Mediterranean - Princess which ports are your favorites?

[Embracedbylife]

Planning our next cruise for 2011 to the Mediterranean! :p

We've been to Venice, Rome and other parts of Italy. I'm so anxious to see Greece and am waiting for the upcoming 2011 itineraries to be published by princess.

 

In anticipation of this, could you tell me what your favorite ports are and your least favorite so that we can try to pick a really great itinerary? I see sometimes they also go to Egypt, Turkey and other countries. We are open to this too, and hope to see the best of Greece.

[jff50]

Favorite was Turkey (Istanbul and Izmir/Kusadasi for Ephesus).

Barcelona, Naples and Rome were great.

 

I really like the idea of starting/ending in Istanbul, Barcelona and/or Rome. Gives you extra time to see those fabulous cities. Did a Transatlantic ending in Rome (4 days extra) as well as a Med cruise from Istanbul (3 days extra) to Barcelona (2 days extra). Really loved the extra time.

 

My favorite itinerary was the Istanbul to Barcelona on NCL.

[Cruise Junky]

Santorini and Venice are my favourites. DH's favourites would be Barcelona and Venice. You know the itineraries are already out right? there's a thread about 2011 Europe that's got a PDF of the itineraries if you want a peak.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1150892

[paul929207]

Istanbul, Alexandria, Athens, Santorini, Valletta

[WeBeGone]

Our favorite is all of them :D

but docking at Port Said, Egypt, going into Cairo for a tour with Nile Blue, overnighting, and then rejoining the ship in Alexendria was the BEST !

[Embracedbylife]

Santorini and Venice are my favourites. DH's favourites would be Barcelona and Venice. You know the itineraries are already out right? there's a thread about 2011 Europe that's got a PDF of the itineraries if you want a peak.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1150892

 

 

Thanks so much!! I love venice too. I am crossing my fingers we can fit venice into our cruise! :)

[cruisemom42]

Thanks so much!! I love venice too. I am crossing my fingers we can fit venice into our cruise! :)

 

Most of the Greek isles cruises either depart from or end in Venice, so you should be in luck.

 

Istanbul is another favorite for me. As for Greece, I like the ports that tend to have a lot of history/historic sites/ruins (like Athens, Rhodes, Katakolon) and less so those with nice scenery but not much else (Corfu, Santorini).

[Embracedbylife]

I'm getting excited after reading the other link with the new itineraries for 2011. There is one that also goes to Egypt! This just might be the one - we'll see. It ends in Venice and departs from Greece. Lots to figure out. Any other suggestions are welcome!

[Pam in CA]

My favorite Med cities would be Rome, Venice, Istanbul, Ephesus, Port Said/Alexandria (for Cairo) and Antalya. Going to Jerusalem was also an experience.

[kestrel]

Santorini and Venice are my favourites. DH's favourites would be Barcelona and Venice. You know the itineraries are already out right? there's a thread about 2011 Europe that's got a PDF of the itineraries if you want a peak.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1150892

 

I am completely with Cruise Junky: Santorini and Venice. Santorini is amazingly beautiful with those white and blue buildings on the cliff. Venice is such a unique city with historical buildings along the canals.

[AmazingJourneys]

My wife and I did Venice and the Greek Isles on the Emerald Princess iin 2008 and we loved it. Venice is my favorite, but Dubrovnik was absolutely gorgeous. I also loved the history and ruins in Emphesis (Kusadasi). Santorini was my favorite Greek Island.

[hightownCO]

Have only done one Med cruise so my experience very limited. All these were favorites - not in particular order

 

Cairo overnight was the best (Port Said/Alexandria)! It was wonderful and so glad I got to do it. That said, I probably wouldn't do it again.

 

Istanbul was also a surprise favorite. I think of it as the San Franscisco of Eurasia. Would love to spend more time here in the future.

 

Rome. Departed from Rome so spent two days precruise. Amazing city.

 

Athens. Acropolis on a cool crystal clear morning. Sky amazingly blue. Brought tears to my eyes. Would like to spend more time here too.

[Embracedbylife]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback!!

[Embracedbylife]

Just to give an update, we just booked our May 2011 cruise return from Rome (have been to Venice a few times already, and Rome once before so we decided to do this one instead of those that include Venice as it was in May) with the following ports:

 

Rome, Alexandria (2 days), Khios, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, Naples, Rome.

 

Any suggestions on must see's or must do's??

