European Cruise Questions

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm looking ahead here, but I'm hoping to do a Mediterranean cruise in summer 2016 and have some questions, so I figured I'd ask.

 

I know that the Europe deployment has not been released yet, but here are my questions:

 

What area of Europe (Western Med, Greek Isles, Northern Europe, etc.) would you recommend for my first vacation/cruise to Europe?

 

Assuming that an Oasis Class ship is based in the Med again, what's everyone's opinions of doing the western Med on a ship of that size? I'm worried that I'd be paying a premium for an Oasis class ship, but the ship would almost be a waste since we'll be off in port so much?

[LovesCruising]

We too are thinking about the med for 2016 - want our itinerary to include Venice tho and don't believe Oasis class can get into that port - too big - just a thought

[DreaAST]

This isn't much help in choosing but we have done both the Western Med out of Barcelona and Greek Isles from Venice. You can't go wrong with either. I guess it depends if you have somewhere specific you want to see. If you chose Greek Isles make sure it goes to Santorini bc that is a place to see! For the western med our favorite was Rome and the Amalfi Coast which was the Naples port. Good luck choosing, you will be happy with whichever one!

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We too are thinking about the med for 2016 - want our itinerary to include Venice tho and don't believe Oasis class can get into that port - too big - just a thought

 

Yes, definitely too big for Venice. If an Oasis Class ship is in Europe again in 2016 (I would think yes), it will probably do the same itineraries that Allure is doing in 2015 - Rome, Florence, Barcelona, etc.

 

I would love to visit Venice, but at this time, we can't go away for more than 9-10 days, so we're limited to a 7/8 night cruise with a pre-night at the departure port. Unless Royal comes out with a different itinerary, than our only option to visit Venice would be before a cruise to the Greek Isles from there. I guess its more of a waiting game at this point.

Edited February 8, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[Hoopster95]

I'm looking ahead here, but I'm hoping to do a Mediterranean cruise in summer 2016 and have some questions, so I figured I'd ask.

 

I know that the Europe deployment has not been released yet, but here are my questions:

 

What area of Europe (Western Med, Greek Isles, Northern Europe, etc.) would you recommend for my first vacation/cruise to Europe?

 

Assuming that an Oasis Class ship is based in the Med again, what's everyone's opinions of doing the western Med on a ship of that size? I'm worried that I'd be paying a premium for an Oasis class ship, but the ship would almost be a waste since we'll be off in port so much?

 

Re Oasis, I agree... utter waste of time for anyone travelling Europe to actually see the ports, not a ship. Oasis in Europe is for Europeans who have seen everything in Europe many times and are on Oasis for the ship itself. Vision or Radiance Class best suited for Europe imo.

 

I have not done Northern, but Western, Adriatic & Greece/Turkey. Adriatic including Kotor, Dubrovnik and sailing into Venice imho are ultimate #1 memories you will never forget. Venice sail-in should be the #1 bucket list item for any avid cruiser. Look at the Vision itineraries out of Barcelona this year or the itinerary I did last Sept in my Serenade review below. If you want Greece, look hard at the Celebrity itineraries which in one sailing include all 5 of the major ports in one sailing: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes & Crete. Both of the above 2 are in my top 5 cruises vacations ev er, unforgettable!!

 

Whatever you choose, you will have a superb vacation! :D

[Hoopster95]

I would love to visit Venice, but at this time, we can't go away for more than 9-10 days, so we're limited to a 7/8 night cruise with a pre-night at the departure port. Unless Royal comes out with a different itinerary, than our only option to visit Venice would be before a cruise to the Greek Isles from there. I guess its more of a waiting game at this point.

 

With the utmost sincerety, I think because you say you only have 8 days total, you are totally wasting your time and money. To go from North America to Europe for only a week is a massive injustice that you will regret wasting 2 full days travel and cost to get there. You should really wait and plan to have a minimum of two weeks imo.

 

If you truly wish to go all the way there for only 1 week, the current 2016-2017 deployment thread is seeing possibly the Vision taking over for Splendour out of Venice on 7 day itineraries... you'd visit Dubrovnik & Santorini, 2 ultimate ports of call... total bucket list ports that are amazing. Plus you could stay in Venice for a day, again epic even only for a day. :)

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Re Oasis, I agree... utter waste of time for anyone travelling Europe to actually see the ports, not a ship. Oasis in Europe is for Europeans who have seen everything in Europe many times and are on Oasis for the ship itself. Vision or Radiance Class best suited for Europe imo.

