Is November a good time to cruise the Mediterranean

[lindavan1]

I'm looking at a cruise November 9 from Athens to Rome but I am not sure this is a good time to cruise the Mediterranean?

We have never cruised this area or on Oceania before. It is the Oceania Vista. Thank you.

[Poppie55]

Well it is off season so there might be shops not open at every port. You can check the excursions offered on the cruise you are interested in and on the bottom they will mention if this might be the case. Personally I would try another time.

[pinotlover]

Very much the shoulder period. You may have nice weather, really crappy weather, or probably a combination of both. Crowds are typically small then so that’s an upside. Expect it to be dark by 4:30-5:00 in the afternoon, so a lot of the sail in/out of ports is in the dark. 
 

All in all, a bit late for us.

[MEFIowa]

We were on Riviera Trieste to Athens (10/30-11/9, 2023) and Athens to Barcelona (11/9-19, 2023). I think we had just 2 sea days the entire 20 nights. So many excursions. AND we spent 3 nights in Venice prior and 3 nights in Barcelona after....

 

Our weather was literally PERFECT. We had one rainy morning in Kavala I remember. But we still did our excursion and the rain was done around noon so it stopped the light rain during the excursion. Talk about weather perfection in the Acropolis at walking Ephesus and on two separate weekends in Istanbul. Not to mention Split, Bari, Kotor, Heraklion, Messina, Naples, Rome, and Marseilles.

 

I laughed in Barcelona because the locals were wearing winter coats and head gear. I had t-shirt and shorts. Was 65 deg F. I'm from Iowa, so perfect day!

 

And since the ship doesn't stay too late in many ports, the sun going down around 5 pm didn't make any serious difference.

 

We did divert from Livorno to La Spezia due to projected weather, but that was the only weather issue for the ship. She made all the rest of her scheduled stops.

[MEFIowa]

NO shortage of shops open. And NO problems with hordes of tourists, either. Though we rarely had another ship in port with us, and that helps. Just a fantastic time enjoying city after city. Including walking up the thousands of steps to the St. John's Fortress in Kotor. People were friendly and seemed glad our ship was there with the tourists.

 

We sailed into Kotor early and there was fog so a bit hard to see much at 0630. BUT we also left at 3 pm in the daylight and got the full view of the entire trip out, including the man-made island with the church on it and the entrances to the underground Yugoslavian Navy Cold War submarine pens.

[brittany12]

 

Don't do it, unless this is the only time you can do the Mediterranean, unless you prefer cool days where swimming in or relaxing on deck around pool not a great idea, short days of light, many shops closed, particularly on the Greek Islands where you might stop, and increased chance of rough seas. You might luck out as some have, but the fares are cheaper for a reason. 

[MEFIowa]

Southern Gary was on the same cruise as we were, at least for his half of it:

 

 

[MEFIowa]

And here is Southern Gary's November 2023 Tome to his cruise in the Med on Riviera in Novermber:

 

[osandomir]

Well, it could be some exceptions but on an average… there’s a reason why cruises so late in the season cost less and not selling very well either. If it’s your first cruise in the area and on Oceania ships it might be a path to disappointment.

[Redtravel]

I did 2 Med cruises in October/Nobember.  Weather is cooler.  Had several rainy days.  We found that many stores and restaurants had closed for the season.  Beach resorts looked like ghost towns.  We also found that there were fewer planes flying to Europe.  I wouldn’t recommend going in November. We just did a Med cruise in May. It was great. 

[MEFIowa]

7 minutes ago, osandomir said:

Well, it could be some exceptions but on an average… there’s a reason why cruises so late in the season cost less and not selling very well either....

And for Americans, that is called "school summer" and the "Holiday Season", when parents and children go on vacations. Along with hordes of others. Yet, the "off" season is often just tied to that. You're missing the peak tourist season when the kiddies out!

 

We did the E. Caribbean off Sirena 11/2022 and had PERFECT weather. Same in the W. Caribbean off Riviera 12/2021. And off Riviera in the Med in November 2023.

 

WEATHER is always a crap shoot. That can be true for June, July and August in the Med. Though sure you'll enjoy the Acropolis and Colosseum in 101 deg F heat! You and 50,000 of your closest friends in a line a 1/2 mile long. I'm sure trudging around the ruins of Ephesus is a blast when you're melting in the hot sun and sweating sheets like rain. So glad we walked our many miles back from the Old Walls of Constantinople in nice weather. Streets filled with people in the old districts north of the primary tourist area. (We took the #38 public bus out the 4 miles to get to them.)

 

And yet both the 2022 and 2023 cruises were FULL. Riviera had only 719 passengers but that was in late 2021 with the COVID issues. (For example, O paid to do the testing in a tent next to Terminal J.)

 

GO to a good weather historical page and SEE the actual weather in your places and in that time going back thru 2023, 2022, and 2021. That is the real world data.

[MEFIowa]

2 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

I did 2 Med cruises in October/November.  Weather is cooler.  Had several rainy days.  We found that many stores and restaurants had closed for the season.  Beach resorts looked like ghost towns.  We also found that there were fewer planes flying to Europe.  I wouldn’t recommend going in November. We just did a Med cruise in May. It was great. 

Too funny... Yes, the weather is cooler. Say 65 deg F versus 90-100 deg F.

 

Who does BEACH RESORTS in November in the Med? IF that is why you're there, that is the wrong time!

