Suggest a mediterranean cruise line for cruisers in their late 20's?

[Essiesmom]

You CAN rule out Carnival, because they just announced Liberty won't be going to Europe next year. Staying in the Carib. There are other cruise lines that are not marketed in the US, such as P&O, Thomson Holidays. EM

[cruisemom42]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! The Egypt overnight sounds like a great idea (the main draw for us are the Pyramids)! I looked at Princess, too. How did you find the food?

 

I have found the food on Princess to be good. It's very subjective, but to me it was noticeably better than NCL, slightly better than HAL, and not as good as Celebrity.

 

Princess does have great Med itineraries. They have both larger ships and smaller ships that include Egypt. The smaller ship itineraries tend to be Egypt and the Holy Land. The larger ships more often do Egypt plus some other Eastern Med ports like Athens, Rome (port name is Civitavecchia), Istanbul, Naples, etc. which I think would give you and your bf a good "sampler" of the Mediterranean.

 

We did the Princess "Egypt and the Aegean" itinerary in 2006 and it was definitely the best cruise I've been on, bar none. They have an overnight in Egypt, which is important because the pyramids are about a 2.5 hour drive from where the ship ports. Many people choose to stay overnight in Cairo in a hotel to be able to see more rather than spend all the time driving.

 

Good luck with your choice!

[Roz]

Essiemom,

 

Carnival was scheduled to have Freedom and Liberty in Europe. Are they just pulling the one ship?

 

Roz

[Essiesmom]

Freedom was pulled months ago. As of yesterday they have pulled both. Only Carnival cruises will be on Dream after she is launched, before she comes to US. EM

[Roz]

Thanks for the info, Essiesmom. That's too bad. Carnival had very reasonable European fares. Maybe when the economy improves they'll go back to Europe. Guess I can cross Carnival in Europe off my list for 2009.

 

Roz

[gg2]

We haven't even thought about dining options, but the flexible dining times on Norweigan sounds great! The lighter (casuals only) packing sounds good, but if you wanted to, are there formal night options?

 

PS Age is nothing but a number! Have a wonderful time on your cruise! :)

 

Hi Juniperia,

 

There were formal "Captain's Dinner" nights on the 7-day and longer NCL cruises we have been on. They have a "Meet the Captain" cocktail party at a lounge where you can have your picture taken with the Captain. Afterwards, you can go to the dining room hosting the formal night or go to the other main or an alternative dining room if you choose to dress casually. You can also "dress up" any other dinner night if you want to. That's the beauty of it all - it's your choice.

 

Thank you for your good wishes!

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Cheers,

[tomko2]

We were on the Legend of the Seas out of Rome last summer; took the cruise because we wanted to touch the Pyramids -- so very glad we did it! Although the Legend is a little older we found the ship to be in good shape and had a smooth trip.

 

Review and photos of our trip in the links below.

 

We are going a on second Med. cruise next summer on the Brilliance of the Sea from Barcelona which will take us to Venice so that I will final see the Grand Canal. Looking forward to being back on the Brilliance!

Kathy:)

[Trevetteb]

Hello Everyone!

 

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise in late 2009/early 2010. We would particularly like to see the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Can you recommend a good cruise line for our age group? I've been told to avoid Carnival and Costa, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

I've only sailed with RCCL for a Western Caribbean cruise (Navigator of the Seas) - and we loved it! In December 2008, we are going on the Celebrity Solstice to see the Eastern Caribbean - we are so excited!

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

I was reading this and to a "T" it sound like me, we are also in our late 20's and love to cruise. My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise also in late 2009/early 2010, probabaly Jan 2010. The most important thing to us is the pyramids..did you decide on a cruise yet?

[cruisemom42]

Check out Princess's "Egypt and the Aegean" itinerary if you haven't already. I did this cruise in 2006 after thorough research. It was so wonderful that I actually booked to do it again this year (but have since canceled due to other obligations....:(). Here's why I chose it and would recommend it:

 

1) As already mentioned, Princess offers Anytime Dining which to me is a must with an intensive itinerary like this.

 

2) The cruise is round-trip from Rome, making it easier to find airfare and also to spend a couple of extra days in Rome before or after the cruise (highly recommended). It's impossible to see Rome in a day.

 

3) The itinerary covers many of the "must see" Med ports, including Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos (so you get to experience a Greek isle), Naples (for Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast), and 2 stops in Egypt allowing for the possibility of an overnight in Cairo. As the ship docks about 3 hours away, it is really worth taking advantage of the overnight option to see and do more.

 

4) It is mainly the larger Princess ships that do this itinerary. There is a lot to do on these ships in the evenings. I'm in my 40s and enjoy seeing the shows (particularly the late-night comedy shows) on board. Many of the large Princess ships also have MUTS (movies under the stars).

 

Good luck! If you like RCCL you should definitely look at their offerings as well. I just happen to like Princess better.

[jocap]

If people are wanting Egypt in winter, NCL Jade goes from Barcelona. We were on the cruise this Feb, and it was excellent, with a 2 day stop in Alexandria for longer trips to yhe pyramids etc..It is very informal and friendly. Next Feb we are going from the other side-round the Red Sea with Thomsons, which does trips to the Nile at Cairo, plus Luxor, Petra and various snorkelling resorts. This is on an older ship-ex HAL, and is very informal apart from the gala night. We're going all-inclusive with a package we bought for £69, and are having an all inclusive hotel week at a diving/snorkelling resort first. The ships are, however, very British! They are also fairly cheap- we're paying £769 for all-inclusive drinks, tips and air from the UK.-jocap.

[Trevetteb]

thanks for the info. I well look into princess for sure.

