Europe 2014

[ron1946]

We are looking to do Europe in 2014. Of course never having done a European Cruise, we have a million questions, but will limit them for right now.

 

Biggest question is, of course, what is the best dates to cruise Europe? We are looking at the 12 day cruise from Venice to the Eastern Med.

 

Should weather be a consideration?

 

Is a balcony recommended?

 

Airfare is a killer -- Do you recommend going with the cruise line's air?

 

Thanks for any and all help!

[golfadj]

We also are looking at Europe in 2014.

 

Airfare is a killer. Looking at one that will include airfare.

 

If you are going to N Europoe would consider weather if Med not sure how hot it gets in Summer but cold weather not a consideration.

[Sixtytwo]

Did the eastern Med in late June/early July and the weather could not have been any better! Loved it as I am sure you will. For flights, we used a booking engine and got some really good prices. We flew to Rome, spent a couple of days, took the train to Venice and cruised from there. When we got back we took the train to Florence and Pisa then back to Rome. I don't believe I can post the flight booking engine but if you PM me, I will give you what we used. cdavid46 at gmail dot com.

[heatherbelle]

I am sure there was a very similar thread a few day ago.

 

Most of Europe schools close between late July and into the first week of September, so if you want to go then expect to pay an arm and a leg in airfare.

 

May will be nice temperature wise, but sometimes the evenings can be cooler so bring a fleece. The same goes for October. The best months IMO would be September or June.

 

To be honest you will be so busy off the ship seeing everything you will hardly be in your room, although saying that we have a balcony this time on our second Med cruise, but we re planning to spend more time on the boat and it was quite reasonably priced too. So it depends upon your budget. I would save the money for the tours if you are planning on doing those. We do most ports DIY.

[MikeNKim]

Does anyone know when Carnival will release Europe dates for 2014?

 

I am sure last year they released dates in Feb we are also considering Europe for 2014 but my Type A personality needs to start planning

 

As for weather my DD went to Italy with school a few years ago and they went the end of Oct and the weather was perfect for touring. Not so much if you wanted to sit on the beach but for all the walking etc you will do it was perfect

 

Kim

[golfadj]

Does anyone know when Carnival will release Europe dates for 2014?

 

I am sure last year they released dates in Feb we are also considering Europe for 2014 but my Type A personality needs to start planning

 

As for weather my DD went to Italy with school a few years ago and they went the end of Oct and the weather was perfect for touring. Not so much if you wanted to sit on the beach but for all the walking etc you will do it was perfect

 

Kim

 

They havent announced if they will even be there next year.

[BubMunkeyBles]

Summer is hot... very hot in certain places (I was in Rome for 4th of July one year and it was over 100 out and no AC in most of Italy).

 

Spring or Fall for sure are better times. Venice in general is more costly to fly into because it's such a small airport. We often flew into Milan or Rome and trained to where we lived to save money.

[jermaine1509]

Hi, We did 12nts out of Barcelona on the Breeze last July, the weather was beautiful- mid 30s celsius for the whole duration. In 2011 we did the Magic in September, and I would say out of the 9nights, around 4 days were overcast, however it can be a great deal cheaper, as here in Europe, kids go,back to school the first week of September.

If visiting Venice, a balcony is a must in my opinion, sailing through the grand canal is like nothing I've ever experienced before. The ship was incredible also, almost feel guilty going to RCI this year but we just couldn't do the same itinerary 3 years in a row ..as much as we loved the Magic and the Breeze!:D

Happy to answer any more Q's on European ports. Would love to see the Breeze back in EU for 2014:)

[CupKayke]

We are looking to do Europe in 2014. Of course never having done a European Cruise, we have a million questions, but will limit them for right now.

 

Biggest question is, of course, what is the best dates to cruise Europe? We are looking at the 12 day cruise from Venice to the Eastern Med.

We did September 2009 and the weather was PERFECT every day - never rained, never got hot. We are doing the first two weeks of May this year and again, I think it's probably going to be nice. Spring and Fall are the best. I read summer reviews and feel sorry for those who are scorching hot while trying to enjoy St Mark's Square or see Trevi Fountain, etc. :( Also, rates are best in the Spring and Fall...April/May and September/October.

 

Should weather be a consideration? Yes. See above.

 

Is a balcony recommended? Yes. Always. :o I'm just kidding because I'm biased. Most Mediterranean ports are actual working ports and somewhat "ugly" however Venice is the exception. They say there is nothing like cruising into and out of Venice and I suppose I will see if that is true soon. ;) I always recommend a balcony, however. Actually, if you book a Spring cruise (like ours in early May this year)... the original rates for an inside and an oceanview are now equal to a balcony. Balcony rates have dropped and dropped this cruise. A May 4th sail date is before a lot of kiddos are out of school and when graduations/etc are happening so if you can swing a cruise in that timeframe, you will rack-up the onboard credit and/or just get a great deal on the room you want (plus the weather is great). Our roll call was a very happy roll call today with so many people upgrading to balconies or premium balconies or etc and several others getting onboard credit - and we are about 45 days out now.

 

Airfare is a killer -- Do you recommend going with the cruise line's air? No. I've heard they are more expensive. You will probably want to pick your airline and your flight times so book yourself!! Also, for this May cruise the air rates were fairly decent until about mid-December and they seemed to have steadily risen since then. Book about 7 months out if you can swing it.

I would, however, recommend you purchasing the cruise line's insurance for such a big cruise... or some insurance, somewhere. CCL's insurance covers our flights, our suitcases, our hotels, our trip, etc etc etc... if anything happens, they are going to reimburse us and if hubby falls in the next two weeks and breaks a leg (O MY GOSH PLEASE DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN)... well, we are covered 100% for every dime we've spent on everything... hotels and flights I purchased on my own, outside of CCL. Just something to think about.

 

Thanks for any and all help!

 

The planning is half the fun. Enjoy!

[kingoftheicedragons]

You will probably want to pick your airline and your flight times so book yourself!! Also, for this May cruise the air rates were fairly decent until about mid-December and they seemed to have steadily risen since then. Book about 7 months out if you can swing it.

 

Or maybe even sooner. I had my eye on airfare to Venice/from Barcelona for October starting in January, and it was a "not bad" price. I thought I'd probably wait to buy it until we got to the six-month window. But tickets started to go up--we finally bought yesterday when tickets had gone up $30/person, and even some itinerary times were no longer showing up on my searches. Yes, I suppose the prices may still drop back down to where they had been or even lower but I was no longer willing to risk it going up even higher.

[jkloni]

As reference, what are you all considering a 'not bad price'? We are planning to do a Med cruise in September 2014.

 

Thanks

[maitlandmom]

We cruised 12 nights round trip from Barcelona in mid July last year and the weather was nice. The only time we ever felt really hot was in Pompeii. It was hot but never overwhelming.

 

I personally LOVE a balcony and would never sail without one. But as stated before, most of the ports are industrial, but the sail in to Venice should not be missed. You could enjoy it from the top deck. If your cruise includes Kotor, Montenengro, the sail in there is also beautiful.

 

As far as airfair is concerned, we booked through Celebrity and the cost was identical or close to it for other websites. This summer we are sailing the Baltics and booked our airfair with American Express and were able to use miles which helped because 5 of us are going.

 

The best thing to do is really do your research and pair down what you HAVE to see because you are not going to see it all. Look carefully at all the itineraries because some cruises stay in port longer than others. We spent a fortune on shore excursions because it was truely a once in a lifetime trip. (That I now feel I have to repeat)

 

ENJOY!!!!