 

I have not done Northern, but Western, Adriatic & Greece/Turkey. Adriatic including Kotor, Dubrovnik and sailing into Venice imho are ultimate #1 memories you will never forget. Venice sail-in should be the #1 bucket list item for any avid cruiser. Look at the Vision itineraries out of Barcelona this year or the itinerary I did last Sept in my Serenade review below. If you want Greece, look hard at the Celebrity itineraries which in one sailing include all 5 of the major ports in one sailing: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes & Crete. Both of the above 2 are in my top 5 cruises vacations ev er, unforgettable!!

 

Whatever you choose, you will have a superb vacation! :D

 

That's exactly what I was thinking regarding Oasis. And from Allure's 2015 pricing, they seem to be charging a premium. I was doing some dummy bookings just for reference and for 3 people in an ocean view balcony on Allure this year, the price is about $5300 for the first week of June (I know its kind of late, and rooms are more limited, so might be cheaper if I looked earlier?).

 

And out of curiosity, I checked out the new Carnival Vista, which has Med sailings available for 2016. For 3 in an ocean view balcony on an 8 day cruise is $3600! Only problem is, I'm not a fan of carnival! :D

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

With the utmost sincerety, I think because you say you only have 8 days total, you are totally wasting your time and money. To go from North America to Europe for only a week is a massive injustice that you will regret wasting 2 full days travel and cost to get there. You should really wait and plan to have a minimum of two weeks imo.

 

If you truly wish to go all the way there for only 1 week, the current 2016-2017 deployment thread is seeing possibly the Vision taking over for Splendour out of Venice on 7 day itineraries... you'd visit Dubrovnik & Santorini, 2 ultimate ports of call... total bucket list ports that are amazing. Plus you could stay in Venice for a day, again epic even only for a day. :)

 

Thanks for this. I should have explained a little more, but I could probably pull off 10 days total. I know you might not agree, but I honestly don't think my limited time is going to stop me from going. I'll wait and see itineraries before I decide, but after hearing what you've said, I think i'll try and shoot for a 10 day trip.

Edited February 8, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[MADflyer]

I would think that an Allure or Oasis class sailing to Europe would be great if you were planning on doing a lot of RCI shore excursions or other planned travel. You would get to see a great deal of diverse mass appeal sights and have a great first experience by cruise. This would allow you to use your time most efficiently.

 

I also was suggesting the Barcelona 12 day, but noticed your limited time after posting.

Edited February 8, 2015 by MADflyer

[Hoopster95]

Thanks for this. I should have explained a little more, but I could probably pull off 2 days pre cruise. I know you might not agree, but I honestly don't think my limited time is going to stop me from going. I'll wait and see itineraries before I decide, but after hearing what you've said, I think i'll try and shoot for a 10 day trip.

 

I hear you... you can't wait forever! Definitely go when you can if you can. Then I think your choices will be limited to:

 

• Barcelona 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day western Med (but def not Oasis Class imho)
  
• Rome 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day western
  
• Rome 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day eastern but embarkation day and 2 days at sea total waste of your vacation dollar
  
• Venice 2 days pre-cruise - 5 ports in 7 days, most bucket list ports.
  

 

The Venice option for me would be #1 choice. However, no matter which you pick you will miss something major (ie. Barcelona, or a day at Pisa, or pre-cruise stay in Rome... def need more than 1 day in Rome else a total waste of time). You'll just have to plan to book another cruise the following year ;)

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I hear you... you can't wait forever! Definitely go when you can if you can. Then I think your choices will be limited to:

 

• Barcelona 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day western Med (but def not Oasis Class imho)
  
• Rome 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day western
  
• Rome 2 days pre-cruise - 7 day eastern but embarkation day and 2 days at sea total waste of your vacation dollar
  
• Venice 2 days pre-cruise - 5 ports in 7 days, most bucket list ports.
  

 

The Venice option for me would be #1 choice. However, no matter which you pick you will miss something major (ie. Barcelona, or a day at Pisa, or pre-cruise stay in Rome... def need more than 1 day in Rome else a total waste of time). You'll just have to plan to book another cruise the following year ;)

 

Thanks so much for all this info. I think it would definitely come down to either 7 day western from Barcelona or Rome, or 7 day from Venice. Also, I could take a look at Northern Europe, depending on itineraries. It's just a waiting game at this point! I'll be back asking for more opinions when the itineraries for 2016 are released, haha!

