Is a Celebrity cruise a good way to see Europe for the first time?

[mfs2k]

37 minutes ago, OfTheSeasCruiser said:

Yeah, obviously. Which was my point in why it’s difficult to compare pricing of a cruise vs a land trip without knowing which hotels one is staying at, etc.

I think it's likely we would stay in the equivalent of a US 4 star hotel, preferably independent and boutique style. Not super luxurious because that's out of my price range.  Not a chain either. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by mfs2k

[MustBCruzn]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We've cruised around the Med 3 times so far on different cruise lines and very much enjoyed each of the ports we visited. The best part of cruising versus seeing it by land is you get to see more countries and never have to switch hotels!! 😃

 

I also have a suggestion. Try to book an aft-facing cabin, as the balcony views are awesome, both when leaving each port as well as when the rear of the ship is facing land when you're docked! 

 

This exactly! We've done 5 med cruises and land vacations in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. We have another med cruise out of Rotterdam in conjunction with a land vacation in Germany this July. I love the ease of cruising, and find the multiple ports help us determine where we want to spend more time in depth with a land vacation.

[markeb]

39 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I think it's likely we would stay in the equivalent of a US 4 star hotel, preferably independent and boutique style. Not super luxurious because that's out of my price range.  Not a chain either. 

 

Are there stops on the itinerary that really interest you? Which ones?

[mfs2k]

7 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Are there stops on the itinerary that really interest you? Which ones?

Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Rome are places Ive heard of and have not been too.  (Actually, Ive been to Barcelona but my wife hasn't and I think she would enjoy it)

I'm not familiar with La Sezia, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina. Those are likely places I'd never go to if I don't book this cruise. 

[Kelownadon]

9 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Rome are places Ive heard of and have not been too.  (Actually, Ive been to Barcelona but my wife hasn't and I think she would enjoy it)

I'm not familiar with La Sezia, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina. Those are likely places I'd never go to if I don't book this cruise. 

If you are stoping in La Spezia. I highly, highly recommend you do a celebrity cruise ship shore excursion to Cinque Terre. This guarantees the ship won’t leave without you. We did and it was the highlight of all the cruise port stops. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Kelownadon

[markeb]

18 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Rome are places Ive heard of and have not been too.  (Actually, Ive been to Barcelona but my wife hasn't and I think she would enjoy it)

I'm not familiar with La Sezia, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina. Those are likely places I'd never go to if I don't book this cruise. 

 

Le Spezia is basically the port stop for Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. But not next door to Florence (a lot closer to Pisa, but still not right there). You could spend a week around Florence, or Rome. Maybe even Naples, with Pompei and Vesuvius. It looks like it's about a 3 hour train ride from Florence to Naples, depending on the time of day (that's Google Maps not the actual train timetable). Rome is a little more than halfway between them. Pisa is about an hour by train from Florence. I really don't know about the other stops. Messina is obviously Sicily and not far from Mount Etna.

 

If Barcelona and Cannes are places you really want to visit, especially if you have time to go to Barcelona early and stay in Rome after, then the cruise is going to give you a quick overview. If the Italy mainland stops are more interesting (really look Tuscany: Florence, Pisa, Montalcino, the surrounding hills) then I think you'd more appreciate a land trip to Italy and figure out how you want to divide your time. Florence to Naples is probably two hotel changes with Rome unless you day trip to Naples from Rome.

 

Again, it's a breadth or depth question. You'll see more but less of it on the ship. Especially with the distance from port to the key sites in Italy. Either way should make for a great anniversary!

[Baron Barracuda]

An ocean cruise will give you a taste of the big southern European cities.  A land tour will give you a more close-up look at European culture but you will be changing hotels daily.  A good compromise between the two might be a river cruise.  We did Viking's 14 day Grand European tour last summer from Amsterdam to Budapest which sailed down the Rhine and Danube past all the great castles.  Other itineraries are available in Southern Europe.

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, George C said:

I believe a cruise is the best way to visit Europe the first time, in most cases you are at a port during the day and cruising at night waking up in a new port/city/country. We have done two Athens to Rome and then round trip from Barcelona with 9 ports including 4 countries.

 

I have to disagree with you George. The BEST way to visit Europe for the first time is to backpack around it, sleeping in hostels, while you are single and in your early twenties. 😉

😀

[mfs2k]

13 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Le Spezia is basically the port stop for Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. But not next door to Florence (a lot closer to Pisa, but still not right there). You could spend a week around Florence, or Rome. Maybe even Naples, with Pompei and Vesuvius. It looks like it's about a 3 hour train ride from Florence to Naples, depending on the time of day (that's Google Maps not the actual train timetable). Rome is a little more than halfway between them. Pisa is about an hour by train from Florence. I really don't know about the other stops. Messina is obviously Sicily and not far from Mount Etna.

