Small Adriatic port questions

[Vineyard View]

We have a cruise on hold that is on a smaller ship and therefore goes to smaller Croatia /Adriatic ports than many. My concern is are they so small that there really is not a lot to do. There is another cruise line (Viking) that has fewer Croatia ports and would sail in April vs late May but is twice the size ship. 
 

If you have experience with these small ports -  Opatija, Vodice, Vis, and then Sarande (which I am not thrilled about), the others including  Kotor, Koper, Crotone, Syracuse, and Valletta are attractive for sure. 
 

the second Adriatic option includes Sibenik, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Bari, Crotone, and more in Greece and Italy. 
 

we have only been to Dubrovnik and Ravenna, our friends traveling with us have not been in the Adriatic. 
 

would appreciate any insight. Thank you 

[Hlitner]

Have no experience with those ports but, as a general rule, love smaller ship cruises that go to those kind of places.  DW and I just love to walk around, explore, and often find a local cafe/restaurant for lunch.  And we do agree about Sarande as we are not fans of Albania.  

 

Hank

[Vineyard View]

Thank you. We do as well. Having been to Dubrovnik we are okay with missing it. Kinda disappointed Split isn’t on the itinerary, and our friends traveling with us have never been to either - so hopefully making the right decision. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Few of the ports on either list are very large, so the problem with the Viking cruise is that you may be sharing the port with even larger ships that overwhelm the infrastructure.  The really small ports on your small-ship cruise would be yours alone [you and the locals].  I would take the small ship.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you. I absolutely agree with that point of view, and one of the main reasons I went with Seabourn (never sailed them). Our traveling friends have only cruised once and it was Princess, so my goal is…well I am sure you get that. I just really do hate missing those two ports. I need to research more, but sure not coming up with much on those Croatia ports. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Too late now for you, but we are booked on a cruise that is probably the compromise you were looking for:  Azamara 12-Night Adriatic Wonders Voyage

[Vineyard View]

Fantastic itinerary. Unfortunately it is  Not offered next spring. We stopped traveling in Fall/October with too much wild fire threat here now days. It is a Great time to go there. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

We haven't been to the Croatian ports you mention.  But I'm one of those people who absolutely loves the smaller ports that O's smaller ships go to (plus probably other smaller ships on other lines).  It never bothers me if I haven't heard of the port.  I usually end up loving those places.  On our last cruise, Chania (Crete) blew me away, and I loved Trapani, Italy.  I even found things to do on a small Turkish island and a small port in Greece.  And before that, I fell in love with Ronne, Denmark and Visby, Sweden.  But I'm a photographer, so I'm not necessarily looking to visit world class monuments, or shop, or visit museums and churches.  

 

[Vineyard View]

16 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

We haven't been to the Croatian ports you mention.  But I'm one of those people who absolutely loves the smaller ports that O's smaller ships go to (plus probably other smaller ships on other lines).  It never bothers me if I haven't heard of the port.  I usually end up loving those places.  On our last cruise, Chania (Crete) blew me away, and I loved Trapani, Italy.  I even found things to do on a small Turkish island and a small port in Greece.  And before that, I fell in love with Ronne, Denmark and Visby, Sweden.  But I'm a photographer, so I'm not necessarily looking to visit world class monuments, or shop, or visit museums and churches.  

 

Love your attitude!  I don’t want to ‘over plan’ because spontaneity is a big part of the pleasure in traveling!

[Vineyard View]

I decided to bump this back up. I am narrowing down some port plans, many of which are simply DIY, which is our style. One that has me finding very little on is Vis Island. Most people visit it from mainland Croatia or a larger island. Most independent private tours start from afar that I am finding. I just posted on TA and thought I would reach back out here. One idea is an all day boat tour as I read that Vis is best seen this way. Has anyone visited here previously. We will have a full day.