cruising the Med in late fall

I have posted on several forums to ask if there are any of you who have experienced cruising in the Med (Venice, Greek Islands, Croatia) in Oct. or Nov. From the research that I have done so far, I understand that the fall and late fall season can be very rainy and I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has cruised the Med at that time of year. We would like to avoid the summer crowds and heat and therefore we are trying to decide whether to go late fall or suck it up and stick to the more popular summer months. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Barb

Hi Barb: I happen to be one who enjoys sailing in the Med late October, early November - no crowds, no heat , good deals and you never know what excitement you'll get. For example my last two 7-night cruises as follows:

a 7 night repositioning from Ravenna , Italy to Malaga, Spain included lovely sunny low 20's weather in Venice, Split Croatia, Katakolon and Corfu Greece, as well as Messina Sicily. Cagliary Sardinia was rather different, Strong winds and torrential rain necessitated two tugs for docking our 50,000 ton ship and the water ran down the steep streets of the city in torrents. Our night and next sea day to Malaga were a real rock and roll adventure and we were five hours late into port. I thought it was wonderful, the majority on board didn't.

My next 7 nighter out of Marseilles started out again sunny low 20's, as it was in Valetta Malta, Trapani Sicily, Civitivechia and Livorno Italy, slightly damp and windy in Ajaccio Corsica, and cold 3C and rainy back in Marseilles.

So you pays your money and takes your chance.

Most of my Med cruises have been in the Fall. I think it is overstating the case to say that it is "very rainy" at that time of year. It's not (IMO) "very rainy" at any time in the Med; it's just that there is a somewhat greater chance of rain in the later fall and early winter months. Venice tends to be the exception -- can be very gloomy there in the fall, and there are greater chances of "acqua alta" (flooded areas).

I would always pick early Spring or late Fall over the crowded and hot summer months.

Once out of high summer the weather can be variable, however October is a great month to visit the Mediterranean, as its still warm, crowds are non-existent and you get to interact with the locals and see the real places. With the Western Mediterranean now so busy with so much of Turkey, the Black sea and North Africa off limits the summer can be hell in cities like Venice, Dubrovnik, Barcelona. Often in recent years with climate change the Autumn can be the best time to go the sea is warm, temperatures are in the 20°[sorry 70°F] .The sea can be rough at any time, bad enough this year Aug on the Voyager from Barcelona to Marseille when the mistral was blowing.

Thank you all for giving me an insight into the possible weather conditions in fall in the Med. It will help us with our decision as to when to cruise.

Barb

Our last Med cruise in high season was our last. I said "Never again". The crowds, the heat, and... did I mention the crowds? For us, it's just not enjoyable. We've had one med cruise since then, it rained a bit in Athens, then was beautiful, Malta was in the high 60's, Sardinia was cooler and rainy. But not so rainy we didn't have a wonderful day.

We have another Oct/November cruise scheduled for 2018. We will pack our anoraks and some rain pants, and have a fantastic time. I'm a little worried that even late October is not late enough for Venice and crowds.

The worst seas we have ever experienced (outside of the Atlantic in winter) was in July around Sorrento.

All of our Med cruises have been in the fall and our extended stays are almost always in the fall. I have found the weather in September/October/November to be wonderful - not hot, not cold - just right. We have experienced very little rain during our many fall visits to the region.

Thanks for the additional comments. It really gives us something to think about. I hate crowds too!

Barb

Generally mid October onwards is when the weather starts to change in the Med. It can be warm and sunny, but can rain, but is still warm.

The advantage is there are less tourists, but I have found in the past few years there are lots of visitors all year around to many places.

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We always go in the late spring or the fall. Never have been as late as Nov....we have only traveled off that time because of seasonal destinations....British Isles, Baltic, and Fjords tend to be best in June or so. But the Med is great in the fall. I just like avoiding the crowds, the $$, and the heat!!

I live in the Med so I can vouch for the fact that outside the summer season the weather can be unpredictable. The only guarantee is that the summer will be hot and November - April will be cooler. You might get wind any time of the year.

Having said that my last cruise was in April - and I think that was the best weather ever to cruise. I decided that from then on I would not cruise in the middle of summer. I was able to do this because my schoolteacher husband had retired and we were no longer stuck with summer vacations. I am now looking forward to boarding on 29th October - the date chosen because my wedding anniversary falls during the cruise (rather than for the weather).

That week is a school holiday and it is usually pleasant, but not hot enough to swim. I recall a couple of wet and windy half terms over the past 25 years - so I am hoping for the best but planning for the worst in terms of weather.

So ... as long as sunshine is not a necessity, I would say that spring or autumn are great times to cruise the Med. There will be fewer people and sightseeing will be much easier. I hope that you have a great cruise.

We enjoy sailing the Med in April, May, September and October.

The weather can range from cool to warm.

We appreciate that a lot more then in the summer months when many ports are more crowded and also it is hot and humid.

For us early October would be preferable over end of October and November.

Keith

I agree with Keith (above) that early October would be preferable. Whatever people say about less crowds in November (and what great weather they've apparently had) the fact is that late October and November can be unpredictable. I would prefer not to take my chance and have a couple of days written off by heavy rain or inability to get into a port due to winds.

Whilst the ports will inevitably be less busy at that time of year I have to disagree with one poster who said the crowds are non-existent. many of the ports are weekend destinations for Europeans, who have access to cheap flights, and the days of non-existent crowds seem to be over.

Another thing to be aware of is that there is a week's holiday at the end of October for the UK schools - and some other European countries, which may make the ships pretty crowded and prices somewhat higher.

We agree with a few of the other posts. The Fall is a great time in terms of smaller crowds....and avoiding the heat of the summer. But the deeper you get into the Fall season, the higher the risk of rain. In the June-Sept season the Med is often under the control of a huge high pressure system which usually brings good (but sometimes hot) weather. But the weather patterns do change in the Fall and that is why you are taking an increased weather risk. All that being said, DW and I do love that time of year...so we just pack our rain gear and go :).

Hank

We have done four or five Med cruises in the October time frame. We prefer earlier to late in October. Never really had an issue. Our last one was Rome-Barcelona towards the end of Oct. No rain...but we did have it chasing us and we seemed to miss it by a day on each of our stops.

The most enjoyable visit that we have had in Rome, weatherwise, was in mid/late November.

we did Ncl Epic last week Med cruise

weather was 17-20 degrees centigrade and sunny- sundress and sandals for me with jacket sometimes but hot weather cruisers in at least one layer clothing more than us!

We just completed a mid-October to mid-November Italy, Spain, Greek Islands and trans-Atlantic and we had wonderful weather! The daytime temperatures were around 20C, and as I recall, we had 1 day (which was a sea day) with some rain. The best part was that there were no crowds at the ports or attractions. This was our third time sailing this itinerary, all of them in either early or late October. You won't regret sailing the Mediterranean in the late fall.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)