 

If Barcelona and Cannes are places you really want to visit, especially if you have time to go to Barcelona early and stay in Rome after, then the cruise is going to give you a quick overview. If the Italy mainland stops are more interesting (really look Tuscany: Florence, Pisa, Montalcino, the surrounding hills) then I think you'd more appreciate a land trip to Italy and figure out how you want to divide your time. Florence to Naples is probably two hotel changes with Rome unless you day trip to Naples from Rome.

 

Again, it's a breadth or depth question. You'll see more but less of it on the ship. Especially with the distance from port to the key sites in Italy. Either way should make for a great anniversary!

wow.  Thank you.

[mfs2k]

3 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

I have to disagree with you George. The BEST way to visit Europe for the first time is to backpack around it, sleeping in hostels, while you are single and in your early twenties. 😉

😀

That ship has sailed. 

[calicakes]

A taste!!  A cruise introduces you to cities that you might want to go back and visit on your own.  For instance, we first came to Aruba on a X cruise, we came back( here now) to stay at a resort for a week.  The price was equal to a cruise, but we wanted to stay put here the entire time. 

[DirtyDawg]

1 minute ago, mfs2k said:

That ship has sailed. 

Sailed and sunk for some of us! 😊

[mfs2k]

Just now, DirtyDawg said:

Sailed and sunk for some of us! 😊

My back says don't do it. 

[markeb]

14 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

I have to disagree with you George. The BEST way to visit Europe for the first time is to backpack around it, sleeping in hostels, while you are single and in your early twenties. 😉

😀

 

No. The BEST way was a fully salaried, all expenses paid, three year tour in Bavaria courtesy of the US Army. Our own car, our own place. An hour and a half from Munich and about three hours to the Alps...

Edited April 17, 2023 by markeb

[Milhouse]

As others have mentioned, it hard to compare to compare apple to apples.  

I've tracked our spend during our trips and have found that our land vacations are generally about $100 per day less than our cruise vacations.  I suspect the biggest factors is that we normally stayed in budget accommodations with not a lot of extra amenities.  Levelling up on the type of places we stay to cruise accommodations, I think the cost between our land and cruise vacations would be fairly close.  

 

IMO, a cruise can be an easy way for a first timer to Europe to sample the surface of a number of cities in Europe in one go.  Comparatively, you'd could spend a lot of time on the train (or at an airport) on a land trip in order to see a wide range of cities in different countries.  However, I think a lot it missed by not eating dinner in a city, enjoying the evening in town, and not having to rush back to the ship.  X doesn't have enough overnight ports of call IMO though you can always tack on a few days before and after the cruise.  

[Sigyn]

My first European experience was a Mediterranean cruise and I loved it. I loved it so much I went back the very next year for a long land vacation throughout Italy. It's a good way to visit several cities and get to see what appeals the most and make plans to return. 

[Obobru]

A cruise is not a great way to see Europe where most of the best locations are far from cruise ports. Greatrail.com is the best place to look for rail tours which are far better and you could combine with a river cruise if you have a $15k budget to spend on a cruise. 

[Royal_Cruise_Bear]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Rome are places Ive heard of and have not been too.  (Actually, Ive been to Barcelona but my wife hasn't and I think she would enjoy it)

I'm not familiar with La Sezia, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina. Those are likely places I'd never go to if I don't book this cruise. 

 

We do a few days before and after a cruise, whenever it's possible.

 

BCN is so wonderful,  I could stay there for a week as well... Rome, well I felt there were manymany tourists...  Uuups, I'm one of them. 😳

 

On portdays we use guided tours very seldom. We just walk off the ship and watch people.  This worked perfect for us in Nepales (sitting in a pizzeria 🍕), Ajaccio (following the smal arrows with the "N", to follow the footprints of Napoleon), Valletta (have a look into this marvellous church, used by the knights of the order of St. John!), and even in Messina (can't remember, what we did there). I never have been to La Specia and I have no clue, if we had been to Cagliari - if yes, I wasn't very impressed.

 

Valletta/Malta is one of the most beautiful places if have ever been .... okay I'm prejudiced. I  married 💒 under maltese law on a Valletta/Malta registered Cruiseship. Please, don't ever try to understand or read Maltese language. It's impossible! (For example "Att Taz-zwieg" meens "certificate of marriage" 😳😆) But English is their second official language.  👍😎

[PurpleTraveller]

I think doing a cruise is a great way to get a taste of Europe particularly if you add extra days before and after your cruise to spend extra time in those cities. A cruise allows you the ease of seeing a number of places with not having to worry about booking multiple hotels, unpacking once, not having to wrangling your luggage, not dealing with planes or trains, meals readily available and the ability to relax once back on board. If you go to somewhere you fall in love with you can then do a longer land tour there in the future. A cruise will not allow you an in depth experience of a place but it is still great to visit a port and have a wonderful day.

