Mediterranean Cruise ?

[farmboys]

Who would you consider to be the #1 Cruise Line for my wife and I to cruise with to the Mediterranean?

[PORT ROYAL]

11 minutes ago, farmboys said:

Who would you consider to be the #1 Cruise Line for my wife and I to cruise with to the Mediterranean?

IMO it’s Cunard - They have a great 19 nighter in the fall this year and next on the QV from Southampton.

Prices for this year have increased greatly, but 2022 are reasonable.

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by PORT ROYAL
Ship

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, farmboys said:

Who would you consider to be the #1 Cruise Line for my wife and I to cruise with to the Mediterranean?

No one can answer that question for you. You’ve provided zero information about your travel experiences, preferences, expectations and the means you have to pay for Plan A. FWIW, you may want an experience that can can only be provided by a luxury line but only have the budget for a discount line.

[ColeThornton]

It would help if you provided some information that would help people to give you a good answer.  Ages?  Likes and dislikes for entertainment and dining if those things are important (or not) to you.  What itinerary appeals to you, etc.  Looking for luxury or budget friendly?

 

 

[George C]

We loved our rccl cruise a few years ago on a smaller ship Brilliance , 12 days from Barcelona with 5 stops in Italy. Ship and line are not as important as ports, you spend so much time on excursions.

[Hlitner]

I am going to expand on Flatbush Flyer's post (with which I agree).  Just asking for a #1 cruise line is not very helpful because there are so many factors involved.  My #1 cruise line (and I have been on 15 lines) is not going to be the same as yours...in most cases.  I also agree with George C's post that when it comes for port intensive Med cruises, the itinerary is generally a lot more important the the cruise line and/or ship.  Consider that if you are spending most of your days ashore, the cruise ship becomes a place to sleep and eat.  On many port intensive Med cruises it is not uncommon for most folks to be back in their cabins (and in bed) by 10pm as they are often exhausted by the strenuous port days.  

 

I would offer another suggestion.   I am assuming you would fly to Europe for your cruise (another option would be to take a repositioning cruise or even a QM2 Crossing).  Since you are going to spend the money to fly to and from Europe, our suggestion is to take advantage of the opportunity to spend some time (pre/post cruise) in Europe on land.  Among our most favorite Med vacations has been when we flew into one city, spent some time in that particular region, took the cruise to another city, spent some time in that place, and then returned home.  So for example, you could book a cruise that goes from Barcelona to Civitavecchia and extend your trip with some quality time in both Spain and Italy.  

 

I would also steer you towards Cruise Critics "Ports of Call" boards for the Med countries where you can learn a lot by simply reading many of the posts that go back for years.  If and when you have any specific port or country questions you can then post them and there are plenty of us who love to toss out ideas/suggestions and answers.  No issue is too small so we deal with things as small as "where is the nearest laundromat" to "what are the parking rules in Italy."

 

Hank

[PORT ROYAL]

A thought for 2022 on Cunard

M220A  - NY/Med/NY - sailing 8 July 2022 - 28 nights - No Flying - No Luggage weight angst - No beer/wine/liquor restrictions 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by PORT ROYAL
Alcohol

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

....Among our most favorite Med vacations has been when we flew into one city, spent some time in that particular region, took the cruise to another city, spent some time in that place, and then returned home......

Agreed- we pretty much always do this. In fact, having the “right” start/end ports is an important consideration in our choice of itinerary.

[iancal]

It really depends on your preferences, the ship, the cruise line, the itinerary, the time in each port, the embarkation and disembarkation ports, and any pre or post cruise travel that you want to accomplish.

 

If you are looking at the mass market lines, Celebrity, HAL, Princess, etc. the biggest differences in our view is the ship.  Pricing at any given time on any of these cruise lines does not, IMHO, reflect a  quality/experience/price scale.  Very much the same.  We tend to narrow it down by the above and then look at comparative pricing.

 

Med cruises tend to be very port intensive so the ship might matter less than it would if you had many sea days.

 

Agree with other posters.  We have had many trips to Europe.  I cannot even remember the last time that we flew to and from the same European airport.  Same for car rentals.

Edited February 11, 2021 by iancal

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, George C said:

 Ship and line are not as important as ports, you spend so much time on excursions.

 

You may be correct but we don't know that for sure.

 

Without knowing more about what the OP want we can't know for sure if the ports are more important than the ship.

[ldubs]

Regent, Viking Ocean, or Seabourn should be pretty good.  🙂

 

Cruise Critic (.com) has some lists of Mediterranean cruise options that might be helpful.  