[Toto2Kansas]

Cairo overnight was the best (Port Said/Alexandria)! It was wonderful and so glad I got to do it. That said, I probably wouldn't do it again.

 

I will second that thought. The Cairo overnite was by far one of the best excursions, and the most interesting in all our travels. ;)

[Embracedbylife]

Did you do the Princess excursion? where do they have to spend the night? Would like to hear more about this excursion. I was reading a little about Blue Nile tours also. Lots of research to get started on!!

[Toto2Kansas]

We took the overnite excursion privately, we were not willing to pay that huge price Princess charges (about three times what we paid), which I might add is non-refundable once you book (from what I was told). We went with a group from our roll call with Nile Blue Tours. It was fantastic and we actually got to spend more time then the ships tours did at many of the sites we went to see. And the price was remarkable compared to the ships tour. The hotel was the le Meridien, with a pyramid view room (a few bucks extra, but wouldn't bother with that again as you arrive at the hotel very late at night and the next morning can be quite foggy so it wasn't worth the extra). The one that organized this tour even managed to reserve a Bediouin Dinner under the stars for the evening we were in Cairo. It was $50 extra (if memory serves me correctly with that price) but well worth every penny. Camel rides, fortune teller, belly dancers, Whirling Dervish, quite the entertainment, and the meal was delicious.

[cruisemom42]

Just to give an update, we just booked our May 2011 cruise return from Rome (have been to Venice a few times already, and Rome once before so we decided to do this one instead of those that include Venice as it was in May) with the following ports:

 

Rome, Alexandria (2 days), Khios, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, Naples, Rome.

 

Any suggestions on must see's or must do's??

 

That's an excellent itinerary -- we did the same in 2006 except on your run they've substituted Chios for Mykonos.

 

Rome -- well, I'm highly biased here. If you want suggestions on things to do beyond what the first-time visitor sees, just post and I'll respond. Must sees: Everything!

 

Alexandria -- if you haven't been to Egypt, you really must do the overnight to get the most out of the two days. Cairo is a 3-hour drive from Alexandria more or less. There are great private tour companies that are very reliable well-vetted, and are about half the cost of the Princess excursion. Must sees: Pyramids, Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili bazaar, Saqqara (step pyramids/tombs).

 

Chios -- No idea, but according to ancient historical sources, it is the birthplace of Homer, so I'd love to at least set foot on it!

 

Istanbul -- Istanbul is so very easy to do on your own. There is a tram that runs direct from the port area to the old town (Sultanahmet), where all the main sites are located. It is cheap, foolproof (only one line) and FASTER than a taxi because traffic in Istanbul is horrendous. Must sees: Haghia Sophia (closed Mondays), Topkapi Palace and Harem (closed Tuesdays), Blue Mosque, Basilica Cisterns, Grand Bazaar.

 

Kusadasi -- The main "must see" here is ancient Ephesus. The site is huge and has been more well restored than Pompeii. Private tours are cheap in Turkey; I would highly recommend using one here. Within the Ephesus site there is another, special site with a separate entrance fee, commonly called the Terrace Houses. These are fantastic and should not be missed -- just tell your private guide in advance that you want to see them. Most ship tours do NOT include the Terrace Houses (although I believe the Princess "Elite" tours do). Other things to consider seeing: Temple of Artemis ruins (one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", Basilica of St John, Virgin Mary's house.

 

Athens -- Of course, you'll want to see the Acropolis, with the beautiful Parthenon (always in scaffolding, sadly) and the other temples. If you have the inclination, Athens is also quite easy to do on your own. Like Istanbul, most of the things you'll want to do (Plaka, ancient Greek and Roman agoras, Syntagma Square) are grouped close together, and the metro is very easy to navigate.

 

Here's a link to a post I wrote with detailed DIY instructions for a day in Athens: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22449730&postcount=2

 

Naples -- There is a lot to see in the area around Naples. You'll have to choose, as there is too much to do in one day. If you want to see the beautiful Amalfi coast, I highly suggest getting together a private tour with others on your sailing. If you want to include Pompeii, that can generally be done, but will short you a little on time in both places. Pompeii is easily done on your own via the local Circumvesuviana ("around Vesuvius) train; English-speaking guides are available at Pompeii and are generally willing to get small groups together for tours. It's also easy to take one of the ferries or hydrofoils to Capri for the day. The ferry terminal is right next to where the ships dock.

 

 

 

For a lot more info, come visit the Mediterranean Forums where you'll find details on all the things I mention above. ;)

 

You'll be exhausted by the end, but you'll have a wonderful time.

