Itinerary Feedback: 10-Night Eastern Mediterranean

I am in charge of planning an upcoming trip for my family. We will have around 36 people (all adults). We currently have a reservation on a 10-night cruise on Holland America in 2019. As is natural for me, after booking it, I am now having second thoughts about the itinerary, which is as follows:

Rome, Italy

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Kotor, Montenegro

Corfu, Greece

Katakolon/Olympia, Greece

Athens, Greece

Santorini, Greece

Naples, Italy

Rome, Italy

A little bit more information, in case it helps. Nobody in our group has ever been to Greece or on a European cruise (only Caribbean). We wanted to keep the cruise relatively short so that we can spend approx. 6 days in Italy, pre-cruise. We hope to fly into Venice and spend a little time there, in Florence, and perhaps in Cinque Terre, before heading to Rome. The ship departs the last week of September.

As much as I would have loved Rhodes or Istanbul as ports, I am equally excited to see Croatia and Montenegro. It seems with limited time and just a 10-day sailing, some places will just have to wait for a future visit.

And now for some questions.

Does anybody have any feedback on the itinerary?

Are we fools for not going to Mykonos?

Although it's still a long time away, the cruise port schedules suggest that we might be the only (large) ship in port most of the days (including Santorini). Is this even a selling point? Does it offer any advantages?

Is late September/early October too late in the season for Italy/Greece?

Thanks!

Absolutely nothing wrong with your itinerary. Or perhaps I am a fool for not having been to Mykonos yet...

Being the only ship in port is a plus, (you are correct, too soon to say for sure if you are really the only ship in port)but it is also reflective of the later time of the season. Things will be winding down, tourist-wise. But still no reason not to go.

It will be cooler...again later in the season. But probably not "cold". You can Google search a few of your ports for weather. We have been in the Med in September...it was upper 70s, instead of 90s like in July and August.

Don't over think this...

That’s a very reasonable itinerary when trying to keep 36 people happy and engaged. If you are all planning to tour together you will need to start early planning what you want to see so you can consider chartering your own buses. I have not done that in Europe.

Yes being the only ship has advantages. the best place that would help is Santorini, where the flood of passengers from 2 or 3 ships can make for uncomfortable crowds and really mess up with flow on the tram to and from the port where you tender. Naples you will need to decide between the Amalfi and Pompei or the beauty of Capri.

We enjoyed Mykonos but you cannot have everything in a limited time window. Make sure that you include some time for Rome itself at one end or the other.

As you will see my biggest complaint on our return from our Med cruise was that for some awful reason the Greeks and the Romans always seemed to put their monuments on the top of hills. LOL

That is an excellent itinerary especially for first timers. Don't worry about missing Mykonos, unless you are an ancient history buff and really want to visit Delos.

You are lucky to be the only large ship in port. The number of cruise pax can overwhelm some of the smaller ports like Santorini and Dubrovnik.

Make sure you get up early to be on deck for the sail in into Kotor. It is magical!

Late September will be cooler and possibly windier than in the middle of the summer, but it is a great time to travel.

And start planning for a cruise out of Athens that visits more of the Greek islands - Rhodes, Patmos, Mykonos, Crete, etc. Can't do everything in just one trip.

And a comment for a group of 36! - Let people pick their own excursions at the ship, or get together in smaller groups. Too many things to see, too many options, too many interests. You will not please everyone. For the land portion, you will of course have to arrange the group travel.

Another comment on the 6 days pre-cruise. It could be too ambitious with what you mention you want to see. In order to "scratch the surface", you need two nights in Venice for a full day of sightseeing. Travel to Florence. Two nights in Florence for a full day of sightseeing. Travel to Rome with two nights in Rome for a full day of sightseeing. That makes 6 nights which gives you three days of sightseeing and two days of travel, plus transfer to ship the last day. Can't fit Cinque Terre in. Would you consider 3 nights in Venice and 3 in Rome instead? Go for a little quality time instead.

Absolutely agree...don't try to plan everything for 36 people. That is impossible. Maybe 3 or 4 events in the vacation be all together...a special dinner or two, maybe at the beginning and end of the trip, a couple special tours. But also give people lots of time to do what they want.