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

After deciding on line and ship, you might want to think about pre- and post-.  Most ports from which cruises sail:  Barcelona, Genoa, Rome (Civita Vecchia), Venice, Athens (Piraeus), etc. are worth visiting on their own as part of a land visit.

 

It is a terrible waste to fly all that way and miss some land travel.

 

Also, if your time permits, there are a lot of Eastbound T/A’s in May and Westbound in October/November - which tie in with Spring or Fall Med cruises - which are much better than those in peak summer, when you consider weather and crowds.

[KEN W]

You need to make a decision on which ports you want to go to. As said above....ports are more important than ships. Unless cost is a factor. Make a decision on what you want to see. Then look at the ships that stop at those places. Then look for excursions.

On our list.....

1.Rome....We spent 3 nights there before the cruise started. Everyone should see the Vatican, even if you aren't Catholic. 

2.Jerusalem.....Ship spent 2 nights here. We booked a hotel in Jerusalem instead of the ride back and forth to the ship. Unbelievable history.

3. Egypt.....Probably not available now because of the danger.

4 Athens.....Again the history 

 We also stopped at Naples, Crete, Cyprus, and Turkey. These were           secondary for us.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by KEN W

[cruisemom42]

36 minutes ago, KEN W said:

You need to make a decision on which ports you want to go to. As said above....ports are more important than ships. Unless cost is a factor. Make a decision on what you want to see. Then look at the ships that stop at those places. Then look for excursions.

On our list.....

1.Rome....We spent 3 nights there before the cruise started. Everyone should see the Vatican, even if you aren't Catholic. 

2.Jerusalem.....Ship spent 2 nights here. We booked a hotel in Jerusalem instead of the ride back and forth to the ship. Unbelievable history.

3. Egypt.....Probably not available now because of the danger.

4 Athens.....Again the history 

 We also stopped at Naples, Crete, Cyprus, and Turkey. These were           secondary for us.

 

 

Sounds like a dream itinerary.

 

A few ships are starting to go back to Alexandria. And also Turkey -- which is a fabulous country; I'm always surprised that so many people who've visited are amazed by how much is on offer there (if you're into history...and great food...and just enough "exotic" factor to be different from many other parts of the Med).

 

What line/cruise was this?  It sounds like a "greatest hits" of ancient civilizations. (At least those one can visit, since Syria, Beirut and much of northern Africa is off the table.)

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Sounds like a dream itinerary.

 

A few ships are starting to go back to Alexandria. And also Turkey -- which is a fabulous country; I'm always surprised that so many people who've visited are amazed by how much is on offer there (if you're into history...and great food...and just enough "exotic" factor to be different from many other parts of the Med).

 

What line/cruise was this?  It sounds like a "greatest hits" of ancient civilizations. (At least those one can visit, since Syria, Beirut and much of northern Africa is off the table.)

 

 

2 hours ago, KEN W said:

You need to make a decision on which ports you want to go to. As said above....ports are more important than ships.

Not True.

Often, many ships/cruise lines across the various segments of the industry have very similar itineraries. And port attractions like antiquities or natural beauty remain the same no matter how you get there.

But, the onboard experience, which serves as your home away from home, can vary significantly.

FWIW, lousy food and accommodations (particularly as it might negatively impact your sleep experience), as well as other onboard factors, can easily wreck a cruise vacation.

[cruisemom42]

32 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

Not True.

Often, many ships/cruise lines across the various segments of the industry have very similar itineraries. And port attractions like antiquities or natural beauty remain the same no matter how you get there.

But, the onboard experience, which serves as your home away from home, can vary significantly.

FWIW, lousy food and accommodations (particularly as it might negatively impact your sleep experience), as well as other onboard factors, can easily wreck a cruise vacation.

 

For you. Not for everyone.

 

I can' say that any of the six lines I've cruised the Med with have had "lousy" food or accommodations.

[Essiesmom]

42 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

For you. Not for everyone.

 

I can' say that any of the six lines I've cruised the Med with have had "lousy" food or accommodations.

