October or April - Eastern or Western Med??

[sdfamily]

I'm trying to plan a trip and we're looking at

 

last two weeks in October 2009

first two weeks in April 2010

 

I've checked weather underground and whether it's the Eastern or Western Med, it looks like October will have much more rain. I'm not really concerned about the temperature, we live in Southern California, so cooler temperatures will be a relief.:=)

 

What would you recommend? I'm leaning towards April.

 

I really want to stay in Barcelona before the cruise, so I'm leaning towards a Western Med cruise departing from Barcelona.....

 

Any opinions are welcomed!

[SelectSys]

I'm trying to plan a trip and we're looking at

 

last two weeks in October 2009

first two weeks in April 2010

 

... I really want to stay in Barcelona before the cruise, so I'm leaning towards a Western Med cruise departing from Barcelona.....

 

Any opinions are welcomed!

 

I would pick April as you'll have more hours of daylight (Barcelona is about 41 deg north): http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500905/hours_of_daylight_by_latitude.html

 

Dry weather sounds good as well. I would push out further into the spring if you can swing it.

[sdfamily]

I hadn't really considered the hours of daylight. You're right, April looks much better.

 

Thanks for the food for thought!

[texancruzer]

We did Western Med from Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Livorno, Villefranche, Toulon and Barcelona in very late November/early December last year.

 

We had GORGEOUS weather ! a tiny bit of morning fog in Dubrovnik that burnt off by 11:00 and no rain anywhere. Cool days - perfect for sightseeing.....

 

I read posts from those going in June/July/Aug and having to deal with the unbearable heat. I would much rather put on a sweater or jacket then to walk around hot and sweaty. We took dollar store rain ponchos and cheap small umbrellas - never used em and left them in our cabin.

 

We would not hestitate to go again this time of year.....wanted to this Nov. but alas..... we are buying a new house instead ;) BUT I have my eye on one for next May :D as I don't think I can wait until Nov. 09 to go again :eek:

[SelectSys]

I hadn't really considered the hours of daylight. You're right, April looks much better.

 

Thanks for the food for thought!

 

Sure, the spring is always a great time to travel before the crowds and the heat really builds up. I would recommend the Brilliance of the Seas out of Barcelona as a great trip.

[Cruiser Forever]

We too are sailing next year on the IOS late Sept into Oct. I was concerned about the daylight during that time of year. The good part is it will be cooler and we won't be sweating. Plus the crowds are less I believe during that time of year. The kiddies are back in school and this will be our very first Fall cruise. We've always sailed in the summer.

[texancruzer]

On the daylight issue. It did get dark earlier than it would in the summer. But we found that due to the sailaway time in each port, we were back on the ship almost always before dark. There were a few exceptions.

 

Naples - we did a private tour to Pompeii, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano and then took the ferry back from Sorrento. We were treated to the most beautiful sunset while on the ferry back to Naples.....even tho it was dark when we returned the ferry docked right next to our ship (Brilliance) and just a few steps away.....

 

Livorno: did a ships tour to Pisa and Florence. It was dark about the last 20-30 minutes of the bus ride back..... that was ok as most people were asleep anyway..... the first part of the bus ride was in beautiful Tuscany but then gave way to so-so freeway driving.....

 

Everywhere else we were back on board before dark as the ship would have left without us :eek:

 

We were also almost the only ship in each port.....no crowds, no lines, no traffic and everywhere great sales as end of season. There were just a few places closed already for winter....but we had no problem finding lots of great places to eat and spend our $$$ :D

[sdfamily]

Thanks texancruser!

 

Our schools have a great break the last two weeks of October. So, I'm guessing that there will be few kids on the cruise (Is that good or bad).

 

I found a great rate for the NCL Gem itinerary and really like the stop in Malta.

[California Native]

Hi!

We always travel in April, actually we picked on wedding date of 4/30 based on travel seasons

It's the perfect time as it's beginning to warm up, but it's not too hot, a long day of wandering cobblestone streets won't cause heat stroke.

Also, the crowds are significantly less in April, though it would be the same in October.

We also noticed that people everywhere seem to be MUCH happier in Spring and not worn out from the summer tourist season crowds!

[English_in_Spain]

You must remember that there is a lot of difference in climate between the North and South.

