25th Anniv. Med cruise...where do I begin?

[KShea]

Hey...I'm coming up on my 25th anniversary and would like to take my wife on a Med. Cruise. Not sure when is the best time to travel ( weather, price ). Leaving from the NYC area. Would like a balcony and some concentration on Italy.

 

I really have no where to begin so I thought this was the best place to start. I planned my first cruise from here and the other four and have never gone wrong. I know this post is very vague but I have to start somewhere. I would like to have a balcony and have enjoyed my cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

Also do most airlines have a business class as far as seating goes? If so are the seats bigger and are they that much more expensive?

 

Should I look for my own airfare ( have always done that in the past )? Or let the cruise line do it?

 

My anniversary is in May of 09 and travel can be anytime after that....

 

Thanks again in advance.....Kevin

[CRUISING SUE AND LARRY]

Hi kevin,we are celebration our 30th on a eastern med. On the celebrity solstice. The trip starts and ends in rome,plus one port is naples.(so you have your italy)the others ports are greece and turkey. We are leaving labor day weekend and the weather is still warm but not oppresive. Read the reviews-good luck and have fun planning

[Bruin Steve]

Hey...I'm coming up on my 25th anniversary and would like to take my wife on a Med. Cruise. Not sure when is the best time to travel ( weather, price ). Leaving from the NYC area. Would like a balcony and some concentration on Italy.

 

I really have no where to begin so I thought this was the best place to start. I planned my first cruise from here and the other four and have never gone wrong. I know this post is very vague but I have to start somewhere. I would like to have a balcony and have enjoyed my cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

Also do most airlines have a business class as far as seating goes? If so are the seats bigger and are they that much more expensive?

 

Should I look for my own airfare ( have always done that in the past )? Or let the cruise line do it?

 

My anniversary is in May of 09 and travel can be anytime after that....

 

Thanks again in advance.....Kevin

 

Kevin,

I would recommend taking a real good look at Celebrity...Price seems to be a concern, otherwise I would tell you to also take a look at Azamara, Oceania and some of the premium lines, but Celebrity, IMHO, gives you the best value for the money, an elegant experience with great service and food...and at a very reasonable price...Plus some excellent itineraries...

 

As to time of year, prices tend to go up when school is out in the US...and July/August tend to be the hottest months in the Med (though that's when we always go and we don't mind the heat--which tends to be pretty dry and comfortable...Of course, I'm from So Cal, s the weather isn't appreciably different than back home for me)...But May/June gives you the best combination of pricing plus warm, but not hot, dry weather (in the Med, like So Cal, rainy season, the little of it that there is, is between November-March--summers are dry)...

 

As to airfare, book initially with the cruise lines. Then you can always keep checking for better deals--You can opt out of the cruise air anytime up to final payment without penalty. Just make sure you are comparing apples with apples--remember, the cruise line air often includes "transfers" as well...and make sure you add in all of the taxes and fees on both sides of the equation...Often, we have found for European cruises, especially those starting and ending in different ports, the cruise line airfare is NOT a bad deal--and you don't have to pre-pay a non refundable ticket so early in the timeline...Of course, when we can, we look to use our frequent flyer miles for these...

 

Another thing to consider is flying into the embarkation city a couple of days in advance in the least--helps you deal with jet lag, travel fatigue, time zone changes and is also a great hedge against missed connections, flight delays and other logistical nightmares...plus it give you an opportunity to spend a little time in what may be a great port to visit. Most Med cruises tend to start (or end) in places like Venice, Barcelona, Istanbul or similar places--great cities to visit for at least a few days...Actually, since it's a landmark anniversary, my favorite ROMANTIC city is Venice...You might want to find a cruise that starts in Venice...Fly in at least two or three nights early, take a Gondola ride, stroll the streets and canals, eat in the outdoor cafes...and then board your cruise...The sailaway out of Venice is, by far IMHO, the most fascinating in the world...

 

Good luck...

