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Hi. My Wife and I are in early 60's, Would like to do A Mediterranean Cruse

We have never been to that part of the world

So hard to choose. Ships, ports, when etc etc. We want to stop in Rome, Venice, Athens. That's the 3 main stops. Like the history thing

We're from Ontario Canada

How far in advance should you book. Thank You

Terry

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Because Med cruises are so port intensive the ship is secondary. Find one that is going where you want to go and CHECK PORT TIMES. You want to be in port as long as possible. Find that and in your price range and go for it.

 

Booking is up to you, look for deals etc. but remember you need to book air as well, so last minute is probably out. Also check and see what the cruise line is charging for air/sea and if it covers transfers. You will probably come out ahead if you book your own though, unless you are doing the Transatlantic crossing first and starting the Med as a back to back cruise.

 

For ideas on what to do in ports and how to do them DIY check out the PORTS OF CALL boards for Europe. Lots of great information over there. Also when you are booked join your roll call !! Many people arrange private tours and will need to fill vans etc and you can get a personalized tour for cheaper than the cruise line big bus tours.

 

Have a great time!

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Can you go this Spring? I just booked Celebrity at very low prices. I said I would not go as long as Isis Crisis was on. Same with Militants. But these deals changed my mind. I figure I can stay on ship in port if its too dangerous. On the Reflection.I find best pricing usually 4-6 weeks out historically. This year later cause too many cancellations. TAs and Spring cruises priced lower than high Summer.

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TA. ? What is that. Thanks

 

TA is travel agent.

 

Two very important things when taking a cruise in the Med:

 

1. YOU NEED A PASSPORT!!! Get one now.

 

2. Flights to Europe are overnight, so you must fly at least the day before the cruise. But it is best to fly two or three days in advance of the cruise to be sure of making the cruise and to get rid of the jet lag.

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Hi. My Wife and I are in early 60's, Would like to do A Mediterranean Cruse

We have never been to that part of the world

So hard to choose. Ships, ports, when etc etc. We want to stop in Rome, Venice, Athens. That's the 3 main stops. Like the history thing

We're from Ontario Canada

How far in advance should you book. Thank You

Terry

I would book as soon as possible.

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Hi. My Wife and I are in early 60's, Would like to do A Mediterranean Cruse

We have never been to that part of the world

So hard to choose. Ships, ports, when etc etc. We want to stop in Rome, Venice, Athens. That's the 3 main stops. Like the history thing

We're from Ontario Canada

How far in advance should you book. Thank You

Terry

 

Many cruise do those three ports. Be aware the positive of a cruise is moving hotel, the negative ONE day in port. You get ONE day for Rome ( and the port is an hour plus away from town ). So you have to plan your day very carefully.

 

I would suggest you look at the other stops, most cruise do 7, 10 or 12 days in the Med if my memory is correct. The cruise are very intensive every day a different port. So can be exhausting or exhilerating depending on your point of view.

 

The port options can be overwhelming but I like the Prince Grand Med list. A nice sampler all around the Med and you start/end in Venice where you can spend some extra days.

 

A final note, do research and plan private tours if you can afford, the port experience is the most important, spend the money there not on balcony or ship upgrades if you are on a budget.

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Hi. My Wife and I are in early 60's, Would like to do A Mediterranean Cruse

We have never been to that part of the world

So hard to choose. Ships, ports, when etc etc. We want to stop in Rome, Venice, Athens. That's the 3 main stops. Like the history thing

We're from Ontario Canada

How far in advance should you book. Thank You

Terry

 

If you have the money, the time and the passports, go now, there are plenty of cheap cruises. X has some going on the 15th and 27th of April.:D

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Where you want to go is Port Intensive. And, if you really want to get out and see the Historical sites you will walk several long miles each day.

 

And, in the good ole days, they paved the roads and streets with rocks which make walking a little uneven. Plus, you will be faced with lots of stone steps to climb.

 

You want to evaluate your selves and make a determination if you want to attempt this. If so, wear really good walking shoes.

 

We took the Princess Grand Med Cruise a few years ago and look back on it as one of the best that we ever went on. Of course we were a lot younger, mid 60's, then. :D

 

It was raining in Venice and we had signed up for a night time Gondola ride around and through the Canals. Our Gondola gathered up with others in the middle of a Canal while music was played and a Man sang to us.

 

Did I mention it was raining? Picture me trying to hold the bottle of Champagne that was given to us by the Gondola operator, a glass, an umbrella, and my camera. I held the bottle between my feet, and the umbrella and glass in one hand and the camera in the other hand. Had a great time.

