Help with Mediterranean Cruise

[luv2cruiseny]

planning our first med. cruise for 2009 - looking for any guidance, feedback etc. before we make a decision. Anyone have any advice to offer I'd appreciate it.

[operafan]

A Med cruise is a wonderful experience but we need to know more of what you're looking for. Eastern or Western? Big ship or small? One week or two? Major cities or out of the way places? Luxury or mainstream? Our best Med cruise was Venice/Barcelona which hit Italy, Croatia, Greece, France and Spain but they were ALL great cruises and planning is 1/2 the fun..............

[paul929207]

I agree with Operafan, we need to know more to really help you. Is this your first trip to Europe? Do you or anyone traveling with you have any special interest in an area? Family ties to the old world? Children with you?

[cusyl]

The Med was our favorite cruise. A lot depends, as others have said, on your age group. Tell us more and we can help you more. :D

[Nora4sure]

As previous posters have said, you need to make some basic decisions before proceeding and then there are plenty of members who would gladly give you their opinions so that you may start planning the details.

 

Be prepared that once you start, you wont be able to stop researching, planning, reading etc. Its intoxicating and frankly down right exciting.

 

Happy planning.

Nora

[cruisemom42]

It might also be helpful for you to go and read the posts on the Mediterranean board here at CC for a lot of insight into what you can do/see at various ports. There are many different Med. ports -- some make for a more laid-back day (Greek isles), while some can make for intense sight-seeing (Athens, Rome, Istanbul).

[Happy ks]

I have spent virtually hours on the Med/Europe board here for the last year. I've also gotten a couple of tour guide books to further read about the ports where cruise ships stop.

 

Do your homework before settling on a cruise ship or company, don't just pick a ship. We ended up booking a completely different ship than what we had intended to, we're on a much older ship than what we originally planned on. But the new ship didn't go where we wanted to go ;) A Med cruise is all about the ports, the ship isn't quite as crucial a decision.

 

We're sailing on Legend of the Seas because they are almost exclusively staying in Italy, which is where we wanted to go. We do have 2 port stops in Croatia and are very much looking forward to it.

[chipmaster]

planning our first med. cruise for 2009 - looking for any guidance, feedback etc. before we make a decision. Anyone have any advice to offer I'd appreciate it.

 

Great choice for a cruise. Now you got to decide which ports :eek: I would put ports over ship/cruise line. We found that the ship was little more then a moving hotel that provided breakfast and dinner. Sure there are differences between RCL, Carnival, Princess and the many other cruises that sail, but in the end those difference in ambience and price are likely to make smalller difference then the ports you most want to see.

 

Last comments is don't expect to more then skim the surface of what each city has to offer. A day in any European city is simply not enough for many of the stops.

 

Without knowing what your dream ports are I can't tell you any more :D

For us it was Rome, Florence/Pisa, Istanbul, Athens as the must stops. Now that we are back the consensus surprise was Kusadasi / Ephesus and Naples/Amalfi/Pompeii.

 

Happy planning!

[Susan-M]

These CC articles might be a good start for you:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/article.cfm?ID=87

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/article.cfm?ID=83

 

If you want more detail on the ports mentioned, click on "Ports" in the yellow bar at the top of the page.

 

Good luck with your search. :)

[Travel to Ports]

I have spent virtually hours on the Med/Europe board here for the last year. I've also gotten a couple of tour guide books to further read about the ports where cruise ships stop.

Do your homework before settling on a cruise ship or company, don't just pick a ship. We ended up booking a completely different ship than what we had intended to, we're on a much older ship than what we originally planned on. But the new ship didn't go where we wanted to go ;) A Med cruise is all about the ports, the ship isn't quite as crucial a decision.

We're sailing on Legend of the Seas because they are almost exclusively staying in Italy, which is where we wanted to go. We do have 2 port stops in Croatia and are very much looking forward to it.

 

Happy ks has some really useful advice! Seems like the initiator of this thread has some travel experience? Certainly a good deal of CC experience?

 

Travel, for us in the US, that is far away from our coasts (not Alaska or Caribbean) is in the majority about the ports and the experiences available from them in the time allowed (not just about sailing or the ship experience -- why spend $1500+ each on airfare to experience new ship X when its available in the winter out of Miami or in the summer out of Seattle/Vancouver?). If you want to include some land tour as well, its useful to consider where you start and end your cruise or maybe the air lines that gets you to or from your cruise (i.e., many of the air lines "hubs" are in other places you may enjoy visiting, like Paris or Amsterdam).