 

I have done three Mediterranean cruises of 17, 21 and 10 days and had a wonderful time on every cruise. I always combine a cruise with time in Europe on land tours and always spend time in the departure cities beforehand. Some cities like Rome I have visited multiple times for up to a week at a time and I still haven't seen everything I would like to. Last year I combined a ten day cruise of Italy, Montenegro and Croatia with four weeks in Spain which I find is a great combination of enjoying my love of cruising with experiencing a place well.

 

Go on a Mediterranean cruise and enjoy every moment! 🛳️

 

[MustBCruzn]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

No. The BEST way was a fully salaried, all expenses paid, three year tour in Bavaria courtesy of the US Army. Our own car, our own place. An hour and a half from Munich and about three hours to the Alps...

 

So true! As a Navy Nurse I was stationed in Spain for 3 years, Sicily for 4 years, and Crete for 2 years. LOVED my time there!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

3 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

This guarantees the ship won’t leave without you.

 

Not absolutely. If the ship HAS to leave but there was too much of a delay getting the tour back to the ship, Celebrity will make arrangements to get the group back to the ship as soon as possible.

[Tapi]

I wanted to introduce my 6 and 8 yo kids to Europe, and a Mediterranean cruise was, without a doubt, the best decision. Super easy to do and affordable, 

 

It was an absolutely wonderful experience for the whole family. But as others have said, you will barely scratch the surface, like barely, BARELY 😂.

 

You can sample, and then maybe one day return to the places you enjoyed the most. 

 

 

[DirtyDawg]

13 hours ago, markeb said:

 

No. The BEST way was a fully salaried, all expenses paid, three year tour in Bavaria courtesy of the US Army. Our own car, our own place. An hour and a half from Munich and about three hours to the Alps...

I tried your way but for some reason the U.S. Army wouldn't let me join them. I think it had  something to do with me breaking out in Oh Canada when they wanted me to swear allegiance to something. 🤔

😁

[OysterD]

If your goal is to see as much of parts of Europe as you can in a 2 week period while also being able to relax, I think a cruise is a great way to do it. 

 

I've done many many road trips around Europe and while you can see much more if you just get a car and drive around, it can be exhausting. If you dont stay in the same place more than a night or two you end up living out of a suitcase that never gets unpacked, constantly checking in and out of hotels, navigating traffic and rush hours, spending half your time deciding what and where to eat, looking for things to do in evenings or just retiring early because you're exhausted! 

 

One of the beauties of a cruise is waking up in a different port/city/country every morning after having made zero effort and wasting zero time to get there! Yes you could fly between a couple of cities on a 2 week break but then you end up wasting effectively a couple days of your holiday getting to/from and sitting in airports. Trains across Europe are great but lugging bags around can be a pain! 

 

For a first visit to Europe, a cruise is a great way to get a taste of the cities and countries you dock in and to decide if you'd like to visit again in the future. 

[rodndonna]

8 minutes ago, OysterD said:

If your goal is to see as much of parts of Europe as you can in a 2 week period while also being able to relax, I think a cruise is a great way to do it. 

 

I've done many many road trips around Europe and while you can see much more if you just get a car and drive around, it can be exhausting. If you dont stay in the same place more than a night or two you end up living out of a suitcase that never gets unpacked, constantly checking in and out of hotels, navigating traffic and rush hours, spending half your time deciding what and where to eat, looking for things to do in evenings or just retiring early because you're exhausted! 

 

One of the beauties of a cruise is waking up in a different port/city/country every morning after having made zero effort and wasting zero time to get there! Yes you could fly between a couple of cities on a 2 week break but then you end up wasting effectively a couple days of your holiday getting to/from and sitting in airports. Trains across Europe are great but lugging bags around can be a pain! 

 

For a first visit to Europe, a cruise is a great way to get a taste of the cities and countries you dock in and to decide if you'd like to visit again in the future. 

 

I agree - especially if you are thinking there is any "relaxing" in that 2 weeks. Regardless of whether you cruise or do land, in 2 weeks, you will only be scratching the surface of Europe. Cruises allows you to nibble more widely while removing most of the hassle.

 

Th hardest part for me with land holidays in Europe is the stress of "picking" where to spend my time and "how many days" per place. The more places you want to sample, the more time and hassle is spent packing and unpacking and travelling (which can be a lot of  fun when you are young, likely less as you get older) and the less you will see.

 

There is a lot to be said for heading back to a ship tired after a long day exploring, having a relaxing (kinda free dinner!), going to bed and waking up someplace totally new to explore.....