Trying to book a Medit. cruise...advice?

[zaytah23]

Hi everyone...:)

 

Haven't posted here in awhile but I'm back! My family of 4 is looking for a Mediterranean cruise, one that is in Venice at some point and goes through more Italian ports than others. My daughters will be 18 and 20 next summer so we're looking to take them on a nice trip (18 yr. old will be graduating HS).

 

For those of you who have been on Mediterranean/European cruises, which line would you recommend? We're on a tighter budget also with 1 and almost 2 kids in college so RCL seems to be a bit out of reach. I'm also surprised that Costa doesn't really do a truly Italian cruise - they start in Venice and stop at mainly the Greek isles.

 

Just looking for a bit of guidance...we've only done one cruise before and it was a Caribbean cruise with Carnival. We had a wonderful time there.

 

Thanks!

[kitty9]

You're not going to find any main line mass market cruise ships that do mainly Italian ports. You might have to look at something local--as in an Italian line that will offer basic services and go to the ports you're intertested in--more like a ferry line than a cruise ship. Lines such as Carnival, RCCI, NCL, Disney and Princess tend to visit two or three Italian ports and then do the South of France and Spain, or else Croatia, Turkey and the Greek Islands. Find a good local travel agent and speak with them. You're under no obligation and they can point you in the right direction.

[kestrel]

This may be a shock to you :eek: But if you are only interested in Italy, a land tour can be more convenient. Rome and Florence are both some distance away from where the cruise docks. Trying to do Amalfi Coast from Naples can be a hassle. On the other hand, there are lots of tour packages that cover Rome, Florence and Venice. You can also rent a car and arrange your own trip.

[caviargal]

Check out MSC's Sinfonia, Opera, or Musica. I did a Med cruise on Sinfonia two summers ago on Sinfonia, roundtrip Genoa and mostly Italian ports. Lovely ships, not too large and far better food than any mass market line I have cruised on in years. Immaculate as well!

 

I do, however, agree that a land trip is a much better choice for Italy. I am leaving for my 16th in 9 weeks and enjoy that far more than a cruise.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Princess does a nice job with Italy. We just did a Med cruise out of Barcelona that went as follows:

Barcelona

Marsielles

Livorno (Italy)

Rome (Italy)

Naples (Italy)

Mykonos

Istambul

Kusadasi

Athens

Venice (Italy)

There is sooooo much too see in Italy that you could spend a year and not get it all in LOL-I know! I lived there for 10 yrs!

 

They have pretty good rates-go for an inside cabin (flash rates are good deals!)as the cruise is extremely port intensive and you'll only see your cabin to sleep and change clothes!

[agabbymama]

Here's Grand Princess itinerary for Oct '08, not quite an even split between Greece and Italy, but close. We plan to do 2 days pre-cruise in Rome then 2 days post-cruise in Venice. Be prepared, costs for transfer in both are terribly expensive, but then everything in Europe is as the dollar is not worth anything. And hotels are out of sight.

 

Civitivecchia (Rome, Italy)

Monte Carlo

Livorno (Florence, Italy)

Naples, Italy

Santorini, Greece

Kusadasi, Turkey

Mykonos, Greece

Athens, Greece,

Olympia, Greece

Corfu, Greece

Venice, Italy

 

You might give serious consideration to a land vacation, as you might still be able to find affordable hotels outside of the large cities. When my husband and I toured Italy in '98, we loved the little town of Cefalu on Sicily, a town called Verona (close to Venice) and Stresa on Lake Maggiore in the Northern Lake District on the Swiss border.

 

Have fun planning and taking your trip.