Need opinions on Med cruise!

[Davidson Duo]

I personally would choose the Ruby for the ports of call. It gives you the opportunity of pre-cruise in Barcelona and post cruise in Venice which both have a lot to offer. We loved Mykonos for its incredible cleanliness, beautiful beaches on the ocean, friendly residents, and a truly beautiful "city". It was very enjoyable just to feel the slower pace and inhale the fresh Greek Isle air. It was easy enough to get around town by foot and the shopping choices were unique and interesting. Athens was also interesting. The train/subway takes you straight from the ship to downtown Athens, so you do not need to hire anyone for this trip. We did it on foot and quite enjoyed ourselves. The Parthenon is interesting in it's location and architecture. We were amazed at how straight and smooth all the marble columns were when you consider they were all done by hand. After walking up to the Parthenon in the morning, we went down to the city for the hot afternoon. While the city shut down for afternoon siesta, we enjoyed the Royal Park and a cool drink at an outdoor cafe. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and they certainly have world class shops. This city is a great mix of ancient and contemporary. We also found Kusadasi and Ephesus to be amongst the most memorable destinations we have ever been to. A group of 10 of us hired a small bus for the day ($10 each! - we really lucked out) and the driver took us to more stops than the cruise excursions and we had no line ups to deal with at all. (the $10 included our entry price to each venue!) We were amazed with how much we were able to see in one very full day of sight seeing. We passed miles of fertile fields, saw the Basilica of St. John, The House of the Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis, and stopped at a very small stand in front of a family workshop where we bought some lovely onyx vases. My husband entertained the crowd with his bargaining skills (the craftsman and ALL his family came on the bus afterwards to shake my husband's hand, embrace us, and call us family because they were so impressed with his "skill")!! Then we stopped at Ephesus. Let me just say that this place is under reported and what I feel should be a must on everyone's bucket list of places to see in your lifetime. It is truly awe inspiring and filled us with a lasting sense of wonderment. The history, architecture, and vast size almost overwhelm you. We actually stooped down to touch the deep grooves left in the marble roadway from the chariots passing through the narrow gate time and time again. It is massive in size, and incredible to think that only 1/6 of it has been uncovered - this huge city of treasures is still mostly buried and new discoveries keep happening all the time. It is one place we recommend to all our friends and families as it is truly remarkable. We also were thrilled with the shopping in Kusadasi. The little vendor shops had so much to offer at amazing prices. I was expecting at the time and the two wonderful shop keepers in a leather store were so friendly and thrilled with my being pregnant, they INSISTED I buy a full length leather coat from them. I kept saying I couldn't afford one, so they asked me if I had $20? I said yes, and they told me that it was my lucky day, because that was what the sale price just happened to be for that coat that day. This coat was priced at several hundred dollars, but they would not take no for an answer, and I eventually gave in and gave them my $20. What a wonderful gift from them. The ship docked right beside the market and we ran back for a second look to make sure we didn't miss anything and to pick up a couple of items we decided we just had to have. We too were not expecting much from Turkey when we saw it as a stop on our itinerary, but it turned out to be one of the most memorable ports we have ever been to. I highly recommend it, and have yet to personally meet anyone who has been disappointed with it. The choice you make will be dependent on your tastes and interests, but don't let the thought of a stop in Turkey dissuade you from this itinerary. It just might turn out to be an unexpected gem for you. Enjoy your cruise - what a special trip to be able to share it with your daughter.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Please use paragraphs.

[Infi]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your wonderful ideas for Turkey and the other ports. I think we are pretty much sold on the Ruby now. I'm getting more and more excited about this trip! I'm ready to start researching the ports now!

 

Now, to choose between two dates...one is Venice to Barcelona and the other is Barcelona to Venice. Same ports on both, and the first leaves 7/4 and the other on 7/16.

This is the first itinerary, and the other is identical, just reversed: Venice, at sea, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul, Mykonos, at sea, Naples/Capri, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona. Some ports, like Ephesus and Monte Carlo are early morning-early afternoon port times on one itinerary, but midday to early evening on the other. Does that really matter?

Thanks again for all of your help - you all are great!

[cruisemom42]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your wonderful ideas for Turkey and the other ports. I think we are pretty much sold on the Ruby now. I'm getting more and more excited about this trip! I'm ready to start researching the ports now!

 

Now, to choose between two dates...one is Venice to Barcelona and the other is Barcelona to Venice. Same ports on both, and the first leaves 7/4 and the other on 7/16.

This is the first itinerary, and the other is identical, just reversed: Venice, at sea, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul, Mykonos, at sea, Naples/Capri, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona. Some ports, like Ephesus and Monte Carlo are early morning-early afternoon port times on one itinerary, but midday to early evening on the other. Does that really matter?

Thanks again for all of your help - you all are great!

 

 

I suggest you compare the itineraries with regards to what days of the week you will be in certain ports. For example, many museums in Europe are closed on Mondays, so see where you will be on Mondays if there's a port or two where seeing a museum is important.

 

Here are a few notes:

 

Naples: The Naples Archaeological Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

 

Rome: The Vatican museum (which includes the Sistine chapel) is closed on Sundays and very crowded on Mondays.

 

Athens: The Athens Archeological museum opens at 12:30 on Mondays, and closes early (3:00) on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Istanbul: Haghia Sophia and the Archeological museum are closed on Mondays; Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.

[Infi]

Thanks for the information on museum closings, Cruisemom. I never would have known that there were dates to avoid if it wasn't for that. Thanks so much again for all of your advice.

[cruisemom42]

Thanks for the information on museum closings, Cruisemom. I never would have known that there were dates to avoid if it wasn't for that. Thanks so much again for all of your advice.

 

No problem; have fun planning your cruise. Come on over to the Mediterranean Port of Call boards for a lot more info or to ask more questions!

 

(By the way, my parents and grandparents lived in Fort Lauderdale for many years; I loved visiting them there! They lived very close to the port and we could watch the ships going in and out of the port.)

[cruisemom42]

I took my DD for her high school graduation on this Azamara Itinerary:

 

Rome

Sorrento

sea

Valletta, Malta

Tunis, Tunisia

sea

Barcelona (overnight)

Sete, France

Marseille, France

Monte Carlo

Portofinono Italy

Florence (overnight)

Rome

 

What I learned. Loved Barcelona! Loved Portofino, Malta and Tunisia. OK, loved it all. Granted, it was a small semi-luxury ship, but DD is a "geezer" at heart and loved the quiet, small ship atomosphere. AND to us, one of the best features is the limited smoking policy that Azamara/Celebrity has.

 

It will be a tough choice. Shes been to Venice before, liked it, but now wants to see Greece..

 

You will have a fantastic time, all things being totally equal, I would choose Celebrity for the restrictive smoking policy.

 

Thats just my two cents...

 

Ports or smoking? Sorry I'd take the ports with smokers anyday as the port lineups are different to ;)

 

I totally agree with chipmaster. And I'd also like to add that it's not like smokers run rampant on Princess. Smoking is very restricted -- I believe it is allowed only in parts of 2 lounges, a very few places on deck, and in private cabins/balconies. I have never had a problem with smokers on Princess, other than noticing that the casino does smell of smoke. But I'm not a gambler, so that doesn't bother me.