Choosing a Cruise

[cleobella]

Hi Everyone,

 

We are planning a Med Cruise next year and I am baffled by the array of cruises and cruise line offerings. We will likely have only 2 weeks vacation-so I am looking at 7 day cruises with a couple of pre cruise days at the beginning. I think we will have to limit ourselves to the Eastern Med because trying to do both West and East will be too much. Here are my questions for all you seasoned travellers:

- what is the best itinerary considering that this will be a once in a life time trip and we will likely not be returning here. Should we try to do monaco, monte carlo, the french coast or just italy?

-is there an itinerary that has a nice balance of places to tour and also places to just walk into town and relax?

-Is it better to go in June or Sept?

 

Thanks for any advice you've got!!

[Susan-M]

Hi Cleobella,

 

Some great questions as you plan your first cruise!

 

If you haven't had a chance to look at the Ports section on this site, I'd suggest spending some time to review the descriptions to help decide what ports interest you the most. You mention doing an Eastern Med cruise, but the French Riviera and many of the Italy ports are on Western Med cruises.

 

Here's a link to Eastern Med ports (click on the port name in the section just below the photo of the minarets at the top of the page, for details in each port) ... and a link to Western Med ports.

 

I would also consider cruises anywhere between 7-12 days (depending on your budget). On our first med cruise (a 12 day cruise) we did a 2 night pre cruise stay in Barcelona and a 1 night post cruise in Venice (also had an overnight on the ship prior to disembarking in Venice). We were able to fit that into our 2 weeks of vacation time since we stretched it to include all 3 w/e's.

 

Personally I like September because children are back in schools (fewer of them onboard), weather is beautiful (although probably not much different than June), but also because I hate leaving my gardens unattended for 2 weeks in June.:)

 

You might also find it helpful to discuss this with a travel agent who specializes in cruises.

 

Good luck with your plans.:)

[TLCOhio]

Hi Everyone, We are planning a Med Cruise next year and I am baffled by the array of cruises and cruise line offerings. We will likely have only 2 weeks vacation-so I am looking at 7 day cruises with a couple of pre cruise days at the beginning. I think we will have to limit ourselves to the Eastern Med because trying to do both West and East will be too much. Here are my questions for all you seasoned travellers:

- what is the best itinerary considering that this will be a once in a life time trip and we will likely not be returning here. Should we try to do monaco, monte carlo, the french coast or just italy?

-is there an itinerary that has a nice balance of places to tour and also places to just walk into town and relax?

-Is it better to go in June or Sept?

Thanks for any advice you've got!!

 

Excellent questions!! September might be a little better than June for some of the reasons Susan mentioned. BUT, June might help you recover from the long winter period. Much is a personal choice. You are blessed with lots of options, whether eastern or western Med. Doing it "ALL" is hard/challenging in just one cruise.

 

On your good question of "BEST ITINERARY", tell us more about your personal interests and travel style. How much are you interested in history? Countryside vs. cities? Museums, food, wine, art, music, shopping, architecture, etc.? How much of it in a leisurely style versus fast-paced? Then, with more detailed information from you, we can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your needs and interests. I have been in twenty different Europe countries, including most all of these cities and areas in the region from Barcelona through Italy, Athens, Greek Isles and Turkish Coast/Istanbul.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Keith1010]

I would try to do a pre cruise because I think it is always good to arrive ahead of time to get over jet lag, to avoid the impact that airline cancellations can have on getting to the ship on time and to tour the city. So, as you plan this consider a town that you would like to visit for a few days and also consider the ease of flying to and from the port of embarkation and the port of disembarkation from you home city airport.

 

I would go in September as there will be less tourists in port and it is not quite as hot as June.

 

I would recommend a slightly longer cruise and just not do post days on land at the end of your cruise if that will work for your budget. If possible, a length of 10 to 12 days. But if you can't make it work that's fine too.

 

Start looking at cruises for say September and start with the port of embarkation and disembarkation and work it from there.

 

There are so many wonderful choices and I remember quite well how challenging it can be to figure out which one to pick and nowadays with so many more cruise lines sailing the mediterranean it is even more challenging.

 

Keith

[cleobella]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I'll definitely look into September because I really do not want to go on a cruise with tons of kids and I am a gardener too so that seems to make good sense. In response to Terry from Ohio, we like to get a sense of the history of places and certainly like seeing the art, architecture, cathedrals and that sort of thing. I am a big history buff but my husband has somewhat less interest. He is more interested in soaking up the local culture-seeing the towns, observing the lifestyle. We both have tons of energy and like walking but I think that it would be nice to balance structured tours (like in Rome we'd love to see the Vatican) with maybe a few days of just walking around a village and looking at the buildings, shopping. You sound well traveled so any ideas would be great!!

Thanks all

[baggal]

When looking at itineraries, try to select a cruise that has a sea day after two or three ports. A Mediterranean cruise is very port intensive, and no matter how much energy you think you may have, you'll need the sea days to recharge.

