European Cruise-where do I start?

glentally · May 6, 2014

Big 60 Bday coming up. Thought of a few ideas and nothing is jumping out at me. After 12 cruises and most if not all carribean and Hawiaan ports I need something differant.

Where do I start figure out what itinerary? The thought of the mediterean entices me. Greece and the old history a lot also.

Suggestions, experiences?

sunsetbeachgal · May 7, 2014

I have done maybe five or so Mediterannean cruises and they are great! I would first narrow down which ports appeal to you most, and then find a cruise that visits them. If you can spare the time, spend a few days before and after the cruise in the city you embark from and then the city you end the cruise in. Also if you can spare the time, take a longer cruise such as 12 to 14 days. We did a Med. cruise last year that started off in wonderful Barcelona and ended in Venice.

When looking at various cruises, I would not not limit yourself to one cruise line, Europe is more about the ports. We really love most of the ports for different reasons, so only you can decide what interests you. If you are not tied into a particular schedule, I would suggest taking a Med. cruise in April, May, September or October to avoid the extreme heat and crowds.

Also, make sure you pay attention to the amount of time the ship is in port...you need a full day stop for most of these ports. I read on the Europe boards recently of someone who booked a cruise and the stops in some of the ports were only five hours or so, not enough time to really see some of the fantastic sights.

Planning is half of the fun! The Europe Boards have some very helpful folks too!

Brigbound · May 7, 2014

I have done maybe five or so Mediterannean cruises and they are great! I would first narrow down which ports appeal to you most, and then find a cruise that visits them. If you can spare the time, spend a few days before and after the cruise in the city you embark from and then the city you end the cruise in. Also if you can spare the time, take a longer cruise such as 12 to 14 days. We did a Med. cruise last year that started off in wonderful Barcelona and ended in Venice.

When looking at various cruises, I would not not limit yourself to one cruise line, Europe is more about the ports. We really love most of the ports for different reasons, so only you can decide what interests you. If you are not tied into a particular schedule, I would suggest taking a Med. cruise in April, May, September or October to avoid the extreme heat and crowds.

Also, make sure you pay attention to the amount of time the ship is in port...you need a full day stop for most of these ports. I read on the Europe boards recently of someone who booked a cruise and the stops in some of the ports were only five hours or so, not enough time to really see some of the fantastic sights.

Planning is half of the fun! The Europe Boards have some very helpful folks too!

Library of Celsus by chance? :D

blueblock · May 7, 2014

If you like Greece and old history, the Eastern Mediterranean is the place to go. Royal and Celebrity have some great itineraries, as do many of the other cruise lines.

cruisePAC · May 7, 2014

European cruises are great! I agree with the above posters. Europe is more about the ports and spending as much time on land as you can. Take a longer cruise, if possible. I would recommend 7 nights as a minimum. Once you travel that distance, you'll want to spend a decent amount of time there before returning home. As far as Greece goes, we've been to Corfu and Santorini. Although different from one another, they were both beautiful.

Looking at the RC website, there are some nice cruises that include many Greek ports:

- 7-night Greek Isles embarking from Venice

- 8-10-night Greek Isles embarking from Rome (Civitavecchia)

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise and time in the Mediterranean.

dorinel · May 7, 2014

Don't know what year you are looking at but I just booked this cruise. What a great price and ports of call.

I too am bored with the Caribbean, even though I wouldn't mind a Panama Canal cruise again.

Go for it - I think every European port requires much more planning, but that is the fun part of a cruise. :D

DreaAST · May 7, 2014

I totally agree with everything the above posters said. It's all about the ports! On these itineraries you aren't on the ship as much as a caribbean cruise. We did western and eastern Mediteranean and both were wonderful. We loved the ship for the western but didn't enjoy the ship as much on the eastern but we really didn't care because you are off the ship for so long and almost everyday. I will say though Santorini is now our favorite spot we have been. Good luck choosing but Europe is definitely the best choice!

Sabnitron · May 7, 2014

I have done maybe five or so Mediterannean cruises and they are great! I would first narrow down which ports appeal to you most, and then find a cruise that visits them. If you can spare the time, spend a few days before and after the cruise in the city you embark from and then the city you end the cruise in. Also if you can spare the time, take a longer cruise such as 12 to 14 days. We did a Med. cruise last year that started off in wonderful Barcelona and ended in Venice.

