19 year olds cruising in Mediterranean Europe in May

[Langley Cruisers]

What, absolutely not, no, never, no way, anyone who says otherwise is wrong? .... The OP, unless I am misreading her posts, has decided on a cruise if it can be done cheaply enough. If the thread is to consist of nothing but telling her she is wrong, it isn't answering her questions.

 

You seem a bit angry when really, many people were simply contributing to the thread and suggesting other modes of transportation, other ways to see Europe. Her age dictated many of the responses. I also see the voice of wisdom here, trying to help the young lady and her friend make a good decision.

 

Threads always take different paths... it's OK. Really. :p:)

[frantic36]

I see your point Floridiana, however I must point out that I've been to Europe before. I have visited Rome 3 times already and although I've never been to any of the other port I specified I have been to many other places mainly around Italy, Greece, Montenegro, and Israel. And usually it was in a group, so the stays in a particular city was often one night and moving on. So I know what its like o both stay for long in the same city and move around. So now we'd like to see many coastal cities (including Barcelona (me) and Venice (friend)). the cities that are listed are just the cities in a particular cruise we are looking at.

Hostels are unfortunately not an option-- I've stayed in one (with a group of youth I knew) and staying in one as two young girls is not very appealing to me. Also very strict mothers who wont allow it.

In europe trains are often a problem. Express trains take away on average 5 hours (+3 hours for getting to and from hotel). That's almost a whole day. Sleeper trains are only available between major cities far enough from each other. If sleeper train journey is less than 6 hours you're often in no condition to get up and walk around for a whole day after that.

Also price.

Major cities are very expensive. So hostel in good location is around $50-$80 CAD pp, plus $30-50 meals per day (that is very basic food), plus around $50-$100 train tickets, $5-10 public transit pd... You get the gist of it.

Also big problem booking in advance. Cruises are generally cheaper about 90 days before departure date (for europe). Hotels and hostels on the other hand are mostly booked and have three times their normal price. And we yet don't have the money or any guarantees that we will go in May.

 

So in the end a cruise ship is like an all-inclusive (+fees) overnight train with breakfast and dinner and a comfortable bed with a private bathroom. Aaaaand good prices with cool last minute deals.

 

But I do agree many places are worth exploring for weeks and weeks!

 

I agree with dsrdsrdsr some of you are ignoring the fact the OP has already visited Europe before and it least explored Rome more in depth. Maybe they are like some of us who will use a cruise to see a variety of ports to see which places they wish to go back too later and explore more in depth.

 

They are young so they hopefully will get the opportunity to do this.

 

Also they have mentioned a few times their mothers are not keen on them staying in hostels. I respect them for choosing to not force the issue with their mothers.

[cruisemom42]

 

Also they have mentioned a few times their mothers are not keen on them staying in hostels. I respect them for choosing to not force the issue with their mothers.

 

No need to stay in a hostel. I can get a room in a nice well-located three star hotel in Rome for what they have between them (e.g., $240/day) and still have plenty left over for food and transportation.... And I'd assume that, except for Venice, Rome would be the most expensive place to lay one's head on their proposed itinerary.

Edited August 24, 2015 by cruisemom42

[navybankerteacher]

No need to stay in a hostel. I can get a room in a nice well-located three star hotel in Rome for what they have between them (e.g., $240/day) and still have plenty left over for food and transportation.... And I'd assume that, except for Venice, Rome would be the most expensive place to lay one's head on their proposed itinerary.

 

Exactly - aside from Rome (which they've actually visited and need not include) and Venice, OP is clearly over-stating hotel costs, and that $30-$50 per day for "very basic food" is similarly off. Of course it is their business to pick their method of travel - but it is a bit silly to skew figures to justify the decision.

[EGG]

I agree with dsrdsrdsr some of you are ignoring the fact the OP has already visited Europe before and it least explored Rome more in depth. Maybe they are like some of us who will use a cruise to see a variety of ports to see which places they wish to go back too later and explore more in depth.

 

They are young so they hopefully will get the opportunity to do this.

 

Also they have mentioned a few times their mothers are not keen on them staying in hostels. I respect them for choosing to not force the issue with their mothers.

