First Med cruise-do you like these ports?

[horatio123]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

[CathyCruises]

It's a fabulous itinerary and a great time of year to be doing it--really good mix of countries and lifestyles too. Go for it!

[agathasmum]

I think it is a fabulous itinerary, and a great time of year to do it. I have visited all those ports and don't think you will be disappointed.

[Lovemychoos]

We have done this on Equinox - it's an amazing cruise. The ports are all fantastic, and overnight in Istanbul was great for us, as we'd never been there before.

 

I'm sure you don't be disappointed

 

Lou

[CathyCruises]

The only caveat may be that since you will be travelling from Marseille, it may be easier to get to Barcelona to board and do that trip in reverse if that animal exists. I for one, after multiple Med cruises, would be loathe to give up that itinerary.

 

Also, if possible be sure to allow a few days on the back end to enjoy Barcelona--it's a great place to visit, lots to see and do.

Edited January 12, 2014 by CathyCruises

[mahdnc]

horatio123,

 

this looks like a terrific itinerary. We did something similar back in 2007 aboard Millennium but we did Athens/Santorini instead of Instanbul/Mykonos. I would not hesitate booking this.

Edited January 12, 2014 by mahdnc

[rebeccalouiseagain]

That's a fantastic itinerary!

[karpela]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

Oh my! You can't get a much better Med itinerary than that.

We've been to all of these ports, with Venice and Istanbul being particular favourites, actually both times on the Equinox.

 

Go for it! :)

[operafan]

That's a perfect cruise to take. We did something similar in 2007 and it was wonderful!

[vanvleckeren]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

That sounds absolutely wonderful. I'd love to do that itinerary.

 

I'm stopping at Rome, Naples, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Istanbul and Ephesus when I take my cruise in May. I think we both have great itineraries, and I'd do yours in a heartbeat.

[villauk]

Great itinerary. Best thing is it sails after all the kids have gone back to school, so it will be quieter than peak season of July/August (waiting in queues etc. at tourist attractions). Additionally, it won't be as hot as August which can be unbearable when sightseeing ;).

[buggins0402]

It starts and ends in cities that deserve more time and overnights in Istanbul which is difficult to do in a day - so overall, it's a very good itinerary for someone, who for whatever reason, doesn't need to focus heavily on Rome and Florence.

[upwarduk]

The only caveat may be that since you will be travelling from Marseille, it may be easier to get to Barcelona to board and do that trip in reverse if that animal exists. I for one, after multiple Med cruises, would be loathe to give up that itinerary.

 

Also, if possible be sure to allow a few days on the back end to enjoy Barcelona--it's a great place to visit, lots to see and do.

 

Not sure how Marseille enters the mix.

I don't see it in O.P.

 

I love Venice, so recommend that you spend some time there pre-cruise, which would enable you to visit Murano ( but take your credit card with you for glass purchases!)

[CathyCruises]

Not sure how Marseille enters the mix.

I don't see it in O.P.

 

I love Venice, so recommend that you spend some time there pre-cruise, which would enable you to visit Murano ( but take your credit card with you for glass purchases!)

 

OP has posted on a different thread that he will be disembarking a river cruise in Marseille on the same day that this cruise begins in Venice. I didn't make it up!!;)

[bigbenboys]

Yes they are great cities. I would also look at the Aug 26 Equinox cruise. Istanbul is one of my favorite cities, it would be hard to give that up. But on this cruise you get Ephesus and Santorini and Athens. The other reason is I like the warmer weather in Aug. The other thought is to do both on a b2b. You would go to Napes twice. 1st time go to Pompeii. 2nd time take the Hop on Hop off bus. Florence/Pisa. You can see 1 city each time. Civitavecchia you can see the county side. Richard

[horatio123]

Wow!! All favourable...you have me hooked. We actually have a cabin booked and on hold til tomorrow....on deck 9, 9247...concierge..

[xarm0x]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

Personal opinion - Naples is disgusting!! :(

[orchestrapal]

Personal opinion - Naples is disgusting!! :(

 

Hardly matters since there is SO MUCH one can do from Naples.

By the way it can be charming doing a walking tour with a local.

[mrobstad]

Great itinerary! Try to have 2 days in Venice so you can go to Burano. For all Italian ports, try to get a group of 8 together for Rome In Limo tour company. For our Naples stop, I think we did the Almalfi coast with Positano and La Tagliata restaurant, and that was the highlight of everyone's trip. All this for $80 pp plus admission fees! FYI Cittevecchia is about an hour from Rome, so you need to consider that when booking excursions, which are an expensive part of Med cruises.

[pris993]

We have done many Mediterranean cruises over the years, all ports are great!

 

We are not a fan of going out of Venice, did it once, in l989, flew in to Milan and had a private car to Venice, expensive. At that time we were flying TWA. We have visited Venice serveral times on other cruises, enjoy the port itself, beautiful just not our favorite port for starting a cruise.

 

We love to go in and out of Barcelona or Athens, both easy to do. Generally we find we are going in and out of Rome and we use Romecabs.com for car service, which is more reasonably priced.