When looking at various cruises, I would not not limit yourself to one cruise line, Europe is more about the ports. We really love most of the ports for different reasons, so only you can decide what interests you. If you are not tied into a particular schedule, I would suggest taking a Med. cruise in April, May, September or October to avoid the extreme heat and crowds.

Also, make sure you pay attention to the amount of time the ship is in port...you need a full day stop for most of these ports. I read on the Europe boards recently of someone who booked a cruise and the stops in some of the ports were only five hours or so, not enough time to really see some of the fantastic sights.

Planning is half of the fun! The Europe Boards have some very helpful folks too!

This is REALLY good advice.

steveru621 · May 7, 2014

My first thought is airfares to Europe are very expensive. Sailing for 10-12 days seems expensive but add in your airfare and the price per day looks a lot better. Maybe a 14 day B2B, but 7 days is just too short.

I would recommend an Italy centric cruise for your first time. Be prepared for a long excursion day. Almost all Med excursions run 8-10 hours. You will see lot and walk a lot. There are many cruises that do Italy and Greece so you can get the best of both worlds. As far as RCI goes, Barcelona is probably easiest port to get in and out of, Rome requires an hour of travel from the airport. Also I would recommend you arrive the day before your cruise and get to see your port city. We have never traveled to the Med during peak season, but late September, early October, the weather is perfect, and it is a lot less crowded on excursions. The cruises and flights are much less expensive in September-October.

Your biggest challenge may be a cruise that contains at least one non-EU port. If all your stops are at EU ports you will be charged VAT of 14-20% for all of your on board purchases. Your best bet would be to pay almost everything tax free before you board; excursions and a drink package.

Our favorites, Venice, Florence, Rome, Santorini, Barcelona, Tuscany. Athens and Turkey were OK. Duds IMHO, Pisa, Sicily, Naples, Capri.

Enjoy your future cruise.

srlafleur · May 7, 2014

I would start by determining which port you want to spend the most time in, then make sure the itinerary departs or ends (or both) there. Then you can spend extra time in your most desired location.

We've done R/T Rome with extra days before (we're still clicking our heels saying, "there's no place like Rome, there's no place like Rome."), R/T Barcelona, which we also loved, with time before and after the cruise, and Venice to Barcelona. I loved Venice, my husband wasn't as impressed.

Once you've determined that, it should be a little easier to narrow down your options.

Edited May 7, 2014 by srlafleur

celebrity · May 7, 2014

The previous posts have all given excellent advice. Look at all the cruise lines and select an itinerary that appeals to you. With airfare being so costly, I agree that a 7 day just doesn't cut it. The port days are long and you will be on the go from very early in the morning until 5-7pm.

We selected a 12 day departing from Barcelona due to the close proximity of the airport to the pier.

In our case, we flew in one day prior and toured Barcelona all day after flying overnite from NYC. We had a private tour arranged ( Barcelona Day Tours) meet us at the airport and we headed out as soon as we exited the airport.

It is very important to stay awake as long as possible to get your body clock adjusted to the new time zone.

While we would have loved to have flown into Rome, we decided to go the easy route and avoid the lengthy travel from Rome to Civitavecchia port which is at least an hour from the airport.

Barcelona port is hands down the easiest embarkation we have ever experienced. The port is modern, clean and efficiently run.

Please keep in mind that Med cruises require a lot of research and I happily read, read and read some more from the CC boards as well as Rick Steve's Guides and Lonely Planet.

We also selected Sept as our sail date due to the numerous posts warning of the intense summer heat in the Med. We are so glad that we heeded that advice because the last thing we wanted was to be worn out from crowds and humidity.

If there was one regret, it would be that our trip was 13 days total. Unfortunately, I was pushing the envelope being away for even that amount of time,. Take as much time as you can possibly manage and live it up.

Additionally, once you have selected your cruise, make sure you sign up for the roll call and join others from your sailing on private tours. They are far better and less costly than ship sponsored excursions.

Our itinerary was Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus and Malta.

It was on Celebrity Equinox , not RCI.,

It was hands down the very best vacation we have had and hope to repeat it in 2016.

Any questions, ask away.

Edited May 7, 2014 by celebrity

celebrity · May 7, 2014