Mediterranean Cruise Ideas

Hi All,

I am looking for suggestions on a Mediterranean cruise that will take in Spain, Italy and Greece. Any suggestions. We are looking to go in April 2018.

Thanks for your help!

J

Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com. Choose the ports you want to visit from the Ports of Call list. Select the time you want to cruise. It will show you who is calling there, and their itineraries. A cruise that takes in both east and west Med. will need to be at least 10 days, if not 14. In the Med, cruises are port intensive with few sea days. Choose by itinerary not ship or cruise line, because by the time you have spent the day being a tourist, you will be too exhausted to enjoy whatever fancy amenities the ship has to offer. EM

I suggest an itinerary that begins in a city you want to spend more than a few hours in and then ends in another fabulous city so you can do a couple days pre and post cruise. We did Venice to Athens and it was our favorite vacation ever. Each day was a dream.

We think the OP needs to first focus on some basic issues. How many days can you spend in Europe? And what is the budget (not the cost of the cruise...but total budget). Keep in mind that Med cruises can be quite expensive (when compared to Caribbean cruises) for several reasons. First you have to deal with the air cost...which will often top $1000 (plus) per person. You should then add the cost of at least one pre-cruise night in Europe which can easily add another $500+ to the cost. And first time (or low time) visitors to Europe tend to take excursions...which can easily add $400 (or more) per port! On the latter I would add that there are also those of us travelers who seldom take any kind of excursion or tour. For those who do it on their own and $500 day (cost of 2 excursions) can become a $100 day. Multiply that times the number of ports and you are talking real money :).

For a first time visitor to the Med we suggest an "Open Jaw" cruise which starts in one port and ends in another. An example might be a cruise from Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome). Or perhaps Civitavecchia to Pireaus (Athens). Rather then putting all your money and time into the cruise...give a lot of thought to spending some land time at both ends of this type of open jaw cruise. Cruises are fun and the Med is one of the best places in the world for cruising....but spending some time on land can also be an amazing experience.,,and something not to be missed. We particularly like trips that begin or end in Venice....which is a very unique city that can easily be explored on one's own.

Hank

If you want to hit Spain, Italy, and Greece; you will most likely have to take at least a 9 night cruise. Spain is in western part of med and Greece, is in eastern part of med. So Italy would be your focal point either sailing out of Rome or Venice. Usually out of Venice the only way you will see Spain is if your cruise ends in Barcelona. If you sail out of Rome then you can hit a few ports in Spain and then head to Greece; or leave Rome head to southern Italy, like Naples and Sicily, then cut over to Greece. The best ports in Greece are Santorini, Mykonos.

Hi All,

I am looking for suggestions on a Mediterranean cruise that will take in Spain, Italy and Greece. Any suggestions. We are looking to go in April 2018.

 

Thanks for your help!

J

HAL is the only US cruise line with a cruise (Kongingsdam) that hits all three countries in April 2018....but it's 20 days. NCL has one in May (Star) that is only 10 days, but is a nice Barcelona to Venice itinerary. Later, through the summer the Crown Princess has a number of 12 to 14 day cruises that hit all three.

Another option is to hit Spain on land, find a cheap flight to Rome and do a Rome to Athens cruise.

HAL is the only US cruise line with a cruise (Kongingsdam) that hits all three countries in April 2018....but it's 20 days. NCL has one in May (Star) that is only 10 days, but is a nice Barcelona to Venice itinerary. Later, through the summer the Crown Princess has a number of 12 to 14 day cruises that hit all three.

 

Another option is to hit Spain on land, find a cheap flight to Rome and do a Rome to Athens cruise.

Is the HAL cruise you mentioned a back to back Eastern and Western cruise? I know several years ago we did a 10 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise on HAL that could have been booked as a back to back starting with either itinerary. (That made for an interesting roll call as passengers on our cruise could be booked as a 10 or 20 day from our date or a 20 day starting 10 days earlier.)

Is the HAL cruise you mentioned a back to back Eastern and Western cruise? I know several years ago we did a 10 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise on HAL that could have been booked as a back to back starting with either itinerary. (That made for an interesting roll call as passengers on our cruise could be booked as a 10 or 20 day from our date or a 20 day starting 10 days earlier.)

Yes, it appears so. HAL sells each portion separately or as one 20 day. OP's request for those countries in April presents a "unicorn" itinerary issue. I haven't looked at the options for just Italy and Greece, with land in Spain...but there would probably be more options (perhaps leaking into May when most of the mainstream cruiselines hit the Med.)

I think Easter is a bit late next year...so it might be a case of the mainstreams hanging around the Caribbean a bit llonger before making the migration to the Med. The NCL in May might be a good choice, given their signature previous cruises.

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. We booked our 22 day ms Koningsdam Cruise from Amsterdam to Rome! Couple days ahead in Amsterdam and another week in Italy at the end!

I suggest an itinerary that begins in a city you want to spend more than a few hours in and then ends in another fabulous city so you can do a couple days pre and post cruise. We did Venice to Athens and it was our favorite vacation ever. Each day was a dream.

Great suggestion- port calls do not give enough time to see much of anything; so a point to point, rather than a round trip gives the opportunity. There are lots of embarkation/debarkation ports to check: Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Athens are the most likely.

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions. We booked our 22 day ms Koningsdam Cruise from Amsterdam to Rome! Couple days ahead in Amsterdam and another week in Italy at the end!

Have a great time.

Keith

Amsterdam is an amazing city. You will need 5 nights for complete sightseeing. Buy the Holland Pass. It's great value

Amsterdam is an amazing city. You will need 5 nights for complete sightseeing. Buy the Holland Pass. It's great value

What's the Holland Pass?

What's the Holland Pass?

Hollandpass.com