ST1TCH

Look, I get it. I personally will not completely ignore what ship I'm going to be on as a factor in choosing a cruise. And I'm not making the ship more important than my itinerary. The experiences I get to take part in while I'm on the ship in the evenings and sea days have to be considered when choosing what to book.

Thank you for that feedback. Seems we are of the same opinion about the ships and what they offer. Many don't seem to share that. I get that a Med cruise is more about the ports, same can be said about Alaska and other places. But the venues and offerings onboard have to be taken into account. We were less than impressed about some of the things on Radiance in Alaska a few weeks back (though it was still a great cruise). I lean toward the Voyager as my preference is to start and end in different cities. But in a perfect world I wish Odyssey did that itinerary as I think Voyager may fall a bit short on shows, venues, onboard offerings.

Hello all: My wife and I are planning an eastern Med cruise next year for a 25th anniversary cruise. Based on research I've done so far and the places that are important to us (at the moment) I'm definitely leaning toward the itineraries offered on the Voyager and Odyssey and probably lean toward Voyager because I can begin in Athens and end in Rome, giving time to visit both cities before and after. We've never cruised the Med before, or Europe for that matter. Being about an hour from Galveston, we've certainly seen all the western Caribbean has to offer as well as time in Alaska (just off the Radiance on 6/21/24) and eastern Caribbean. We have been overseas before to Israel so it's not like we don't get out of the US So, spill the tea! Tell me what you like/love about the eastern Med or the Voyager or the Odyssey? We want to see Italy, Greece and Turkey - are we missing out on some other must-do port? Have been watching a great vlog series by a couple (AK Adventures) aboard the Odyssey in the Med and will search out some vlogs about the Voyager after. Any vloggers, etc. that you'd recommend about these ships, itineraries or the Med in general? Any other ideas, recommendations, tips/tricks, RCI excursions vs. local ones, etc. etc. etc. Let me know!

Lurking as my wife and I are researching this cruise in early fall 2025 as well. As well as the Odyssey cruises around that time. I do like the Voyager offerings though since I can spend time in Athens before and then Rome after.

Certainly a good idea....seems to be even more of a unicorn than just wanting an eastern med with Italy/Greece/Turkey. Or the ones that do start in Rome/end in Athens or vice versa, then I miss out on places like Mykonos or Santorini or Ephesus. Will keep looking. Anyone know of a good site that has some pretty deep filters where I could search based on these requirements? Many times I can't seem to do better than "Europe" and then either a length, departure port or brand/ship....I found one site that would let me specify the ports I wanted, but then it would return any cruises that had at least 1 of those....

Thanks. We will certainly add time on to the beginning and end of the trip as it's looking like Rome may be the start and end of our journey. And definitely agree that trying to fly in/out on embarkation or disembarkation days can be a real challenge and should be avoided if possible. My thinking at the moment is that if we're traveling all that way and incurring the costs of transatlantic flights, etc. we'll probably plan to stay 14 days total. I didn't realize I walked into the Viking recommendation forum - they certainly seem to have some loyal cruisers here. I fully understand that they offer a premium experience with premium features and a premium price. Not saying I'm writing them off completely...we will see.

Is there any information specifically as to why you say that? Bad experiences, etc.? Or you just don't like Royal's style and experience? As I mentioned in my first post, my wife and I do enjoy Royal's style and experience and find ourselves bored to death on Celebrity. Yes the Mediterranean is more about the places you visit but there's still time spent on the boat and the boat itself has to factor into that as far as what's offered, etc. Is there any reason, based on what I said, that Viking would offer more or less than what Celebrity does?

Thanks for the great recommendations so far. While I can certainly appreciate the appeal of a Viking cruise, they're out of my current price range. I'm currently focused on the 9-12 night cruises on the Odyssey unless I find something better. marazul - thanks for the great recommendations about Venice and Rome. Likely will have several days either before, after or both if we depart and return from Rome.

Hello all, Not sure the best place for this so figured I'd start with the Italy section as it seems the most busy. My wife and I have never been to Europe, planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary and have always wanted to do the Mediterranean. I've started my own search through different cruise sites as well as cruise lines and I've found a few options for an itinerary plan that I think we would be interested in. Interestingly, what we have prioritized for our first time (which I understand is an Eastern) doesn't seem to be the most popular. Briefly, what we have prioritized (doesn't have to be every single stop): - Rome (Civitavecchia) - definitely want to see Rome (can be prior or after cruise since some start/end here) - 1 or 2 other Italy stops - wife has Italian heritage and we have a good neighbor from there - Athens (Piraeus) - definitely want to see Athens - Greek isles - Santorini & Mykonos - Ephesus (Kusadasi) - have a friend that lives near here I lean toward the American lines that I'm familiar with (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, etc.) and probably would prioritize Royal as they have the type of ship, venues, events, etc. that we enjoy. I did search MSC but it seemed they don't even visit Rome at all. At the moment, I've found the most promise in the cruises offered on the Odyssey of the Seas. And then second, the Majestic Princess - though I have no familiarity with the Princess experience. Is there a line or itinerary I'm missing out on? We've done Celebrity for an Alaskan cruise once and it just wasn't our scene so not interested in other similar lines that don't have many fun activities, etc. throughout the day.

So my wife and I have been on a few cruise lines now (Disney, Celebrity & Carnival). One perk we've really liked on the Carnival ships are the spa balcony rooms that are on the same floor as the spa. These include access to the thermal suites, etc. and one benefit I've particularly liked is using the men's locker room for showers as my 6'2" frame really isn't made for the tiny showers in the rooms. Now that the new RCI terminal has opened in Galveston (only about 1.5 hour drive for us) and now it's hosting the Allure of the Seas (biggest ship we've been on is the Vista) I'm very interested in giving RCI a try but curious if there's anything comparable that RCI offers? Are there rooms near the men's locker rooms? Are there good private showers in there? Etc. Thanks in advance for the help!