Mediterranean and Aegean in October and November

[desirod]

We are strongly considering a Med Cruise leaving Civitaveccia to Istanbul and back. July is ruled out since it is way too hot, too many kids, and ports are overrun with tourists.

The prices go down after September 1 and as a friend advises: a cruise is often better when school is in session.

 

I did hear that the Mediterranean and the Aegean are rough in November. Is that true?

 

How are the seas in October?

 

Partner wants calm seas.

 

thoughts please? :)

[MercedMike]

We just came back from a great Med cruise. The November weather was not bad at all. We had one day of high winds and rough seas, but you can get that in February in the Caribbean too. Athens was cool, the Greek Isles were nice, Turkey was very nice, Egypt was warm, Venice was downright cold. Obviously weather is a variable beyond anyone's control. If you are going for the ports and the shipboard life, November should be fine. If you plan to lie in the sun and soak up the warmth ... well, no!;)

 

Check our trip report and pics at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland.html

[cruisemom42]

We did an Aegean/Egypt cruise last November and had smooth sailing the whole way. Smoother than most Caribbean cruises and smoother than the Baltics cruise (which I thought was pretty smooth)! It was also warm enough to enjoy using our balcony quite a bit.

 

Of course, weather is unpredictable, but that was our experience.

[Beth & Rob]

12 day beginning 10/24........Nice, Naples, Livorno, Venice, Rome, Corfu, Dubrovnik..........

 

I did an average of the weather for the past 10 years for the exact day we were in each port. The % of times it rained was zero for each.

 

Poured in Venice

Poured in Dubrovnik

Poured in Livorno

 

hahaha

 

Now, I must say, it was not really cold and as long as we had an umbrella, we were fine, but many folks might not want to deal with this.

 

Bottom line - bring shorts and an umbrella.

[Grothj]

We sailed in the Med from Istanbul back to Ft Lauderdale this year. We started in Istanbul on 10-6 and left Maderia on Nov 11. We had beautiful weather. One windy day that kept us from landing at Kortula, Croatia but the seas were not too bad. The only "rough", and that is only in comparison to most days, was across the Bay of Lyons (Monaco to Barcelona). The swells were about 18feet which moves the ship but is not too bad..unless you are prone to be sea sick!

 

We had some cool days but mostly sunny with light winds. A jacket in the morning usually was gone by afternoon. We did have rain in Corfu and one cloudy,windy day in Venice. In Venice you can always duck down another small street and get out of the wind!

 

So October/November can be beautiful but that was this year...who knows next year.

 

I would sail again in October and early November. The weather turned very fall like behind us as we sailed west.

[dileep]

here it is

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=12458825&postcount=11

[edinburgher]

We sailed this year from Athens to Venice with Black Sea ports, Adriatic ports, Turkish ports and Greek ports.

 

We sailed October 17 to October 31.

 

We had one FREEZING cold day in Odessa. a full days rain in Venice, a half day of heavy rain in Dubrovnik, another half day of less heavy rain in Istanbul, and a mixed showery/dry day in Varna. The rest of the time it was warm dry and sunny.

 

Actual tourist resorts were beginning to close up for the end of the season, especially true in places such as Mykonos, Corfu, Varna, and so on. Places such as Istanbul and Venice were still busy.

 

Personally I think November is just that little bit late but its a question of luck. October is generally a lovely month to travel. We had a week last year in Istanbul (mid October) and had only one full day of rain, the rest of the time it was beautiful.

[ChelseaBrian]

We just got back from our Med cruise. We went Nov 7-17 and the seas were HORRIBLE. I will never do it again. I was so sick the entire time and the room shook to bad we never slept.

I think it was just our luck, I don't think it's usually that rough.

[sealover155]

Just off Millennium 11/4-18, Barcelona to Venice stopping in V.Franche, Livorno, Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos and Santorini.

 

Never opened umbrellas once. Seas mostly very calm - one day a bit rolling but no different than on our Sept. Med cruise last year. Chilly in Florence and Naples and Istanbul, lovely and warm in Greece.

 

We'll take a bit of cooler weather any day over sweltering hot and crowded in the summer. It was simply delightful roaming around Florence and Rome without the throngs.

 

One tip: avoid the day trip to Capri in November. Almost all the shops and restaurants were closed and it was booooooooooring. Since we'd already been to Amalfi, Sorrento, etc., we opted for the whole day on Capri. Big mistake - Celebrity should not offer this tour during the off season.

 

But we definitely recommend this time of year for a Med cruise.

[ktpc2005]

When crossing the Med Sea from Barcelona to Sicily we had a strong North wind across the Med Sea which made the waves really choppy. Other days were choppy but not as bad becasue you were closer to land.

[YoPhilly]

We're just back from the Star Princess Aegean/Egypt itinerary 21-Nov to 03-Dec, and we were surprised and thrilled with the weather.

 

We sailed from Rome to Naples, Athens, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Egypt, then back to Rome, and we thought the seas were actually calmer than the Caribbean. It was breezier in Istanbul but still very pleasant. We had a night of very rough seas through the Dardanelles Strait, but most days were at least partly sunny, and in the 60s. In fact, on one of our sea days there were scores of people on deck in bathing suits.

 

We wouldn't hesitate to book again in the fall.

 

Based on other posts here, I guess it just shows how fickle the weather can be - just like home. When we left home on 18-Nov, the temps were in the 70s; when we returned this past Wednesday, it was snowing. You just never know.:rolleyes:

[TomTN]

Perhaps that was a ship issue or you were always in a differnt part of the Med.

We were on the Millenium Nov 4-18, and there were no rough seas at all. None.

[texancruzer]

We are just back from 11/23 Brilliance of the Seas from Rome with stops in Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Livorno, Villefrance, Toulon(Provence) and ending in Barcelona.

 

We had nice cool weather. Had packed disposable rain ponchos and umbrellas. Never used em. Weather was pretty cool at night but nice during the day. In Dubrovnik it was quite cloudy but rest of the trip we got really lucky.

 

Seas were a little rough in one area.....Capt. said it always is in this area - Lions Bay was the area I think. Other than that area it was calmer than the Gulf of Mexico both times I have had to cross it in November !!!

[desirod]

We bit the bullet and are on the Galaxy Nov 1 Eastern Med

 

David

[bellagirl]

We were on Galaxy last Nov-Dec. and with the exception of one day, we were blessed with beautiful weather. We departed Athens, went to Ephesus,Istanbul,Rhodes,Cyprus,Alexandria(beautiful weather!),Crete,Rome and Barcelona. It was between Crete and Rome that we had one day of rough seas,but it was soon forgotten.

If we are lucky enough to go back,I would only consider cruising in the late fall. Less people,great weather and a lot of the shops gave us great discounts because we were the last ship sailing the Med. route!!! Good luck! Shelly:)