Looking for Med Cruise that Has A Good Croatian Experience/Stops

[WoodstockGirl]

I usually hang out at the "Princess Ask A Question" page here on CC - but now I have a bigger question than just for Princess-centric folks.

Would appreciate input from all of your collective experiences cruising the Med (inc Europe is ok) ....

 

We are interested in a Mediterranean cruise (inc Europe is ok, but less important) that offers the best opportunities for enjoying Croatia.  Either by docking in more than one Croatian town, or maybe by a particular excursion offered? Might there even be a cruise line that docks in a Croatian port for a 24 hour period? For one reason or another, whichever sailing/ship you might recommend for maximizing a Croatia visit.  

 

I know I could comb through all the cruiselines, one by one, and do my looking - but WOW! - I envision that as taking beaucoup hours - maybe days! I'm hoping by asking all of you experienced cruisers here that you can help me filter down the number of cruiselines to explore.

 

Mediterranean Cruise for 2025. For 10-20 ish days. Good Croatian ports and experience.

 

I will greatly appreciate input from your experiences!

 

 

 

 

[klfrodo]

I'm sailing on the NCL Breakaway next year. Starts in Trieste with the first 2 stops in Split, Croatia followed by a stop in Dubrovnik. Croatia was a must for us.

We're going to spend a few days pre-cruise in Venice and Trieste. Then post cruise, we'll stay in Barcelona, then fly to Rome for a few days, then back home.

[mnocket]

Windstar has some nice itineraries for Croatia.  A big advantage is that these are very small ships, so unless there's a megaship in port, the crowds will be a bit better.  Small ships aren't for everyone, but for this itinerary, I really like them.  Here's one to look at, but there are many more...

overview (windstarcruises.com)

 

[Essiesmom]

Go to cruisetimetables.com.  From  Cruises to… select Croatia and then go through the ports.  It will tell you who calls there and their itineraries.  Happy searching.  EM

[CDNPolar]

We did Viking Empires of the Med and it stopped in Dubrovnik and Zadar.  We loved both these ports but they were only day stops and not overnight.

[cruisemom42]

Azamara offers 2 "Croatia Intensive" itineraries. One is for 7 days and one for 10 days.

 

7-Day Itinerary (no overnights but stays in port until 10pm in Split and until 8pm in Sibenik)

 

 

10-Day Itinerary (still 5 ports in Croatia and no overnights but ship stays until 10pm in Dubrovnik and you also get a couple of Greek isles).

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

Azamara offers 2 "Croatia Intensive" itineraries. One is for 7 days and one for 10 days.

Two really good itineraries, much better than the usual only Split and Dubrovnik port calls, although there are a few others I could add to those, incluing Korkula, Hvar and Rovinj.

[lynncarol]

Never have cruised to Croatia, but we spent a week there on our own back in 2019.  Our favorite place of all the beautiful sites in the country was Plitvice National Park.  Can you find out of any of the Croatian port stops offer that as an excursion? Some people say that Krka (near Sibenik)  is equally as beautiful but it isn't. 

[Hlitner]

When folks ask questions similar to the OP's, about experiencing a specific country our suggestion is generally, go that country and spend a week, or longer, on land.  Cruises are great but they have limitations when it comes to truly experiencing a country.  It is relatively simple to fly to Dubrovnik or Split and spend some time exploring Croatia.  

 

Hank