 

We live in Southern Spain and our climate is much hotter and drier than in the North. Sicily would be much warmer and drier than say Nice.

 

Having said that, there will always be risks of rain in April and October but the rain doesn't usually last for very long. Of the 2 months I would say that April is the better month (best to avoid Easter). If you can make it towards the middle or end of May that is even better and probably the best time to visit the Med.

 

The time NOT to visit is July and August. It is so hot here it would be almost impossible to go sightseeing between 11am and 4pm. We have visited the Caribbean many times but we don't find it nearly so hot as here in Spain in the summer.

 

With regard to East or West. That really depends on where you want to see.

 

Wherever you decide on, have a wonderful time.

[sdfamily]

English_In_Spain - thanks for reminding me about Easter.

 

We went in April 2007 to Granada and Sevilla, but we were AFTER Easter by a few days or so.

 

Unfortunately, I have to plan around my kids' school schedule. The cruise I'm looking at in Mar/April 2010 (NCL Jade Eastern Med R/T BCN) has Easter right in the middle. I don't think I want to be in Barcelona for Santa Semana or on a ship for the Easter Holiday. The same cruise in Mar/April 2009 has Easter at the end. Much better, but I don't think I can get DH on another whirlwind vacation quite yet. We did 17 days in Alaska this summer!

 

Hmmmm...now I'm back to the Western Med late October 2009. I also think the Western Med is a better itinerary with kids ages 11, 8, and 3. I'm sure there won't be many kids on that October cruise.....

[Keith1010]

I have sailed in the Mediterranean both times. Either one is quite nice and you will have the advantage of far less crowds than the summer time.

 

I would pick the month that works best for you because either one will be very nice

 

Keith

[Cruiser Forever]

After reading everyone's posts I don't feel too bad about booking Sept/Oct. Glad to see that it will still be warm and not HOT which dh hates. The crowds have left and the traffic is better than summer months.:) My mind is set on have a wonderful time. Hey it's Europe my favorite destination.:D

[Bobal]

Hmmmm...now I'm back to the Western Med late October 2009. I also think the Western Med is a better itinerary with kids ages 11, 8, and 3. I'm sure there won't be many kids on that October cruise.....

 

Actually the last 2 weeks in October are holiday times for British kids so you'll find there will be a fair number of kids onboard Med cruises at that time of year, for instance we're on a Med cruise 25 October this year as it coincides with our half term week.

 

If settled weather is important to you, you'll get better weather in the Eastern Med in October.

[Travel to Ports]

How old are the children in question? It is pretty hard to fit a specific cruise into vacation dates. Maybe a land vacation would work better (quite a scandalous notion on a cruise site, I know). When does your school year end? It seems that you would have more itineraries and ships to choice from in May when a lot of the choice newer ships return to the Mediterranean from the Caribbean. Just for a comparison, look at late May options (or first week in June) that provide many of the major locations in both Western and Eastern Mediterranean (see, for example, Grand Mediterranean of 28 May Ruby Princess Barcelona to Venice). Depending on the ages and personalities of your children, the presence of other children and a youth program may be a benefit. Its also possible with your Roll Call and the option of private tours, you can find another family of similar size to fill an 8-passenger van, which may be a really nice possibility.

Enjoy your planning,

David

[texancruzer]

Seems there will always be kids on cruises.....

 

these days some schools have year round schedules with breaks all year long......

 

some kids are home schooled...... break when Mom and Dad say they do !

 

and then when on European cruise you must take into consideration their schedules.....as another poster pointed out.

 

But basically less kids than in the summer during April/May or Sept/Oct/Nov

[sdfamily]

We've always done a land trip before, but given the exchange rate, a cruise is the only way I'm going to convince DH to go to Europe now.

 

We kind of have this modified schedule where we start mid-August, 2 week break at the end of October, 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 week Spring Break and then go until mid-June.

 

We only have a 6 week summer vacation. We went to Alaska at the end of June this year and although we LOVED our trip, we felt that 'summer' got kind of slighted.

 

We're looking at a either 4-5 days on land and the NCL Gem 7-night Med or 2-3 days on land and the Carnival Dream 12-night Grand Med.

[paml]

My family(sisters, brother and their spouses are finally ready to book a Europe cruise with me. We want a 10-14 day Western Mediterranean in Sept 2009 but we also want London and Barcelona also in the mix. Any suggestions?