first cruise, in europe, can't decide...

[jcf168]

So we are planning a cruise for our honeymoon. We have already booked 1 week of the honeymoon in Malta via timeshare at the InterContinental in St. Julians from Nov 20-27. I have never been on a cruise, but have been to Europe many times, so I am not completely naive.

 

I have narrowed it down to two cruises on two different lines, but I am open for suggestions.

 

Option 1:

RCI 9 Night Mediterranean Cruise on Vision of the Seas, Nov 11

(no direct flights from Lisbon, most cheap flights are +1 day which means we lose a night of the timeshare in Malta)

http://goo.gl/fLQI

 

Option 2:

Costa 7 Night Tunisia, Spain, France Cruise on Costa Magica, Nov 11

(we would need to spend 2 nights in Rome, but there are direct flights from Rome > Valletta for $144)

http://goo.gl/1nu6

 

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions. The reviews on this site are varied for both lines, hence the reason I am reaching out to everyone.

 

PS if i put this in the wrong forum, please move this topic, or i can re-post.

[euro cruiser]

Have you looked into a cruise from Valetta? When we were on NCL last summer people boarded in Valetta - doing it that way would eliminate the need to fly somewhere else to pick up the ship.

 

You might try looking at MSC as well as Costa - the European based lines seem to have more opportunities to board at various stops.

[Susan-M]

I have seen locals board in Valletta....I wonder if that could be a port of embarkation for others? If so, that's a great suggestion.

 

If it is an option, MSC Splendida stops in Malta on November 10 and 21st. I'm not familiar with the line, but there are reviews in the CC review section.

[CathyCruises]

Well, since you asked for our input--I am concerned about your choice of cruise lines--have you checked into Celebrity? Not sure what their latest Med cruise is, but we've cruised them twice there and it was outstanding. . .NCL and Costa are not considered premium lines as far as I can tell from my reading. JUST my opinion--don't flame me!! And I ran into 4 ladies who had just disembarked MSC in Venice and they were extremely unhappy. . .I guess you can find unhappy campers anywhere, but you can try to limit your exposure!!

[euro cruiser]

Cathy's right, everyone's got opinions. I've cruised the Med with NCL and MSC; I'd go again with MSC but not NCL, but that's me. I like the European approach, but I can see where it's not for everyone. Americans expecting an American experience in Europe probably aren't going to be happy on MSC or Costa.

[kuldalai]

My two choices would be :

 

1. MV GEMINI with a 7 or 14 night cruise ex Spain

 

2. 14 Night River Cruise through the heart of Europe on AMA Lines from either Amsterdam to Budapest or vice versa.