[Embracedbylife]

Thank you soooo much for this information! I'd love your advice on Rome. We have been there and have seen the major sights, so any suggestions you have I'd love to hear them!!

 

Do you recall how far the ship docks from the airport in Rome? I seem to recall the last time we were in Rome we used the subway/underground to get from the airport to downtown, but it was so many years ago I don't recall. Suggestions on how to get from the airport to the pier are welcomed. We'll be on the Star Princess.

 

thanks again!

[sammiedawg]

We loved the 12 day Princess Greek Isles cruise, Venice to Rome but lots of Greek Islands, Myconus, Corfu, Santorini, Rhodes, Athens, All Great ports. Plus Croatia, Naples and Ephesus Turkey. We would do this one again in a heartbeat, the ship overnighted in Venice, then we finished in Rome. We felt we got a lot for our time and money.

The Rome Cruise port is 40 minute or so to the airport and 45 to 60 minutes from the central area of rome.

[grams98]

we have booked june, alexandria, israel and ephesus--but need the prices to come down to be willing to go--just too much right now, even with an inside room, but we have it held for us--with fcc's. we can't wait, but we will switch to costa or royal carib. if the price doesn't go down. princess has the best itinerary, and we love princess, but the prices for summer 2011 are way out ofthere!!! grams98

[caber]

Venice is No.1. I also love Santorini, Athens and Dubrovnik.

 

We had a terrific day in Gythion, a tiny Greek fishing village. We went to the beach then had a lovely fish lunch (picked from a tank), with a bottle of wine, in a little restaurant ant the harbour, looking down on the fish swimming underneath.

 

This was memorable but you rarely see it on itineraries.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you soooo much for this information! I'd love your advice on Rome. We have been there and have seen the major sights, so any suggestions you have I'd love to hear them!!

 

Do you recall how far the ship docks from the airport in Rome? I seem to recall the last time we were in Rome we used the subway/underground to get from the airport to downtown, but it was so many years ago I don't recall. Suggestions on how to get from the airport to the pier are welcomed. We'll be on the Star Princess.

 

thanks again!

 

Here is a thread with my trip review from last year's visit which includes a lot of good info on what to do for those who've already done the Vatican, Colosseum, etc:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=885200&highlight=rome+trip+report

 

I'd be happy to give any more details, but probably it would be best to continue that conversation on the Mediterranean -- Italy forum. :)

 

If you're going direct from the airport to the pier, it would be backtracking to go through Rome. Your best bet is to arrange a shared transport to the ship with other passengers arriving close to the same time as you.

 

I'll caution you that most people recommend flying in to Europe a day ahead of their cruise. This isn't just to sightsee, it also gives you a "cushion" in case of any delays. For example, 3 years ago when I was supposed to fly into Rome for some sightseeing ahead of a conference in another location, my flight was cancelled. I could not get to Rome until the next day. Not a big deal on that trip, but it would've been a big deal had I needed to board a ship the next day.

[AFT_LOVER]

Princess had the most incredible deal with Italian government that they docked for 2 nights in Venice. We flew into Venice, then their bus brought us to the dock, but we had to take a water taxi over to the other side to board the ship. That was about 2PM, and we learn we have all day & night plus the next day til 6PM when we sail the Grand Canal and onto Cannes, Monte Carlo with the car race going on for us, etc.

 

Our bedroom is filled with 35 photos from Venice which has been our favorite port. We wish to return again with Rome added.

 

 

 

Here is a thread with my trip review from last year's visit which includes a lot of good info on what to do for those who've already done the Vatican, Colosseum, etc:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=885200&highlight=rome+trip+report

 

I'd be happy to give any more details, but probably it would be best to continue that conversation on the Mediterranean -- Italy forum. :)

 

If you're going direct from the airport to the pier, it would be backtracking to go through Rome. Your best bet is to arrange a shared transport to the ship with other passengers arriving close to the same time as you.

 

I'll caution you that most people recommend flying in to Europe a day ahead of their cruise. This isn't just to sightsee, it also gives you a "cushion" in case of any delays. For example, 3 years ago when I was supposed to fly into Rome for some sightseeing ahead of a conference in another location, my flight was cancelled. I could not get to Rome until the next day. Not a big deal on that trip, but it would've been a big deal had I needed to board a ship the next day.

[Kamloops50]

2011 Princess Cruise prices where available from last wed.

Already booked on the Ruby from Venice to FLL on Oct 19/2011:cool: