Ending cruise in Barcelona

[ActiveTraveler]

While waiting for the 2012 Mediterranean schedule to become available online, I am not going to just forget about it and do nothing. I want to make sure I can be one of the first to book a PH suite by already having ideas by the time I see the itineraries. To do that, I must know where the best ports of call are in the Western Mediterranean for touring. I do not know Spanish, so apparently Seville is out for a post-cruise land tour. Assuming some 2012 cruises will end in Barcelona, would you recommend doing that, or is just a 10-hour port stop long enough to see all of the major highlights?

[CruiserBruce]

Not knowing anything about you and your interests this is a hard decision for someone else to make.

 

Western Med cruises also operate out of Rome, and there are routes that start in Venice and end in Barcelona. Personally, I would rather use Rome as the departure point, due to the history in the area, so that is what we are doing. Also, many, including the HAL cruise we are doing, stop in Barcelona for more then the standard 8-10 hour stop. Some stop for as long as 36 hours- arriving one morning, and sailing the next afternoon or evening.

 

This is not to slight Barcelona (or the rest of Spain) in any way- it sounds like an interesting place we will explore on our stop. Just laying out some options.

[cruisemom42]

The four ports I would most recommend for spending time post-cruise (or pre-cruise for that matter) are Rome, Venice, Istanbul, and Athens. Barcelona would be next on the list.

[riffatsea]

Which city to spend more time really depends on your interests. I adore Venice AND Barcelona! They are quite different from each other and from some of the other cities that have been mentioned.

Venice is small/walkable and like stepping back in time into another world. Everywhere you go is a sight to see.

Barcelona has its older section but it also is a vibrant modern city with wildly amazing architecture , great food of all sorts and more modern hotels.

Rome of course has lots to see but the city itself did not make me say "wow"!

Everyone travels differently and likes different things.

My advice would be to read a bit about each place and see

what excites you.

[Susan-M]

Assuming some 2012 cruises will end in Barcelona, would you recommend doing that, or is just a 10-hour port stop long enough to see all of the major highlights?

 

I would be happy with either choice. We spent two days pre-cruise in Barcelona and really enjoyed it, but I agree with the recommendations of the above posters and would put Rome, Athens, Venice and Istanbul ahead of it for pre/post cruise stays. However, it depends on the rest of the itinerary; the reason we did a pre-cruise stay there was because the itinerary was so appealing.

 

One way to determine what ports/cities interest you the most is to read some guide books. The library is a good source for these ... our local library carries Rick Steves books, one of my favorite travel authors.

[catllar]

I'm interested as to why you discount Seville as a landbased destination because you don't speak spanish - they speak spanish in barcelona too - or have I misunderstood your query?

[ActiveTraveler]

I'm interested as to why you discount Seville as a landbased destination because you don't speak spanish - they speak spanish in barcelona too - or have I misunderstood your query?

 

At least in Barcelona some people speak English. That is the difference. I also am less excited about Seville because it is not on the coast. At least in Barcelona I can go to a beach.

The only problem with starting or ending in Venice is the location. Because it is next to Greece, cruises that start in Venice go there and to Croatia and Turkey. I can't find any cruises that start in Venice and go around Italy and continue west to France, Spain, or Monaco. So it looks like I probably have to exclude either Venice or all of Spain. That's something I am trying to avoid right now.

[catllar]

Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the right cruise for you.