 

This definitely won't be my only trip to Europe! I'll definitely be going back, hopefully on one of the 10-12 night itineraries when I have more time!

Edited February 8, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[tidygirl]

We did the Liberty out of Barcelona in Sept and are booked on the Splendour out of Venice in Oct. I would love to try out the Oasis sometime but IMO it would be a waste of money on such a port intensive cruise. We had 1 day at sea and a couple of nights they didn't even have a show so we went to bed early considering we were getting up at 5:30 some mornings. Our ship was our moving hotel and restaurant!

I understand about only having the 9 or 10 days to go on a trip! DH and I could have longer at this point of our lives but we are taking 2 DD's and SIL and they don't have as much vacation time accumulated yet! So we make do with what we can!

Make sure when you start looking for flights you check out Choice Air we got tickets $400 pp cheaper than on any of the travel sites. I am also watching for our Venice trip rt prices are cheaper than other sites but it is even cheaper booking 1 way flights!

[joepeka]

That's exactly what I was thinking regarding Oasis. And from Allure's 2015 pricing, they seem to be charging a premium. I was doing some dummy bookings just for reference and for 3 people in an ocean view balcony on Allure this year, the price is about $5300 for the first week of June (I know its kind of late, and rooms are more limited, so might be cheaper if I looked earlier?).

 

And out of curiosity, I checked out the new Carnival Vista, which has Med sailings available for 2016. For 3 in an ocean view balcony on an 8 day cruise is $3600! Only problem is, I'm not a fan of carnival! :D

 

Interesting you mention Carnival Vista, I too have been looking at it for summer 2016 and like the pricing I see (~$3900 for a Vista balcony for two, and you mention $3800 for three in an OV balcony). As has been mentioned earlier, the ship is probably secondary to the ports (especially for your first Med cruise) so perhaps the CCL Vista might be worth considering along with some of the other suggestions made here.

[grandgeezer]

The only reason, that I know of, the Allure and Oasis did Europe, is because they were going into drydock, which happens every five years. I applaud RCL for keeping them over there for the whole season. That gives them a chance of correcting any problems they missed or didn't know about before bringing them back to the U.S.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We did the Liberty out of Barcelona in Sept and are booked on the Splendour out of Venice in Oct. I would love to try out the Oasis sometime but IMO it would be a waste of money on such a port intensive cruise. We had 1 day at sea and a couple of nights they didn't even have a show so we went to bed early considering we were getting up at 5:30 some mornings. Our ship was our moving hotel and restaurant!

I understand about only having the 9 or 10 days to go on a trip! DH and I could have longer at this point of our lives but we are taking 2 DD's and SIL and they don't have as much vacation time accumulated yet! So we make do with what we can!

Make sure when you start looking for flights you check out Choice Air we got tickets $400 pp cheaper than on any of the travel sites. I am also watching for our Venice trip rt prices are cheaper than other sites but it is even cheaper booking 1 way flights!

 

I agree about the Oasis being too big for Europe. We wanted to try out an Oasis class ship, so we booked Oasis to the Caribbean for this year. But next year, I'm hoping to do Europe and focus more on the ports. Personally, I'd much rather do the 7 night from Rome/Barcelona on a Freedom/Voyager/Radiance Class ship. IMO, the perfect mix of ports and ship.

 

Venice is one of my bucket list ports, so that's definitely on the list. I'm hoping for a different ship though, I saw some speculation that Vision might replace Splendour, but personally I'd love a Radiance class ship. Wishful thinking!

 

Interesting you mention Carnival Vista, I too have been looking at it for summer 2016 and like the pricing I see (~$3900 for a Vista balcony for two, and you mention $3800 for three in an OV balcony). As has been mentioned earlier, the ship is probably secondary to the ports (especially for your first Med cruise) so perhaps the CCL Vista might be worth considering along with some of the other suggestions made here.

 

That option is definitely in the back of my head, also the fact that the Vista will be brand new is pretty cool too. Even though the trip is more about the ports, I don't know if I want to switch from Royal, as I love the cruise experience that they offer. :)

Edited February 8, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[cynicalscotsman]

Doing an oasis class cruise limits your port options - go for a voyager class sailing (or freedom if they come back) you should do something Eastern med - Venice, Italy, Turkey - weather is a bit more predictable!