[TLCOhio]

In response to Terry from Ohio, we like to get a sense of the history of places and certainly like seeing the art, architecture, cathedrals and that sort of thing. I am a big history buff but my husband has somewhat less interest. He is more interested in soaking up the local culture-seeing the towns, observing the lifestyle. We both have tons of energy and like walking but I think that it would be nice to balance structured tours (like in Rome we'd love to see the Vatican) with maybe a few days of just walking around a village and looking at the buildings, shopping. You sound well traveled so any ideas would be great!! Thanks all

 

THANKS for the added background on your history, architecture, life-style, etc., interests! There is lots and lots to fit your needs in the Med. From Barcelona to Rome and Venice to Athens to Istanbul, there is the "best of the best" in the Med. Doing a pre-visit before starting your trip is smart. But, where? Below are a few visual samples for your options. Tell us more on which of these many, many great options best fits your interests and needs.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

On Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide who helps us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there in Athens.:

 

 

 

In Greece's Corinth, this is the view of the Temple built by the Romans in this key city on the Peloponnesian Peninsula:

 

 

 

In the heart of Provence, this is the famed Roman-built Pont du Gard. It's an amazing engineer accomplishment:

 

 

 

Positano is uniquely built along the slopping mountain side along the Amalfi Coast. Here's an artist's view as he paints this scenic site.

 

 

 

San Gimignano is the small walled medieval hill town in Tuscany with its medieval architecture and famed towers. Enjoy an ice cream cone on this small square in front of its church.

 

 

 

Here is one sample of what we saw in Pompeii with our guide. There are a wide variety of buildings, interiors, art and architectural objects, etc. Very interesting and historic!!!:

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think a pre-cruise makes sense as well. If you have two weeks, you should be able to manage 3 or 4 days. Choose a city where you will get a hit of history, architecture and culture. Like Rome, Athens Istanbul or Venice.

 

Eastern Med usually means Greek Islands, Croatia, up to Venice. Spending time wandering around a couple of Greek island will give your husband the chance to observe and soak up culture and lifestyle. (If this is important, you could try a pre-cruise on a lesser-known Greek island, or part of the mainland like Napflion, easily accessible from Athens.)

[TLCOhio]

I think a pre-cruise makes sense as well. If you have two weeks, you should be able to manage 3 or 4 days. Choose a city where you will get a hit of history, architecture and culture. Like Rome, Athens Istanbul or Venice.

 

Agree strongly on Wendy's pre-cruise suggestion. There are a number of 12-day cruise options worth considering. If you can stretch a little beyond your total 14-day plan, it will help lots. If you only do a seven-day cruise, that limits your options on what you can see and do so much. Keep working and planning.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[cleobella]

Thanks again everyone. Your pictures are amazing Terry! I think we will focus on Western Med and I am looking at the Carnival Magic in Sept/11-it is 9 days with 1 day at sea (to rest!). The itinerary looks pretty good -with a good mix of small villages and bigger cities-and of course Rome, which will be a marathon day I think! It leaves from Barcelona and I think we could spend 3 days there pre cruise, but I'll have to research this port a bit. We are doing Hawaii in Dec so I will keep researching the Med and then get ready to book in the new year after we get back. I'd love to do Eastern and Western in one shot but our budget and time constraints wont allow it. Thanks so much to everyone who responded to this-you guys have great advice!

 

Alison

[CaroleC]

Hi Alison,

 

I'm from the UK and just wanted to let you know that British kids finish school for the summer usually mid July and go back the beginning of September (it will be the 5th or 6th next year depending on the school).

 

There will be a lot of Brits on any cruise in the Med so its a good idea to avoid school holidays if you don't want to be onboard with lots of kids! ;)

 

Weatherwise, June and September should both be nice and warm, but not overbearing like it can be in July and August. Having said that, we cruised the Med in September last year for 2 weeks and had several days of rain. We had an overnight stop in Barcelona and the rain was torrential from mid-afternoon and continued all night. It was so bad we didn't get off the ship in the evening which was something we had planned to do. We did have some lovely sunshine though on other days, so please don't let me put you off. :)

 

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. There really are some fabulous places to visit around the Med.

 

Regards,

Carole

[TLCOhio]

Thanks again everyone. Your pictures are amazing Terry! I think we will focus on Western Med and I am looking at the Carnival Magic in Sept/11-it is 9 days with 1 day at sea (to rest!). The itinerary looks pretty good -with a good mix of small villages and bigger cities-and of course Rome, which will be a marathon day I think! It leaves from Barcelona and I think we could spend 3 days there pre cruise, but I'll have to research this port a bit. We are doing Hawaii in Dec so I will keep researching the Med and then get ready to book in the new year after we get back. I'd love to do Eastern and Western in one shot but our budget and time constraints wont allow it. Thanks so much to everyone who responded to this-you guys have great advice! Alison

 

THANKS, Alison, for the nice comments on the pictures! It's a new and large ship, plus it does offers a nice mix of port stops with decent times in each one: Monaco, Livorno, Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Messina, Sicily; sea day, Palma De Mallorca, Spain; and Marseilles, France before returning to Barcelona.

 

Lots of great options to see at each of these varied and scenic stops. Keep researching and let us know you added questions.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923