Several questions for a Mediteranian cruise?

[sherin65]

DH and I decided last night on a five year plan of savings to go on a Med cruise. It will most likely be 7-12 days and we'd like Italy and Greece in the itenery.

 

For those who have been on a Med cruise:

 

What is the best time of year to go? Other than weather conditions, what else would influence this decision?

 

Who does it best? Which cruiseline to take? I've been on RCCL and Carnival and have enjoyed both but we're open to any line that has a really good trip in store.

 

Anything else I'll need to know? Great excursions? Hotel ideas for before and after maybe for a day or two?

 

Thanks,

Sher

[ldog]

You'll love the Med! We've been twice. We go in October because the weather is cooler and the crowds somewhat smaller.

 

Go to the Europe boards in the Ports of Call and you'll get lots of information.

 

The ships don't matter as much because you are so busy in port most days that you get tired. Choose the itinerary first and the ship second.

[agabbymama]

Everyone has different ideas as to what they want. I chose Grand Princess in Oct '08 because it did the itinerary I wanted. We leave from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Monte Carlo, to Livorno (Pisa & Florence), Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Olimpia, Corfu ending in Venice. It also does similar in reverse leaving from Venice. It's a port intensive 12 days with only 1 "at sea" day. I chose October to hopefully miss the heat and humidity and crowds of Summer.

 

Hotels are also subjective. I started looking at 3 star hotels in Rome and Venice. At $350 +++, quickly went down to 1 & 2 stars. I found an affordable Domus Aurelia in Rome. It's close to the Vatican and run by nuns. I got a triple (to ensure twin beds) for $113 per night. It looks clean, they have an elevator, and I can smoke in the garden or on our balcony. In Venice I was going to stay in Mestre because it was more affordable, but decided to stay in Piazzale Roma (the transportation hub) of Venice at Ca' Doge. Looks like a nice quaint hotel (no elevator) but shuttle to ship is right outside the door, the bus to the airport, and a vaporetto stop just make it too convenient to pass up, even though it's $250 per night.

 

Check out hotels on www.venere.com (they have a map showing the location, and don't charge to book, you pay at the property) and www.tripadvisor.com (for traveler's reviews).

 

Have fun planning your trip, then taking it.

[Essiesmom]

Avoid July and August because it will be HOT, and in August most of Europe is on vacation and places will be more crowded. EM

[6rugrats]

Agree - skip August as most of Europe is on vacation. June and July are also hot and crowded. Early fall may be best.

 

Don't overlook bed and breakfasts when you are considering where to stay. We stayed at a wonderful one after a cruise - Anne's Place. It was a short train ride outside of Rome, located in the beautiful countryside. Anne was wonderful and provided rides to and from the train station and local restaurants, travel tips, a lovely home and breakfast everyday. We paid about 65 Euros a night. It was nice to escape from the hustle and bustle of Rome everyday and just relax.

[Jhawktraveler]

My husband and I, along with his mother and a friend, did a 12-day Eastern Med cruise last May on Grand Princess and loved it. We left Venice on May 27th (boarded the ship on the 26th and spent overnight in Venice onboard) and finished in Civitaveccia (Rome). We had just one day at sea so it was very port intensive much like one of the previous posters. The weather was wonderful, with the exception of rain one day, and the temperature was in the mid-70's to low 80's. Ports included Dubrovinik, Corfu, Olympia, Athens, Mikonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Rhodes, Santorini and Naples. After we got off of the ship, we stayed for 3 days in Rome to take in the sites. We stayed at a small family hotel called the Hotel Columbia (www.hotelcolumbia.com) by the main train station and felt the location gave us great access to transportation and walkability to many of the sites. As others have said, Rome is a pricey city but we thought this hotel was a good value.

 

If you decide to go, have a great trip!

[WELSH WIZARDS]

I am a European, and have travelled most of the Med. countries and from experience, I never now go in July , Aug or until mid Sept. to any of them They are hot and crowded then as many posters have already said.

My main tip to you however, since you are saving up to come on a special holiday would be NOT to try to do too much, and see everything. You just end up tired and overloaded. Remember it is also a holiday on a ship. Tour or explore one day, chill out and relax the next. You will have much happier memories to take home with you. :)