Med Cruises

[CruisingMouse]

I was wondering if anyone could advise on the possiblity of doing an Eastern and Western Med Cruise back to back. Will be flying from Canada so want to make the most out of being there and it just seems that for the ports I want to see I would have to do it like this as even the longer 9 - 12 days don't cover what I want. Has anyone ever done this and would it be a big hassle getting off one and then getting to the next via plane for the next day? Thanks.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

There are several lines that offer a selection of ports from both east and west. You might want to look at the Princess Grand Med; Venice, Athens, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Mykonos, Naples(Pompeii/Amalfi/Capri ), Civatavecchia ( Rome ), Livorno ( Florence/Pisa ), Monaco, and Barcelona.

 

I believe other lines offer things similar. In the end everything is a compromise unless one has inifinite budget and time.

 

BtB is also possible with plane/train but remember that ports can be exhaustive with busy touring so if you go this route maybe downtime with extra days in disembarkation/embarkation is key to insure you get things like rest / recuperation and laundry and stuff done.

 

Good luck

 

I was wondering if anyone could advise on the possiblity of doing an Eastern and Western Med Cruise back to back. Will be flying from Canada so want to make the most out of being there and it just seems that for the ports I want to see I would have to do it like this as even the longer 9 - 12 days don't cover what I want. Has anyone ever done this and would it be a big hassle getting off one and then getting to the next via plane for the next day? Thanks.

[Essiesmom]

Most people who do consecutive (B2B) cruises stay on the same ship. A B2B 'can' be done on two different ships from the same port, or nearby ports, such as FLL and Miami. Obviously you are looking at two different ships, maybe even cruise lines. If you give us an idea of what you are looking at we can be more helpful. EM

[Keith1010]

I was wondering if anyone could advise on the possiblity of doing an Eastern and Western Med Cruise back to back. Will be flying from Canada so want to make the most out of being there and it just seems that for the ports I want to see I would have to do it like this as even the longer 9 - 12 days don't cover what I want. Has anyone ever done this and would it be a big hassle getting off one and then getting to the next via plane for the next day? Thanks.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Can you please be more specific on what you are looking at snce you mention getting on a plane to get to the next cruise/ship. More detailed information will allow for better feedback.

 

Keith

[CruisingMouse]

Thanks everyone, Well I would like to hit Spain, France, Monaco, Venice, Rome and Corfu...I know I want it all. But we will propably never make this trip again. I was looking at a 7 nght eastern and then the same for a Western, one leaves out of Barcelona and the other Venice, so far only being able to find this via NCL so how difficult would it be to get from Venice to Barcelona within a day to catch the other one? If you have any other itineraries in mind I am open to it. I'm looking at booking for Aug/Sept 2011.

[Hlitner]

We do a lot of cruising in the Med (probably spent about a year on ships in those waters) and doing B2Bs are pretty common, particularly with some of the 7 day itineraries out of Barcelona (we have actually done a B2B2B). However we generally recommend that cruisers look a bit harder for a longer cruise (there are plenty of 12, 14 and even longer cruises) for a better option. Most B2Bs mean you will see much of the entertainment repeated, menus repeated, 2 welcome aboard nights, 2 final nights, etc. There is a big difference in the atmosphere of a 14 day cruise vs 2 day day cruises. Its a bit difficult to explain until you have actually done a longer cruise. In the Med we recommend doing a longer cruise that begins and ends in different ports so that you can extend your trip with a few days at both ends (best of both worlds).

 

Hank

[epixx]

Thanks everyone, Well I would like to hit Spain, France, Monaco, Venice, Rome and Corfu...I know I want it all. But we will propably never make this trip again. I was looking at a 7 nght eastern and then the same for a Western, one leaves out of Barcelona and the other Venice, so far only being able to find this via NCL so how difficult would it be to get from Venice to Barcelona within a day to catch the other one? If you have any other itineraries in mind I am open to it. I'm looking at booking for Aug/Sept 2011.

 

Here's one that has everything except Venice:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=EMS120&durationCode=&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&flexibleMonths=false&pageNumber=1&voyageCode=N152A&destCode=EM&dateCode=8_2011

 

You could fly into VCE, spend a couple of days in Venice, take the train to Rome, and return to your home at then end of the trip via FCO.

[patseacruiser]

Have you looked at totally different experience than the mass market lines for a 12-14 day historical kind of cruise with lectures, excursions, etc. in Voyages to Antiquity? Just a suggestion.

[agabbymama]

I see the NCL Jade from 10/1-10/8 r/t Venice that would get Venice-Corfu-Santorini-Mykonos-Katalolon-Venice, then the NCL Epic out of Barcelona-Livorno-Rome-Naple-Palma De Mallorca-Balaemic Islands-Barcelona on 10/9. That gives you the 1 day to get from Venice to Barcelona on Spanair at $70. The only big problem is the smaller airlines like (Spanair, Ryanair, etc) only allow 1 bag at 23 kg whish is about 44 lbs.

And the cost for overweight or extra bags is like 50 EUR or close to $100 per bag.

 

I don't see any that include Monte Carlo that follow the criteria you have set. And it will be a hassle as I stated above for the air. But it is doable, you just have to be willing to make concessions.

 

I did round trip to Paris (I was going to take the night train to Rome $450). It didn't work out, as when I went to book the train, from Venice back to Paris the train arrived at the time our flight was to depart. So I had to scramble and find airfare. Went Air France for only $100 from Paris to Rome/Venice to Paris. BUT THEY ONLY ALLOWED 1 CHECKED BAG AT 44 LBS. We made it, but it was sure close. We did laundry on the ship and I left a few blouses and underwear along the way, to make room for new purchases. And our carry-ons were stuffed on the way home.

 

Our cruise was 12 days with 8 days on land and 2 travel days for a total of 22 days gone from home. It's a long time to be living out of a suitcase. And I don't think I could have handled any more than the 12 days on the ship.

 

Only you can decide if the hassle is worth it to you, or if you want to plan two separate trips. And if you truly want to be on the ship for 14 days.

[hubofhockey]

Thanks everyone, Well I would like to hit Spain, France, Monaco, Venice, Rome and Corfu...I know I want it all. But we will propably never make this trip again..

 

I believe I used the term, "trip of a lifetime" and thought that I would never do it again. After doing the Ruby Princess 12-day Grand Med that was mentioned above, we are going back for more next summer. I got a bit "Caribbean'd Out". At this point, I'm willing to to go on one less cruise every three years to do more cruising in the Med and in other places in Europe.

 

In any case, instead of doing two 7-day Med cruises, why not do one longer one that begins and ends in different ports and spend a couple of days each at each of those ports. The Venice to Barcelona itineraries are great.