Mediterranean itinerary - Athens to Barcelona or Barcelona to Rome

[CruiseProGirl]

I can't decide between Princess's Athens to Barcelona with stops in Kotor, Sicily and Naples OR Barcelona to Rome with stops in Gibralter, Marseille and Florence.What do you think?

[wcook]

Both would be amazing and are more similar than they are different. Me? Kotor is the port I most want to visit, so I’d take that itinerary. 

[wowzz]

I would take the Athens to Barcelona cruise.

More interesting itinerary imho.

Hopefully you are not flying all the way from the US for a six day cruise !

Edited July 2, 2022 by wowzz

[cruizergal70]

3 hours ago, CruiseProGirl said:

I can't decide between Princess's Athens to Barcelona with stops in Kotor, Sicily and Naples OR Barcelona to Rome with stops in Gibralter, Marseille and Florence. What do you think?

Will you go early to have time in Athens or Barcelona? What about at the end in Barcelona or Rome? Have you looked at excursions? Is the price of the flights a concern? Do you have any interest in any of the historical places in any of the countries?

[jsn55]

5 hours ago, CruiseProGirl said:

I can't decide between Princess's Athens to Barcelona with stops in Kotor, Sicily and Naples OR Barcelona to Rome with stops in Gibralter, Marseille and Florence.What do you think?

Do what I do ... make a spreadsheet with a list of things that are both important to you and things you want to avoid.   Fill in the blanks and you'll have your answer.  The decision couldn't be more personal, so you need to make your own list.  This has helped me through many tough decisions when so many offerings were wonderful.

[cruisemom42]

I agree that this is really a personal preference more than anything else. That said, I don't think either itinerary is that "outstanding". Three ports each on a 7-day cruise?  Most itineraries offer more...

 

For myself, I don't consider Gibralter a typical Med port and wouldn't be one of my first choices. Kotor is scenic (especially the sail in and out through the Bay) but again not a "biggie" in terms of historical import. Florence, if you don't already know is 90 minutes from the port where the ships dock (Livorno). 

 

Which port in Sicily would you be visiting?  Palermo? Catania?

[carlmm]

One argument for the first option is the closeness of the ports to the sights and the ease of access.  

[Markanddonna]

There have to be more than just three ports. Most seven days have only one sea day.

[6rugrats]

This cruise is Athens, Santorini, day at sea, Kotor, Messina, Naples, day at sea, Barcelona.

 

I wouldn't chose either of them for a Med cruise.  Too many sea days.

Edited July 3, 2022 by 6rugrats

[Hlitner]

We agree with Cruisemom about Gibraltar.  Among Western European ports it is among our least favorite.  The smallish British Territory has been paved over (and covered with condos), lost much of its charm, and has become a tax haven for many Brits.  The "Rock" is still a decent tourist place but on our recent visit the queues for the cable car were over an hour long, very poorly served by limited staff, and the cable car does not stop at the mid-point station during the busy tourist season which further limits options.

 

I think the OP might also want to look at the port times and get an understanding of the geography.  So, for example, the port for Florence is generally Livorno which is more than an hour (each way) via some kind of transportation.  It is similar for Rome with its port of Civitavecchia at least an hour from the city.   On the other hand, Kotor is a very convenient port as you can walk from the pier into the walled . town.  Naples has so many options ranging from just spending a day in Naples to heading off to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, the Amalfi Coast , etc.  As to Sicily, it is not high on our list of places we recommend for first time European cruisers.  If your ship docks at Messina you do have a few options such as traveling about an hour to Taormina or perhaps taking an excursion to Mt. Etna,

 

We always advise folks traveling to Europe for a cruise to somehow find the extra days (and money) for a pre/post cruise stay.  When you talk about ports like Barcelona, Rome and Athens, they are all fantastic tourist cities worthy of some land time.  

 

Hank

[carlmm]

57 minutes ago, 6rugrats said:

I wouldn't chose either of them for a Med cruise.  Too many sea days.

 

This one is about personal preferences. As all of the ports in Europe offer so many sights, I prefer cruises that have more seadays - to relax in between, to let the new experiences sink in, and just to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea itself.

When there is only one seaday in a week, I usually skip one of the ports to create my own "sea day".

The "seven countries in six days approach" is nothing for me and nothing I would recommend.

[jsn55]

3 minutes ago, carlmm said:

 

This one is about personal preferences. As all of the ports in Europe offer so many sights, I prefer cruises that have more seadays - to relax in between, to let the new experiences sink in, and just to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea itself.

When there is only one seaday in a week, I usually skip one of the ports to create my own "sea day".

The "seven countries in six days approach" is nothing for me and nothing I would recommend.

Absolutely agree!  We pick our cruises by carefully examining the details of the itineraries.  What we enjoyed at 40 is now unacceptable. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, 6rugrats said:

This cruise is Athens, Santorini, day at sea, Kotor, Messina, Naples, day at sea, Barcelona.

 

I wouldn't chose either of them for a Med cruise.  Too many sea days.

Funny you should mention that  :).  DW and I were just looking at a 14 day Seabourn itinerary (in the Med) without a single sea day!  Argh!   We prefer cruises (with lots of sea days) rather than a ferry boat masquerading as a cruise ship.   But each to their own as we do some folks who do not like sea days.

 

Hank

[wcook]

I always try to do “everything” on a cruise and often come back dead tired. My last Med cruise had a couple forced “sea days” (thanks COVID) and while I was disappointed to miss what I planned to do ashore, I “vacationed” - relaxed, actually read the books I brought to read, etc. It was nice. 
 

Going forward, I’m going to limit myself to four port visits in a week, regardless of the actual number of stops. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, carlmm said:

 

This one is about personal preferences. As all of the ports in Europe offer so many sights, I prefer cruises that have more seadays - to relax in between, to let the new experiences sink in, and just to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea itself.

