Which cruise line/port for Italy?

[the plumbers wife]

We are planning a trip to Italy for 2014! I have looked at several cruise lines and ports. My parents did the land tour ten years ago. The rest of us have never been. We range in age from 19-76. We would like to do the Amalfi coast first, but it seems that many of the lines that sail that route also include Greece/Spain etc. We wanted to cruise just Italy? Maybe we need to rethink this and start elsewhere, its a big country :rolleyes:? Also, do you think the smaller lines Azamara, P/Gauguin etc are a better choice? They do seem to reach more ports? My parents are also concerned that the amount of time it will take us to get to each shore excursion from the ship will consume quite a bit of time. Any information or insight you can help us with would be appreciated!! :)

[paul929207]

We have done several Princess cruises that included Italy, but all hit other countries too.

 

You asked about timing getting to shore excursions. Do you mean one's offered by the ship or private ones? For the ship's, they will have you meet in a lounge and lead you off when it is time. FOr private ones, once the ship is cleared by local authorities, passengers can get off. There is usually a line and it takess 15 minutes or so for it to clear.

[the plumbers wife]

We would consider doing either or. I have just heard from friends that sometimes you are on a bus for quite some time to reach your excursions.

Did you find this to be true when you went??

[LHT28]

Smaller ships will of course have less people & less lines to get off the ship;)

 

They will also stop at some ports that the bigger ships cannot get into

You may want to start in Venice & sail to Rome (Civitavecchia) then spend some time in Rome

Sometimes you will have to take other Countries as well as Italy on the itineraries

 

Oceania have some nice itineraries if in your budget

Lyn

[paul929207]

Some of the major sites in Italy are a long drive from the port. Rome is an hour + from the port (Civitevecchia). Florence is even further from Livorno. So tours to these beautiful cities will mean a long bus ride to begin and end the tour.

[KirkNC]

Virtually all the lines that sail in Europe are going to include Italy and each line is a little different from the others. We sail HAL, Celebrity and Princess and all of them go to Italy.

[cruisemom42]

I don't believe there is any cruise line that ONLY calls on ports in Italy. Most people want a variety of places. Due to Italy's position in the Med, you will find Italy + Western ports (France, Spain) and Italy + Eastern ports (Croatia, Greece, Turkey).

 

If you really are mostly interested in Italy, I would strongly recommend you consider a land trip. Yes, several ports in Italy are quite a distance from the ship and tours can get very expensive if you aren't willing or able to do them on your own.

 

If you are married to the idea of a cruise, I know a few of the smaller lines (such as Azamara or Oceania) will occasionally feature itineraries that are Italy-intensive but will still have at least one or two ports outside Italy. These itineraries aren't offered too often.

 

It might be a good idea to talk to a travel agent and find out what all your options are for the time frame you're considering.

[the plumbers wife]

Thank you all so much for all your WONDERFUL advice! Please keep the comments coming! :):)

[paul929207]

I am not sure if they still do it, but we did a 12 night Princess cruise a few years ago. Venice to Rome. Called on Ravenna, Messina, Sorrento, Portofino, Livorno (Florence & Pisa) in Italy. Also, Split, Kotor, Corfu & Valetta.

[jimrazz6947]

One way to cut down on the long bus ride from Civitavecchia to Rome is begin or end your cruise there. A cursory check, however, shows that the higher end cruise lines are the only ones to offer this option.

[Ontariotrekker]

I did a 14 day cruise with Voyages to Antiquity that covered some ports in Italy as well as Sicily. Their tours often include hotel stays at either end of the cruises so you can see more of the cities too.

[jocap]

Check out the ports with MSC and Costa, starting at Savona/Genoa in Italy and going round to Venice. They'll probably include some other ports, especially in the Adriatic....but at least you'll be back in Italy when you're on board! ;)

[ShadowzBtlr]

You might want to ask your question at the Ports of Call forum for Italy. Here is the link for the forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

[sail7seas]

It is magical sailing into and out of Venice. :)

 

We sailed twice into Naples and had fun but we'd been to Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast in the past on land trips so were happy to enjoy Napoli. If we had not previously visited those places, we surely would have toured there from the ship.