 

The OP has not asked us to find the cheapest way to visit Europe. She has asked us specific questions so that she can determine how much the ports will cost her, will she have to pay for food if she does not bring formal clothes and are there hidden fees. Let's answer her questions.

 

Personally, I love to see the world on a cruise ship. I have gone to 35 countries and I will remember all of my 5 or 6 hour port visits. Some of the cities we have visited 2 or 3 times on cruise ships. Others we would never have visited without the cruise ship.

 

If it was my 18 year old daughter who wanted to go to Europe with a friend I would not want her staying in hostels. I would be much more comfortable if she did this from a cruise ship.

 

So I will start with a few of the cities I have visited.

 

Barcelona - You should be able to get to town on a ship shuttle (there is usually a charge for shuttles, and then take public transportation if you cannot walk there. When you do your research check the entry fees for places you would like to visit. I would not take the HOHO bus. You get a much better feel of the ambiance of a city by walking than on a tour bus in stop and go traffic. Many people complain about the amount of time they waste waiting for the bus.

 

Villefrance - Wonderful city which few people on the ship explore. You can take a public bus to Eze and from there to Nice. Both are very walkable. Your only expense would be the bus fare.

 

Florence - Too far to do on your own. We took the Florence on your own bus ride. It was still pricy but less expensive than other excursions. A few of the museums have entrance fees.

 

Rome - You can take a shuttle to the front of the port and then walk to the train. (Research on these boards). Choose one or two sites that are near each other that you want to see and get off at the nearest train stop. Make sure you take the next to the last train that will get you back before all aboard time. You cannot do a lot in the time you will have in Rome. Do not take the bus. Traffic crawls and there are pickpockets who work the buses . One couple at our table took an excursion to a closer city where they rode bicycles.

 

Santorini - We had a wonderful day on a shoestring. Paid for the cable car to get up to town. Took a local bus around the island. Got off for a walk on the beach. Walked around town. Walked down the donkey path and laughed all the way.

 

Venice - A fantastic walkable city. You do not need to take a Gondola to stand on a bridge and watch the gondolas pass by. You may want to go to Doges palace so check the ticket price.

 

Tangiers - We found a local tour guide with a group from cruise critics and had an all day tour for $15 pp. The main section of the city is close to the tender landing

 

Adjecco Corsica - Another walkable French city with dozens of statues of Napoleon. Reminded me of Nice and Cherbonne.

 

Dubrovnik Croatia - You may need to take a shuttle bus depending on where the ship docks. A very small walkable city. Make sure you have local currency to walk the walls around the city.

 

 

The other thing to do is to sign up on your roll call and see if anyone is organizing independent tours. You can usually do a lot more for a lower price. You will miss out on these if you book at the last minute.

 

Excursions are expensive, but if you are trying to work out a budget ahead of time, some of the cruise lines may list the prices. Excursions include entrance fees. Usually when we take excursions this is our only expense for the day. We never take excursions that stop for lunch. We do not want to waste the time or money on boxed lunches.

[Going Coastal]

This is a great idea and would be a lot more pleasant than hostels. Lots of good ideas here if you can weed through the advice not to go. Royal Carribbean has lots to do on sea days and might be a good fit for you. And after booking you can check their Choice Air prices for flight bargains. This may be a great win for you. Go for it and have a wonderful time You can also join the roll call for the cruise you book and there will be others arranging tours that you might join.

[jocap]

For cheaper cruising, check out the older ships- Cruise& Maritime- as Dsrdsrdsr says, much cheaper than the main lines; Thomson, Pullmantur (Spanish speaking) and Celestyal (Louis Cruise). The latter line had many backpackers and young travellers from all over the world when we were on board.

[griffy116]

Not sure why anyone is trying to talk you out of it instead of answering your questions. I have a 21 year old Grandson and I'm with your Moms. I'd much prefer he see the sights from a cruise ship than backpacking or staying in hostels. We took almost the same cruise as you listed with Royal and seeing historic sights was the main reason. We saw in incredible amount of the historic sights and loved the CLEAN, SAFE ship to come back to. We also loved being transported while we slept and we enjoyed so much of the activities on board as well. It's not necessary to eat at the add-on restaurants. The food is great...not 5-Star but great. We ate at little cafes in the cities we visited. You can go and join Meet and Greet and team up with other passengers to get a private excursion for less money than the ships excursions. They get you there fast and make sure you see what you want to see and skip what you don't want to see. Search all possible airlines...even some that don't leave from your city. We took a crazy route using Aero Lingus to FCO and they don't fly from our city (ATL) so we flew to NY to catch the plane. It added an additional stop, but saved us $1,000. We got a roundtrip ticket for $801 from NY to FCO. It had a stop in Dublin. We stayed one night prior to the cruise in a safe area in a clean but not fancy hotel, just in case there was a delay with the flight. It's a SAFE way to travel for two 19 year olds, plus you get your food included and some fun on board. You can go with in inside cabin, avoid the add-on restaurants, include the tips, do most of your drinking on shore because it's cheaper. You can carry two bottles of wine onboard with you. Enjoy your trip. Sounds wonderful.

 

If we find a May cruise that is $1200 (+ tax $200) for 12 days that would be $100 a day pp (+tax). And those are realistic prices. There are September and November cruises like that.

[john watson]

P&O (UK) do a large number of Mediterranean cruises from the UK (Southampton) and fly cruises in the Mediterranean. The fly cruises tend to be priced ex-UK so if you fly an alternate you need to ask about fare reduction for not using their flight/s unless they can price you in ex-Canada.

 

Age restrictions are 18 years old to book. Anyone under 18 years must be accompanied by someone 18 or older. If you travel with under 16 year olds they must embark and disembark with the 18 year old and must not be left alone either on ship or ashore.

 

Prices for inside (cruise only) tend to be around £100 per night per person based on two sharing and cruises are around 14 - 18 days typically in Mediterranean. To reduce costs per person bring up to two extra people and share a cabin.

 

You need insurance as a condition of booking.

 

Regards John

[RiotAct]

As far as your third question (what is there to do that is free), the answer is, a TON!

 

Lay by the pool, go on the waterslides, use the gym, attend the shows (comedy, music or otherwise), attend the daily trivia, browse the stores, people-watch, do any other number of free things (i.e., mini-golf on Carnival, rock-climbing wall and Flowrider on RCCL, etc) that your cruiseline of choice provides. Oh and have a sumptuous dinner in the Main Dining Room every night, which is also included in your fare :D

[southerngirl8]

Me and my friend wanted to go cruising in the Mediterranean next May. We are really exited. However we found several problems while looking up cruises.

 

a) Firstly it turns out that there are age restrictions*! (We will both be 19 by then) Now I did some research and I found that different companies have different policies. However it looks like some companies allow 18+ to cruise alone. Can anyone please confirm my results? Especially Royal Caribbean, they have awesome cruises it seems.

*we are NOT looking for US or Caribbean departures. ONLY Mediterranean

 

 

• Age restrictions
  Carnival:
  21+
  Royal Caribbean
  18+ in europe
  
  Holland America
  18-21: Parent/guardian; letter of constent
  Disney
  18+ no Europe cruises
  
  MSC
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Norwegian Cruise Line
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Costa
  18-21: Parent/guardian; letter of constent
  Cunard
  18+
  Celebrity
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Croisières de France
  18+ ???
  Princess
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
   
  

 

b) The reason we want to cruise is because its a cheap way to get around. Europe is often expensive, and if you are saving money in one way you are loosing it in another. Cruise provides food, lodging and transportation. All for about $100-120 a day if we are lucky! Now question is, is it really that cheap? Are there any hidden fees? I heard about tipping, and pricey shore tours and not-free restaurants and pricey alcohol drinks. Is there anything else that we need to pay for? and how can we avoid paying too much for all of that?

 

c) The cruises we are looking up have a few sea days. What can do on a cruise ship that's free?

 

d) Our primary goal is seeing the Mediterranean (historic) cities. Whats on the boat is really just a bonus and a secondary concern. As long as they get us where we want to go on time, the food is free, there is something to drink (juice soda we don't care), the bed is clean and we have a nice bathroom with bearable shower almost anything is a go. Should we be aware of any nasty surprises? We don't want to end up cruising for the sake of the cruising.

