Mediterranean Cruises

[cluffsb]

We are looking at taking a Mediterranean cruise in 2016 but not sure which line is the best. We have only cruised once before with Celebrity but have no preference. I am in my mid 50's and my husband is early 60's so we do not want to be on a ship with a lot of kids. We are looking at between 9-12 days on the cruise.:)

[CruiserBruce]

As you have experience with Celebrity, I would look there first. Probably HAL after that.

 

"Best" is a complex topic.

[Keith1010]

I would start with itinerary and not cruise line nor ship.

 

Decide where you want to sail and then evaluate all of the lines sailing the itinerary.

 

I would arrive a few days before your cruse if you can to ensure you get over the jet lag and so that if flights are delayed or canceled you don't miss the ship. Consider this in terms of where would you like to spend a few days touring.

 

Also, look at ease of flying to and from the ports of embarkation and disembarkation.

 

As to children. If you want to minimize the number of children on your sailing, go in April, early May or September or October. I prefer these times as it is not so hot and humid, there are less tourists in some of the places and in your case you would find fewer children. In the summer the Med is very popular with families on almost any cruise line or cruise ship and that even includes the luxury lines.

 

As to lines, like I said look at itinerary first and then look at who sails it and the prices.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are lots of different itineraries for the Med.

You need to decide what ports interest you.

Then go to a TA and tell them what you want to see. TA's can help you narrow down the different choices.

[John Bull]

I'll echo Keith's post.

 

Med cruises are port-intensive and all about the destinations, the ship is little more than your mobile hotel.

So choose by itinerary, including checking how long the port days are (for instance beware half-days, and overnites with two days in a port are a bonus).

And consider the start & finish ports. Many places in the Med are worthy of way more than a brief port-of-call visit, places like Rome, the Naples area, Istanbul, Barcelona, Venice. Add a few days to enjoy your embarkation or disembarkation port - and a one-way cruise, such as Venice to Rome, gives you two bites of that cherry. (booking flights as "open-jaw" / "multi-city" return flights avoids the excessive cost of a single ticket to your embarkation port & another from your disembarkation port)

 

Leave the choice of ship until the fine-tuning of your vacation.

 

Finally, a lot of kids on a cruise ihas more to do with the date of your cruise than the cruise line. Avoid mid-July to the end of August.

But Bruce's suggestions of Celebrity, and especially HAL, do usually have less kids - though the average passenger age on HAL is usually rather high.

 

JB :)

Edited November 11, 2015 by John Bull

[Flatbush Flyer]

Folks who say the ship doesn't matter may be forgetting that the quality of the food served, restrictive smoking policy, excellent service, lack of nickel/diming are really important when you return from a busy day in port.

Since OP has tried Celebrity, they may want to consider stepping up to Oceania. With included airfare (or air credit) and often no cost O Life perks (I.e., tips, internet, and excursions), not to mention significant TA OBC and passenger loads of only 700 or 1200 people, Oceania provides the most "bang for the buck" of any cruise line sailing Mediterranean waters.

[SuiteTraveler]

If you can afford a luxury cruise, you might want to consider Crystal, Silversea or Regent. These are more high end, all inclusive type experiences with smaller ships that can get into areas the mainstream cruise lines can't.

[Hlitner]

We agree with Keith. When it comes to the Med (and the rest of Europe) itinerary is king! So you might want to focus on cruises that go to the places you most want to visit. Keep in mind that its common for cruisers to fly-in 1 or more days early and also often stay after their cruise is over. So embarkation and debarkation ports are important since you can try to find the extra time to explore those areas in more depth.

 

Also pay particular attention to the actual port schedule regarding the times and day of the week a cruise is in each port. Sundays (as well as Mondays in Italy) can be an issue if something you want to see is closed. So all this info should go into your research and ultimate decision making. We have seen posts from folks that went to Europe just to see the Vatican, and their only day in Rome was on a Sunday when the Vatican Museum is closed. So these are the kind of issues you need to research before booking.

 

Hank

[chipmaster]

Agree with several other posters

1) Decide on the list of ports in order

2) Find the longest cruise that does them all

 

The memories of the Med won't be the ship/line but the ports and what you experienced in them.

[zqvol]

You might want to look at Azamara or if you can afford it Sea Dram for the ultimate in med cruising.

[Davebhoy]

Agree with the posters above.

Having done several Med cruises, I'd advise picking where you want to go first then seeing which cruise lines offer the best itineraries.

 

There's a few ports that you shouldn't miss - Barca, Venice, etc, and a few that I'd happily skip - Marseilles, Toulon, etc.

[navybankerteacher]

I'll echo Keith's post.

 

Med cruises are port-intensive and all about the destinations, the ship is little more than your mobile hotel.

So choose by itinerary, including checking how long the port days are (for instance beware half-days, and overnites with two days in a port are a bonus).

And consider the start & finish ports. Many places in the Med are worthy of way more than a brief port-of-call visit, places like Rome, the Naples area, Istanbul, Barcelona, Venice. Add a few days to enjoy your embarkation or disembarkation port - and a one-way cruise, such as Venice to Rome, gives you two bites of that cherry. (booking flights as "open-jaw" / "multi-city" return flights avoids the excessive cost of a single ticket to your embarkation port & another from your disembarkation port)

 

Leave the choice of ship until the fine-tuning of your vacation.

 

Finally, a lot of kids on a cruise ihas more to do with the date of your cruise than the cruise line. Avoid mid-July to the end of August.

But Bruce's suggestions of Celebrity, and especially HAL, do usually have less kids - though the average passenger age on HAL is usually rather high.

 

JB :)

 

Great advice - you could also consider a repositioning with a number of port calls after embarkation port, or before debarkation port, and spend a few days in that port. A real advantage is the much lower pricing on such sailings.

[moniquet]

Agree with several other posters

1) Decide on the list of ports in order

2) Find the longest cruise that does them all

 

The memories of the Med won't be the ship/line but the ports and what you experienced in them.

 

Absolutely agree. Every Port is different, whereas in the Caribbean it is not such a big deal as they are pretty much the same.