Spring or Fall?

[kmdintx]

I've done a Med. cruise in the May already and the weather was lovely. How does the weather in October compare? Our itinerary will take us from Barcelona to Greece. We're looking at 2 cruises (one in May, the other in Oct.) and if the weather will be pleasant in the Fall, we're leaning towards that one.

 

Thanks,

Kim

[Susan-M]

We've done two Med cruises in the fall ... last 2 weeks of September 2005 - Barcelona to Venice, and the middle two of October this past fall - Rome to Athens, and both times we had beautiful weather, with lots of sunshine, hardly any rain and temps in the low to high 70's (this past October we had 3 weeks in the Med without any rain).

[FionaMG]

Weather-wise, May and October are very comparable. The one thing I would prefer about May is that it stays light a good bit later at night but that's just a minor detail which will probably not be that much of an issue for you.

[Keith1010]

I have sailed the Med in May and October and other months. I think that they are comparable as Flona mentioned.

 

Keith

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I hadn't thought about the length of the days, but of course, that might make a difference.

 

What about mid-November? Western Med.? Would it be cool and stormy? Would Rome be really great at this time of year?

[cruisemom42]

Fall is my favorite time to visit Europe -- but then, Fall has always been my favorite season anyway.

 

October is very comparable to May in the Med. The later you go in October, the more moderate (or cool in more northen ports) the weather tends to be. I used to prefer October because there were fewer tourists, but it seems now that everyone has discovered how wonderful October is, so I aim for November!

[texancruzer]

I hadn't thought about the length of the days, but of course, that might make a difference.

 

What about mid-November? Western Med.? Would it be cool and stormy? Would Rome be really great at this time of year?

 

We did really LATE November. We had Thanksgiving dinner in Rome :p Not turkey either :p

 

We found this time delightful. Wore coats at night only for our precruise stay in Rome and our post cruise stay in Barcelona. Temps at night were 50-ish.

 

The days were wonderful. Not a drop of rain the whole time. A little bit of morning fog in Dubrovnik. Daytime temps mid 60's to 72-ish. Warm for this time of year..... Carried a sweater but mostly carried it.

 

Seas were great - no storms (but then you can get storms anywhere -anytime)

 

Also.... trees in Tuscany, Amalfi and elsewhere were all gold, red, orange and yellow with some dark green mixed in (evergreens). It was gorgeous.

 

BUT THE PRICES - great great deals to be had. Cruise is cheaper - hotels are cheaper. Shopping is great - bargains to be had.

And no crowds, no traffic and no lines in most places.

 

It does get darker earlier but our ship left port pretty much every port right after dark anyway so we were always back on around dusk anyway.

 

We will sail this area at this time again..... keeping my eye on an 11/9 cruise out of Rome

[Bobal]

As mentioned before, both are comparable and each has an advantage over the other. The days are longer in May but by October the ground and the sea have warmed up nicely, so the days feel warmer. If weather is important to you then I wouldn't leave it too late in October. We travelled from Barcelona (albeit on a West Med cruise) in the last week of October last year and, frankly, had very disappointing weather. Rain in Pisa, Rome, final day at sea and for our post cruise in Barcelona. We were only able to get out on deck in the sunshine on one day :( However it sounds as if you're planning more of an Eastern Med cruise, which should get better weather. We've spent a week in Cyprus at the end of October and had stunning weather.

 

As for crowds, the main attractions will have crowds whenever you go. You need to be aware that the end of October is a half term week in Britain and in some other European countries so will probably be busier.