Best Time and Cruise line for Med.

[dpspa]

Looking into taking cruise to Med. (Venice,Rome,Naples etc) Always cruised NCL.Which is better the 7 or 12 days . How many days for pre/post should you take? What' the best months to cruise when weather is around 75F? Best cruise line to use? How to get the best price? Do you book early or wait. Is Europe expensive

[KirstyGee1978]

Hi there

 

My husband and I went on Voyager of the seas in July for 1 week, and we loved it! We had an inside cabin and it cost about £440.

 

This time we have booked 1 week in the Med on Legend, this cruise is from Venice, and ends in Rome, it also takes in Naples and Croatia and 3 Greek Islands, we only have 1 day at sea. We are staying 1 night in Venice before getting the cruise the next day and 1 night in Rome when we finish the cruise. I think the cruise was a little cheaper due to it starting in Venice and ending in Rome?

 

We paid about £440 again but for an outside cabin, our cruise went down in price after I had booked but I went back to my Travel Agent and they called Royal Caribbean to send an amended invoice.

 

I know the weather wont be as hot in May as compared to July.

 

I priced the cruise on Royal Caribbeans website and took the price to my agent and they took 10% off the price.

 

We cruise on May 12th on Legend of The Seas for 1 week from Venice.

 

I noticed the destinations were a lot cheaper from where I live and thats Scotland, we bought a lot of vodka and wine and noticed a difference.

 

Hope this helps.

[tom_uk]

75 degrees is not hot for the Med, so you're probably not looking at mid-summer which I would regard as the second half of June through to mid-September. So May, especially early May, and October would be your best bets, I would have thought. May will also give you longer light evenings; by October the autumn equinox has passed so it's dark for longer than it's light every day.

 

Remember also that places such as Rome or Florence are inland and are therefore likely to be hotter on any given summer's day than cities on the coast such as Venice or Naples.

[Bruin Steve]

Looking into taking cruise to Med. (Venice,Rome,Naples etc) Always cruised NCL.Which is better the 7 or 12 days . How many days for pre/post should you take? What' the best months to cruise when weather is around 75F? Best cruise line to use? How to get the best price? Do you book early or wait. Is Europe expensive

A lot of questions there...

First, ANY time is good to cruise the Med...but, if the most important thing to you is the temperature and you don't wat to risk very hot weather, May/June is probably optimal...You will get temperatures into the 80s and 90s in July and August (though I find that just fine--it's a dryer heat than you're used to on the east coast--more like it is here in SoCal)...You'll probably find the cruise prices a little lower in May as well...

 

I've ALWAYS taken longer cruises in Europe...7 days is just a little too short...the 12-14 night cruises are just so nicely paced...and you get a lot more in...

 

One of my beliefs about doing a European cruise (for those of us going a long way to get there) is to make the most of it...It usually kills an entire day or more just getting over there (with the time change and all) and a fairly good expense for the airfare, so you might as well get as much out of that investment as you can...

 

That also plays into the pre- and post-cruise thing...

I always spend at least 2 nights pre-cruise and 2 nights post cruise--and MORE if I can...But a lot depends on what you are planning for that time...My preference is to do a "one-way" cruise--one that starts in one port and ends in another--so I can spend two distinctively different pre- and post-cruise stays...2 to 3 extra nights in cities like Barcelona, Venice, Istanbul or other places these cruises often start or end make for a pretty nice visit to those towns...

 

But, another idea is to add several days to the start or end and explore the region or add another intermediate stop to your air schedule...I know American Airlines frequent flyer rules allow an additional stop at no added cost of miles...That is why when we cruised in and out of Dover the summer before last, we added a stop and four nights in Madrid before heading to London for a couple of nights then on to Dover...

 

The other reasons for an extended pre-cruise are:

1) Jet Lag and time zone change...You will be tired, your schedule will be off--WAY OFF...So having some nice unstructured days pre-cruise will allow you to catch up a little...When we got to Istanbul for our cruise this past July, we checked into the hotel around noon...and took about a 5 hour "nap"!! We were BEAT!

2) It's insurance against flight delays and missed connections--you don't want to miss the ship!

 

As to the cruise lines, we've cruised Europe on Celebrity (twice), Princess and Oceania...MY preference is Celebrity (look into the Millennium for the Med) ...Oceania was very nice, but a slightly different "small ship" experience...A lot of which line you take depends on your personal preferences...but really, the number one thing to consider is the itinerary...Which ports will you visit? How much time in each port?

 

As to when to book, I'd book EARLY...prices on Med cruises (with the exception of years with international crises--like right after 9/11 or the start of the war in Iraq) tend to GO UP...These cruises usually fill up...don't expect too many "last minute" sales...and preferred cabins tend to fill...The best deals are the early bookings...Also air flights tend to fill as well--at least for the summer months...

