"Better" itinerary?

[ElPolaco]

Hi all, I am thinking about going on a cruise in the Mediterranean in August of next year... but I am having trouble deciding between a few itineraries... What do you all think? I have only sailed Carnival... but I am looking between..

 

 

Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas

Sat Aug 2 Barcelona, Spain 7:00pm Sun

Aug 3 Nice (Villefranche), France 10:00am 7:00pm

Mon Aug 4 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am7:00 pm

Tue Aug 5 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Wed Aug 6 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Thu Aug7Palermo, Sicily, Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Fri Aug 8 At Sea

Sat Aug9 Barcelona, Spain 6:00am

 

NCL Gem

Sun Aug 3 Barcelona, Spain 7:00pm

Mon Aug 4 At Sea

Tue Aug5 Valletta, Malta 8:00am 3:00pm

Wed Aug Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 8:00am 7:00pm

Thu Aug 7 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Fri Aug8 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Sat Aug9 Nice (Villefranche), France 7:00am 3:00pm

Sun Aug10 Barcelona, Spain 5:00am

and...

 

Costa Magica

Fri Aug15 Barcelona, Spain 6:00pm

Sat Aug16 Marseille, France 8:00am 6:00pm Sun Aug 17

Savona, Italy 9:00am 5:00 pm Mon Aug18

Naples, Italy 1:00pm 7:00pm Tue Aug 19

Palermo, Sicily, Italy 8:00am 7:00pm Wed Aug 20

Tunis, Tunisia 7:00am 1:00pm Thu Aug 21

Palma de Mallorca, Spain 2:00pm Fri Aug 22

Palma de Mallorca, Spain 1:00amFri Aug22

Barcelona, Spain[/color][/url] 9:00am

 

I am in my early 20's... looking for beautiful locations... love history and somewhat active excursions. Any info on must see ports... info on the different ships and atmospheres and just anything else that could help me form an opinion on this would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Edit: Forgot to also ask if anyone had any tips on getting from Germany to Barcelona, Spain as cheap as possible? Thanks!

[zeitgeist]

My vote would go for the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas, especially if it is your first cruise to the mediterranean. The itinerary includes most top-notch destinations. Each destination is first class.

 

The other itineraries include one or two second-rank destinations. The Costa itinerary is somewhat different; I would recommend it for your second mediterranean cruise.

 

There are several low-cost carriers from Germany to Barcelona. Please specify from which area in Germany you want depart. A source for low-cost flights is http://www.fly.de (I am afraid, in German only).

[Sheik]

Definitely the VOS itinerary, I'm with zeitgeist about the second-rank destination such as Malta.

[Keith1010]

I think the Itineraries are all good. I would go with Royal Caribbean rather than Costa and then go with either one of the Itineraries you listed.

 

Keith

[vasiliki76]

I would check Iberia for airfare to Barcelona. We only paid $550 RT from Boston. I've never flown Iberia and can only vouch for the cost.

[luvdasea]

Let us know how Iberia is. I don't even know where Iberia is??:)

[dbh62ark]

Definitely the VOS itinerary, I'm with zeitgeist about the second-rank destination such as Malta.

OMG, I'm assuming you've been to Malta????? I don't consider Malta a second rank destination in any way and don't know anyone who does. If you search the boards, you'll find rave reviews from those who, like us, are fortunate to have visited there.

 

Like Keith, I think all the itineraries are good (I have called at almost all of these ports having been lucky to have sailed on European cruises 15 times) so would suggest that the OP research the ports on these boards and in a guide such as Frommers Europe to find the best match. The VOS is probably the "best"--and that is subjective--itinerary for first-time visitors to the Med. For those who have visited the other ports and are looking for something different, the other two itineraries have a lot to offer, including the fabulous port of Valletta, Malta.

 

Happy planning,

Donna

[jff50]

Unless I'm reading it wrong, the NCL and RCI itineraries are almost the same--except in reverse order and Malta vs Sicily. It seems to me that the cruise lines and ships are the biggest differences. I've never sailed RCI, but I'd pick the NCL ship. I've sailed on the Norwegian Star, which I think is similar in size and features to the Gem. I like the panamax size ships over larger ships. I also like the flexibility of freestyle cruising, and would especially prefer it over formal nights and assigned seating dining on such a port intensive cruise.

[Sheik]

I've been to Malta several times, and I really do still like it. But as a first time Med cruisers, I would pick the VOS itinerary. This itinerary includes all the famous highlights. It depends on what you want to visit, Mallorca, Santorini, Malta...it's all beautiful, but for the most of the people it's less known than Barcelona and Naples. That's what I meant with second rank.

 

I'm a frequent med-visitor, not just as a cruiser but for business and short landvacations too. No matter what itinerary you choose, you'll like our countries.