 

E) the weather in May. Is it good for Mediterranean cruise? Can we swim (i don't need shower-warm water I'm Canadian)? I would like to take only the barest essentials e.g. a la backpacking. Is it possible for May weather? Shorts, jeans, dress, jacket (how warm?), sweater, swimsuit (do we even need that in may?) 6 shirts, blouse, cardigan, sneakers, sandals, sarong (for catholic churches).

 

F) These are probably the ports we are maybe hopefully visiting:

Barcelona, Spain

Nice (Villefranche), France

Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Naples (Capri), Italy

Venice, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Should we know anything particular about them? How far are these ports from touristic city center? I know Rome is pretty far away, how about others?

We might want to take a city tour or two with the cruise line if the places are not easily accessible. Which cities are easier (cheaper) to explore alone and which are easier (safer) to stick with the cruise tour?

 

g) Last but not least: dress code. I don't have a cocktail dress (only evening) for "formal wear" nights and I don't want to drag one all the way from Canada. Is it possible to eat somewhere on the ship without dressing up, or maybe getting room service? Also how fancy is "smart casual" is a regular dress good enough?

 

I realize it's a lot of questions, but if you could at least answer one or two I would be terribly grateful!

 

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

I did my first (and so far only Cruise) May 2013- I did a Med. cruise on NCL epic. My ports included: Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Marseilles, Palma de Majorca. I am doing my 2nd Med Cruise May 2016 for 10 nites, adding Athens, Izmir, Rhodes, Malta and Sicily and not going Majorca.

 

The weather was great 16-20C most days for the highs. T-shirts and shorts perfect for the day. As you will be buying stuff, and as you do get a free checked bag on an international flight, you may as well pack a regular size suitcase and not worry.

 

Depending on the cruise line you take will depend on if you can consume booze. Booze is not free on the cruise.

 

Each day in port you will be responsible for own food/drinks. You can do tours, but not mandatory in ports. Some are easy to do on your own.

 

In Rome, you take the 'fast train" in from the Port to St Peters Station, easy to do and reasonable price.

 

I got my Med Cruise at a smoking hot deal, Carnival Vista May 24th sailing- $835 per person for 3 people, 10 nite sailing. You can do great deals if you look. The airfare can be more than the cruise. It was for both of mine.

 

A cruise is an easy and great way to see lots of places in a short amount of time. You don't get a lot of time in each port.

 

If you are going to do the cruise, plan on spending the money, not worth nickle and diming your trip after you spend the money for the cruise and airfare. Plan early, pay early and have your trip paid off before you go. I booked both of mine about a year or so in advance. My May 2016 cruise is paid off, 1 of 3 airline tickets paid off, 2 nites hotel in Athens paid off, gratuities paid off. You can do it reasonably if you plan.

 

This site has lots of help and advice.

[cb140]

I think there are lots of good things about your plan to cruise, but I just wanted to point out, simply because it hasn't been mentioned yet, that there is a third option for a land vacation (other than hostels and hotels): my 18 year old son and his friend are backpacking round Europe at the moment (inter-railing) and are using AirBNB for their accommodation: they are staying in nice apartments (sometimes have the apartment to themselves, sometimes sharing with the host) for around 45 Euros a night (not each, between the two of them). And so they also have the benefit of amenities like kitchen so they can cook their own meals, washing machine, wifi, AC.

[buggins0402]

There are options for group land trips that may interest OP and keep parents happy:

 

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/european-tours-young-adults-27624.html

 

Also check out GAdventures.

[legaljen1969]

I suspect it's because the OP said (as quoted below) that their primary goal was to see the historic cities. We all love cruising, but cruising is NOT the best way to accomplish this....:cool:

 

It may be a reasonably effective way of getting an overview of a city these young ladies would like to return to in the future. My parents 60's/70's did a Mediterranean cruise and saw enough of several cities to know what they would want to do if they went back. Some places they found that the 4-8 hours was more than enough to see all they wanted to see. They found some places they would want to go and spend several days. It was a great way to see a broad range of places. They did say they were very tired in the evenings when they got back, as they wanted to see all they could in each place given the time they had.

 

To the OP, if you can find a cruise for the right price- I think it is a great idea to see the maximum number of places in a short time. That way you can create your bucket list of the places you want to revisit at a later time.

 

It is clear the OP is not planning to backpack across Europe and stay in hostels. I think the cruise sounds pretty reasonable.