Should I switch?

[iluvit!]

Currently booked on Royal for Europe 2019 and considering switching to Celebrity for the first time. I booked Oasis for the ship, but the Infinity has the perfect itinary .

Pros of Oasis cruise include being in May so cooler weather and less crowded, lots of bars and restaurants to choose from, much less expensive balcony price. Con- would have to add a flight to see Venice.

 

Infinity trip starts in Venice and ends in Rome, which are the cities I would most like to visit. However, it’s at the end of June, and my husband hates crowds, also being in summer would mean more expensive flights.

It’s our first trip to Europe (20th anniversary present) and I want to make sure I get this right. We are a Emerald on RC, btw. Thoughts?

 

 

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[4774Papa]

I always go with itinerary first, if the price is competitive. As for going in the Summer, yes it is more crowded and hot, so check for other cruises in May or September.

[Denny01]

Itinerary is the prime focus for us especially considering this is a European trip with the extra costs.

 

The Oasis is nice but very large also so you have the much larger crowd with you getting on and off, and this is a port intensive cruise so I’d not be too focused on the dining, Celebrity has great dining also.

 

As to weather, you can never say for sure, but June isn’t a high temp/humidity time. Yes, more tourists, but going on the Oasis even in May isn’t exactly like missing the crowds.

 

Venice is fantastic. With it as your departure port, you can go early and really enjoy it and then off to the cruise instead of adding it and the extra costs of getting there as an addition.

 

I enjoy all cruises, but if this is a special cruise and you are going to the extra expense and time of going to Europe, I’d suggest you make it exactly what you want.

 

We are going to Europe in Aug 2019 and that is higher temp and crowds but we’ve done it before and enjoyed.

 

Den

[bigbenboys]

Oasis might be a bit big for me. It is your anniversary try something different or special. If you go with Oasis you can take a train to Venice from Rome. You can pre-book the train. It takes about 3 hour 45 mins.

[iluvit!]

We are actually booked out of Barcelona May 19, so would have to fly or switch to a summer out of Rome trip. The temperature is a consideration, although we are from Houston so it’s hard to be hotter or more humid. My consideration is air conditioning, which we tend to see as a given. I have read reviews that many places, including museums, are not air conditioned in Europe. I can just see us, sweating shoulder-to-shoulder with crowds and my husband wanting to leave before I get my fill of art.

 

 

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[iluvit!]

Itinerary is the prime focus for us especially considering this is a European trip with the extra costs.

 

 

 

The Oasis is nice but very large also so you have the much larger crowd with you getting on and off, and this is a port intensive cruise so I’d not be too focused on the dining, Celebrity has great dining also.

 

 

 

As to weather, you can never say for sure, but June isn’t a high temp/humidity time. Yes, more tourists, but going on the Oasis even in May isn’t exactly like missing the crowds.

 

 

 

Venice is fantastic. With it as your departure port, you can go early and really enjoy it and then off to the cruise instead of adding it and the extra costs of getting there as an addition.

 

 

 

I enjoy all cruises, but if this is a special cruise and you are going to the extra expense and time of going to Europe, I’d suggest you make it exactly what you want.

 

 

 

We are going to Europe in Aug 2019 and that is higher temp and crowds but we’ve done it before and enjoyed.

 

 

 

Den

 

 

 

I’m would prefer to sail out of Venice, but the Royal offering is the Rhapsody, which we’ve been on 3x and is too small and lacking in amenities. The best Celebrity cruises seem to be in the summer, I’m just afraid the tourist hordes much be too much for DH. (In other words, if the Vatican museum would be packed in like the muster drills of old on the promenade).Never been on the Oasis, but we usually do things on off-peak times on ships and never really have to wait in line.

 

 

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[OT-Miami]

Currently booked on Royal for Europe 2019 and considering switching to Celebrity for the first time. I booked Oasis for the ship, but the Infinity has the perfect itinary .

Pros of Oasis cruise include being in May so cooler weather and less crowded, lots of bars and restaurants to choose from, much less expensive balcony price. Con- would have to add a flight to see Venice.

 

Infinity trip starts in Venice and ends in Rome, which are the cities I would most like to visit. However, it’s at the end of June, and my husband hates crowds, also being in summer would mean more expensive flights.

It’s our first trip to Europe (20th anniversary present) and I want to make sure I get this right. We are a Emerald on RC, btw. Thoughts?

 

Congrats on 20-year anniversary! DH & sailed Western Med on Allure in 2015. I find that (IMO) the Oasis class ships are not a good fit for these itineraries, as they tend to be very port intensive and the ships are a destination in-and-of themselves. It was my first trip to Europe so, not wanting to miss anything, we had a shore excursion in every port. A lot of these destinations are a good distance from the actual port, so the excursions tend to result in very long days. As a result, most days we were off the ship before sunrise and returned exhausted, with just enough time to shower and hurry to dinner. It was our first time on an Oasis class ship, so we really would have liked to have more time to enjoy the ship itself. We sailed in October and still found Rome to be crazy crowded, but our guides told us the summer months are by far the worst.

 

We are currently booked on our first X cruise, so I can't offer an actual comparison, just my two cents on Oasis in Med. Either way, I'm sure you can't go wrong with either choice. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cruise Raider]

Not sure if you have a preference for cruise ship, but if you really love the Oasis class on Royal, you may be disappointed with the Infinity ... and vice versa.

 

To me, Royal Caribbean ships are way too large with lines, lines, lines for everything. My last cruise with Royal was on the Explorer of the Seas and while the ship was stunning, the crowds were off putting to me. I loved their entertainment but the food, with the exception of the specialty restaurants, was sub-par IMO. I wouldn't pass up a chance to go on Royal again if it was a really good deal but with all things considered, I would choose Celebrity.

I guess it all comes down to if you hear 'Laurel' or 'Yanny' ... everybody is different.

[B x]

If the itinerary suits, then sailing out of Venice is something not to be missed. Have done it a number of times and still it has the WOW factor.

 

Both Cities would be getting busier at the end of June, but equally we have visited Venice in February and were amazed by how busy it was.

[oskarNZ]

My 2 cents for what they’re worth. I preferred Barcelona tenfold to Venice. The architecture and mosaic art everywhere is stunning, so if my biggest choice was deciding between these 2 cities, I would pick Barcelona any day.

 

 

In saying that, if the Venice cruise stops at the Greek Is (in particular Santorini and Mykonos) as well as other beautiful Eastern Med coastal cities such as Dubrovnik, that would sway my choice back to the Venice cruise. My husband and I visited these stops on our first ever cruise and they remain our favourite ports of any cruise we’ve been on. So visually stunning.

 

 

At the end of the day, Med cruises are extremely port intensive, so as previous posters have mentioned, opt for the itinerary you want first. To get the dates you are after, perhaps consider all ship options (NCL, Princess, Holland America, P&O etc) until you get dates and an itinerary that match, at a price you’re happy to pay.

[Denny01]

I’m would prefer to sail out of Venice, but the Royal offering is the Rhapsody, which we’ve been on 3x and is too small and lacking in amenities. The best Celebrity cruises seem to be in the summer, I’m just afraid the tourist hordes much be too much for DH. (In other words, if the Vatican museum would be packed in like the muster drills of old on the promenade).Never been on the Oasis, but we usually do things on off-peak times on ships and never really have to wait in line.

 

 

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There are 2 Celebrity Constellation cruises out of Venice in May 2019. One is a round trip including Greek Isles and the other is Venice to Rome with interesting ports including one of our favorites, Malta.

 

So If you are interested in Venice and seeing it by going early and are worried about June crowds, here are two May 2019 Celebrity cruises.

 

Den