Which Meditteranean Cruise for 50ish couple?

[alcpa1]

We were on the Millie in the Med a couple of years ago. Our BIL & SIL left today for a Millie in the Med and their itinerary includes overnights in Civitavecchia [Rome] and Istanbul. Look at the itineraries carefully because they can change from sailing to sailing. The Summit will replace the Millie next year, by the way.

We bonded with fellow mates from Cruise Critic on our cruise and booked all of our excursions independently. Count on your excursions running in the hundreds each. Drivers are not guides and cannot lead tours [by statute] so you may incur additional expenses covering both.

We have also been to Italy independently and an all inclusive tour with a good company is equally recommended. If you do opt for a land tour find out the demographics of your fellow travelers. You do not want to end up with old folks like us. If finances are an issue a guided tour, as opposed to a self planned trip will offer more bang for the buck in the long run.

As one of the other posters noted the dollar isn't worth diddly and there is no way to predict it's value next summer - if it still has any value at all!

I wish we were going with you, but we will have to put off our next trip over the pond until the dollar gains on the euro. Have fun planning and enjoying your trip.

[caviargal]

I am just back from a two week land trip to Italy. As always, it was simply fabulous! I planned it myself and we took private tours, booked museums in advance and had tons of unplanned time. no rushing about to cram in "sights", just the wonderful meandering that a loose itinerary provides.

 

Many days I saw the large groups of tour group people following around guides holding their umbrellaa and standing in long lines. All 8 of us spoke about how happy we were that we had not chosen a cruise.

 

Early evenings and early mornings were superb and when the cities are at their best. We ate well, dined well and loved the ultimate flexibility of our personalized trip.

 

I find that the tour companies book not very central and not very charming hotels; for my money, a small 3 star or B&B is far more pleasurable.

 

JMHO.

[agabbymama]

My husband and I did a 30 day land tour of Italy (included Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) in '98. Rental car and did our own driving. There were no local tours or tour guides (or at least that's what the Information Centers told us). So it was a little difficult to find our way and make sure we saw what there was to see in the different areas. Our main reason for going was to see the town where my father-in-law was born, and we did finally find it, but it was difficult as it wasn't on any of our maps in the U.S. We had a great time in a town called Cefalu on the island of Sicily, also really enjoyed the town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore up by the Swiss border.

 

My firend wanted to see Italy, so started looking at land tours, then she found a cruise ad for this year that did Italy and Greece. She was really excited about seeing both.

 

We settled on Grand Princess in Oct '08, leaving from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Monte Carlo, Livorno (Florence), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Corfu and ending in Venice. It will be a 12 day port intensive cruise with only 1 at sea day, and got it at a reasonable rate. 2 nights pre-cruise in Rome and 2 nights post-cruise in Venice will be almost as costly as the cruise (with the devalued dollar), but something we feel we have to do after the long flight from Los Angeles.

 

We felt getting four countries for the buck made more sense than just to tour Italy. Only having to unpack once on the ship, but still traveling to so many different areas. Not having to schelpp our own luggage (as my husband and I had to do), was another big plus side to the cruise. Deciding between a land tour and the cruise, my friend loves to cruise, so that was a no brainer for us.

 

Have a great trip, whatever you decide on.

[mary_228]

We, too, are interested in a Mediterranean cruise for our 25th anniv next summer and have been following the recommendations with interest. On the comparison to land vacations, I 'd like to share my thoughts based on our trips to Europe and elsewhere.

 

We have taken many independent land vacations all over the world. There is a tremendous amount of planning that goes into knowing which sights to see in each city, time to get between the cities, where to stay, eat, etc. This usually falls to me, since I am interested in it and have the time.

 

However, there can be a lot of stress when things go wrong. We got on the wrong train in Avignon, had difficulty with the subway in Vienna, couldn't read the international roadway signs in Austria, car breakdowns, etc. Arriving to a sight and finding you've missed the last english speaking tour is a big disappointment. Spending time doing laundry when you could be sightseeing is a drag, as well (quite a bit easier on a cruise). And don't get me started on the luggage hassles, packing and unpacking aside. We tend to walk to the train and bus stations from our hotels and it's really hard to pack light and look good! Esp when dragging your stuff through the streets and on subways.

 

After we had two more children, those types of trips became more hassle than I could bear and we've cruised ever since. I realize that we might not see as much, but that is offset by the sheer enjoyment of the cruise vacation.

 

That said, after paying so much for flights, I would plan on another week of sightseeing on land before or after the cruise. Unfortunately, to be gone that long, we would have to bring our children along, which will cost a fortune! And I'm not even sure they'd enjoy Europe!