 

Bob

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If you go this year you'll find some great prices which are similar to last years. If you book for 2017 and it goes down you can do a price adjust, just don't pay in full. There is still lots of availability for this year. The Princess grand med is a good itinerary.

 

If Rome is on your must see list, I would choose a cruise that starts/ends there so you can spend 1-3 days. Rome is 1 hr from port so you don't get to see a whole lot if you just stop for the day.

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We flew into and out of Rome to do a Med cruise twice because we loved it so much. As an added plus, starting and ending in Rome meant we didn't miss the hour long drive each way from the port to Rome, which happens if you start the cruise elsewhere and Rome is port during the cruise. We wanted to see all the history too and our itinerary included Kusadasi. This was UNBELIEVABLE. Loved it. We started by booking the cruise FAR in advance, hoping the price would go down. For us, it didn't, but we knew we were having to go during peak season (summer). We got to Rome (overnight flight) 3 days prior to the cruise. We got rid of the jet lag gently. Flights are limited so we decided to stay in Rome an additional day at the end of the cruise, just to visit a couple of favorite restaurants and to ease the sad idea that this wonderful trip was ending. We booked our hotel from reviews here and on TripAdviser and used private cars, which gave us a huge advantage on getting around in record time without feeling rushed. Once you book, hook up with the Meet & Mingle or the particular cruise lines version where you will meet fellow cruisers on your same cruise. You can book excursions or transportation from the airport and to and from the cruise ship and save some money.

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Rome is 1 hr from port so you don't get to see a whole lot if you just stop for the day.

 

 

Hi, Terry,

 

 

Particularly good advice from Anthony. :)

 

At many ports the sights are reasonably close to the ship, you might even be able to see everything on foot.

Other places may be a distance from the port, but be quite small & compact and therefore not so difficult to cover in a port-of-call day.

 

Rome is perhaps the worst place in the Med. to visit as a port-of-call. Travel from port to Rome is a bare minimum of an hour, plus another half-hour or more in each direction faffing around getting to/from the train station, waiting for trains etc., plus at least an extra hour of wiggle-time to allow for delays/problems getting back to the ship.

So a quoted arrival of 8am to a quoted departure time of 6pm (10 hours) actually means more like 5 hours in Rome.

5 hours for a city that's worth more like 5 days!!!

 

But perhaps I can go one better than Anthony's advice.

Several cruise lines, incl Princess & I think RCI & Celebrity, offer one-way cruises of about 10 to 12 days between Rome and Venice. So you could add say 3 days in Rome & one or two in Venice.

There are other one-way options if you search the Med. cruises.

Book your air as an "open jaw" (aka "multi-city") return and the fare will be somewhere between the simple return fares to/from the two cities.

 

------------------------------------

There are always late-booked cruse bargains, but as per Sauer-kraut's post the savings are usually negated by high last-minute flight fares unless you're within driving distance of the port - which is a tad impractical from Orlando ;)

 

Booking early gives you the cabin you want and probably some freebies such as airport parking, on-board spending money, etc.

And because of the generous penalty-free cruise cancellation terms available in the US, you can cancel & re-book if the price drops, or switch to a different cruise or cruise line if a better cruise comes along.

 

--------------------------------------------

 

Usually you can book air and hotels better & cheaper independently than taking a ships' packages, so check both options.

 

For instance:

There might be a airline that offers direct flights from Orlando to Rome. But if that airline isn't the cruise line's "preferred air partner" they'll use their preferred airline to route you via, for example, Orlando to London Gatwick, coach transfer London Gatwick to London Heathrow, & London Heathrow to Rome. Gets you to Rome hours later.

We once flew London to Istanbul on our own direct booking & arrived late morning - those on cruise-air went via an awkwardly-timed change at Amsterdam Schipol and arrived Istanbul mid-evening. And paid more than us for the privilege. :rolleyes:

But be aware that by booking air independently (even if thro the same T/A), if the air fouls up & you miss the sailing it's your problem. So do fly a day or two early.

And in the unlikely event that the cruise is cancelled, although the cruise line will refund any cruise payments they won't refund your independently-booked air. So you might end up taking a land vacation in Italy - though I can think of worse places for a vacation :)

 

Cruise lines always choose good hotels, but they're none-too-careful about the location of those hotels - often miles from the sights. So check out the hotels they use - or book your own, get the hotel you want at the location you wants & probably at a better price than the cruise line's package.

 

JB :)

Edited by John Bull
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