[descal13]

What a great husband you are, Kevin! My husband and I will be traveling on the Ruby Princess for a 12 day Grand Mediterranean cruise for our 25th this May. We are flying in to Barcelona a day early to get acclimated to the time change and see the city. We are also from the northeast, so May seems to be an agreeable time of year without too much heat (although both Ephesus/Kusadasi and Athens are reported to be very hot even in May). I agree with Steve Bruin (who I am guessing from the handle is a Bostonian like me) that Venice is as romantic as you can get - take a magical gondola ride, just the two of you if you can. The place I enjoyed the most ever is Capri, which is a short boat ride out from Naples. It is absolutely beautiful, wonderful places to see (Dr. Munthe's villa and Augustus' Garden) and experience (the Blue Grotto, Limoncello), and if you go, take the trip up to Anacapri - daredevil roads going up the cliff and the amazing Segovia chair lift ride to the very top of the island - you can see everything from there. We have had great luck with Princess, and the Grand Mediterranean sounds like the best vacation ever. Much respect for the Jets, but I still love the Pats.

[EV2008]

Hey...I'm coming up on my 25th anniversary and would like to take my wife on a Med. Cruise. Not sure when is the best time to travel ( weather, price ). Leaving from the NYC area. Would like a balcony and some concentration on Italy.

 

I really have no where to begin so I thought this was the best place to start. I planned my first cruise from here and the other four and have never gone wrong. I know this post is very vague but I have to start somewhere. I would like to have a balcony and have enjoyed my cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

Also do most airlines have a business class as far as seating goes? If so are the seats bigger and are they that much more expensive?

 

Should I look for my own airfare ( have always done that in the past )? Or let the cruise line do it?

 

My anniversary is in May of 09 and travel can be anytime after that....

 

Thanks again in advance.....Kevin

We will be celebrating our 35th this year on a Med cruise, on the Legend of the Seas, leaving Rome and ending in Rome, Rome is so romantic, I love it there, we will be stopping at a few Greece Islands and Egypt.

Congrands.:)

[luvcdays]

Kevin - Dh and I are celebrating our 30th annie with a Western Mediterrean cruise on Oct. 15, 2009 on the new Carnival Dream. (It debuts at the end on Sept 09.) We have never cruised on Carnival before, but we fell in love with this itinerary:

 

Rome, Italy (Civitavecchia)

Naples, Italy

@ Sea

Venice, Italy (overnight)

Venice, Italy

Dubrovnik, Croatia

@ Sea

Sicily, Italy

@ Sea

Barcelona, Spain

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Livorno, Italy (for Florence or Tuscany)

Rome, Italy

 

To us it doesn't matter what ship we are on, it is all about the ports. This will be our first time to Europe. We figure we will so tired when we get back from sightseeing, that we will order room service and fall into bed! Also, any cruise is a good cruise...

 

Good luck with your choice and have fun.

[LILynn]

I would try and decide where you want to go and then find the cruiseline that takes you to the most places on your list. I have sailed on most of the major cruiselines - I think they are all great. My favorite is HAL and Princess but I think you will be happy no matter which line you go on.

 

 

I would get my own air if I were you. I just booked my air yesterday and I think I got a great deal - we are going 9/3 out of NYC also - $725 R/T. This is my third European cruise and this time we are going on HAL again (first was Princess, second HAL). I picked this one for the itinerary - Venice to Barcelona (Dubrovnik, 3 Greek ports, 5 ports in Italy and Barcelona). I wanted to concentrate in Italy too, but I loved Santorini and Corfu too so we picked this cruise.

 

 

BTW - Most people will probably not agree with me but I never get a balcony cabin when I go to Europe - - we usually get an outside cabin. The trip is so port intensive that I found we never have time to use it. We usually use the money we save to go early and stay a few extra days...But with that said, my husband has no desire to go to Europe so I go with my mom. If I was with my DH, a romantic balcony would probably be nice... :)

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Kevin - Dh and I are celebrating our 30th annie with a Western Mediterrean cruise on Oct. 15, 2009 on the new Carnival Dream. (It debuts at the end on Sept 09.) We have never cruised on Carnival before, but we fell in love with this itinerary:

 

Rome, Italy (Civitavecchia)

Naples, Italy

@ Sea

Venice, Italy (overnight)

Venice, Italy

Dubrovnik, Croatia

@ Sea

Sicily, Italy

@ Sea

Barcelona, Spain

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Livorno, Italy (for Florence or Tuscany)

Rome, Italy

 

To us it doesn't matter what ship we are on, it is all about the ports. This will be our first time to Europe. We figure we will so tired when we get back from sightseeing, that we will order room service and fall into bed! Also, any cruise is a good cruise...

