Europe cruise? Ports?

[sayaguru]

Hi. Hubby and I are thinking of doing a cruise to Europe next year. I have only just begun looking. There are SSOOO many to choose from.

I read somewhere that the port at one place was 2 hours bus ride from anything. Is that common?

While I don't expect a rundown of all ports- does anyone have a lisr of some ports and how easy it is to see things from the ship. I'm very flexable about wher we go (although Rome and Paris would be high on my list. We are open to where it starts/ends. We have been to Turkey and Greece so would prefer to see other places.

We would be looking around Sept/Oct so maybe even a repositioning cruise but want to see places (not just the ship).

 

Below is just one I saw. Would they be good places?

 

Rome (Civitavecchia), Livorno, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Almeria, At Sea 2 Days, Ponta Delgada, At Sea 5 Days, Half Moon Cay, Fort Lauderdale]

Sorry this is so vague. As I said I'm only just starting this research. Any help appreciated. I was going to do a land based tour o my own (hubby wouldn't go) but now he says he will go if it's a cruise. I figure we can see a few places and I cn go back another time for a more detailed look at places I like or other places.

[Keith1010]

A few things. I would go to the Europe boards to read about the various cruises in Europe. Each port is different. Some you can walk to things right there while other you have to take transporation.

 

Rome is about a 90 minute bus right from the port.

 

Livorno. From there you can take about a 1 hour bus ride and be in Florence. Or you could take a slightly shorter bus ride an be in Pisa where the leaning tower of Pisa is located.

 

Monte Carlo. When you get off the ship there is lots to do in walking distance.

 

Barcelona. Depending on where you dock maybe a 5 minute bus ride to a drop off point where you can start to tour Barcelona.

 

Velencia. We were just there and from what I remember it was not too far from port.

 

So, all of this depends on each port and what you want to do.

 

I highly recommend seeing Europe on a cruise. You won't have time to see depth of a place but you will get a nice flavor of the city, see some interesting places, and then you can eventually go back on a land vacation if there are some places you want to explore further or go back on another cruise.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

That looks like a great itinerary. Enjoy.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

 

Not long ago my DW and I did a cruise of western Europe and the British Isles. Dublin, Edinburgh, Falmouth, and Normandy are in the Do Not Miss category.

 

The itinerary that you mentioned is a very nice one because you get to experience several different countries and Barcelona is truly a wonderful city.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[eh2zed]

That itinerary with a 3 day pre cruise in Rome would be great.

[TeaBag]

Europe by cruise ship is awesome. We have done it twice. I would look for an itinerary with Venice as one of the ports and some of the Greek islands. All the others you mentioned are great too. Get some travel brochures even for land trips which do have port cities in them too, and you will get an idea of what you would like to see.

[Terpnut]

Just make sure to do your homework because many popular European cities are on cruise itineraries, but they are not port cities! If you don't realize that Rome (access via Cittavecchia) and Florence (access via Livorno), for example, are not best accessed by sea and require LONG bus or train rides, you may set yourself up for disappointment. If you know about these port-specific drawbacks and still prefer the advantages of cruising versus a land tour (e.g. not having to unpack, ship amenities, etc.), you'll be able to plan around it and have a great time! Personally, my next visit to Italy will probably be land-based because most of my favorite Italian cities are easier to get to/from by land, and the biggies like Rome and Florence all require more time than a 7am-5pm port stop will allow--just my personal preference. However many of the other Mediterranean cities are perfect for a cruise!

[sayaguru]

Thanks everyone. I'll post on the Europe page when I get some more infor.

Thnks Turpnut. That's exactly why I'm asking. I've not been to Europe (well only a few Greek Isles and Turkey so need to know which ports are better to do from the ship and which parts to see on land (maybe precruise or another time). Hubby would scream if we had to sit in a bus for hours each day (he drives a bus for a living).

Thanks again. Looks like lots of internet time ahead for me.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Another idea for you....if you visit Venice, the beautiful and very interesting city of Verona is just a 3 hour round trip train ride and well worth it. And Venice is a wonderful city to sail out of.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[EGG]

Of course there is also northern Europe to consider. We did a cruise that started in England and stopped at Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersberg, Tallin and Copenhagen. These are all port cities. With the exception of St. Petersberg (which is a port city), we did not have to take any excursions and we had a fabulous time.

 

This trip gave us an opportunity to see all these cities and decide if we wanted to come back to one of them for a land vacation.

 

We loved the trip so much, we decided to take a Med cruise the next year.

 

The cruise you have described is a little light on the big tourist cities. Rome and Florence are indeed far from the cruise port. In addition to the time it takes to get to the city, there is also the excursion/tour charge.

 

So many cruise ships have moved to Europe this year, I would also check to see how many cruise ships will be in port on any day through the cruise ship calendar website. It makes a big difference.

 

Whatever cruise you choose, you will love Europe from a cruise ship.

[soletread]

Hi I have sailed Europe a number of occassions both from Home (UK) Southampton and fly cruise from Europe it is without doubt the best way to cover a large part of Europe in a few weeks.

 

Other ports to consider worth seeing are Corsica and Sardinia both easy Access ports on arrival and Scilly which is amazing

 

WE have cruised in and out of Venice for an Adriatic and Greek Island cruise and sailing in and out of Vencie has got to be one of the must have cruise expereinces drifting past St Marks Square and the Doges palace at Sunset is something that will stay with my Wife and I forever.

 

P&O do a great intinerary from Southampton called Cruise to Venice which takes in Spain Portugal and large parts of Italy

 

Mid to late September is the perfect time for the weather in Europe but if you want sunshine don't leave it till late October it can turn wet

 

Have fun