Forgettable locations

[ActiveTraveler]

I need to figure out how to cut some cities out of my pre-cruise itinerary and days off of my vacation. Of course, that is much easier said than done. How can I select places to see later instead of on my first trip to Italy? I need help with choosing cities to visit now and cities to visit later because obviously the money is not there for a monthlong trip to Europe. If I had $15,000 I would make the mistake of trying to see and do everything at the same time because this is the hardest part of vacation planning when you have not been there before. As it is, I can't afford a weeklong Italy tour from Venice to Rome and then two weeks on the Crystal Serenity. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

[sultan_sfo]

Crystal Serenity on a budget?

 

...

As it is, I can't afford a weeklong Italy tour from Venice to Rome and then two weeks on the Crystal Serenity. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

[ab0si]

It really depends on your interests and traveling style. My choice is to really SEE a few places rather than dipping my toe into many places (which is why, for me, cruising is a poor way to visit Italy). SInce you can not afford even a week on land, I would suggest spending a few days each in the city in which in embark and a few in the disembarkation city.

[Susan-M]

As it is, I can't afford a weeklong Italy tour from Venice to Rome and then two weeks on the Crystal Serenity. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

 

A forgettable location for one person will be a 'must see' for another.

 

The only way you are going to feel sure what the best choice is for you, is to keep reading ... and once you get to the point of booking and know how much money you have, then you can make choices.

 

One of the problems for you right now is that you don't know what the 2012 Serenity itineraries are, or the price. When you know these things, it will help with your decision.

[-Lew-]

 

Crystal Serenity on a budget?

LOL

 

 

I can't afford a weeklong Italy tour from Venice to Rome and then two weeks on the Crystal Serenity.

In my limited experience, cruising the Med is much less about the ship you're on, but rather the itinerary. There are a number of cruise lines other than Crystal that offer comparable itineraries at a much lower cost.

 

We always spend some time in Italy before or after a cruise. It complements the cruise experience in a positive way. If the cost of your cruise will not allow you to do that, find a different cruise line.

 

Lew

[carlmm]

You could try to make the perfect decision by getting all the information and find a balanced way to judge, yet you might get lost.

 

Or you just keep it simple:

As you have never been to Italy and are confident to come back in the future and as almost every place and region is worth a visit, you cannot go wrong with any decision.

If you already have decided about the cruise, just visit the embarkation and /or debarkation port im more detail.

You still just scratch the surface when you stay four or five days in cities like Rome or Venice. Enjoy your time there, come back soon ;)

 

For more specific responses to your question you might list your "pre-cruise itinerary" you need to "cut some cities out".

[6rugrats]

Any and all ideas are appreciated.

 

1. Decide where you really want to go; start by getting a good guide book of the region in which you are interested. You cannot see all of Europe on one trip

 

2. Choose another cruise line; there are many good ones that would allow you both a land and sea trip for the same amount you would spend on Crystal.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Two major questions: Where does your cruise start and end?

 

How many extra days do you want to take?

[Susan-M]

Where does your cruise start and end?

Just to fill you in because you may not have seen posts on other threads by the OP. She has decided on Crystal Serenity in the Med for 2012. Those itineraries haven't been released yet, and in the meantime she is looking at a number of possible scenarios for her trip.

[sunshine nana]

You could do a 7 day Barcelona rt stopping in Naples (Pompeii, Sorrento), Rome and Florence and then a 7 day rt from Venice to Athens for the price of one Crystal trip.

[cruisemom42]

What most interests you? Do you like large cities or smaller towns? What period of history interests you most? Do you prefer a large world-class museum or an archeological site? You've made clear that people-watching and soaking up atmosphere aren't high on your list.

 

These are questions you have to answer for yourself before deciding what you want to see on your trip.

