Advice Needed - Mediterranean Back to Back

[sunluvr62]

Hi there!  I'm considering booking two, back-to-back, one-way cruises on the Enchantment this Fall. I've never been to Europe and may never have the opportunity again. With that said, which of these 3 options looks most attractive to you? Thank you for your attention!

 

OPTION #1

• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Amalfi Coast (Salerno), Italy
• Sicily (Messina), Italy
• Santorini, Greece
• Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
• Mykonos, Greece
• Athens (Piraeus), Greece
• Athens (Piraeus), Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Chania (Souda), Crete
• Zakynthos, Greece
• Corfu, Greece
• Kotor, Montenegro
• Venice (Ravenna), Italy

 

 

OPTION #2

• Venice (Ravenna), Italy
• Sicily (Messina), Italy
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy
• Cannes, France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Barcelona, Spain
• Cannes, France
• Nice (Villefranche), France
• Genoa, Italy
• Portofino, Italy
• Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy
• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

OPTION #3

• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Amalfi Coast (Salerno), Italy
• Sicily (Messina), Italy
• Santorini, Greece
• Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
• Mykonos, Greece
• Athens (Piraeus), Greece

• Athens (Piraeus), Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Santorini, Greece
• Chania (Souda), Crete
• Palma De Mallorca, Spain
• Barcelona, Spain

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by sunluvr62

[sddsddean]

They all have 'repeated' ports, so for me, I would do option 3...purely because you can easily spend another 4 or 5 days 'doing' Barcelona...just watch out for the pickpockets on Las Ramblas!!

 

Simon

[pcur]

I vote for options 2 and 3.  I consider the absolute minimum for a first time Med cruise to be Rome, Venice, and Florence.  It there is Santorini in the mix, even better.  Amalfi Coast?  Double-winner.  

 

I also love the Greek Isles, so there's a bonus there, too.

 

Super great trip!!

[Kathscof]

I LOVE that the options are in Salerno for the "Amalfi Coast" as Salerno is where it actually starts instead of porting in Naples and having to trek to the other side of the peninsula to "get there" (also I don't love Sorrento, its too touristy).  Its easy enough to get a bus/ferry to Amalfi/Positano, a ferry to Capri, or a train to Paestum, Ercolano, Pompeii, or Naples from there....

 

I vote 3, as I would like Barcelona better as an start/end port than Venice, cuz I don't love Venice at all 🙂

Edited March 27, 2023 by Kathscof

[ILCTCRUISER]

It seems OP has lised all ports covering the B2B, so the Athens and Barcelona entries may be end of first cruise and start of following cruise.

 

Option 1 with the understanding that you need to book another cruise or land tour that includes Barcelona.  Also, if you’re doing this as your intro to European travel add 2-3 days precruise in Rome and maybe two days post cruise in Venice.

[erby2283]

My vote would be Option 2. All three start and finish in cities that (in my opinion) require more than one day to explore and you can extend your vacation a couple days on either side to explore Venice and Rome - and I really like those ports! I had my one and only trip to Europe back in 2019 and was away for 19 days - a true bucket list trip....I so want to go back but haven't made it yet.

 

I would say focus on which ports you really want to visit - my main areas of interest were Italy but I also  absolutely loved Barcelona (which option two gives you two days there) and Nice.  But on my trip, since it may be the only time I ever got (get) to go, I choose a port intensive cruise to many different places because it was more about quantity....not quality. I needed to check off as many different ports as I could because who knows when you'll get back.  😜

 

You could also do some mock bookings with airfare and see which may be the best economically.  We actually added on 3 days in Lisbon post cruise but once you're in Europe, it's really easy and cheap to get to most other cities.  So if one itinerary is calling you, but doesn't hit a stop you really want to visit, look into flying to that city post cruise and staying there for a few days.

 

ps - take me with you.

[sunluvr62]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

I vote for options 2 and 3.  I consider the absolute minimum for a first time Med cruise to be Rome, Venice, and Florence.  It there is Santorini in the mix, even better.  Amalfi Coast?  Double-winner.  

 

I also love the Greek Isles, so there's a bonus there, too.

 

Super great trip!!

It's either or, either Option 2 or Option 3.  I'm sorry I should have been more clear.

[SummmerInKefalonia]

Option 2 or 3.

[Tlbecker1]

We have done all of these places and I would recommend #2.  You honestly can’t go wrong with any of them, but that would be a great 1st time in Europe.

[MeHeartCruising]

All great itineraries. You won’t go wrong with any of them.  All other things being equal, I would pick #3.  Because the other ones start or end in Ravenna, I rate that a disadvantage since it is more challenging and time consuming to get there.  Calling that Venice is an injustice done by the cruise lines. 

[Crazy planning mom]

I like option # 3 also but I would add at least 3 days on land before the cruise.  You need time to see Rome and take the train to Florence for a day or overnight.  Then, at the end of your trip, add in an extra day or two to see Barcelona..

[pcur]

20 hours ago, sunluvr62 said:

It's either or, either Option 2 or Option 3.  I'm sorry I should have been more clear.

OK, then you have to decide if you want  a lot Greece or France, Spain, and Italy.

 

It's a tough decision, and it depends on how far back you want to go in history, and what you are interested in seeing. 

 

I'm prejudiced, I'll admit.  I would much rather see art and the Renaissance first, then ancient ruins.

 

I can only say that when I walked into the Sistine Chapel for the first time, I burst into tears.  That's how incredible it was, and how overwhelmed I was by actually getting to see it.  St. Peter's Basilica is an amazing experience, and if you take Option 2, add a day or two at the end to see more of Rome.  What my friend and I did on our 2017 trip was plan for the city sites during the cruise (taking the Rome Express Train tour to avoid using up hours in the heavy traffic into Rome), and then got a hotel near the Vatican after the cruise.  We went to St Peter's Basilica at 7am the first morning when it was just opening, always free to enter, no crowds, and could stand and look at Michelangelo's Pieta as long as we wanted.

 

Option 3 with 2 days in Athens.  Athens super crowded, and traffic is horrible.  So, IMO the only way to get around Athens itself is underground on the metro.  You take any tour using city streets, you end up in the traffic mess.  So study up on the metro before you go with Option 3. I have an app on my phone, Moovit, that was a great help with buses in Rome, and the metro in Athens.

 

Once you choose, come back and ask for suggestions for the ports.