 

If the cruise fares go down, you can always call your TA and they will get the decrease for you...There is no real risk in booking early...

 

Is Europe expensive?

Hard to answer...that's a relative term...

I don't find it any more expensive than, say, Alaska...

If you're comparing it to cruising the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, sure...

Your airfare will cost more, there aren't the major sales, the shore excursions tend to be quite a bit more money (of course, consider you are not in third world countries, those excursions typically go a long way for a full day and include quite a bit more)...Your pre- and post-cruise hotels will likely cost a bit more (of course, again, booking early helps--as does a diligent internet search for accommodations--there are bargains to be found)...

 

Good luck...

[bug18]

KirstyGee1978 - I've just booked the Voyager for July '07. Can you give me your thoughts or insights?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, Europe is expensive. I've heard Italy is especially so, although I haven't experienced it.

 

May sounds like the ideal month; cooler, greener, and way fewer tourists. We were in Greece in May, and that was the case, a very pleasant time to be there.

 

Of course 12 days is better than 7 days, but it depends on your pre and post-cruise plan. I like to allow 3 weeks when we go to Europe, it's not worth the hassle for a shorter time. A 7-day cruise starting and ending in two different locations allows you to have a nice long trip on either end, for example. We spent a week in Greece, then did a 7-day cruise, then a week in Istanbul. Amazing.

 

Then again, a 12-day cruise gives you more ship-time, so may be a better value considering hotel prices in most countries. You could then do a couple of nights pre-cruise to get over jetlag, or longer if you like, then a few days after the cruise, again depending on the location.

 

I try also to plan the pre- and posts taking into account our "cruisewear" luggage. For example, we spent our first night in Athens, stored most of our luggage at the hotel, then hopped a ferry to a nearby island, then rented a car. Our last night before the cruise was back in Athens. On our 11-day cruise this last summer, we disembarked at Dover, took a limo to Heathrow, put our luggage in the long-term storage there, then flew off to Portugal for a week.

[KirstyGee1978]

Hi Bug

 

What ports do you visit?

 

We started at Barcelona for 1 night pre cruise, we booked the ac villamari through expedia and it was a lovely hotel you can check our my review on trip advisor.

 

We walked from the hotel to the port but could not see Voyager so we had to get a taxi to the other side over the big bridge.

 

We were in an inside cabin for the week, it was the best price. The ship had the wow factor for us as we had only been on Enchantment and Grandeur so this was a step up for us.

 

The next day we visited Marseille and we went on a pre booked tour through the ship to Salon de provence, and see where Nostrodamus was born and the local town, we did wine tasting.

 

The next day we were in Naples and we pre booked a Pompeii tour through the ship, that was really interesting.

 

We went to Malta and did the blue bay grotto tour and visited the town of Marsasloki? (sp error).

 

We went to Palma and we went to the local beach of Palma Nova ( a very British touristy area)

 

Then back to Barcelona for the flight home :(

 

We loved Voyager and would go back in a minute, we are going on Legend this summer because we get to visit Venice.

 

Enjoy your cruise :D

[cathi]

Best time if you mean cooler temps - may or late sept/oct.

Best cruise line - depends on what you want to see. We chose Millie Barcelona to Venice for the itin and weren't disappointed. Next time it might be Princess 'cause they have some interesting itin's. And there definitely will be a next time!!

Pre/Post cruise - we chose to fly into Madrid and drive to Barcelona. Took 4 days and we loved every minute! would do it again in a heartbeat! Chose to only do 2 nights in Venice post and should have done more. Like most people who visit Venice we fell in love with this magical place.

When to book - as early as you can. Remember your deposit is refundable up to the time of final payment so you can change your mind. In the last few years booking early gets you the best price. There is rarely any "deals" at the last minute. also booking early lets you hunt for those elusive airline seat sales.

Is Europe expensive - depends on what you want to do. If you are a Motel 6 kind of person, Europe hotels will feel expensive. I have found that 100 to 150 euros is the going price for a decent hotel room. But then again a decent hotel here is in the $100 to $150 range. O.K. the euro is worth a little more than our currency. But Europe especially the Med is worth seeing. Makes our countries look like babies!! Still can't figure out how they built houses, bridges, and "apartment" blocks that have stood the test of time and we can't make one last 50 years!

Go! have a great time! you'll probably ended up like the rest of us going back again and again.

[bug18]

KirstyGee1978 - Our itinerary is different. We will sail to Nice, Florence, Naples, Rome, and Palermo. We are really looking forward to it. I see that you went in July, I know it will be hot but hopefully it wasn't unbearable. Did you enjoy Pompeii? I was there a number of years ago on a bus tour and remember liking it. The rest of my group has never been there so we might do that. I haven't looked at excursions yet. We haven't decided yet if we are going to do a pre cruise stay but if we do, I will look into the hotel.