 

For example, just to be provocative, I'll say that I care nothing for the Eiffel Tower (okay, I know I'm not alone there) and not a big fan of the Arc de Triomphe either. I can take or leave the Musee d'Orsay (home of the impressionist paintings most notably). What I enjoyed most in Paris was the Louvre, mainly the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian collections. Why? Because that's what I'm most interested in. I also thoroughly enjoyed Notre Dame, including climbing up to the roof, and unsurprisingly the "underground" museum in the area right in front of Notre Dame where you can see Paris's Roman roots. To my surprise, I also really enjoyed the Cluny museum, home of the "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries (as well as some more Roman ruins, of course ;)).

 

However, these things may be totally uninteresting to you, so how can I recommend them without knowing? :rolleyes:

[Can'tstopcruising]

Just to fill you in because you may not have seen posts on other threads by the OP. She has decided on Crystal Serenity in the Med for 2012. Those itineraries haven't been released yet, and in the meantime she is looking at a number of possible scenarios for her trip.

 

Thanks, Susan! I guess it's difficult to make such a decision before you know the cruise itinerary.

 

I would probably choose to spend some time in the port of departure.

[Susan-M]

Thanks' date=' Susan! I guess it's difficult to make such a decision before you know the cruise itinerary.

 

I would probably choose to spend some time in the port of departure.[/quote']

 

That's what we do ... on our two cruises in the Med, we chose itineraries that had different embarkation/disembarkation ports, which gave us a chance to do pre and post cruise stays in different cities.

 

If the OP is definitely set on a particular ship, and has budget and/or time constraints, it's going to limit her options for pre/post cruise touring ... so I agree with the suggestions above to stick with embarkation/disembarkation ports.

[ActiveTraveler]

What most interests you? Do you like large cities or smaller towns? What period of history interests you most? Do you prefer a large world-class museum or an archeological site? You've made clear that people-watching and soaking up atmosphere aren't high on your list.

 

These are questions you have to answer for yourself before deciding what you want to see on your trip.

I like to see fancy houses and buildings, gardens, museums, aquariums, beaches, and national parks. Artifacts are boring, but I love learning about natural history and culture. I also like to take guided tours of buildings, mansions, and cities.

 

In my limited experience, cruising the Med is much less about the ship you're on, but rather the itinerary. There are a number of cruise lines other than Crystal that offer comparable itineraries at a much lower cost.

 

We always spend some time in Italy before or after a cruise. It complements the cruise experience in a positive way. If the cost of your cruise will not allow you to do that, find a different cruise line.

So you don't care if the ship is very crowded, has a lot of kids, and offers few activities? You don't care if the entertainment is poor quality? I looked for a luxury ship because of my preference to be in a relatively small, mostly mature group of passengers and know I will have plenty of fun activities, great food, and entertainment on the sea days.

[GSPLover]

I like to see fancy houses and buildings, gardens, museums, aquariums, beaches, and national parks. Artifacts are boring, but I love learning about natural history and culture. I also like to take guided tours of buildings, mansions, and cities.

 

 

 

So you don't care if the ship is very crowded, has a lot of kids, and offers few activities? You don't care if the entertainment is poor quality? I looked for a luxury ship because of my preference to be in a relatively small, mostly mature group of passengers and know I will have plenty of fun activities, great food, and entertainment on the sea days.

 

Suggest that you take a serious look at Azamara Club Cruises (small ships, no kids (or very few), great food, and above average entertainment in a lounge atmosphere. Their 2012 schedules are out; 2-7 day cruises back-to-back without repeats.

[-Lew-]

 

So you don't care if the ship is very crowded, has a lot of kids, and offers few activities? You don't care if the entertainment is poor quality? I looked for a luxury ship because of my preference to be in a relatively small, mostly mature group of passengers and know I will have plenty of fun activities, great food, and entertainment on the sea days.

Do I detect a bit of sarcasm? Perhaps...

 

I can tell you the European cruises we have been on have been so port intensive that the things you mention don't factor in as much for us as they would on a Caribbean cruise. At the end of a full day in port we just want to get back to the ship, take a shower and grab a bite to eat.

 

When you mention your budget is not allowing you to do what you really want to do while in Europe, saving money on the cost of the cruise is a logical place to begin. I'm certainly not suggesting you book an old rust bucket, but there are a number of cruise lines offering Med itineraries with onboard amenities most people would be more than happy with.

