First Time to Europe--Cruise of Land Trip?

[DivotMaker]

Wife and I are spending out 20th anniversary in Europe. We've never been, so we're very excited. We booked a 12 night cruise aboard the Celebrity Equinox with the following itinerary:

 

Day*1 Barcelona, Spain

Day*2 At Sea

Day*3 At Sea

Day*4 Dubrovnik, Croatia

Day*5 Venice, Italy

Day*6 Venice, Italy

Day*7 Kotor, Montenegro

Day*8 At Sea

Day*9 Naples, Italy

Day*10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Day*11 Florence, Italy

Day*12 Nice (Villefranche), France

Day*13 Barcelona, Spain

 

 

Some friends suggested doing a land trip to Europe instead and said we'd see more areas than on a cruise. But then others say we're getting in over our heads if we do a land trip as our first time there. We've been on about 10 cruises total, so we're familiar with cruising. Just wanted to get some opinions on thoughts on visiting Europe as first timers--a cruise or a land tour. Many thanks.

[dolittle]

All that matters is what kind of traveler you are, Europe is much more complex than the kind of cruise you are used to . You just have to accept that you cannot see it all in one or two days(Venice). You would in some cases have more time on a land trip but it is very unlikely you would be able to cover so many places by land. With a good plan in each port (these boards can be a great help) you may be surprised how much you can see and do in a day or two.You have a great itinerary with many A stops ,one thing I would recommend is two go to Barcelona a day or two early and get to see this wonderful city before you board the ship . This way you can get the feel of a land trip on you own and then cruise . This will be a great trip do not second guess your choice embrace it and use time planing each port . The Europe boards on this site will save you time and money if you use them wisely .

[DivotMaker]

Thank you for your post, very helpful. Our TA suggested flying into Paris for 2-3 days, then spending a couple days in Barcelona either before/after the cruise to visit that beautiful area.

[calliopecruiser]

I agree that it depends on what kind of traveler you are, and not about whether it's your first time in Europe or not. I cruise primarily for the cruising, not for the ports, and when I want to visit a country (or countries), I do a land trip. I think that's because I am a DIY traveler who likes to do my own planning and take road trips, and generally get the "vibe" of a place rather than worry about taking tours to see specific sites. Other people like to have someone else do all the planning and primarily hit the highlights, and would rather "test out" a bunch of places for potential future travel.

[dolittle]

Thank you for your post, very helpful. Our TA suggested flying into Paris for 2-3 days, then spending a couple days in Barcelona either before/after the cruise to visit that beautiful area.

 

Wow Paris and Barcelona this is going to be some trip. D.W. and I were in Paris for the first time in Oct. If there is anything I can help you with just ask,have a great trip, happy 20th.

[cruisemom42]

There's no right or wrong way of doing it -- what matters is that you are going.

 

Some people enjoy just having a day to see a few highlights and enjoy knowing they'll come back to the ship at night with dinner and cabin being a known quantity.....also it's nice not to have to pack/unpack every couple of days.

 

It is hard, though, to see the larger cities in just a day (Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Istanbul, Athens). Rome and Florence are particularly frustrating as they're about 70 and 90 minutes from the port, respectively.

 

I find when looking back that it is the cities where I spent some actual time (day and night) that I've enjoyed the most. On the other hand, some places are easy enough to see and get a vibe for in a day.

 

If you just wanted to focus on one country (say, Italy), then I think a land tour makes great sense. Italy is a place where it's really great to not just sightsee during the day but also to eat locally and to wander around at night (like the locals do). But if you truly do want a "sampler" of the Med ports, a cruise will probably be a fine way to start.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great cruise ....

[Paul Bogle]

You might want to look into river cruises. Since you are already familiar with cruising you will probably feel right at home on a ship will all the advantages of unpacking once. Unlike the cruises you are used to, on a river cruise you will be touring right through the heart of Europe.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Before I could convince my DH to cruise, we did lots of land tours all over Europe.

Each time we went, it would be for at least 3 weeks. That way we could spend 2 and 3 days in the various cities. It also meant living out of 1 suitcase per person.

That is something else you have to consider.

Then remember you are going to have to add in the costs of transportation between the cities and expenses for meals and snacks.

Let us know what you decide.

[bonsai3s]

Happy 20th Anniversary! You will have a truly wonderful cruise...great itinerary and ship. Planning is the key.

