania's "O Life" perks (included), one free amenity choice is the same type alcohol package (as opposed to your other choices of excursions or OBC). And then there's the big item of O's included airfare (or credit). Overall, including food quality, O is generally the better value.

[Texas Tillie]

One if the few things of significance that Azamara includes that Oceania doesn't is a very basic mealtime alcohol package. However, with Oceania's "O Life" perks (included), one free amenity choice is the same type alcohol package (as opposed to your other choices of excursions or OBC). And then there's the big item of O's included airfare (or credit). Overall, including food quality, O is generally the better value.

 

Whatever, I was responding to the previous post that listed Azamara as a low cost line. Neither Oceania or Azamara are low cost. However, when all is figured in, I'd rather be on Crystal than either of them. :)

[SuiteTraveler]

I looked online and Azamara has some cheaper prices than NCL and RCCL for Med cruises. MSC - why steer the OP away from this line? They are going to visit Europe, wouldn't part of that experience be the opportunity to interface with Europeans on the ship and eat European type food instead of American food? Seems to me MSC would be a much BETTER choice than RCCL, Carnival and other lines that cater to mostly Americans. Costa also has many low prices right now and lots of European cruisers - an asset for a Med cruise, IMO. Azamara has many things included and some low prices for Med cruises as well. I see prices as low as $1649. I don't know about most people, but we prefer to cruise with people from the region in which we are cruising, not a bunch of fellow Americans so that it's not like we even left home. I always think it is weird to come back from a day, in say, Italy and eat food that doesn't suit where we are cruising.

[cruisemom42]

MSC - why steer the OP away from this line? They are going to visit Europe, wouldn't part of that experience be the opportunity to interface with Europeans on the ship and eat European type food instead of American food? Seems to me MSC would be a much BETTER choice than RCCL, Carnival and other lines that cater to mostly Americans. Costa also has many low prices right now and lots of European cruisers - an asset for a Med cruise, IMO.

 

See the post by Hlitner, several above yours. MSC and Costa often offer very limited amounts of time in port: 5-6 hours, let's say, instead of 9-10 offered by many other lines. That in itself is a good reason to steer away first-time cruisers interested in seeing the sights and making the most of their time.

 

(And regarding food, you can get much better food ashore than on just about ANY cruise ship, so I wouldn't make that a primary consideration for which line to choose....)

[SuiteTraveler]

See the post by Hlitner, several above yours. MSC and Costa often offer very limited amounts of time in port: 5-6 hours, let's say, instead of 9-10 offered by many other lines. That in itself is a good reason to steer away first-time cruisers interested in seeing the sights and making the most of their time.

 

(And regarding food, you can get much better food ashore than on just about ANY cruise ship, so I wouldn't make that a primary consideration for which line to choose....)

 

This is MSC's June 2, 2017 cruise - port times are NOT short at all AND there are no days at sea on this cruise - certainly a huge benefit if you want to see as much as possible:

Fri Jun 2 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 6:00pm

Sat Jun 3 La Spezia, Italy 9:00am

Sun Jun 4 La Spezia, Italy 1:00am

Sun Jun 4 Genoa, Italy 8:00am 6:00pm

Mon Jun 5 Cannes, France 8:00am 4:00pm

Tue Jun 6 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 2:00pm

Wed Jun 7 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 12:30am

Wed Jun 7 Barcelona, Spain 9:30am 6:00pm

Thu Jun 8 Ajaccio, Corsica, France Noon 7:00pm

Fri Jun 9 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 8:00am

 

The food on MSC is Neapolitan, which at least is European.

[Hflors]

For me the best cruise to Europe is a cruise that you don't have to fly. Look at HAL's Voyage of the Vikings it leaves from Boston and returns to Boston. The cruise I am on is the Atlantic adventurer Leaves from Ft Lauderdale cruises the med and returns to Ft Lauderdale. No long flights involved.

 

Hope what ever you decide you have a wonderful time. Let us know when you decide.