Agree totally.  By 2005 I had sailed on ships medium and large...most recent cruise was Star Princess.  But I booked a tour with a professional group to Greece, that included a four day cruise.  Researching the ship, I found it was built in 1967 and was 11,000 tons.  I was concerned it would be too small.  But it wasn’t. My cabin was inside, all the way forward.  Very basic but adequate.  Not much public space, but with six islands in four days, who cares.  But the food & service!  Our group of 20 or so had reserved area.  The first night I finished my Greek salad and when the waiter tried to take the plate, I said no, I wanted to dip the delicious bread in it.  He was back with a separate plate of dressing...and each night after that it was right there at my place.  EM

[KEN W]

We went on Norwegian out of Rome. But they aren't doing that cruise anymore. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by KEN W

[Treasure Hunter]

We have been on five Princess cruises in the Mediterranean, two in the Baltic, one to Iceland, one around Great Britain and one from Southampton to Morocco and back but the two on Oceania stand out for Two reasons. As a small ship (670)  it can dock close to town . In Venice we were so close we could walk to St Marks Square.and the itinerary was very Port intensive with only one sea day. We really saw a lot. The food on the ship was excellent. As the touring every day was very long we didn’t miss the entertainment that we love on Princess. Only the Trivia was as good. We always take ship excursions. In St. Petersburg we took a private van through the ship with another couple. Sometimes Oceania would offer a tour and if they didn’t get sufficient sign ups cancel it the night before. This happened in Monaco . We wanted to go to St Paul de Vance and were left with nothing. We had been to Monaco many times. We’ve never had that problem on Princess because there were always enough people to sign up.

[farmboys]

On 2/11/2021 at 11:59 AM, Hlitner said:

I am going to expand on Flatbush Flyer's post (with which I agree).  Just asking for a #1 cruise line is not very helpful because there are so many factors involved.  My #1 cruise line (and I have been on 15 lines) is not going to be the same as yours...in most cases.  I also agree with George C's post that when it comes for port intensive Med cruises, the itinerary is generally a lot more important the the cruise line and/or ship.  Consider that if you are spending most of your days ashore, the cruise ship becomes a place to sleep and eat.  On many port intensive Med cruises it is not uncommon for most folks to be back in their cabins (and in bed) by 10pm as they are often exhausted by the strenuous port days.  

 

I would offer another suggestion.   I am assuming you would fly to Europe for your cruise (another option would be to take a repositioning cruise or even a QM2 Crossing).  Since you are going to spend the money to fly to and from Europe, our suggestion is to take advantage of the opportunity to spend some time (pre/post cruise) in Europe on land.  Among our most favorite Med vacations has been when we flew into one city, spent some time in that particular region, took the cruise to another city, spent some time in that place, and then returned home.  So for example, you could book a cruise that goes from Barcelona to Civitavecchia and extend your trip with some quality time in both Spain and Italy.  

 

I would also steer you towards Cruise Critics "Ports of Call" boards for the Med countries where you can learn a lot by simply reading many of the posts that go back for years.  If and when you have any specific port or country questions you can then post them and there are plenty of us who love to toss out ideas/suggestions and answers.  No issue is too small so we deal with things as small as "where is the nearest laundromat" to "what are the parking rules in Italy."

 

Hank

Thank you.

 

[richstowe]

Ship/cruise line is always important BUT LESS important on a Med cruise then on any other itinerary . NCL is our least favorite line but even so we loved our Epic cruise from Barcelona . So many fabulous excursions to enjoy , we would come back after a long day in port tired and thrilled .

On 2/11/2021 at 11:27 AM, George C said:

We loved our rccl cruise a few years ago on a smaller ship Brilliance , 12 days from Barcelona with 5 stops in Italy. Ship and line are not as important as ports, you spend so much time on excursions.

So true . Our two Med cruises left from Barcelona and Rome where we spent 3 & 4 days prior to the cruise . DW is very clear , to her this was the best part of our European trips . It would be a mistake not to book at least two days in town before the cruise .

On 2/13/2021 at 11:04 AM, KEN W said:

You need to make a decision on which ports you want to go to. As said above....ports are more important than ships. Unless cost is a factor. Make a decision on what you want to see. Then look at the ships that stop at those places. Then look for excursions.

On our list.....

1.Rome....We spent 3 nights there before the cruise started. Everyone should see the Vatican, even if you aren't Catholic. 

2.Jerusalem.....Ship spent 2 nights here. We booked a hotel in Jerusalem instead of the ride back and forth to the ship. Unbelievable history.

3. Egypt.....Probably not available now because of the danger.

4 Athens.....Again the history 

 We also stopped at Naples, Crete, Cyprus, and Turkey. These were           secondary for us.

 

Our RC Mariner cruise had these ports and Egypt was scrubbed just before we booked . Great itinerary .