Another comment on the 6 days pre-cruise. It could be too ambitious with what you mention you want to see. In order to "scratch the surface", you need two nights in Venice for a full day of sightseeing. Travel to Florence. Two nights in Florence for a full day of sightseeing. Travel to Rome with two nights in Rome for a full day of sightseeing. That makes 6 nights which gives you three days of sightseeing and two days of travel, plus transfer to ship the last day. Can't fit Cinque Terre in. Would you consider 3 nights in Venice and 3 in Rome instead? Go for a little quality time instead.

And a comment for a group of 36! - Let people pick their own excursions at the ship, or get together in smaller groups. Too many things to see, too many options, too many interests. You will not please everyone.

Absolutely agree...don't try to plan everything for 36 people. That is impossible. Maybe 3 or 4 events in the vacation be all together...a special dinner or two, maybe at the beginning and end of the trip, a couple special tours. But also give people lots of time to do what they want.

I think your timing is great (late September/early October). But just be prepared -- weather can still be very warm at that time of year. Also bring a rain jacket in case you do hit a rainy day, which is a bit more likely in later October and November.

Also, I'd caution you against getting too excited about having all the ports to yourself. I've found a lot of lines don't show up on the port schedules quite so far in advance -- you may still be sharing, but it's true that there is a bit of reduction in the number of ships in the Med by late September.

I think your itinerary is a nice mix. And Santorini is really "the" iconic Greek island, even if you aren't going to Mykonos.

I love that itinerary. Even though I loved Mykonos the other ports on this cruise are all awesome.

In my opinion you've picked the best time of year to cruise the Eastern Med, it's just too hot for me in July & August. We cruised last Sept / Oct and the weather was great, no rain, flat seas and still needed to apply high factor sun cream.

There are so many cruise ports in The Med that you will not fit them all in doing half a dozen cruises let alone one so don't worry about missing a port. We've been to all of the ports you listed except Kotor and they are all wonderful with so much to see and explore. My sister has been on a lot more cruises than me and she says Kotor is the most scenic port to sail into.

If you are the only ship in Santorini that is a massive bonus. It's an amazing place but if there are two or more ships in port it can feel crowded as the streets in Oia and Fira are narrow. There'll also be a long queue for the cable car with two or more ships.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the comments.

IMO Mykonos is not a great loss, very touristy and at times the winds make docking impossible. We missed it totally once, and another time had waves splashing to the 8th deck. Now If you could get to Delos that is a different story.

I would echo Marazul’s comments to slow way down. Venice is worth a ton of time and you can spend too much time in transit.

I think you have a very good cruise overall. The only thing better would be one that started in Venice and ended in Rome or vice versa. The time of year should be good, but cooler.

I love that itinerary. I hope you spend time pre or post cruise in Rome.

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Has anybody been to Cinque Terre? Is it worth a visit?

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We’ve visited twice before the massive landslides. My understanding is that a number of the pathways are still closed. It also has been a victim of severe overcrowding. There are many things worth seeing in Italy, I would give this area more time to recover and visit if you have lots of extra time sightseeing. I think some places are overpromoted, this is one of them.

We’ve visited twice before the massive landslides. My understanding is that a number of the pathways are still closed. It also has been a victim of severe overcrowding. There are many things worth seeing in Italy, I would give this area more time to recover and visit if you have lots of extra time sightseeing. I think some places are overpromoted, this is one of them.

How much time is needed for recovery? We don't travel for another 17 months.

Cinque Terre is a very unique place,,and worth a couple of days. It is definitely not for the mobility impaired. There are several threads on the Italy board you should read...you need to know where you are docking, and the proximity to CT. It is best done DIY, as the only real way in is by train or ferry, if you have time.

How much time is needed for recovery? We don't travel for another 17 months.

It has been several years already, so you would need to check locally closer to the time. But honestly unless you have lots of time it is out of the way and there are lots of other extremely interesting things to see. The Italian Lake District for one. We have spent many months over the years visiting Italy and usually enjoy the less discovered sites more. I think the Cinque Terre has been overhyped so people think it is a must see, and it suffers from its popularity. The area near Trieste has beautiful cliffs and castles and yet seems off the beaten path. I could go on and on.