 

We all have our priorities. If yours is a luxury ship, I respect that. But when you outline your problem and state, Any and all ideas are appreciated, don't criticize those who are trying to be of assistance.

 

Lew

[cruisemom42]

 

 

So you don't care if the ship is very crowded, has a lot of kids, and offers few activities? You don't care if the entertainment is poor quality? I looked for a luxury ship because of my preference to be in a relatively small, mostly mature group of passengers and know I will have plenty of fun activities, great food, and entertainment on the sea days.

 

Well, my first thought is......if it meant that I could spend twice as long in Europe, then yes, I probably wouldn't care. :)

 

However.......I don't think such a "sacrifice" is likely to be necessary. As you haven't cruised before, what actually would lead you to these conclusions? Let me debunk a few of your suppositions:

 

1) Med cruises are not overrun with children, no matter what line you are on. It's expensive for American families to fly to Europe and pay for the cruise, and many Europeans tend to leave their children at home when they cruise. (By the way, you do realize that Crystal ships have a Kids program? There are a few ships out there that do not even offer this; you may want to look at those....

 

2) I'm sure that Crystal has a variety of activities. However, I've traveled on mass market lines and have not ever noticed a lack of activities. In fact, I think activities are something that all cruise lines do relatively well, as there is a) little cost involved in putting them on and b) it keeps passengers busy and happy. Also, I have looked at some of Crystal Serenity's itineraries for the Med this year and next, and it appears that most of her cruises are 12 days and have 2 days at sea. So.....you are going to choose to cruise on a luxury ship because of activities at sea that represent, at most, 1/6th of your time on the cruise?

 

3) Entertainment -- I haven't been on Crystal so perhaps their entertainment is head and shoulders above other ships. I can't say in general that cruise ship entertainment bowls me over. However, I'm not sure if I'd choose my first vacation to Europe based solely on shipboard entertainment. But that's just me. I generally don't have a problem finding something to do onboard. In Europe, I stay on shore until I absolutely have to get on board, enjoy the sailaway with a glass of wine, go to a late dinner, and maybe catch a show or just have a martini in the piano bar. Then I turn in at a reasonable hour so that I can get up early the next day and do it all over again.

 

4) Food -- as above, I'm willing to agree that Crystal probably has food that is better than average on cruise ships. However, I'm lucky enough to live in a large city and can eat quite well at any number of excellent restaurants whenever I want. It's not why I cruise. And given the choice of being able to afford just a cruise or being able to stay a week in Italy after the cruise and enjoy all the wonderful variety of food there......well, I'd pick Italian restaurants every time over a cruise ship kitchen that has to prepare meals for around 1,000 people (on Crystal) or more....

 

5) Mature passengers -- well, I assume by mature, you mean those that don't go in for hairy leg contests, not age? If so, I think you'll find most Med cruisers to be mature, whatever line you are on. I think I recall from another post that you are in your early 30s. Might be worth taking a look at the average age of cruisers on the major cruise lines:

 

Passenger ages vary somewhat by sailing, but usually they are as follows:

Carnival Cruise Line: 0 - 45 years of age

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: 25 - 55 years of age

Crystal Cruise Line: 55+ years of age

Celebrity Cruise Line: 35 - 64 years of age

Norwegian Cruise Line: 27 - 56 years of age

Holland America Cruises: 30 - 60 years of age

Princess Cruise Line: 35 to 65 years of age

(From a major online travel agency: http://cruises.affordabletours.com/Info/FAQs.html#x)

Crystal clearly has the highest passenger average age.

 

6) Relatively small -- well, relatively. Several lines have small ships that cruise the Med if that is what is important to you, including Oceania, Azamara (as already mentioned) and even Princess and HAL have some smaller ships.

 

 

Of course, it is your money and your vacation, you can spend it as you wish. If you want a luxury cruise, then go for Crystal, I'm sure it will meet your expectations. But if you have a finite budget and you want to see as much of Europe as you can, there are other options that won't break the bank and will probably meet most of your criteria well enough.

