Which itinerary?

[waterlegs]

Hi. Going on a first time and maybe only time cruise in May/June 2017. We are looking at two itineraries with Rhapsody. Wondering if anyone recommends one over the other?

 

May:Barcelona, Cannes,Rome, Amalfi,Sicily, Venice.

June: Venice, Dubrovnik,Ephesus, Santorini,Katakolon, Venice.

 

We are also looking at cruise on Freedom but finding it hard to get flight availability to match.Thinking Rhapsody may be better for a first cruise anyway as it is smaller. My mother will be 80 and is very independant but alot of walking would be tiring for her.

 

Look forward to reading your opinions.

[Bernie by the sea]

What is on your "bucket" list of places to visit? That's where you should go first.

As to mom being 80, congrats to her to still be independent. But look into renting a power scooter for her. That way she will get to move around and not tire so much. If she has never used one, take her to Walmart or target and let her try theirs. A rented one is not as large as those, but will give her some practice. Most important is to relax, and don't try to do everything. Pick several things per day and if you get them done, Great! If you don't, That's great too!

 

 

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[Desert Cruizers]

Having not been to Europe other then Barcelona, I would go with the departure out of Venice, if your mothers gets off at any port, and depending on what you feel she can handle, you could look over tours offered and see what she maybe able to handle. You could do this by looking at this years cruises for the same ports and the tours Royal is showing.

[knittinggirl]

Freedom is a huge ship! I hear 3 miles of hallways. I'd pick Rhapsody. But, on Freedom, make sure you pick a mid-ship location since aft may be too much walking for your mother.

 

Just went on a trip to Europe, and the parts we've been to are not at all accessible. I had to stumble down some stairs w/o a handrail to get to the bathroom.

 

All that said, I'd suggest finding a cruise w/ some scenic cruising days too. We love our scenic cruising days!

 

Check to see when the ship leaving Barcelona leaves the US and add a Transatlantic. Should get you one less horrid international flight. But Transatlantics can also have pretty rough seas, so you may not want to risk your Mom on one. One lady had a nasty bruise on her face from a fall. I was sore from grabbing the handrails to keep upright! We've had a lady on our last transatlantic that was probably in her 80s, and got around very well (she did say she walked 5 miles a day).

 

Also check to see how many of the ports you mentioned are tender ports. We heard a few people got their foot stuck between the dock and the tender. On our last few cruises, we stopped using tenders and stayed on the ship.

Edited October 30, 2016 by knittinggirl

[Little Buddy's Mom]

Hi. Going on a first time and maybe only time cruise in May/June 2017. We are looking at two itineraries with Rhapsody. Wondering if anyone recommends one over the other?

 

May:Barcelona, Cannes,Rome, Amalfi,Sicily, Venice.

June: Venice, Dubrovnik,Ephesus, Santorini,Katakolon, Venice.

 

We are also looking at cruise on Freedom but finding it hard to get flight availability to match.Thinking Rhapsody may be better for a first cruise anyway as it is smaller. My mother will be 80 and is very independant but alot of walking would be tiring for her.

 

Look forward to reading your opinions.

 

This is really a tough decision. You can't go wrong with either one. Is there anyway you could do both itineraries? We've been to all of the ports on the first cruise. Venice is beautiful and Rome is exciting. It's about an hour ride from the port into Rome but well worth it. There will be quite a bit of walking in Rome but you should be able to pace yourself. From Cannes you can go to Monte

Carlo. The Amalfi coast is lovely.

 

If, you can only do one, I'd probably do the first one, since both cruises include Venice. Maybe, you could spend an extra day or two there.

 

On these itineraries, I think the Rhapsody would be fine. Not too big and not too small.

 

Does your Mother also live in Ireland? If so, you won't have a long TA flight. Lucky you. :)

[waterlegs]

No, we can't afford longer than seven days cruise, financially as well as time wise. Our dad is in a nursing home and we will organise visitors for him while away but we don't want to be away too long from him. Yes we all live in Ireland, so no transatlantic flights. Checking the tenders is a good idea. Santorini may be difficult for my mam, although she would be fine in a cable car. we have seen Rome so would stay on board that stop and take advantage of a less crowded ship.

[cloud_nine]

As much as I love Santorini and some of the ports on the second cruise mentioned, I think the first may be better for your mum's mobility issues. Santorini is very hilly and depending on what you do in Katakolon there could be a lot of walking involved. We don't like Ephesus much and have stayed on the ship when we have stopped there before. The main thing to do there are the ruins which involves a lot of walking but there is also the bazaar.

 

As for the other cruise, Barcelona is amazing and not far from the port.They have hop on/hop off buses which you can buy a day ticket for and they take you all around Barcelona. You just get off when you want to see something or walk around and then get back on another when you want to go elsewhere. It's very easy.

 

Rome is further away from the port but you can get an excursion with Royal or individual tour operators that will take you into Rome as the trains might not be suitable for your mum. Amalfi coast is beautiful and I would really recommend this itinerary for this stop alone. We went to sorrento which was gorgeous but there is also the Isle of capri which I've heard is fantastic. Sicily we did a beach day with a royal shore excursion so can't comment on that too much but I did enjoy it.

 

You should look at what you would want to do in each port and then try to decide if it would be too much walking for your mum. Olympia in Katakolon for instance would be too much I would think - especially in the June heat. That may be another thing you need to think about. Greece and Turkey will be a lot hotter in June than Spain, France and Italy in May. If you would like it a bit cooler, then the May itinerary would be better.

Edited October 30, 2016 by cloud_nine

[Hoopster95]

 

May:Barcelona, Cannes,Rome, Amalfi,Sicily, Venice.

June: Venice, Dubrovnik,Ephesus, Santorini,Katakolon, Venice.

 

My mother will be 80 and is very independant but alot of walking would be tiring for her.

 

 

I'd pick option #2 for many reasons, and I was thinking of your mom from your comment as well... my mom is 83 and I'd pick #2 over #1. Not only that the combination of Venice (sailaway at 5pm), Dubrovnik & Santorini are on my top 10 places I've ever sailed into/out of/visited.

 

Have a great cruise whichever you choose! :D

[Arubamoose]

I find that Venice is not an easy port to get in and out of unless you are willing to spend a lot of bucks on a water taxi.

 

 

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