[Trevetteb]

If people are wanting Egypt in winter, NCL Jade goes from Barcelona. We were on the cruise this Feb, and it was excellent, with a 2 day stop in Alexandria for longer trips to yhe pyramids etc..It is very informal and friendly. Next Feb we are going from the other side-round the Red Sea with Thomsons, which does trips to the Nile at Cairo, plus Luxor, Petra and various snorkelling resorts. This is on an older ship-ex HAL, and is very informal apart from the gala night. We're going all-inclusive with a package we bought for £69, and are having an all inclusive hotel week at a diving/snorkelling resort first. The ships are, however, very British! They are also fairly cheap- we're paying £769 for all-inclusive drinks, tips and air from the UK.-jocap.

NCL is what turned me onto Eqypt by cruise. So they are top of my list.

[Trevetteb]

Check out Princess's "Egypt and the Aegean" itinerary if you haven't already. I did this cruise in 2006 after thorough research. It was so wonderful that I actually booked to do it again this year (but have since canceled due to other obligations....:(). Here's why I chose it and would recommend it:

 

1) As already mentioned, Princess offers Anytime Dining which to me is a must with an intensive itinerary like this.

 

2) The cruise is round-trip from Rome, making it easier to find airfare and also to spend a couple of extra days in Rome before or after the cruise (highly recommended). It's impossible to see Rome in a day.

 

3) The itinerary covers many of the "must see" Med ports, including Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos (so you get to experience a Greek isle), Naples (for Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast), and 2 stops in Egypt allowing for the possibility of an overnight in Cairo. As the ship docks about 3 hours away, it is really worth taking advantage of the overnight option to see and do more.

 

4) It is mainly the larger Princess ships that do this itinerary. There is a lot to do on these ships in the evenings. I'm in my 40s and enjoy seeing the shows (particularly the late-night comedy shows) on board. Many of the large Princess ships also have MUTS (movies under the stars).

 

Good luck! If you like RCCL you should definitely look at their offerings as well. I just happen to like Princess better.

I just looked at pricing for Princess and it looks to be about 400.00 more per person and they only have 1 sailing in October, however it visits more ports. I know very little about Princess do they offer very many specials? Why just one sailing?

[jocap]

Most ships of all lines reposition to the Caribbean once the warmer weather is over-it's stifling in Egypt in the summer, so not many go there (desert country). There are two of the main lines stationed in the Med in winter-RCI and NCL. Both sail from Barcelona to Egypt on a back to back cruise with the Canary islands.I think the only other line to do winter trips from the Alex. side are MSC; Thomsons seem to be the only one from the Red Sea side-jocap.

[hightownCO]

I just looked at pricing for Princess and it looks to be about 400.00 more per person and they only have 1 sailing in October, however it visits more ports. I know very little about Princess do they offer very many specials? Why just one sailing?

 

The November sailing is cheaper than October, particularly if you're looking at a balcony cabin.

 

My thought process started with if we were going to do a Med cruise at all, it had to include Egypt. That pretty much narrowed my choices down to NCL Jade, RCCL Brilliance or Grand Princess. I know Royal Princess has a Holy Land cruise but it's pricier and didn't like the itinerary as much.

 

Origianlly booked Jade next March but pricing dropped on the Grand in November. I know Jade would probably be just fine but we know Princess and it's a good product. Plus love MUTS and more ports. So when price dropped on this November cruise we switched.

 

At the time of year you are looking at - non holiday - there will be few kids and average age on Princess will probably be 55-60. I'm traveling with my teenage daughter. I checked on our sailing with Princess a couple of weeks ago and so far, there are 24 teens registered. But while averge age will be higher than the 7 night caribbean routes, there will always be some in late 20s and 30s. There are show and entertainment options. Plenty for you to do if you're not exhausted from tours!

[beauwalker]

Princess has just dropped prices on the 12 night Med which includes an overnight in Cairo (also Israel). The ship excursion prices are shocking, but there are a lot of private tours at a reasonable cost.

[sillysailor 1955]

I suggest the NCL Jade (Excellent Itinerary - Excellent Prices). We did this cruise last December. I feel it is a good fit for people in their 20s.

[chipmaster]

Hello Everyone!

 

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise in late 2009/early 2010. We would particularly like to see the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Can you recommend a good cruise line for our age group? I've been told to avoid Carnival and Costa, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

I've only sailed with RCCL for a Western Caribbean cruise (Navigator of the Seas) - and we loved it! In December 2008, we are going on the Celebrity Solstice to see the Eastern Caribbean - we are so excited!

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

 

I'll add my 2 cents. Last year I was planning a European Cruise and top on my list was the Pyramids and a stop in Cario.

 

LIke others I'd recommend you make a list of cites / ports you'd love to see ( Cairo, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Venice, Athens, Istanbul, etc. etc. ) Then as OPs have suggested go to any of the many online cruise sites or TA and find out what is available. You might soon find one cruise has this but not that or vice versa :mad: Pick the cruise/ship that hits the most ports. Worry less about ship and line. Yes there are differences between Carnival, Princess, Costa, etc. etc but among mainstream lines the real difference is really small compared to what you might give up by missing a port. You'll likely spend 80% of your awake hours in port ( hopefully ), only 20% of your days will likely be sea days, and only evenings/mornings will be on the ship in port days. Focus on the ports and the ship that gets you the most ports you want!

 

BTW you'll be making difficult choices on your one day or overnight in Cairo. So much to see and so little time, do consider private as it will be cheaper and likely enable you to see more.

 

Happy planning ( in the end I didn't hit Cairo as the stack up of other want to do ports one over the ones that did stop there )