Best Europe itinerary?

[Pedro2400]

I am thinking of booking a European cruise 7-10 days , not sure which itinerary is best on Royal or celebrity?

I need your suggestions!!!!!!!

[bigeck]

I am thinking of booking a European cruise 7-10 days , not sure which itinerary is best on Royal or celebrity?

I need your suggestions!!!!!!!

 

2 years ago we done the 12 night cruise from Barcelona. We were on Serenade and Vision is now doing this.

We chose the one with the overnight in Venice. The sail into Venice was amazing.

It covers a lot of premier sites.

Monte Carlo. Florence, Rome, Amalfi coast or Pompeii or Capri, Venice, Dubrovnik and Ravenna and of course Barcelona.

So much to see at each port

[Carolla5501]

I think you need to decide if you want the Mediterranean or Baltics. They are two very different experiences

 

We. are doing the seven not Baltic on Serenade this summer. The big draw for us was the overnight in St. Petersburg

[celebrity]

Best is what matches your interests.

I sailed a 12 day Med cruise on Celebrity Equinox from Barcelona to Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus and Malta.

It was perfect in every way. I did miss seeing Venice and Florence but there's always next time.

Personally, I would never sail a 7 day Eurooean cruise unless I was combining it with a land trip. The cost and time involved in travel as well as jet lag are things to consider when taking a short cruise.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[azmaui]

Why do you want to go to Europe? Do you have any specific interests (food/wine, culture, architecture, fjords etc etc)? Is it your first trip to Europe there? Thinking about these will help you decide which ports to go to and which itinerary to choose.

It is really hard to give you advice what is best without knowing any background and knowing what kind of experience are you looking for.

 

Some things to consider:

- If it's your first trip to Europe I would suggest choosing a mediterranean cruise that will include Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Italy (or as many of these as possible :-)

- Keep in mind that mediterranean weather is very different than Baltic sea and northern Europe - where it can be cool even in a summer, while some southern Europe ports can be very hot in mid July-August

- Lisbon is one of my favorites, the old Lisbon is an amazing area just to wonder about and explore

- Even though Croatia is not very popular it is really beautiful there, not as touristy as some other ports on itineraries

- I prefer Greek islands over mainland ports - much smaller, charming and tons of fun :-)

 

Let me know if you have any more specific questions, I grew up in Europe and spent lots of time sailing around there.

[Kamloops50]

I am thinking of booking a European cruise 7-10 days , not sure which itinerary is best on Royal or celebrity?

I need your suggestions!!!!!!!

 

Depends on what you are interested. Most European cruises are very port intensive.

Look at what is available , what you want to see and then proceed to a selection.

[misslyss1220]

In October 2013 we sailed on the Serenade in the Mediterranean for 12 nights. Sailed out of Barcelona, Spain to Cannes, France; Livorno (Florence), Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Naples (Sorrento), Italy; Venice, Italy; Ravenna, Italy; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Best itinerary ever. So many excursions to choose from and all of the ports were totally worth it, no duds. I would take that cruise again in a heartbeat!!! Highly recommend!!

[SonicShip]

I would recommend cruises that leave from Barcelona as it is a nice city with plenty to do. I have cruised from Venice, which a wonderful port but too expensive.

 

I did a Baltic cruise in 2014 in the Summer and it can be cold. So I won't recommend it if you want warm weather.

 

Europe cruises tend to be port intensive and can be very exhausting. I believe that if you cruise from Barcelona and the cruise stops at a non EU port you won't have to pay Spainish VAT.

 

The time of year and weather can be important too. Even though Russia is not warm the days are very long in the summer. Italy can be too hot in the summer.

 

You should be able to join or leave a European cruise in any port if the cruise line allows it for that cruise.

[bogofman]

We are UK based and have sailed to the Med many times, and are struggling to find cruises to ports we have not visited before, it would be nice if the cruise lines were to vary the ports rather than keeping to the same routes year after year.