 

Good luck with your choice and have fun.

 

Couldn't help but notice the contradiction. "it's all about the ports" but your name is luvcdays! ;-)

[Bruin Steve]

If it's truly "all about the ports"...but, especially if it's about the ship, the service and other aspects of the cruise--like comfort and spaciousness, then I would NOT go on that Carnival cruise...

 

Just to start with the itinerary, here's the Carnival 12-night cruise followed by a standard 12-night itinerary on Celebrity Summit...

 

Carnival Dream:

Thursday, Oct 15 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:00pm

Friday, Oct 16 Naples, Italy 7:00am 6:00pm

Saturday, Oct 17 Fun Day At Sea

Sunday, Oct 18 Venice, Italy 2:00pm

Monday, Oct 19 Venice, Italy 3:00pm

Tuesday, Oct 20 Dubrovnik, Croatia 10:00am 7:00pm

Wednesday, Oct 21 Fun Day At Sea

Thursday, Oct 22 Messina, Sicily, Italy 7:00am 5:00pm

Friday, Oct 23 Fun Day At Sea

Saturday, Oct 24 Barcelona, Spain 7:00am 5:00pm

Sunday, Oct 25 Monaco 9:00am 8:00pm

Monday, Oct 26 Livorno, Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Tuesday, Oct 27 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 8:00am

 

Celebrity Summit:

Mon, Jun 15 Venice, Italy

Tue, Jun 16 Venice, Italy Docked Depart 3:00 PM

Wed, Jun 17 Dubrovnik, Croatia Docked Arrive 9:00 AM Depart 5:00 PM

Thu, Jun 18 At Sea

Fri, Jun 19 Athens (Piraeus), Greece Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 7:00 PM

Sat, Jun 20 Santorini, Greece Tendered Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 7:00 PM

Sun, Jun 21 At Sea

Mon, Jun 22 Naples/Capri, Italy Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 7:00 PM

Tue, Jun 23 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 7:00 PM

Wed, Jun 24 Florence/Pisa(Livorno),Italy Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 7:00 PM

Thu, Jun 25 Nice (Villefranche), France Tendered Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 8:00 PM

Fri, Jun 26 At Sea

Sat, Jun 27 Barcelona, Spain Arrive 5:00 AM

 

Both ships have an overnight in Venice...But Celebrity does it at the start of the cruise--so you can add on more days there...and Carnival's overnight doesn't get you into Venice until 2 in the afternoon...and leaves early the next day at 3...so you really have two short days...

 

Both visit Dubrovnik, Naples and Livorno and afford you the same touring opportunities with Monaco and Villefranche...Carnival starts and ends in Rome while Celebrity gives you that as a port day...while Carnival has Barcelona as a port day and Celebrity ends the cruise there--leaving you the opportunity to stay there post-cruise for an extended visit...

 

Beyond that, Carnival gives you only Messina, Sicily while Celebrity blows that away by giving you both Athens and Santorini...IMHO, Messina is fine, but BOTH Athens and Santorini are incredible...

 

So, the basic difference in itineraries is that:

1) Celebrity gives you two outstanding ports for one okay one in the Messina versus Athens and Santorini trade-off...

2) Carnival both begins and ends in Rome whereas Celebrity begins in Venice and ends in Barcelona--allowing you to be far more creative in pre- and post-cruise stays. One could even fly into Rome, stay a couple of nights there, then take the short train ride into Venice, stay a couple of nights there, board the ship then stay a couple of extra nights in Barcelona at the end of the cruise...

 

But, beyond the itineraries, the ships themselves present a major difference...

 

Carnival Dream is a 130,000 gross ton ship that carries, at double occupancy, 3,646 passengers...and Carnival is well-known for sailing way over double capacity, filling more 3rd and 4th berths than anyone else in the industry...likely there well be well over 4,000 passengers on board...and a crew of 1,367...

 

Celebrity Summit is a well laid-out 91,000 gross ton ship which, at full double capacity carries only 1,950 passengers and a crew of 999...

