Med. or the Baltics

[katiebeth]

Has anyone done both the Med. and Baltics cruise? If so, did you enjoy one more than the other. We are thinking of booking the W. Med. next June from Barcelona to Venice. However, my husband thinks that the Baltics cruise may be more appealing to him.

 

We have done Northern Europe and the Norwegian Fjords on the Constellation and we loved it. The ports were great and the Constellation is such a beautiful ship.

 

I've always wanted to do the Med. but am a little concerned about the heat in June. We will be traveling with my parents who are in their mid-seventies. Our children who will be 12 and 10 will also be with us. Also, I've read a few comments lately that the Millennium is looking a little tired. I was surprised to hear this as we just got off the Infinity on June 19 to Alaska and she was in great shape. (no signs of wear and tear). I believe that both ships are pretty close in age.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

[md115]

I've done both....Med with Princess and Baltics on the Constellation.

I enjoyed the Baltics the most, although it is a tough call as both were wonderful trips.

You are correct re Med summer temps. It was 115 degrees in Turkey when we there in July 2001! Italy is also extremely crowded in the summer, especially Florence.

The Baltic sites were much less crowded, cooler temps. Some places, like Tallin, are sights which you'd be unlikely to see except on a cruise. Not as true with the Med cruise destinations, which I think are sometimes better visited on land vs. cruising (hard to see much of Florence in one day!)

There may be some repetition for you as Constellation visited Norway on the Baltic cruise.

You won't go wrong with either choice, but I think a crusie in the summer is best for the Baltics.

Good luck.

[Bruin Steve]

I did the Baltics on Princess in 2001...and the Med on Millennium in 2003...and I've done a few land trips ALL OVER Europe...

 

Both itineraries are nice...and...remember, this is all a matter of personal preference...

 

BUT, AS FOR ME, if I could only choose ONE...it would be the Mediterranean...and by a considerable amount...

 

Of course, a lot of it depends on what YOU are "into"...

 

For me, I am into history, architecture, archaeology and culture...

 

Anywhere in Europe you go will give you a lot of that...but the Med just blows everything else away...It's thousands of years of history versus the hundreds for the Baltic...You have ancient Greece, Rome and Pompei...Plus the great Renaissance art of Florence and Venice...

 

Don't get me wrong...I appreciate the Baltic ports as well...St. Peterburg is incredible...and Copenhagen is just flat out charming...Gdansk and Tallinn are pleasant surprises...But the Scandinavian capitals of Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki I don't find all that exciting--though each has certain charms...But, if I had to rate my favorite European destinations, they fall far short of Venice, Barcelona, Rome, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Tuscany, the Naples region etc.

 

And those Venice to Barcelona routes give you the ability to tack on extra nights in Venice AND Barcelona...and both cities are well worth extra time...

 

As to the heat...we were to the Med in August and yes it was hot...but worth it...I have been there in June as well and found temperatures to be quite pleasant (Note: the climate in most of the Med is equivalent to Southern California--Summers are warm but DRY...June is pleasant...August is the hottest month...

[katiebeth]

Thank you both for your informative replies. I appreciate that you've taken the time to reply. Both replies have been very helpful.

 

Happy Cruising!!

[Druke I]

Tough choice, but I lean towards the Baltic. More of my forebears are Northern European than Mediterranean, so I am more interested in that part of the world.

 

Both itineraries are port-intensive, and I always feel like I need a vacation after a port-intensive cruise to rest up.

 

Temperatures certainly could be a factor for your parents' comfort, and generally speaking, the Baltic would be cooler than the Med.

[MSBYRDY]

We've done both and would do the Med again in a heartbeat. As for the Baltic/Russia, been there, done that, no need to ever do it again. We MUCH preferred the Med. We went in early to Venice, stayed late in Barcelona and loved everything in between. Nothing like Italy and the Amalfi Coast.

Marilyn

[CAPinBoynton]

We also have done both cruises, as well as a land tour in Italy and another land tour in Greece. Bruin Steve hit the nail on the head. Both itineraries are great, but I did not enjoy Helsinki and Oslo, and Stockholm was only okay. Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Tallinn are the draw cards for the Baltic. We were in the Baltic late in July, and the weather was good.

 

On the other hand, everywhere and anywhere in the Mediterranean was fantastic. We were there during the last half of June, and yes it was hot but worth it. We loved every port and met some really great private guides.

 

As stated in previous post, it all depends on your personal preferences. If you want to compare, you might want to check out our website. We have detailed reviews and pictures of both cruises. Also, below our cruises you will find the land tours. We went to different places. For example on our Italian land tour we went to Florence, but on our cruise we explored Tuscany (Siena and San G.). The land tour to Greece involved Athens, so on the cruise we did Cape Sounion instead. We have also given contact information for private guides / drivers in the Med. That would be much more practical for your parents, and since there are six of you it would be as cheap if not cheaper than the ship tours.

[katiebeth]

Dear CapinBoynton,

 

Thank you so much for directing me to your website. It is absolutely fantastic and provides a wealth of information. I am sure many have benefited from your extensive reviews.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond and creating such a valuable website.

 

Nancy

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Carol & Mike,

A wonderful review and pictures of your French Polynesia/Marqueses cruise. Makes me want to book a cruise for there. Maybe I will.

[kitty9]

I've done both several times and have found some of the stops in the Baltic to be rather boring. St. Petersburg is absolutely fascinating and something not to miss and Amsterdam and Copenhagen are both very nice, but I've found places like Oslo and Stockholm to be somewhat uninteresting. If the Baltics cruise includes Norway's fjords, then by all means, do that one because it's absolutely beautiful, but for sightseeing and more things to do, it's definitely the Med.

[Ma Bell]

Carol,

 

Your website is absolutely gorgeous. What wonderful photos! Thanks.:)

[CAPinBoynton]

Thanks for the kind words Nancy, John and Ma Bell. Although it is very time consuming, it is a labor of love. In August / Sept. we are doing a short cruise to the Pacific Northwest, but check back with us around the first part of March, 2006. By then we will have posted our trip to New Zealand and Australia. I'm excited! :D

[C 2 C]

We did the Baltic this year and the Med last year in May and in 97. We are returning to the Med again next year. Once to the Baltic was enough unless you want to experience cooler weather. If you want to experience history and culture go to the Med. but I would not go in the summer.

 

In either case it's a cruise and it beats anything else... no matter where the ship takes you. Enjoy. Plan another for next year or the year after that... ;)

[cruisintwinsmom]

Haven't done the Baltics yet (Next summer, yeah:D ), but did the Med on Millie last June. We went the first sailing in June and the weather was pleasant. The only day that was really hot was when we were in Dubrovnik. Athens was on the warm side, but doable. My husband is extremely sensitive to the heat and he would do it again. We took our two, who were 16, and they had a great time.

 

 

Happy sailing!!

[WeBeCruisin']

We've done both and they were both great! The Mediterranean with its history, art, culture, and beauty will blow you away. The Baltics were nice, particularly Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, and Estonia, but it was less of a "thrill", if that makes sense.

 

We were in the Western Med in 2001 in October and the weather was perfect.

Last summer, we did the Baltics in July/August and the weather was perfect.

We're going to the Mediterranean again in three weeks and will find out just how hot it is.

 

As with several of the other responses, we probably wouldn't repeat the Baltics cruise, but can't wait to see the places in the Med that we missed the first time.

 

Allen