 

We typically fly Air France from San Francisco direct to Paris, change planes and go on to our destination. We can do this going in or out of Barcelona, Rome or Athens. Suspect one could do the same for Venice, hotels in Venice are very expensive, there maybe some hotels at the airport if cost is an issue, we have not checked that out.

 

We did our first Mediterranean cruise from Venice to London, back in l989, have lost count how many times we have gone since. It is addictive, both eastern and western Mediterranean ports have a lot to offer. Enjoy your cruise.

[drarill]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

Excellent itinerary and the Equinox is a beautiful ship. Enjoy your cruise!!:):)

[Lastdance]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

You are going to have such a wonderful time on that particular itinerary. So many of your ports are fascinating, and will provide a lifetime of memories! Make sure you plan for some extra time before and after if possible! also, you will be extremely busy as this cruise is port intensive. Rest up well before you go...

 

1. So much to do around Naples...Capri etc.

2. Loved Positano and the restaurant high on the cliff mentioned in an above post

3. Dubrovnik and walking the wall

4. Nice - EZE is fantastic, and so is the entire area!

etc...you just can't go wrong...I can't wait to go again!

Edited January 12, 2014 by Lastdance

[grandgeezer]

We are doing the Eqinox Med. cruise on October 14 then the transatlantic after that. It will be our third time doing this. One thing to keep in mind, most of the ports we've visited in Europe, are working ports which means they'll be all kinds of other ships docked besides cruise ships. All this means is you won't be docked within walking distance of town or any sightseeing attraction.Your options are tours, taxis, and in most cases, there are shuttle buses (for a fee) to take you into town.

[celebrity]

Have never ocean cruised and thinking about grabbing a spot on the Equinox sailing out of Venice on the 7th of September....overnight in Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, overnight in Istanbul, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice, Barcelona with 3 days at sea mixed in. Would you say this is a good mix of ports or should I chose another itinerary or ship at a different time?

 

Incredible itinerary! Wish I was going. Have been to Barcelona, Mykonos, Naples and Rome. All brilliant. Would love to go to the other ports in your itinerary.

La Sagrada Familia is a must see in Barcelona. Purchase your tix online before you set sail.

Also check out Rome in Limo for Rome and Naples. I agree that Naples is pretty nasty but it is the launching point for Pompeii! Capri and the Amalfi coast. :)

You will love the Equinox, it is my favorite ship to date.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!!

[CathyCruises]

Ai yi yi!!!

 

Naples is a wonderful port stop, so much to do and see within an easy distance. Here is what we did on one trip:

 

Just wanted to report on our DIY day in Naples a few weeks ago now. We had heard that the bus to Herculaneum was no longer running, which was my #1 option. But right at the port entrance we were able to buy a combo tram/train ticket for I believe euro 2.90 each. Walked to the middle of the road and hopped on just as the tram was leaving. The only tricky part was figuring out where to get off--I happened to see a small sign that said Circumvesuviana and we jumped off at the last second. I believe it was the first stop after the tram turns left and goes up the hill.

 

Got on the train and weirdly ran into my daughter who was headed to Pompeii! The ride to Ercolano takes about 20 minutes IIRC. When we got off we had no idea which way to go, but I recalled a post where somebody said to head downhill, so we did, and after 10 minutes or so we arrived at the entrance. I LOVED Ercolano--to me it was much more interesting and intact than Pompeii, and I loved being able to actually walk into and around the houses rather than just peering in through grates. We did rent the audioguides (E. 10 for 2) which helped a lot. We spent 2+ hours wandering about and really enjoyed it. Very uncrowded as well.

 

To save our tootsies, we took a cab/bus back up to the train station (I have a slowly recovering broken foot to deal with). We had asked the girl who sold us the train tix about going to Sorrento and she told us it was about half an hour beyond Ercolano, so we decided to go for it. To my dismay, it was 24 stops down the road!!! Took over an hour. But so worth it when we got there.

 

We wandered around this beautiful town, had a great lunch, shopped, took photos, just loved it there. I'd move tomorrow if I could figure out a way to support myself! But to avoid the long train ride back, we hopped on to the ferry for E. 9/pp, which took about 45 minutes, and dropped us right at the port next to our ship! Ended up being a great day, minimal cost, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. There's really no need to spend hundreds of dollars in this port to see and do a lot!

In Rome, it is super easy to take the train for 12 euros/pp r/t; you can get off at Roma Ostiense and take the metro (included) at that station two stops to Colosseo and walk right out at the Colosseum. From there you can walk through the Forum, and keep going to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, then over to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, stopping for lunch along the way. Then cab over to the Vatican and see the basilica, before heading to the Roma San Pietro station to catch the train back to your ship. A wonderful, fulfilling and very inexpensive day!

In Istanbul, there is a tram right where the ship docks that will take you to the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sofia, or the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market, for a few Turkish lira, which you can get at the Starbucks across the street.

Very easy to see and do a LOT without spending a ton of dough.