 

What this means is far more space per passenger and far more crew members per passenger... FAR roomier and much better service on Celebrity...You won't be herded like cattle like on Carnival...

 

JMHO...

[madmarti]

Hey, Kevin, come on our cruise. Leaves Rome June 13, 2009 with stops in Portafino, Florence Naples Venice, Sicily and one stop in Croatia. We picked this cruise because of all the stops in Italy. It's Royal Caribbean and it also returns to Rome. Come aboard, madmarti

[KShea]

OMG.....thanks so much for all of this information. This is how I got started on cruising.....with terrific people like yourselves. I am getting so excited I can't wait to suprise her. She has talked about this for years but thinks we cannot afford it so she will be completely surprised.

 

As far as air with the cruise goes do you have any choice on seating? I will be pretty stressed flying for 8hrs straight and would like an aisle seat. Thanks so much everyone this is such a great start. Please keep the posts coming....thanks again...Kevin

[crjj]

Hey...I'm coming up on my 25th anniversary and would like to take my wife on a Med. Cruise. Not sure when is the best time to travel ( weather, price ). Leaving from the NYC area. Would like a balcony and some concentration on Italy.

 

I really have no where to begin so I thought this was the best place to start. I planned my first cruise from here and the other four and have never gone wrong. I know this post is very vague but I have to start somewhere. I would like to have a balcony and have enjoyed my cruises on Royal Caribbean.

 

Also do most airlines have a business class as far as seating goes? If so are the seats bigger and are they that much more expensive?

 

Should I look for my own airfare ( have always done that in the past )? Or let the cruise line do it?

 

My anniversary is in May of 09 and travel can be anytime after that....

 

Thanks again in advance.....Kevin

 

My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding annivesary aboard the Carnival Liberty on a 12 Day Grand Mediterranean Voyage. We booked a balcony cabin. The ship left Rome on Saturday, June 24, 2006 and returned to Rome on Thursday, July 6th. Our ports of call were Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Messina/Sicily, Barcelona, Cannes and Florence/Pisa. Our anniversary date was actually June 6th. It was a great trip and one that we really enjoyed. We booked our own economy airfare.

 

In 2001, for our 20th wedding annivesary we cruised on RCCL sailing out of Miami. For that trip my parents, mother-in-law, and our two daughters joined my wife and I. It was also a great trip as well. We booked a balcony cabin for my wife, our youngest daughter and I. This time we booked the airfare through the cruise line.

 

On June 27, 2009, my wife, youngest daughter and I and my parents will be taking a 12 night cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas out of Barcelona. We've booked a balcony cabin for my wife, our youngest daughter and I. Instead of celebrating an anniversary for my wife and I per se, we're actually helping my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (which was this past October), my dad's 70th birthday (April 2009), and my 50th birthday (July 2009). We're really looking forward to the trip. It should be a great experience.

 

We've booked our own economy airfare on Air France. We're flying to Paris first to spend four days before heading to Barcelona via train.

 

I'm not sure what trip Cheryl and I will take for our 30th anniverary, but I'm sure it'll probably be a cruise. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

Thanks,

chester

[luvcdays]

WhenIsOurNextCruise - Your right! But on this cruise it's about the ports and I will have 3 sea days...:)

 

Bruin Steve - I also love Celebrity, but....there is more to see in Rome than in Venice so we are staying 3 days pre and 4 days post. Also, have you seen the Dream? It looks great. Yes, more passengers, but service can be spotty an any cruise line. Our worst room steward was on Celebrity. Last but not least, we only paid $1000 for a large outside room for this 12 day Western Med. cruise and we got our Business Class round trip airfare with miles. Not bad! We have never had a bad cruise so CCL doesn't scare me too much.

[descal13]

My husband and I both work hard and we save every week with the thought of departing on our very special 5 year anniversary excursions. It took 5 years to save for the Princess Grand Mediterranean for our 25th. We are definitely not rich and usually use our tax return for annual domestic travel. Just socking away $50 a week or so really adds up fast so over time we saved enough to really go in style with a balcony cabin and stay an extra day in Barcelona, a deep tissue massage on one of our at sea days for my husband, plus go on all the excursions we wish. You better start saving now for the 30th anniversary because you and your wife are going to love it! Skip one Starbucks a day and stuff the cash you save in a sock drawer! We booked our own flights through Expedia - and didn't really save much over what Princess would have charged, but we were in complete control of when we came and went and how many stops we needed to endure.

