Husbeef

Celebrity Constellation 😁. My wife and I were talking about Republic day today; we might explore Rome on May 31 and June 1, then head to Civitavecchia to avoid the crowds. I've googled summer holiday periods for major European countries and the US; mostly seem to commence late June/early July

Good point, it's going to be Ravenna. Might have to think about Venice a bit more carefully. RE weather, we're Australians and enjoy the sunshine 😜

Wise words, thanks! My wife loves the warm and hates rain, cold and overcast, so that and the Dolomites may be the difference

This is great advice. Thank you. I checked Cruisetimetables for the June trip and we're actually the only ship visiting for 5 of the 8 ports. The Dolomites may be the difference

Hi! We are trying to choose between two cruising dates; one of which is 13-24 May and the other 3-14 June. It is the same cruise ship and itinerary; departing from Rome, sailing through Western Italy (inc. Naples & Messina) then through the Adriatic (inc. Kotor & Dubrovnik) before finishing in Venice. We also want to drive to the Dolomites from Venice after our cruise finishes. The June option appears better in the Dolomites because of the weather and everything starting to open, but we think the cruise may be less enjoyable due to the worsening crowds. We are hopeful they won't be too much worse because the Italy school holidays mostly start in mid-June. My question is whether there is a significant difference with crowds in the cruise ports/destinations between those dates? Would love any advice! Thanks in advance!