Jump to content

"traditional" Italian honeymoon VS. Cruise? Help?


amandaaa04
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

I've been on exactly one cruise back in 2016 (Carnival) and wasn't a huge fan but my fiancé has taken regular cruises throughout his life. He likes the idea of not having to check in/out, make trains/transportation, etc. I like the idea that we'd be able to relax a bit more and it might be less stressful in the end - and a honeymoon should be just that, right? Europe is our preferred honeymoon destination. We also need to go end of June or beginning of July 2024 because I'm a teacher.

 

Right now, we're looking at starting in Rome, going to Naples/Positano, then Florence/Tuscany, before flying out of Venice.

If we cruise, I'm looking at itineraries that start in Rome/Venice and stop places in Italy before going to Greece. 

 

My questions to experienced travelers are:

1) What are the best lines/itineraries for Italy/Greece? An overnight at a Greek Island would be ideal. 

2) Do you feel that you lose time/getting an authentic experience by cruising vs. eating all meals at local restaurants? (food is really big for me and the idea of not being able to eat fresh, local, authentic food because I need to be back on the boat by dinner doesn't really appeal to me). 

3) How easy/hard is it to tack on extra days at the beginning or end of the trip?

4) Pros/cons if you've done something similar to either of our options. 

 

Thanks in advanced! 🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

I also think a cruise honeymoon is a great way to travel because once you board the ship you're on vacation and you don't need to pack/unpack numerous times the destinations just materialize every day. 

 

You can certainly enjoy authentic meals ashore for lunch and perhaps a dinner or two as ships stay quite late at Santorini. 

 

I found two potential Greek Isles cruises that might work for you. 

 

Celebrity Cruise Line - upscale line, top-notch service, delicious food, elegant on lounges and public spaces.  June 29, 2024 Saturday to Saturday Greek Isles Here is the itinerary:

 

June 29 - Piraeus, Athens - 5 pm departure

June 30 - Santorini, Greece - 8 am to 10: pm

July 1 - Sea Day

July 2 - Ephesus, Turkey - 8 am to 8 pm

July 3 - Rhodes, Greece - 8 am to 6 pm

July 4 - Mykonos - 8 am to 7 pm

July 5 - Hydra, Greece - 8 am to 6 pm

July 6 - Piraeus, Athens - 5 am

 

Celebrity Edge - fabulous, modern much newer ship with many terrific specialty restaurants on board. July 13, 2023Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy | Naples, Italy | Mykonos, Greece | Ephesus, Turkey | Santorini (Thira), Greece | Piraeus (Athens), Greece

 

Princess Cruise Lines - Terrific line, traditional, beautiful ships, excellent service, lovely public spaces and cabins. The brand new Sun Princess has a great itinerary that meets your wishes. We are booked on this route next year too. July 6, 2024 Piraeus (Athens), Greece | Kotor, Montenegro | Corfu, Greece | Messina, Sicily, Italy | Naples, Italy | Barcelona, Spain

 

Happy planning. Cruising is a wonderful way to honeymoon. My wife honeymooned aboard a 17-day Transatlantic NY to Rome and were married aboard the ship before we left New York. You will meet some many great people and have terrific adventures all the while traveling in a luxurious style. 

 

Jonathan

 

Edited by cruiserking
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Set sail with your next reads

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Save $2,000 & Sail Away to Australia’s Kimberley
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...

If you are already a Cruise Critic member, please log in with your existing account information or your email address and password.