 

OK, sharing my own experience in this planning process I also started with a general "cruising the Mediterranean" book and using a good search engine at a cruise wholesaler web site. Then I found (no longer have an idea how) Cruise Critic and was able to add the personal touch of many wise, motivated, and experienced folks. Probably more useful after you decide where you are going so you then know what to read (like, if you are ending in Venice and staying there versus not going to Croatia and the postings on Dubrovnik).

 

All sorts of other issues versus which ports are visitd are probably way more idiosyncratic: (1) atmosphere/style and "reputation" of ship, (2) characteristics of cabin [new or refurbished with new bedding], (3) price, (4) balcony and type of balcony, (5) open jaws or round-trip cruise [number of days at sea], (6) cruise length, (7) time of cruise (month) and specific days in port (like where do the Sundays and Mondays fall on your proposed itinerary); and (8) characteristis that are cruiseline-specific [anytime dinning, youth programming, policy re bringing wine onboard from ports, etc.].

 

Hope you find this posting of some interest if not of value,

David

[English_in_Spain]

Another thing to consider is what time of year to travel.

 

It gets very hot here in the Med in the summer (especially July and August) and although that is good for beach holidays and lying on deck it is not at all good for sightseeing in cities.

 

Also, a lot of European cities virtually close in August when everyone takes their vacation and heads to the coast.

 

On the other hand the winter months (especially January and February) can be cold and wet.

 

I would recommend April to June or September/October. You might get some rain but not too much and it will be much cooler.

[twoatsea]

Well, you've already been advised to consider, amount of time, ship versus ports, time of year, & cost.

 

So, I will add pre & post cruise travel as my contribution. If you have not spent a great deal of time in Europe, I suggest you consider adding time to your cruise to enjoy some cities you want to tour for more than a few hours. It is a shame to spend the big bucks to get to & from Europe & not make as much of the trip as you can afford in time and/or money. You can buy an open jaw (fly into one city & out of another) air ticket at the same or almost the same price as a round trip ticket. For instance, we are flying into London & out of Venice. Airfare within Europe is cheap.

 

As you can see, you have a lot to consider before making your decision. Good luck & have a great trip.

[luv2cruiseny]

okay, here's the whole story - I will turn 50 next year - I have always wanted to go on a med. cruise (any one that included Rome, as that is where my ggreat grandparents are from). I have NEVER been to Europe at all. I've been on a number of cruises (always with Carnival until later this month when I do my first with NCL). Up until a month ago cost was a big concern for me as the cruise was going to be with a group of girlfriends It's switched gears and I'll be going with my boyfriend - so I'm also looking for it to be romantic as well. I also want the cruise to be at least 12 days.

[lambs2]

okay, here's the whole story - I will turn 50 next year - I have always wanted to go on a med. cruise (any one that included Rome, as that is where my great grandparents are from). I have NEVER been to Europe at all. I've been on a number of cruises (always with Carnival until later this month when I do my first with NCL). Up until a month ago cost was a big concern for me as the cruise was going to be with a group of girlfriends It's switched gears and I'll be going with my boyfriend - so I'm also looking for it to be romantic as well. I also want the cruise to be at least 12 days.

 

 

When we were planning our first Mediterranean cruise last year, we had five "must do" ports: Venice, Rome, Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Naples and Monocco/Nice. So we found a cruise that included all of these plus Sicily, Corsica and Dubrovnik and had the cruise vacation of our dreams!

[bluesea777]

okay, here's the whole story - I will turn 50 next year - I have always wanted to go on a med. cruise (any one that included Rome, as that is where my ggreat grandparents are from). I have NEVER been to Europe at all. I've been on a number of cruises (always with Carnival until later this month when I do my first with NCL). Up until a month ago cost was a big concern for me as the cruise was going to be with a group of girlfriends It's switched gears and I'll be going with my boyfriend - so I'm also looking for it to be romantic as well. I also want the cruise to be at least 12 days.

 

Hop over to NCL website and take a look at Norwegian Jade's itineraries which are 9-12-14 days long.

[MercedMike]

Maybe you will find some information that will help you in our two cruises.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/med.html and http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Travel to Ports]

If ports are your priority, consider Princess leaving from Barcelona, Rome, and Venice. We are going on 28 May 09 Ruby Princess Barcelona to Venice for the ports, where we have reserved private guides/drivers, and reserved apartments in Barcelona and Venice. This itinerary is excellent for the Mediterranean 1st time cruiser as it incorporates most of the primary ports and allows you first to overcome any travel fatigue in an easy-to-get-to-know city.

Drop me a note if you have any specific questions regarding these ports.

David

traveltoports@yahoo.com