 

But all the other places are open for business and yes, Virginia, there are tourists out and about from Barcelona to Marseilles to La Spezia to Rome to Naples to Messina to Bari to Venice to Trieste to Split to Kotor to Heraklion to Athens to Kavala to Istanbul to Izmir/Ephesus.

 

NO shortage of flights to and from Europe!

[osandomir]

3 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

 

And yet both the 2022 and 2023 cruises were FULL. Riviera had only 719 passengers but that was in late 2021 with the COVID issues. (For example, O paid to do the testing in a tent next to Terminal J.)

 

As I stated your cruises are an example of the “exceptions” and probably the ships were full because of the endless Oceania sales that you like to take an advantage of.

[cluso]

As experienced cruisers/sailors and having lived in Europe, the September through November time frame was our desire.  We don't do pools, beaches, and shop for "stuff".  We go for the experience.  Less crowds/children, cooler weather but not too cool, and pretty much all was still open.  Great photo ops and plenty of pleasant cafes for coffee, beer, wine, lunches.  A way more chilled time to visit.

[MEFIowa]

2 minutes ago, osandomir said:

As I stated your cruises are an example of the “exceptions” and probably the ships were full because of the endless Oceania sales that you like to take an advantage of.

So you mean a real win-win-win-win... Lower prices, no children, great weather, enjoying excursions and ports. As opposed to traveling over Christmas & New Year or June-July-August.

[osandomir]

17 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

So you mean a real win-win-win-win... Lower prices, no children, great weather, enjoying excursions and ports. As opposed to traveling over Christmas & New Year or June-July-August.

No I didn’t mean that but sometimes a win for one person means a loss by many others.

[DENIE]

On a Celebrity cruise in 2019 we did a Venice to Rome cruise in November.  Had good weather for first couple days, however 3 days later we had an awful day in Dubrovnik (driving 40 mph wind and torrential downpour), then lost Kotor, Montenegro due to "Adriatic Sea Conditions" (did port in Corfu, Greece, though).  We later found this was the storm that swamped Venice for several days.  Great days in Malta and then Sicily, then almost missed Naples due to high seas and storms. We docked more than 2 hours late, and our shore excursion was cut short.  Was that normal? Not sure, but that was our experience.

[babysteps]

November 2021 we had a great time. Some rain, some cool days, and Capri was closed (no ferry service). Otherwise plenty of stores open - and this was still the edge of COVID.

 

I think it's mostly personal preference. Fewer people and more variable weather at a lower cost than high season? Great for some and no-way-no-how for others. 

[msn123]

One of our best Mediterranean cruises was a November one a number of years ago.  The weather was perfect and the summer tourists were gone.  We got very lucky with the weather, but knew we were taking a chance since you obviously couldn't control that.  You need to be back on board by the time it gets dark anyway, so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

 

Vista is a beautiful ship. I would say you should go for it!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16 by msn123
spelling

[ORV]

Can't believe I'm agreeing with Mikey. But for once he actually is making sense. 

 

I've taken multiple cruises in the Med in Oct & Nov on the front end of Transatlantics. They've run the gamut from perfect weather to freezing cold in France & Spain. I've also been in the Med in Aug. In the future I'd always choose late fall over the middle of summer. But then again I'm not one of those cruisers that always wants to know where the best beach is for every port. Actually, I don't really care where any of the best beaches are, I'd prefer to know where the most historical sites are in each port. 

 

 

[mozfoz]

Our Anniversary is in October and we  have always sailed that time of year. This October will be our 40th and are looking forward to another Med. Cruise. Sailed to Alaska in July with 7 perfect days. No rain or fog. Sailed the Caribbean many time in August and Sept. and ever a hurricane, Only once did we have a bad day, and that was a hurricane while docked for a day in Bermuda in July! Never a river cruise issue in October, November or December either. We have never experienced a bad sailing. Just book it and enjoy it. Never try to plan around future weather. If you feel that sure about your prediction capabilities, become a meteorologist.

[pinotlover]

Wide range of experiences reported. Comes down to how lucky the OP feels. It’s like a dice game. If money is no issue, then bet on someone making the 12 or 2. If money is an issue, and they want improved odds on spending their funds and not coming up with craps (a 7), this cruise is very late in the season. Read the historical weather charts for where you are visiting. Your money, your bet. How lucky do you feel? A lot more ways for rolling a 7 than a 12 that late in the season.

Edited June 16 by pinotlover

[mauibabes]

@lindavan1

Go for it 👍🤞😇, you will love Vista. We are booked with some cousins Nov 4-14 on Riviera, Rome to Barcelona and that trip also has a fantastic itinerary. To cap it off, we saw an O offer from Lisbon to Miami November 15-27 on Marina and DW loves O transatlantic cruises and our PH stateroom was cheaper than the Biz class filight home so I was “encouraged to Book It”. 
Absolutely take your best shot and just ENJOY a fantastic cruise.  Umbrellas are included in your stateroom. We travel with a Gortex jacket so just add layers and ready for what comes. Have a fantastic adventure.

Mauibabes

[Redtravel]

I know that fall Med cruise are often priced lower. Even if the weather in the Med was good, there were too many closures.  Best time for Med cruises is spring.  April and May are my choices.  June, July, August, and September can be crowded and very hot.  
If you want to vacation in Europe in late fall, skip cruising.  Instead pick a large city. Fly in and stay.  Pick a city with indoor attractions.  I have stayed in Paris in November.  It can be rainy and cool.  The museums are dry and warm.  

[lindavan1]

Thanks everyone. I have enough information for me to make a decision. Appreciate everyone taking the time to give me their thoughts.