[vasiliki76]

I'll post a review when we get back in Sept. I used Orbitz.com to book this flight. They also have their own website. http://www.iberia.com

[ChelseaBrian]

Hi guys.

ElPolaco- I too am in my 20's. I'm 23 and currently going on the first itinerary you mentioned with RCL (barcelona-barcelona) in Nov of this year. After all my researching, this had the best ports and had some great adventures (hiking mt. vesuvius, wine tours, great food/drinks in rome) Not to mention the air fare is better to fly into Barcelona than other small airports. If you do get your airfare, don't buy it right away. Mine was supposed to be $1110 when I booked my cruise. Instead I kept an eye on it and ended up getting it for $550 when the rates dropped.

 

Next, I have never been to Malta, but after reading reviews (search on here under the ports sections) most people would rather go to Palermo than Malta. I'm sure both are great, Palermo is just in a better location. I could be way off, that was my reasoning.

 

I'd be more than happy to write up a review for you when I come back. We booked a private tour company for all stops but Nice and Palermo (easy to do on your own) so I can fill you in on that!

Hope this helps!

[ChelseaBrian]

Additionally I haven't heard the greatest things about Costa. I planned on booking with them before I looked into it. My travel agent said the ships are smaller, not as clean, and the majority of the staff doesn't speak english well. (just her opinion).

[Hlitner]

Interesting post. We have probably done every itinerary imaginable in the Med (and spent months driving on land) and still cannot give advice regarding the itineraries except we hate all the 7 day cruises (I understand many have budgets and time limitations) and always recommend the 12 day cruises. With that being said, I think you need to pay more attention to the cruise ships. Costa tends to attract many Europeans, does everything in multiple languages and is a good choice if you are looking to interact with Europeans and have an international cruise experience. The Voyager is, to put it simply, a huge ship that is more like a Hyatt Regency than a cruise ship. It has lots of on-board activities, bars, entertainment, etc and might be best for a young couple looking for some night life with similar minded folks. As to NCL, its hard to comment with their "Freestyle" theme and clientele. It almost seem like NCL tries very hard to be unlike a cruise with multiple dining options (about half have a fee) etc. All in all, if I were a young couple in my 20s I would probably opt for the Voyager.

 

Hank

[Monterey Girl]

We will be doing a 14 day Med cruise in Oct. w/Celebrity . I have never cruised w/NCL or Costa so I cannot comment. I like RCCI and the itinerary you posted. My only comment would be to check out the excursions available to see how far away from the cities you want to see REALLY are from the port. It can be very misleading. Obviously Rome is NOT a port. I think it takes about an hour or so to get there from the ship. Not too bad. Point is, make sure you're not on a bus for four hours so you can spend TWO hours in Paris when you booked the cruise specifically to see Paris.( or whatever city)

MG

[leighuf]

I'd recommend VOS. I always base my decision on ports of call, amount of time in port, and price. Check out my review (I did a similar itinerary a couple years ago and visited some of the same ports.) www.nickleighmills.com/medcruise.html

[ElPolaco]

Unless I'm reading it wrong, the NCL and RCI itineraries are almost the same--except in reverse order and Malta vs Sicily. It seems to me that the cruise lines and ships are the biggest differences. I've never sailed RCI, but I'd pick the NCL ship. I've sailed on the Norwegian Star, which I think is similar in size and features to the Gem. I like the panamax size ships over larger ships. I also like the flexibility of freestyle cruising, and would especially prefer it over formal nights and assigned seating dining on such a port intensive cruise.

 

I'd like to thank all of you who responded... I will be traveling from Frankfurt, Germany to Barcelona.

 

The NCL and RCI itineraries are almost the same... and that is why I was asking also about the ships and atmosphere aboard the two cruiselines... I've never sailed outside the Carnival line.

 

Chelsea, I'll be looking out for your review. I think I am set on the VOS.

[MVPinBoynton]

I loved visiting Malta and would consider it a top notch port. However, I would pick the VOS anytime over NCL or Costa and the itinerary is quite nice for a 7 day cruise. The VOS is a wonderful ship when you aren't in the ports. I also like having a sea day just before debarkation to allow for winding down and packing. Definitely spend some time before or after the cruise in Barcelona. It is a truly marvelous city.

[ItaliaBella]

I did a Mediterranean cruise last summer with Celebrity on the Millennium. The Millennium was absolutely wonderful and the destinations were world class! I loved every minute of it! Unfortunately, the Millie had an accident last week and is undergoing renovations to repair the propellers but other than that, I would encourage you to check out Celebrity's itineraries as well as the ones you've listed. I can't give you feedback about Royal Caribbean or Costa but I can tell you is that I've been told by my co-workers that they've hated Costa and their service was terrible. Whether it was their particular cruise or if it's widespread, I don't know.

 

I would recommend that you check out Celebrity as well. It would be a shame not to sail with them.