[KShea]

Hopefully I'm not pushing it here with more questions. The more I hear the more I want to know. Is there a good and bad time to go? (weather, prices ) I have no idea what a good price is.

I'm not sure if it is ok to ask approximately how much a 12 day cruise with air would run. I know there are a million factors. Lets just say it would be a balcony room and we would be going in the summer. ( wife is a school nurse and really can't take extra vacation during the school year) I guess if the price was SO much more in the summer we could try and find a way to see if she could get time off. That would make it more stressful for her and I would like to avoid that if possible.

If approximate prices can't be posted here I would love it if anyone felt comfortable emailing me......KOShea2@gmail.com

 

Thanks again for all your help....Kevin

[KCcruisin07]

My husband and I went to Rome last year (April) for our fifteenth and took a cruise through Italy and Croatia. Let me join those who say Rome is a wonderful romantic starting point! I prefer Celebrity to RCCL in terms of service, but the Cruise Critic group (people on our cruise we met through a blog online) was outstanding, and the price was good for the itinerary including Florence, Venice, Naples (Pompeii and Capri), Messina (Sicily), Split and Dubrovnik. There are so many factors that determine the price: business class or coach for air, the length of time, the class of ship, type of accommodations onboard, and other costs such as transfers, tours, and so on. I suggest you google Mediterranean cruises and then go to a website and look up some itineraries on some of the lines mentioned.

Since your wife is a teacher, you will need to go in the summer. Avoid August because that is a vacation month for many Europeans. Good luck!

[KShea]

Thanks again for all of the great information everyone has provided....

[rebeccalouise]

If you are going to go, I'd go in April or May. The reason being, it is the beginning of the tourist season. The temporary workers (college students) are at their best. They haven't been beaten down by the heat and dealing with tourists yet. Spring is in the air.

 

The air temp will be perfect for sightseeing. There won't be massive crowds yet and airfare tends to be cheaper in the spring than in the fall in my experience.

 

Avoid summer- too hot.

 

While I think Rome is a fantastic city- I wouldn't choose a cruise that embarks from there because Rome is over an hour from the port. I would sail out of Barcelona or Venice before I would sail out of Rome.

 

My favorite Western Med places were the Cinque Terre (out of Livorno), Pompeii (Naples), Monte Carlo (Villefranche), Rome, Venice and Dubrovnik. I haved sailed to Athens but never got off the ship because it was too hot (summer). Eastern Med- I loved Istanbul, Kusadasi, Katakolon Greece, Split Croatia. Both itineraries are wonderful. You really can't miss. My favorite cruise though was the British Isles cruise on Princess (Ireland, England and Scotland)- clean, beautiful, no language barrier and I felt safe and not hounded by salepeople.

 

As for cruise lines- each has their strengths and weaknesses. I like Celebrity and Princess best. Celebrity for overall ambiance and service. Princess because they have lovely ships. Food and service are good and they have self-serve laundry, which means you don't have to take as many clothes. You can always pay to have laundry done on the other lines but sometimes you don't get it back for a few days and it is expensive.

[jeffbrig]

KShea, we did a great mediterranean trip on the Emerald Princes in May 2007 (May to beat the really hot weather). We booked a balcony room, and it was well worth it. We started with an overnight in Venice, and the itenerary included days in Rome, Naples, Florence/Pisa, plus 2 days in Greece (Athens, Mikonos), 2 in Turkey (Istanbul, Kusadasi), and Marseille before ending in Barcelona.

 

We booked our own airfare because we got a better deal doing it on our own. It was coach for us, business class is 3-4X the cost.

[Kay240]

Rebeccalouise,

Holland America has self-service laundry too. Plus you can give them a bag stuffed with dirty laundry which they will take care of for $12.

Karen

[rebeccalouise]

Zuiderdam didn't have self-service laundry

[CintiPam]

My favorite Western Med places were the Cinque Terre (out of Livorno), Pompeii (Naples), Monte Carlo (Villefranche), Rome, Venice and Dubrovnik.