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Doing an oasis class cruise limits your port options - go for a voyager class sailing (or freedom if they come back) you should do something Eastern med - Venice, Italy, Turkey - weather is a bit more predictable!

 

Thanks, so from what I've been reading, many people prefer the Eastern Med? Depending on the 2016 itineraries, I would love to book a trip that included Venice! Here I was thinking that Western Med is better!

[tidygirl]

Well our family enjoyed our Western Med. a they are not big into history and churches etc. I heard DH tell people he'd go back if he could (he'd want to see different things) and that's good for him!

[cynicalscotsman]

Thanks, so from what I've been reading, many people prefer the Eastern Med? Depending on the 2016 itineraries, I would love to book a trip that included Venice! Here I was thinking that Western Med is better!

 

 

We have enjoyed both! But the Easter med was a bit better! I suppose it's because I have done a lot of land based holidays in the western med so the other side was a bit different!

[drarill]

I'm looking ahead here, but I'm hoping to do a Mediterranean cruise in summer 2016 and have some questions, so I figured I'd ask.

 

I know that the Europe deployment has not been released yet, but here are my questions:

 

What area of Europe (Western Med, Greek Isles, Northern Europe, etc.) would you recommend for my first vacation/cruise to Europe?

 

Assuming that an Oasis Class ship is based in the Med again, what's everyone's opinions of doing the western Med on a ship of that size? I'm worried that I'd be paying a premium for an Oasis class ship, but the ship would almost be a waste since we'll be off in port so much?

We have done many Med cruises and this is my best advice.

-For a first time, try to find a longer itinerary (10-14 nights). Our first two were from Barcelona, the first one included the greek islands the second Venice.

-I like to explore the Med sailing from a Med port like Barcelona, Civittavechia or Venice. Our worst experience was the Independence from Southampton. Don't get me wrong. We love England but not to explore the Med, crossing the Bay of Biscay was one of our worst cruising experiences.

-We love the Oasis but not for Europe. To us the Oasis (or the Allure) is the destination, not the ports. When we cruise the Med the most important thing for us is the itinerary and the ports. Keep in mind that european cruises are port intensive and you won't have too much time to enjoy the ship.

-Try to spend some time pre and/or pre cruise on the departure port. We love Rome, Barcelona and Venice and have enjoyed great pre-cruise stays on these cities.

-Do your research. You will find great information about private tours on the port of call section here in Cruise Critics. We always do some private tours, some ports on our own and some ship tours.

-Last but not least, check Celebrity too. We enjoyed a great cruise last year on the Reflection. Right now they have a great offer that includes pre-paid gratuities, on board credit and free beverage package when cruising on a concierge cabin (and up) in the Med. I think you get two of those if you cruise on a regular balcony. If you like the suite life, their suite experience is amazing and about to improve in April.

Hope this helps!!:):)

[bigeck]

I'm looking ahead here, but I'm hoping to do a Mediterranean cruise in summer 2016 and have some questions, so I figured I'd ask.

 

I know that the Europe deployment has not been released yet, but here are my questions:

 

What area of Europe (Western Med, Greek Isles, Northern Europe, etc.) would you recommend for my first vacation/cruise to Europe?

 

Assuming that an Oasis Class ship is based in the Med again, what's everyone's opinions of doing the western Med on a ship of that size? I'm worried that I'd be paying a premium for an Oasis class ship, but the ship would almost be a waste since we'll be off in port so much?

 

We done the 12 night from Barcelona on Serenade last year.

Cannes, for Monte Carlo.

La Spezia for Florence or Cinque Terre.

Rome,

Naples for Amalfi Coast or Pompei.

Overnight in Venice. Arrived at 2pm and left next day at 8pm. A slow sail past all the sights. It was amazing.

Ravenna

Dubrovnik. Walk the wall

 

Vision is doing this in 2015, not sure about 2016 but this cruise covers everything. Better still if you can have a few nights in Barcelona.

Edited February 8, 2015 by bigeck

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We have done many Med cruises and this is my best advice.

-For a first time, try to find a longer itinerary (10-14 nights). Our first two were from Barcelona, the first one included the greek islands the second Venice.

-I like to explore the Med sailing from a Med port like Barcelona, Civittavechia or Venice. Our worst experience was the Independence from Southampton. Don't get me wrong. We love England but not to explore the Med, crossing the Bay of Biscay was one of our worst cruising experiences.