There are several threads on the Italy board you should read...you need to know where you are docking, and the proximity to CT. It is best done DIY, as the only real way in is by train or ferry, if you have time.

The OP is planning to do this pre- or post-cruise. The problem is that it is a group of 36 people. As for trails, many are still closed. The "Via dell'Amore" that takes you from Riomaggiore to Manarola is closed until 2021! The path from Manarola to Cornglia should reopen in 2019.

stickey mouse - you need to look at a map to plan this. The five villages are NOT connected by a road. You cannot have a tour bus take you to visit each of them. You have the advantage of going is sept/oct when it is much less crowded. Here are a couple of options:

1. Base yourselves in La Spezia the night before. There are many hotels where you could put the entire group. Take the train to the first (southernmost) village, Riomaggiore. It is 10 minutes by train. Go to the port and board the ferry to each of the next villages : Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso. Get out in each of them and look around. (BTW - the best views are from the sea, so the ferry is optimal.) Once in Monterosso, take the train back. (The station is at sea level and easy to get to.) Get out in Corniglia, the only one of the five villages not on the sea. Then take the train all the way back to La Spezia for the night.

2. If you want to stay in CT, Monterosso has the most hotels. You might not be able to put all 36 people at the same hotel, but you have plenty of time to look. You can have a tour bus (45 minutes from La Spezia) take you to Monterosso or go by train (25 minutes from La Spezia). The next morning, take the ferry to go to Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Return by the same ferry or take the train back if you want to stop at Corniglia. Spend the night at Monterosso. There are lots of good restaurants and it also gives you more time to explore the town. Leave the next morning by bus or train.

Here are some links:

https://www.incinqueterre.com/en/

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/

Has anybody been to Cinque Terre? Is it worth a visit?

 

 

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When we were there I found it similar to the Amalfi Coast. However, some of my best pictures are from there. I think it is more than worth a visit.

https://southerneurope.shutterfly.com/pictures/549

Thanks for all the responses. I will delve into more detail and planning of our pre-cruise adventures early next year, when airfare and accommodation pricing becomes available. My main purpose of this thread was to obtain some peace of mind that I hadn't chosen a miserable itinerary. I've always been plagued with buyer's remorse, often second guessing myself. Thanks for calming my fears!

The itinerary looks great to me. I would think twice about your precruise Italy tour. Rome itself is worth at least 3 full days. Almost endless inventory of art, architecture and historic sites. Venice is an attraction in itself, definately unique in the world. Florence is likewise incredible. If finances can swing it, I would stay 3 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Rome. If those are too many precruise nights, I would stay 100% in Rome for your precruise stay. Rome has too many world class attractions. Not many places have almost 2000 year old buildings you can go inside. Seeing people's reactions as they walk inside the Pantheon is a remarkable sight in itself. Then seeing all the Michaelangelo art. Touring the Vatican museum is incredible and that tour culminates in the Sistine Chapel (wow factor on steroids). Then you leave the Sistine Chapel and walk across the front of St Peters, then you walk into St Peters itself (another wow factor). Then you look to the right and see Michaelangelo's Pieta. Then the colosseum, the forum, all the other churches and 4 days time melts away. Remarkable destination that should not be shortchanged.

The itinerary looks great to me. I would think twice about your precruise Italy tour. Rome itself is worth at least 3 full days. Almost endless inventory of art, architecture and historic sites. Venice is an attraction in itself, definately unique in the world. Florence is likewise incredible. If finances can swing it, I would stay 3 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Rome. If those are too many precruise nights, I would stay 100% in Rome for your precruise stay. Rome has too many world class attractions. Not many places have almost 2000 year old buildings you can go inside. Seeing people's reactions as they walk inside the Pantheon is a remarkable sight in itself. Then seeing all the Michaelangelo art. Touring the Vatican museum is incredible and that tour culminates in the Sistine Chapel (wow factor on steroids). Then you leave the Sistine Chapel and walk across the front of St Peters, then you walk into St Peters itself (another wow factor). Then you look to the right and see Michaelangelo's Pieta. Then the colosseum, the forum, all the other churches and 4 days time melts away. Remarkable destination that should not be shortchanged.