Over 30 years ago, I "eurailed" all over Europe. I couldn't wait to take my girlfriend (and future wife) to do it again. We did...it was fun, great memories, difficult but we were young. Years later, a bit older and a bit more money, we did a few land tours...on buses (instead of trains) and pre-arranged hotels and meals instead of "winging it".

Our last few trips to Europe have been on cruises. There are many differences and hopefully members here can add a few more:

* Land tour will allow you to see inland cities. On cruises, you are limited to cities near the port (or within a day's trip)

* Land tour, you'll have to "pack and unpack" everyday. On cruises...once.

* Land tours or doing it on your own...you'll be eating local food. On cruises, it will be cruise food.

Perhaps you'll do a land tour and visit other cities next time. For us, having experienced Europe on our own and via land tours made our future cruises to Europe feel even more luxurious. Note: We both CSUS alums. Happy Sailing! :)

[artypharty]

Land tours - you get to spend time in one place, get a feel for it. Wander around, get lost, enjoy the art and architecure and people and food at a leisurely pace. Loved each land tour we have taken.

 

Cruising - you get to see so many places that you might not otherwise get to see. For us, we'd have never gone to Gibraltar, Morocco, Corsica, Egypt....

 

I can't say I prefer land over cruise... love them both for different reasons!

 

Enjoy!

[irwinler]

There is a third option: a river cruise. We did Vantage's Grand European River Cruise from the Black Sea to Amsterdam. We loved it. The main advantage is not having to live out of suitcases. Whatever you decide, it will be a great trip.

NMI

[Azulann]

divotMaker,

I have done land trips to italy and Ireland. Enjoyed them both.

have done two European cruises ,Western Med from Barcelona and Eastern Med from Rome.

 

You said you will be in Paris and time in Barcelona too. That would be your land part to explore the neighborhoods.

Your cruise ports are great. And as other have said make the most of them by deciding ahead of time what you want to see in port, you cannot see everything.

My favorite memory is walking onto the deck of our ship at sunrise as we anchored in VilleFranche. It took my breath away. Cannot get that view from the land.

 

You will love the Equinox. It is one of my favorite ships.

[calliopecruiser]

* Land tour, you'll have to "pack and unpack" everyday. On cruises...once.

 

I keep seeing this as a "pro" for cruise travel over land travel in many threads.......am I the only person who doesn't unpack at every stop of a land trip, or who doesn't mind living out of a suitcase for a 10 day road trip? It never occurred to me that I had the need to "pack and unpack" every day.

 

Huh. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[Stelladoro]

For a first time visit to Europe in the Med. area, I suggest a cruise. That's what we decided and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's very port intensive and can be tiring. Heat was another factor - we cruised in September and it was quite hot. We now prefer to visit Europe in the Spring. Definitely a totally different cruising experience from a cruise in the Caribbean.

 

After the cruise, you can decide which places you would like to revisit for a longer stay. Since our initial visit to Europe, we're returned several times, sometimes doing only land travel or a combination of land and a cruise.

 

Enjoy Europe!

[cruisemom42]

I keep seeing this as a "pro" for cruise travel over land travel in many threads.......am I the only person who doesn't unpack at every stop of a land trip, or who doesn't mind living out of a suitcase for a 10 day road trip? It never occurred to me that I had the need to "pack and unpack" every day.

 

Huh. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

I'm an expert at not unpacking at every stop. I'm pretty organized and I can pull out layers of my suitcase as needed. That said, I generally do a complete repack at least once on a land trip, maybe twice depending on the length. Plus the constant shuffling of taking out new clothes and packing used ones can get old.

 

It certainly wouldn't be enough to stop me going on a land trip, though.

[cruiserfromalabama]

Last June we did a cruisetour on the Navigator of the Seas and it was amazing! Started by flying into Venice and spending 2 nights, Florence for 1 night, and Rome for 2 nights before being transported to ship for Sicily, Turkey, and Greece for 7 nights. Loved having most meals, hotels, tours, and transportation all taken care of by tour! We saw everything we wanted to see in all places and the hotels were 4 star on the land part. Our tour guide was wonderful and we went to several local restaurants and toured the Tuscan region and a wonderful winery tour as well. Have been to Europe on land trips before, but never to Italy. We love to cruise and we love land travel as well, but this tour seemed to be the best yet!