HELP - Newbie with European cruising and travel (Mediterranean interest)

[birdlord]

Although we've been on 6 or 7 cruises (all Caribbean), we have never been to Europe (either by land or by sea) and I have a real interest in making our first trip to the Mediterranean - with ports in Italy (though the entire cruise would not have to be in Italy).

By way of background, our loyalty points (and all of our cruise history) are with Royal and Celebrity (and sharing "status perks" with each, of course). However, it seems that Celebrity only sails Constellation in the Mediterranean and that ship doesn't really appeal to me. I also don't necessarily care if it's a brand new megaship (ie., Symphony). I was looking into MSC, but the reviews are all over the place (I guess that's to be expected).

Just looking for some starting points. Cheaper ports to fly into from the Eastern U.S. (we'd be flying out of Philly or Newark)? Ships that provide service we may be used to (for better or worse)? Ports that can't be missed by a newbie? I realize everyone has an opinion and they will vary, but if I can sort of get pointed in some direction by people with experience, it might help the initial planning/investigation stages.

[euro cruiser]

I would encourage you to think about flights differently in this case, rather than focus on saving $100 or so by flying to one embarkation point vs. another, focus on the one or two places you'd like to see more than any other. Once you know that you can look for cruises that begin there and you can arrange to arrive a few days ahead of the cruise to really see that one place as you adjust to the time change.

[birdlord]

I would encourage you to think about flights differently in this case, rather than focus on saving $100 or so by flying to one embarkation point vs. another, focus on the one or two places you'd like to see more than any other. Once you know that you can look for cruises that begin there and you can arrange to arrive a few days ahead of the cruise to really see that one place as you adjust to the time change.

 

That definitely makes sense. Sometimes I get so caught up in the trimming of the expenses, that I lose sight of the bigger picture.

[spuds]

Have you considered Azamara - ?? I believe they are affiliated with Celebrity. We sailed with them in 2013 (Asia) and enjoyed the cruise and smaller size of ship.

[wheezedr]

One key point is that Mediterranean cruises are very port intensive. We did 21 days last May with 16 port stops. Also unlike cruises out of the US you are not restricted to closed loops. You may start in one port and end in another. If you do a longer cruise it is likely that some of your fellow passengers may have embarked prior to you and some people may come and go while you are on board. As an example, Princess runs a loop which sets up Saturday's in Athens, Rome and Barcelona, so passengers come and go at each port. If you have 2 places you would like to add time to, then you might want to embark in one port and disembark in the other. In particular Rome is often used as one terminus because there is so much to see that a single cruise day does not do it credit. Also be aware that some Mediterranean ports, I.e. Civitavecchia for Rome or Livorno for Florence can be some distance from the actual city you want to see and thus require either an organized tour or you to do some trip planning. It is a wonderful way to get a taste of Europe and see the sights.

[cruisemom42]

Keep in mind that if sailing into or out of Venice is on your wish list (and it should be, it's one of the iconic experiences), you'll have to be on a smaller ship. Which is probably why Celebrity continues to use Constellation for the cruises in the Adriatic. Larger ships are not allowed at the moment (I think that is still in place?), while discussion continues about what to do about the damage caused to Venice's delicate eco-structure by large cruise ships.

 

If you're comfortable with Celebrity and RCCL, I see no reason to specifically look to other lines unless there's a specific port or itinerary you can't find on those two lines.

 

There are MANY ports in Italy. A few of them are: Civitavecchia (for Rome), Livorno (for Pisa and Florence), Naples or Salerno (for Naples, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast), Venice, Genoa, La Spezia (for the Cinque Terre), and some smaller ports like Ravenna, Ancona, Bari, Portofino, and others. There are also several ports on Sicily including Palermo, Catania, Messina, and Trapani. And Sardinia also has 3 ports.

 

However, you'll not find a cruise that only includes Italian ports. Similar to the US, there are laws and regulations that require ships to have at least one "foreign" port of call. Due to its location, Italy lends itself to being part of either Eastern or Western Med cruises, though -- so you should have plenty to choose from.

[texasstar]

Check out Windstar for a small ship experience. We have not been to Italy with them (trip planned for May 2017), but have sailed with them from Istanbul to Greece and around the Tahitian islands. Once you have sailed with them, you will not want to travel on a large ship again.

[samavarcruiser]

Have you considered Azamara - ?? I believe they are affiliated with Celebrity. We sailed with them in 2013 (Asia) and enjoyed the cruise and smaller size of ship.

 

Azamara is a great cruise line buy you should also consider the itinerary!

[euro cruiser]

When you look at most Med itineraries you'll see that you spend very little time on the ship. The days are packed, usually with only one sea day in a seven day cruise, with twelve hour port stops. They are exhausting days, especially in the heat of the summer, so between port time and sleep time you'll find very little left for enjoying the ship. In other words, place more weight on the itinerary for a Med cruise decision than on the ship or the line.

[caripoo]

For your first Europe cruise, I would stick with the lines you are comfortable with and have points... The Celebrity Silhouette and the Reflection also do Italy, France, and Spain...we are diamond plus with them and are doing an Azamara for the first time, and will have some of the perks.....But first decide WHICH part of the Med you want to do....We usually like to have 2 different ports at either end and then make at least a week on land as well, that extends the areas you can visit.....Planning is the key, it is easy to fly in and out of two different airports.....trains are a wonderful way to travel as well......HAVE FUN...Once you hit Europe, you will be hooked....

[CCJack]

Like you we sailed on RCCL for many Caribbean Cruises and have since taken a Med. Cruise (NCL out of Rome), and Adriatic Cruise (RCCL out of Venice), and have booked a Norwegian Fjords Cruise (Cunard out of Southampton) and a River Cruise (Viking - Danube). We have also sailed Celebrity in the Caribbean and really liked the Solstice class ships.

 

I agree with all of the excellent comments here. Only a few additional things I could recommend.

 

We stayed 3 nights prior in our departure city (Rome for one cruise, Venice for the other). I am really glad we did this. First you can recover from the time change, but most importantly you have a few days to discover these wonderful cities. If you just spend one day, you certainly can see some of the sights, but not experience the city as you should.

 

Choosing between those 2 cities is a tough call. I really enjoyed them both. If you appreciate ancient history and the Roman Empire, then of course Rome is the place to be. That said, Venice may be the most unique city on Earth. I disagree that it is too touristy as many say. It is far too crowded during the afternoons, but that is not necessarily touristy. Another reason to spend a couple nights: Venice in the early morning and evening when there are no crowds is an entirely different place than in the afternoon when there are lots of people. If you made me choose between the two for a first cruise, I would give the slight edge to Venice.

 

Both our trips were spectacular (Med and Adriatic), however as far as itinerary goes, I have to say I enjoyed the Adriatic Cruise a little more. Especially on the Eastern side of the sea. The stops in Slovenia and Croatia were really special and I enjoyed those more than the stops in Italy, I know other people on our cruise did too.

 

As far as NCL vs. RCCL, I would give the edge to RCCL at least for our trips. Food, service etc. just a touch better. Most definitely the ports of call are the important thing, but all things equal, I would stick with the cruise line you are familiar with and already pleased with.

 

As for flights, our last three trips to Europe we have flown out of Canada (Toronto or Windsor). We live near Detroit. Leaving from Canada is always cheaper by about $600+, I am not sure why. I am sure there is a reason, but I don't know what it is. Might be less practical for you however leaving from Philly.

 

Have fun planning......!!