 

Could you describe precisely how you did a day in Cinque Terre out of Livorno port? We have visited Pisa, Lucca, and Florence extensively on prior land trips and would like to spend our Livorno port day in the Cinque Terre.

 

Thanks for your assistance.

[tom_uk]

Hopefully I'm not pushing it here with more questions. The more I hear the more I want to know. Is there a good and bad time to go? (weather, prices ) I have no idea what a good price is.

 

There's already been lots of good advice here. As regards time of year, my personal preference is to cruise in early summer. I think late May / early June is perfect; longer days, and the landscape still has some of the spring-time freshness. And of course it's not as hot, nor is it quite as busy as in high summer. That said autumn has as many advantages, and indeed my own cruise last year and this year will be in late september/October. I wouldn't advise cruising in the med in July/August - it's hot, that's when families with children are cruising so everything is crowded, and of course prices are highest.

 

As regards cruise lines, which aspects of your Royal Caribbean cruises did you enjoy the most? If you took a more formal approach - set dining times, formal evenings, etc - then (as others have suggested) Celebrity and Princess would provide good cruises, as well as Royal Caribbean themselves - they do 7 and 10-night cruises out of Barcelona that have a significant number of calls at Italian ports.

 

On the other hand if you enjoyed the more informal aspects of your Royal Caribbean cruises then why not have a look at NCL's 7 night cruises out of Barcelona? Again, these feature a significant number of calls at Italian ports.

 

Finally, cruise air vs. do-it-yourself air: I have no real opinion on this - we've done both (but only within Europe, I hasten to add). The big advantage of cruise line air is that they will get you home if there's a problem with the cruise (e.g. late arrival at the disembarkation port). They also usually include airport-to-port transfers. They can be a bit inflexible: if you want to fly in a few days earlier, or on a particular flight, it becomes awkward. If you have Air Miles or something similar then the argument in favour of making your own flight arrangements becomes much stronger - that would be a considerable saving. But if you would be paying for your own air fares anyway then it's a harder decision. I think it depends on the port of embarkation, to be honest: transfers from Rome (Fiumicino) airport to Civitevecchia are a boon, whereas transfers from Barcelona airport to Barcelona port are easier to do on your own. Again, though, the flight you've just done can make a difference: whereas I've done my own transfers after a London-Rome flight, I'd be less keen on doing so at the end of an overnight transatlantic flight.

[rebeccalouise]

Could you describe precisely how you did a day in Cinque Terre out of Livorno port? We have visited Pisa, Lucca, and Florence extensively on prior land trips and would like to spend our Livorno port day in the Cinque Terre.

 

Thanks for your assistance.

 

I sailed on Celebrity and they offered a tour to the Cinque Terre for $ 129 per person- which was well worth it. I am sure that the other lines offer a similar tour. The tour lasts nine hours but I enjoyed every minute of it. First you take a bus ride thru olive groves and the guide talks about this. The landscape is very pretty. You reach La Spezia and you board a ferry that takes you to the first of the five towns. It is breathtaking scenery. You walk from the first town to the second town via the "Walk of Love"- it is so beautiful. Then you board the ferry again and go to the third town and and board it again and go to the last town where you have several hours to yourself- there are lots of nice restaurants. The specialties of this region are olive oil, pesto and white wine- so that's what we had for lunch. It was great. I did this with my Dad but next time I want to go back with my boyfriend. Such a romantic day. You will love it. I wouldn't suggest going it alone. it is too far to risk doing your own excursion and having a mishap.

[traveling1969]

We're doing a 40th anniversary cruise in October 2009. The Ruby Princess does an 18 night transatlantic from Venice to Ft Lauderdale which boards on the 7th. It starts with the first night on board at Venice then does Naples, Rome, Livorno (Florence/Pisa) Marseille, Barcelona, Cadiz, Lisbon and the Azores (Punta Delgada). The prices for transatlantics tend to be significantly less than pure mediterranean cruises. We did the same cruise last year on the Emerald Princess and booked this one while on board. The weather was perfect (mid 70's with practically no rain); there were no more than a dozen or so children on board; the tendency is for the patrons be a bit older crowd on Princess; and lastly, the time does not coincide with any major holidays or breaks so it's possible to get good staterooms even now. Bon Voyage and Happy anniversary!