When there is only one seaday in a week, I usually skip one of the ports to create my own "sea day".

The "seven countries in six days approach" is nothing for me and nothing I would recommend.

 

It's a little different when you live in Europe. While this poster doesn't make it clear, many cruisers have come here and said this may be their "one and only" cruise to Europe. Just seems a shame to spend (insert large number here) on airfare to travel to Europe and be limited to so few points of reference....

[6rugrats]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's a little different when you live in Europe. While this poster doesn't make it clear, many cruisers have come here and said this may be their "one and only" cruise to Europe. Just seems a shame to spend (insert large number here) on airfare to travel to Europe and be limited to so few points of reference....

Exactly.  To each their own.

[cruizergal70]

4 hours ago, wcook said:

I always try to do “everything” on a cruise and often come back dead tired. My last Med cruise had a couple forced “sea days” (thanks COVID) and while I was disappointed to miss what I planned to do ashore, I “vacationed” - relaxed, actually read the books I brought to read, etc. It was nice. 
 

Going forward, I’m going to limit myself to four port visits in a week, regardless of the actual number of stops. 

I consider myself a traveler and not a cruiser. I fully understand the need to chill, relax, catch up on reading, etc. What I don't understand is the need to spend thousands of dollars to do that on a ship in a foreign country. When choosing port intensive cruises, I would think a person would be ready for all of the activity. Plus, there's usually at least one sea day towards the end of the cruise to rest up before going home. 

[ldubs]

On 7/2/2022 at 12:59 PM, CruiseProGirl said:

I can't decide between Princess's Athens to Barcelona with stops in Kotor, Sicily and Naples OR Barcelona to Rome with stops in Gibralter, Marseille and Florence.What do you think?

 

Both are common cruise ship itineraries.  There is some good info here on the ports that can help you decide.  Especially about understanding access, and it is important to understand that for most ports, you will be getting a snapshot of the place.   For places like Rome, your actual time there will be very limited due to distances from the port.    

 

You are hearing from some experienced cruise passengers.  Just keep in mind folks are sharing their preferences/priorities.  What is important to one person may not be to another.  Some people enjoy the ship atmosphere.  Others claim it is nothing more than transportation.    Some like sea days.  Some like port intensive (I personally lean towards this, but enjoy the occasional sea day).  Additionally, for me, while a seven day vacay is great, a 14 day one is even better (and for me,  21 days is too much). Understandably, taking more time isn't always an option.  

 

What do I think?   I would enjoy either itinerary.  I don't think you can make a horrible decision here.   Enjoy.  

[George C]

Loved Kotor and Naples , so definitely Athens’s to Barcelona, also would definitely spend a couple of days in Barcelona at end .

[CruiseProGirl]

Thanks everyone! Ordinarily, I wouldn't fly to Europe from the US for a 7-day cruise. My brother booked as a Single on the 14-dayer. I couldn't handle 2 weeks alone with my beloved little bro', but for one week, we can keep company (for the same price as a Single) and not get on each other's nerves! 🙂. I've decided to fly into Barcelona for 3nts/4days on my own and then join the cruise. 

My personal interest really lies in Northern Europe, Bavaria, Scandinavia, French Polynesia, Seychelles (just about any beautiful beaches.) Was never really that keen on the Med (I know it's beautiful, just never "did it" for me.) But I thought my brother might enjoy the company (he's still hoping I'll join him for the entire 2 weeks, but, well, you know!) and I've never been to those places so, again, you know. All true travelers are interested in going ANYWHERE they've never been, right?I'm sure it'll be great. 

[DarrenM]

On 7/2/2022 at 8:59 PM, CruiseProGirl said:

I can't decide between Princess's Athens to Barcelona with stops in Kotor, Sicily and Naples OR Barcelona to Rome with stops in Gibralter, Marseille and Florence.What do you think?

Athens to Barcelona

 

If only to go to Kotor and Naples(Pompeii)

 

And if you DO go to Kotor tow things to do.

 

1. A walk around the old town wall

2. a TUK TUK ride round the bay and into the mountians via Tivat.

 

Awesome

[DarrenM]

On 7/3/2022 at 6:00 PM, carlmm said:

 

This one is about personal preferences. As all of the ports in Europe offer so many sights, I prefer cruises that have more seadays - to relax in between, to let the new experiences sink in, and just to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea itself.

When there is only one seaday in a week, I usually skip one of the ports to create my own "sea day".

The "seven countries in six days approach" is nothing for me and nothing I would recommend.

Agree with this.

 

The best part of being on a cruise is, errrrrr, being on the ship.

 

I want at least 2 sea days and like whats been said here, we create a 3rd.

 

Last cruise we missed Florence. Preferred a sea day. And Florence does nothing for me anyway.

 

Other than seeing that big church, i know its called something else, and a few statues, the place bores me.

 

Kotor was 10 times more fun. As was Sicily.

 

And as I love Naples, its a no brainer.

[George C]

The thing about Naples is you have so many options, go to 

Pompeii 

Capri 

Almafi coast 

Stay in Naples and eat the best pizza and other food in the world 

 

[pris993]

Sometimes you can find "you tub" videos on ports to help you decide which ports you might like between the two cruises.  

 

We have done at least 12+ Mediterranean cruises over past 20 years, most 12 days or more, so have been to many ports.  Always found something we enjoyed.    

 

Just pick one and you will enjoy it.  

[navybankerteacher]

Perhaps the best way to experience Mediterranean ports (especially if you are going to fly over there a number of times) is to pick a few, fly to one, train or fly to one or more other ones, then fly  - or better still, take a repositioning cruise home, experiencing a few more on the way.