[CateW]

We too are in our 50's and did the Med on the HAL Noordam in July 2006 which we loved but there were about 500 kids on that sailing, and for the most part no problems encounterd. Most were teens and seemed interested in the ports and the girls at least loved the dress up evenings. We're going back in June 2008 on Oceania Insigna 14 days Venice to Barcelona and two days pre and post - smaller ship 700 people- no formal nights :mad: but country club casual which will make it easer traveling abroad. This is a very exciting trip to plan and requires a lot of research. Whatever you decide, check out all your options.

[caviargal]

We, too, are interested in a Mediterranean cruise for our 25th anniv next summer and have been following the recommendations with interest. On the comparison to land vacations, I 'd like to share my thoughts based on our trips to Europe and elsewhere.

 

We have taken many independent land vacations all over the world. There is a tremendous amount of planning that goes into knowing which sights to see in each city, time to get between the cities, where to stay, eat, etc. This usually falls to me, since I am interested in it and have the time.

 

However, there can be a lot of stress when things go wrong. We got on the wrong train in Avignon, had difficulty with the subway in Vienna, couldn't read the international roadway signs in Austria, car breakdowns, etc. Arriving to a sight and finding you've missed the last english speaking tour is a big disappointment. Spending time doing laundry when you could be sightseeing is a drag, as well (quite a bit easier on a cruise). And don't get me started on the luggage hassles, packing and unpacking aside. We tend to walk to the train and bus stations from our hotels and it's really hard to pack light and look good! Esp when dragging your stuff through the streets and on subways.

 

After we had two more children, those types of trips became more hassle than I could bear and we've cruised ever since. I realize that we might not see as much, but that is offset by the sheer enjoyment of the cruise vacation.

 

Yes, travelling independently can be stressful at times. So can cruising, IMO. It is not always "sheer enjoyment" at least not for me and it really depends on your travel style.

 

I always learn enough of the language to be able to communicate, research maps and train schedules ahead of time (as well as the train configurations themselves). Research is important but I am less about "what to see" than simply enjoying where I am at that moment. A cappucino in the early morning with a freshly baked olive roll at a cafe in Florence, a glass of wine and fresh olives at sunset at a local wine bar, these things are more enjoyable to me personally than a round of must see sightseeing. We spent two days in Venice last month and spent the entire time avoiding the crowds and the must sees by going to the outer reaches of the area. While Venice is not a favorite of mine, it was far nicer being out of the tourist mess than in the middle of it trying to cram a lot of stuff into a finite period. Again, this is an entirely individual travel preference.

 

We packed in a carry on and back pack each for our recent 2 weeks in Italy and had plenty of clothes (and we dress nicely). There were no luggage hassles. The freedom of doing as we wish and when we wish was wonderful and the foods we ate and wine we drank far surpassed any cruise experience (as always IME in the Med). The very best times were when the daytripper invasions were over and the crowds thinned.

 

Again, whether a cruise or land vacation is "better" is an individual decision. For me, a cruise minimizes my enjoyment of the Med far too much and does not allow the immersion into the area that I prefer. That is is "easier" in some ways could be a welcome trade off for others but I have never found that to be true.

[hezzy]

We celebrated our 40th aniv. this year and are planning our first cruise and first time to Europe. We chose Oceania, Insignia, Enchanted Escapade, 12 days, Rome to Athens. We picked Oceania because of the small size, country club casual, and the ports of call. Also, these boards were of tremendous help for us. We are doing 3 days pre-cruise in Rome using Oceanias add on. This just seemed a proper fit for our lifestyle.

[readboat]

My DH and I did a 13 day bus tour with Insite a few years ago. I was not happy. Getting up at 6 every morning and packing before breakfast so you can be on a bus by 8 was not fun. We went to 8 countries and saw some beautiful things but I was tired most of the time. The hotels were ok but most were outside of the towns and you couldn't go off on your own at night. We toured with a group from Australia and they were great.

 

My DD, sister and I did a 12 tour of England and Scotland on our own.

My sister drove. This was fun. The round abouts were tricky but we had no driving problems. We stayed at B & B's and only one was less then what we expected. We did not book ahead.

 

We have done 3 cruises and I love them. I like being pampered by the waiters, sleeping in and not having to clean the room.

We do most excursions on our own so we don't have to run from place to place. When we get tired we stop and have a coffee.

We are 60, 62. We will be going on the Carnival Freedom in May to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

We have booked one tour with a group on the roll call and may book a couple more (depending on where they choose to go) but we will do most on our own.

We will have 2 days in Rome before the cruise and 5 days in Italy after.

I have booked hotels for these days and checked to make sure we can take a train or but to the cities we will visit. We have family in Ravenna

(that we have only met through email and letters).

Life is good!

[want2cruiseagain]

We flew back to Rome after our cruise and visited with friends. We got to see so much on the cruise that we never get to do on a land tour, then visited with our Italian friends who took us to some places in their area. Two weeks total and experienced so much more than we ever did on our land tours to Europe.