European Cruise-where do I start?

[celebrity]

Lots of great info here, we are setting sail for our first Med cruise on Sept 12, 16 nights Southampton to Rome and back with lots of stops in between. We are getting very excited, time to start planning excursions!

 

 

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Lucky you. what are the ports?

[krev]

Lucky you. what are the ports?

 

 

Southampton, at sea, at sea, Gibraltar, at sea, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Livorno, Cagliari, at sea, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, at sea, at sea, Southampton. Whew, time to start memorizing! We have private tours booked through "Rome in Limo" for Rome and Livorno, we've joined in with a group from our roll call, only 8 people so should be fun. Any ideas for other ports would be much appreciated

 

 

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[krev]

I was looking at Alaska because we have three weeks off in July with no firm plans but boy is it expensive. Our 16 night Med is cheaper than a one week Alaska. Only bonus for Alaska is we live in Victoria and the cruise ports are close. The other lucky thing about living here is we've seen killer whales about 300 yards from us while kayaking! Eagles, seals, sea lions, we live in a pretty amazing place, so I'll save the money and go RVing instead! For those that don't live on the coast though I'm sure you'll love Alaska.

 

 

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Edited May 9, 2014 by krev

[Kat196]

We did a 12 night Med greek isles cruise last October. One of the best cruises ever on Serenade. We had an active roll call and hooked up with many before and during the cruise for private excursions. It was very port intensive. AA has a direct flight to Barcelona from Miami (I see you live in Florida). you must get a balcony.

 

It was a busy year, we also did an 11 night British Isles in August on Celebrity. Also one of the best I enjoyed. Excursions through the Scotland highlands were beautiful. Loved that everyone spoke English, lots of singing Irish and Scotish songs on the buses. the crusie also was great as we had an aqua suite. Celebrity does things right. Food always delicious. downside, getting to Harwich isn't all that easy. Had an awesome 5 day pre cruise in London though.

 

Lastly, if you don't have two weeks to spare, do an Alaska cruise in July on the Radiance. Alaska cruises are expensive and you must get a balcony even though most evenings will be chilly. Wrap yourself up. We saw more whales off the balcony then I expected. Excursions are also expensive (we only do private ones) but you'll see things you would never see otherwise. Our bear excursion in Anan Creek was once in a lifetime.

 

Those are our three favorites. We enjoyed Santorini so much last year, we are going back this October and bring other family members.

 

What did you do in Santorini? Did you take a private excursion or take the tram and visit the town? We'll be there this September on Splendour of the Seas. Thanks! Also, how was the weather?

[celebrity]

Southampton, at sea, at sea, Gibraltar, at sea, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Livorno, Cagliari, at sea, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, at sea, at sea, Southampton. Whew, time to start memorizing! We have private tours booked through "Rome in Limo" for Rome and Livorno, we've joined in with a group from our roll call, only 8 people so should be fun. Any ideas for other ports would be much appreciated

 

 

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Rome in Limo is the way to go! We utilized their services in Rome and Naples. All the raves on this board and Trip Advisor are well deserved. I hope you have a private guide in the Vatican. It truly enhances the experience. In Barcelona, you should definitely reserve tickets in advance for La Sagrada Familia. It is unbelievable. Walk Las Ramblas, go to Parc Guell, La Boqueria, have some tapas if you have time. I can't help with the other ports but they all sound fabulous. Have a great cruise.

[krev]

Rome in Limo is the way to go! We utilized their services in Rome and Naples. All the raves on this board and Trip Advisor are well deserved. I hope you have a private guide in the Vatican. It truly enhances the experience. In Barcelona, you should definitely reserve tickets in advance for La Sagrada Familia. It is unbelievable. Walk Las Ramblas, go to Parc Guell, La Boqueria, have some tapas if you have time. I can't help with the other ports but they all sound fabulous. Have a great cruise.

 

 

Great advice about Barcelona, our son is going there next month so hopefully he'll give us ideas as well. Our group has booked a private guide for the Vatican. Thank you, I really appreciate it

 

 

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[blueblock]

We'll be going on the Splendour of the Seas in September to Epheses. Can you tell me which private tour operator you used? Thanks!

 

I've also had good tours with Hello Ephesus.

[katrina915]

My advice to OP:

Look at pics/write up of things to do in various ports. What someone loved, may not interest you.

 

Figure out a budget to see where and if you really want to go. Cruise may be cheapest part of budget. Cost out airfare and excursions.

 

Consider energy level of all travelers. Europe is port intensive and we may like it, but is this what your party wants?

 

Look at how far the ports are from the main cities. Do you want to travel 1.5 hrs to Rome and then have 4-5 hrs visiting? Same for Livorno and Florence.

 

Plan extensively: Trip Advisor, CC, roll call, books, etc.. And be prepared to be surprised. I love history, but I wasn't that impressed with Athens. But loved Ephesus. And then disappointed with Pompeii. Didn't care for Rome the first time I saw it, but liked it better the second time.

 

I wouldn't rule out on a land based vacation. Either just one or add on. I would broadened my search to beyond cruises and also consider London and Paris. I also loved Edinburgh, Scotland.

[gracie65]

Hi Kat,

 

We used Ephesus Deluxe...actually we have used this company twice and would highly recommend them. The price is roughly half of the cruise ship excursion and both times the guide was wonderful!

 

Whatever you do, take a tour that includes the Terrace Houses. These are the most recently excavated homes of wealthy citizens of Ephesus and you will see mosaics and walls with original pairings, thousands of years old.

 

Good luck and have a wonderful cruise!

 

Sunsetbeachgal, it's gracie65 your neighbor down the road. I have some questions about European cruises and don't want to get off topic on this thread. My email is under my signature, could you email me when you have a chance? I would appreciate it. Thanks!!