 

With European cruises, its more the ports than the ship that attracts us.

 

Last year for some variety we tried the Iceland and Norwegian fiords 14 night cruise from Southampton.

 

We really enjoyed this especially the mid night sun as we were there for the longest Day (21st June), Sun set occurred around 12.30 AM and rose 15 minutes later ( when we were in the Arctic circle)

[yolanda1]

As European cruises are very port intensive (a 7 night cruise will often only have one sea day), I would suggest that you research the ports first, and make your decision based on that.

 

We have cruised the Med many times, and there are so many wonderful places to see, but you can't do them all in one trip. Our personal favourite is the Eastern Med itinerary, with highlights being the spectacular sailaway from Venice, and stopping at beautiful Santorini. If we could only do one itinerary, these would have to be on it! :) Whatever you choose, you will have a memorable trip!

[nekzaadvakil]

If its Europe, I choose Celebrity over Royal anyday. I love Royal and its mega ships but they just do not have the amazing itineraries that Celebrity's S class ships have.

 

Celebrity IMHO. You wont be disappointed.

[hallasm]

For me the best European cruise is Norwegian Fjords from Copenhagen

In addition to the Norwegian Fjords I have done two Baltic cruises and two out of Barcelona.

 

Cruising the Magnificent Fjords of Norway (short video):

_ZzhGY8x_2E

[Pedro2400]

Why do you want to go to Europe? Do you have any specific interests (food/wine, culture, architecture, fjords etc etc)? Is it your first trip to Europe there? Thinking about these will help you decide which ports to go to and which itinerary to choose.

It is really hard to give you advice what is best without knowing any background and knowing what kind of experience are you looking for.

 

Some things to consider:

- If it's your first trip to Europe I would suggest choosing a mediterranean cruise that will include Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Italy (or as many of these as possible :-)

- Keep in mind that mediterranean weather is very different than Baltic sea and northern Europe - where it can be cool even in a summer, while some southern Europe ports can be very hot in mid July-August

- Lisbon is one of my favorites, the old Lisbon is an amazing area just to wonder about and explore

- Even though Croatia is not very popular it is really beautiful there, not as touristy as some other ports on itineraries

- I prefer Greek islands over mainland ports - much smaller, charming and tons of fun :-)

 

Let me know if you have any more specific questions, I grew up in Europe and spent lots of time sailing around there.

 

 

I never been to Europe, So I am looking for good itinerary,

How is weather in Barcelona in June , July August?

[Pedro2400]

Best is what matches your interests.

I sailed a 12 day Med cruise on Celebrity Equinox from Barcelona to Rome, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus and Malta.

It was perfect in every way. I did miss seeing Venice and Florence but there's always next time.

Personally, I would never sail a 7 day Eurooean cruise unless I was combining it with a land trip. The cost and time involved in travel as well as jet lag are things to consider when taking a short cruise.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

May I ask which month you did this cruise?

How is weather in Barcelona in June , July and August?

[Pedro2400]

In October 2013 we sailed on the Serenade in the Mediterranean for 12 nights. Sailed out of Barcelona, Spain to Cannes, France; Livorno (Florence), Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Naples (Sorrento), Italy; Venice, Italy; Ravenna, Italy; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Best itinerary ever. So many excursions to choose from and all of the ports were totally worth it, no duds. I would take that cruise again in a heartbeat!!! Highly recommend!!

 

How was the weather in October ?

[celebrity]

May I ask which month you did this cruise?

How is weather in Barcelona in June , July and August?

 

I sailed in September. The weather was ideal in the 70's and 80's.

The Med is very hot in July and August. I tracked the weather that summer and there were many days that had Turkey over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Bobal]

How was the weather in October ?

 

The weather becomes more changeable as October progresses. Early October is usually good in all the Med but we've had cool and rainy days in the Med during the last week in October. The further south you go the better chance you have of having good weather even at the end of October.

 

My favourite times to cruise in the Med are June and September.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Bobal