Mediterranean

[citygirl2]

Not sure where to post this so... I am planning a Mediterranean cruise for 2015. We usually cruise Carnival but I see they are pulling out of the Med. Wondering people's opinions on other cruise lines and itineraries. Our son is graduating that summer (he wants to see Venice) my hubby turns 50 (he just wants to cruise again) and it is our 20th anniversary (I want to see everything) Planning on spending some time before or after as I ant to visit Paris.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Some of the cruise lines do not have their 2015 schedules out yet for the med.

Have you looked at RCI?

[Hlitner]

We are with Krazy that its much too early to start looking at 2015 cruises. As to Carnival, although this is arguable that particular line would not be among most folks favorites in the Med. You may want to consider RCI, Princess, and Celebrity (among others) but the time to start looking is about a year before the cruise date. In fact, we have cruised in the Med many times (we are talking years on ships) and seldom booked a cruise more then 9 months in advance. Keep in mind that for those not familiar with Europe (and many who are) a big cost of Med cruises are the expensive (some of us would say overpriced) ship's excursions. For those that insist on booking cruise line excursions its actually possible to spend more money on excursions then on the actual cruise. Another big factor are the airfares which have become very expensive. From BC you are looking at some big bucks to simply get to Europe and its doubtful that these prices will drop between now and 2015.

 

Hank

[paul929207]

We love to cruise the Med. We like Princess and sail with them. However, the Med cruises are usually pretty port intensive, so the ship is not as important as in other areas.

 

We always plan our trip to come a few days early and stay on after the cruise. The air is the same for a 7 day cruise or a 21 day trip.

[epixx]

My favorite itinerary for a first time Med cruiser is the Princess Grand Med, which sails either from Barcelona to Venice or from Venice to Barcelona for 12 days.

 

Ports for 2014 (going from Barcelona to Venice) include

Barcelona, Spain

Toulon, France

Livorno, Italy (for Florence and Pisa)

Civitavecchia, Italy (for Rome)

Naples, Italy (for Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc.)

Mykonos, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Piraeus, Greece (for Athens)

Venice, Italy (overnight)

 

Princess seems to offer this itinerary every year.

[cruisemom42]

My favorite itinerary for a first time Med cruiser is the Princess Grand Med, which sails either from Barcelona to Venice or from Venice to Barcelona for 12 days.

 

Ports for 2014 (going from Barcelona to Venice) include

Barcelona, Spain

Toulon, France

Livorno, Italy (for Florence and Pisa)

Civitavecchia, Italy (for Rome)

Naples, Italy (for Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc.)

Mykonos, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Piraeus, Greece (for Athens)

Venice, Italy (overnight)

 

Princess seems to offer this itinerary every year.

 

I agree. To me, this is one of the best introductory itineraries in the market.

[sail7seas]

My favorite itinerary for a first time Med cruiser is the Princess Grand Med, which sails either from Barcelona to Venice or from Venice to Barcelona for 12 days.

 

Ports for 2014 (going from Barcelona to Venice) include

Barcelona, Spain

Toulon, France

Livorno, Italy (for Florence and Pisa)

Civitavecchia, Italy (for Rome)

Naples, Italy (for Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc.)

Mykonos, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Piraeus, Greece (for Athens)

Venice, Italy (overnight)

 

Princess seems to offer this itinerary every year.

 

 

I agree. That's a nice itinerary.

 

For a first time trip to Europe, you will see a lot.

It will be very port intensive and you'll likely need a vacation after your vacation if you really tour each city but you will see wonderful things. :)

 

[citygirl2]

We love to cruise the Med. We like Princess and sail with them. However, the Med cruises are usually pretty port intensive, so the ship is not as important as in other areas.

 

Thank you. That makes sense, itinerary more important that the ship.

[delily]

LOVED NCL's 12 day Grand Mediteranean from Venice to Barcelona with port stops in Athens, Izmir, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Rome, Florence, and Tolum. NCL's Spirit was a lovely ship as well. Check it out. Even though most lines may not have their 2015 schedules out yet, you can still get an idea of what they will likely be offering by checking out what is running this year and next.

[citygirl2]

My favorite itinerary for a first time Med cruiser is the Princess Grand Med, which sails either from Barcelona to Venice or from Venice to Barcelona for 12 days.

 

Ports for 2014 (going from Barcelona to Venice) include

Barcelona, Spain

Toulon, France

Livorno, Italy (for Florence and Pisa)

Civitavecchia, Italy (for Rome)

Naples, Italy (for Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, etc.)

Mykonos, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Piraeus, Greece (for Athens)

Venice, Italy (overnight)

 

Princess seems to offer this itinerary every year.

 

That sounds great. Also because it's so port intensive I can arrange our stay more for after the cruise to just relax.

[Putterdude]

We certainly have enjoyed Princess in the Med and are going back this fall but would have no hesitation of cruising with Celebrity...the reason we keep going back to Princess is the free laundry for Elites is real boon when flying across the pond.

[Keith1010]

Most cruise lines do not have their 2015 itineraries out.

 

Once they are out I would begin by narrowing your choices by first looking for itineraries to find the ones that you like best. Then do the research (including coming back to this board) about preferences for ships and cruise lines.

 

Give careful through to where the cruise begins and ends. I say this for several reasons. One is ease of flight between home and these areas. The other is I would try to arrive to Europe a few days before the cruise so you can tour the area where your cruise begins, do not miss the ship if your flight is cancelled or delayed, have time for them to find luggage if anything went missing and get over the jet lag.

 

There are many nice cruise lines that I can recommend that sail the Med but I will hold off on this until you narrow down your choices with the itineraries. Remember that some have their preferences based on preferring one cruise line but there really are several who do the Med that would be excellent choices in my opinion.

 

Keith

[noname99]

Check out the airlines schedules, see what days they fly and which airports you need to transfer through some are a nightmare to catch connecting flights.

 

We are taking a Princess cruise from Venice to Barcelona this summer transferring thru Toronto on Air Canada Rouge, then stopping in Paris post cruise.

 

Airline prices are best at least 8 months in advance, and cruise line will usually offer an early booking bonus. Good Luck.

[griffy116]

We did a Royal Caribbean cruise last June from Civetavechhia, staying in Rome a few days prior to the cruise. We had stops that allowed us to see Taormina, Ephesus, Athens, and Crete, and we returned to Rome for one last day and night. We had never been to Europe and it was the BEST trip ever. We're planning a cruise for next summer that will take us back to Rome for one day and then Spain and France, with other ports in Italy. We can't wait!