-We love the Oasis but not for Europe. To us the Oasis (or the Allure) is the destination, not the ports. When we cruise the Med the most important thing for us is the itinerary and the ports. Keep in mind that european cruises are port intensive and you won't have too much time to enjoy the ship.

-Try to spend some time pre and/or pre cruise on the departure port. We love Rome, Barcelona and Venice and have enjoyed great pre-cruise stays on these cities.

-Do your research. You will find great information about private tours on the port of call section here in Cruise Critics. We always do some private tours, some ports on our own and some ship tours.

-Last but not least, check Celebrity too. We enjoyed a great cruise last year on the Reflection. Right now they have a great offer that includes pre-paid gratuities, on board credit and free beverage package when cruising on a concierge cabin (and up) in the Med. I think you get two of those if you cruise on a regular balcony. If you like the suite life, their suite experience is amazing and about to improve in April.

Hope this helps!!:):)

 

Thanks so much! This is great advice. As I mentioned earlier, I'd have a hard time getting away for more than ~10 days. Maybe if I get lucky, I'll be able to find a nice 9/10 night itinerary, and only spend one day pre-cruise.

 

Would you think a 7/8 night itinerary with 2 days pre-cruise, or 1 before and 1 after, is a waste? I want to get opinions on this, because if everyone recommends a longer itinerary, I may consider waiting a few years to go to Europe? Definitely a hard decision! :)

[Hoopster95]

Would you think a 7/8 night itinerary with 2 days pre-cruise, or 1 before and 1 after, is a waste? I want to get opinions on this, because if everyone recommends a longer itinerary, I may consider waiting a few years to go to Europe? Definitely a hard decision! :)

 

I would not stay post cruise... pre-cruise is the best. Once you've fully packed and are going down the gangway, you will not want to unpack again for just two days, and then re-pack again to go home.... imho better to do a pre-cruise stay.

 

All 3 of your choices Barcelona, Rome & Venice really need 2 days, and in a row would absolutely be the best :)

 

p.s. Btw, my Serenade review below in my signature has a pre-cruise stay in Rome review so that you can have an idea. On that cruise I reviewed our overnight stop in Venice also... tons of pics so you can see the sail-in and what to do for 2 days in Venice as well

Edited February 8, 2015 by Hoopster95

[drarill]

Thanks so much! This is great advice. As I mentioned earlier, I'd have a hard time getting away for more than ~10 days. Maybe if I get lucky, I'll be able to find a nice 9/10 night itinerary, and only spend one day pre-cruise.

 

Would you think a 7/8 night itinerary with 2 days pre-cruise, or 1 before and 1 after, is a waste? I want to get opinions on this, because if everyone recommends a longer itinerary, I may consider waiting a few years to go to Europe? Definitely a hard decision! :)

Seven to eight days is not a waste, but we like to plan at least two weeks when we go to Europe. It is a long way from home for only a week and it takes a couple of days to get used to the time change. Ten-eleven nights is perfect. Not too short and not too long, it also allows a couple of sea days to relax and enjoy the ship. Although we prefer longer itineraries this summer we are doing only one week on a cruise. We are cruising on the Equinox, departing from Civittavechia. We are planning to fly to Madrid before the cruise and stay there for almost a week. This cruise ends in Barcelona. Like Hoopster we prefer pre-cruise stays but this time we are going to stay two days in Barcelona at the end of the cruise.

Enjoy the planning!!!:)

[michigal]

We took our first European cruise in November 2014. Research on Cruise Critic indicated that a Barcelona departure was considered the “easiest” in terms of travel arrangements. We chose Venice (on the Splendour) because of the itinerary (I specifically wanted to visit Santorini). We chose a late fall cruise for three reasons: 1) cooler weather, 2) fewer crowds at major attractions, 3) lower prices.

 

DH loves the Radiance class ships; I prefer a larger ship. But, we were very happy with this ship, and for our two days at sea, we found plenty of activities to keep us occupied!

 

We loved the ports of call! Dubrovnik, Ephesus, Santorini, and Katakalon (Olympia) were simply amazing. (Let me know if you’d like more info on our port excursions.)

 

We spent two pre-cruise and one post-cruise night in Venice. This is strictly my opinion (others may differ)…I felt that 3 days in Venice was plenty to see what I wanted to see and enjoy what that great city had to offer.

 

If you chose a Venice departure in the summer, be prepared for large crowds at your ports of call. Check the websites that track the number of ships in port and use that as a guide. Whatever you decide, have fun and happy cruising!!