Advice: Eastern Mediterranean natural beauty

[NanJ0508]

We are choosing a future cruise to the Mediterranean. Our group enjoys the beauty of nature (like Alaska) more so than castles/cathedrals. I've heard the eastern side of the Mediterranean may be more what we are looking for. With some of our group having difficulty walking we hope to do excursions that sail or cruise along scenic areas. Does anyone have experience with itineraries such as this Voyager cruise in October, Rome to Trieste?

 

We are new to cruising and have the "we don't want to choose the wrong one" mentality! Although after our first cruise which was on Regent, I don't think there is a "wrong one"!

 

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by NanJ0508

[cwn]

We have done some of these ports years ago when we were more able bodied. So we mostly explored the town own our on or with a taxi.
Look on Regent.com at those ports and see what tours have been offered in past. That is just a sampling but may give you some ideas. See if any coastal sailing have been offered in the past. I like to check “What in a Port” also. It has information on what to see and gives me ideas.

[audobon_tx]

Readily accessible memorable scenery: Kotor, Amalfi, Catania

 

Be aware that this is an Adriatic Sea intensive cruise.  Personally I like the Adriatic towns/ports and you don't spend your time being dragged from one Roman ruin to the next.

 

Eastern Med is mainly Greece and Turkey.  Many areas are mountainous and have scenic beaches.  Very pretty but can involve a lot of walking.

 

But Kotor (sail in and "fjord"), Amalfi (coastal tour to Positano by boat, or take the coastal road), and Catania (Mt. Etna) are unique in the world.

 

All comments are just my experience and preferences.

[RachelG]

We have been to most of these ports.  The scenery is beautiful, but there is a lot of walking, so you will need to choose excursions wisely.  I know there are less walking tours available in most.  In the others, you could always hire a taxi and do your own. 

[Gilly]

We are booked on this cruise in October and are looking forward to it! But  @audobon_tx is correct in the observation that it's a very port-intensive itinerary.  We usually do longer, more relaxing cruises, but on this occasion the opportunity to visit some places we've wanted to see outweighed that slight concern.  We have done such intensive itineraries previously, eg. in the Baltic, and as the days go on, we've noticed how the mood on board (and our own 😉) becomes slightly more tetchy as everyone becomes more tired from the early starts and late nights.  It's surprising what a difference just one sea day can make.  Hopefully the temperatures in October will be kinder than midsummer, too.

[NanJ0508]

 

16 hours ago, cwn said:

We have done some of these ports years ago when we were more able bodied. So we mostly explored the town own our on or with a taxi.
Look on Regent.com at those ports and see what tours have been offered in past. That is just a sampling but may give you some ideas. See if any coastal sailing have been offered in the past. I like to check “What in a Port” also. It has information on what to see and gives me ideas.

I had  not even seen this part of RSSC.com - and I have spent wayyyy too many hours on their site, lol! Thanks for the tip! I've downloaded the entire excursion lists for several cruises to review but it is tedious going through pages and pages. I see on Ports & Excursions there is a filter button for activity level - nice.

[NanJ0508]

2 hours ago, Gilly said:

We are booked on this cruise in October and are looking forward to it! But  @audobon_tx is correct in the observation that it's a very port-intensive itinerary.  We usually do longer, more relaxing cruises, but on this occasion the opportunity to visit some places we've wanted to see outweighed that slight concern.  We have done such intensive itineraries previously, eg. in the Baltic, and as the days go on, we've noticed how the mood on board (and our own 😉) becomes slightly more tetchy as everyone becomes more tired from the early starts and late nights.  It's surprising what a difference just one sea day can make.  Hopefully the temperatures in October will be kinder than midsummer, too.

As newbie cruisers, we realized this after our first cruise. The week was over and we had not taken advantage of much of what the ship had to offer. I think we may have to mentally accept that it is okay to not do an excursion. We haven't traveled much internationally so we are torn between seeing the world and enjoying the relaxation time. Answer to this? More cruises!

[NanJ0508]

15 hours ago, audobon_tx said:

Readily accessible memorable scenery: Kotor, Amalfi, Catania

 

Be aware that this is an Adriatic Sea intensive cruise.  Personally I like the Adriatic towns/ports and you don't spend your time being dragged from one Roman ruin to the next.

 

Eastern Med is mainly Greece and Turkey.  Many areas are mountainous and have scenic beaches.  Very pretty but can involve a lot of walking.

 

But Kotor (sail in and "fjord"), Amalfi (coastal tour to Positano by boat, or take the coastal road), and Catania (Mt. Etna) are unique in the world.

 

All comments are just my experience and preferences.

Thank you for your insights!

[UUNetBill]

@NanJ0508, greetings from Upstate.  The Adriatic was one of our best surprises on our Regent cruises - as others have said, the sail-in to Kotor is spectacular and the scenery along the entire Dalmatian coast (the entire coast, actually) is beautiful.

 

We've been to most of those ports, many more than once, and we've always found nice excursions to take.  Pay particular attention to the 'walker ratings' on the listings - the three-walker tours can be pretty intense, while the bus and one walker tours are usually a safe bet.  Most of the ports would be fun to just walk around, have a coffee or a beer, do some shopping or sightseeing, then back to the ship.  You'll have tons of options.