 

 

 

[ActiveTraveler]

Thank you GSP, Lew, and Cruisemom. You all made very good points.

To answer your questions:

No, I was not being sarcastic at all.

By "mostly mature," I meant not a lot of college students and children.

Apparently I need to reconsider the premium class ships. My problem seems to be not having the right priorities for my first cruise because I am swimming in uncharted water.

I will not criticize any of your suggestions and plan to take them all seriously. However, I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

[6rugrats]

However, I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

 

This question does not have a right or wrong answer. You can ask for opinions all day long, but you're going to need to decide this yourself.

 

Do you have something against getting a guidebook on Italy and reading about the different cities, until you find something interesting?

[cberge]

This question does not have a right or wrong answer. You can ask for opinions all day long, but you're going to need to decide this yourself.

 

Do you have something against getting a guidebook on Italy and reading about the different cities, until you find something interesting?

Best reply by far.One should always do homework and not take just opinions:D

[polySeraph]

However, I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

 

Italy is one of those places where you can spend a lifetime of sightseeing and still not see everything. I've been traveling to Italy for business and pleasure for almost 30 years and I still haven't seen all my must-sees. Right now I'm working on my sightseeing priorities for next year's cruise and I'm having trouble shoe-horning it all in.

 

I love art history and DH loves the Romans and engineering and so our must-sees include galleries, cathedrals, and Roman ruins. Others like shopping, touring vineyards, Tuscan cooking lessons, or hanging on the beach. These are all nice activities for some but they would be a less enjoyable use of my limited time.

 

So what's important to you? I mean, here at home? History? Art? Food? Fashion? Chances are . . . what's important to you here might be a must-see over there.

 

A guidebook might be helpful to get you started. I've used Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Insight Guides and Rick Steves. Spend some time on Amazon reading the sample pages and see what suits you. If you're like my husband and not into reading, try starting with the Rick Steve's videos. The series page can be found on Hulu HERE. Search on "Italy", watch a few episodes, and when you see something unforgettable, you're on your way.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you GSP, Lew, and Cruisemom. You all made very good points.

 

To answer your questions:

 

No, I was not being sarcastic at all.

By "mostly mature," I meant not a lot of college students and children.

 

Apparently I need to reconsider the premium class ships. My problem seems to be not having the right priorities for my first cruise because I am swimming in uncharted water.

 

I will not criticize any of your suggestions and plan to take them all seriously. However, I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

 

You've been pretty good-natured with all the responses so far (not that you don't need to do your research.....:p hop to it), so I'll do my best to give you an answer I might give a friend headed to Italy for the first time.

 

I'm still not quite clear on how much time you have in addition to your cruise. But if you had an additional week to spend in Italy, I'd suggest the following:

 

3 days in Rome -- this barely allows you to scratch the surface, don't even think of leaving the city if this is all the time you have there. One day at the Vatican, one day for ancient Rome, and one day for anything else you are particularly interested in (Borghese gallery, shopping, Capitoline museum, etc).

 

2 days in Florence -- spend one day in Florence itself and one day touring the Tuscan countryside -- really, any of the Tuscan towns are worth visiting. I like San Gimignano and Siena.

 

2 days in Venice -- spend both days in Venice (well, a trip to Murano or Burano can be fit in and is a fun trip; of the two I'd recommend Burano unless you are really into Venetian glass.)

 

Unfortunately, travel between these cities is going to eat up some of your precious time. If at all possible, I'd add a day to each of the cities above because of this: 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence, and 3 in Venice.

 

If your ship departs from or arrives in one of these ports, it will make it easier. If Livorno is a port on your cruise, you could then use that day to see Pisa (and/or Lucca). If Rome is a stop on your cruise, there is always plenty more to do in that city. Since you seem to be looking at Western Med cruises, I doubt Venice will be on your cruise itinerary.

 

It looks like Crystal often includes an overnight stop in Sorrento on its Western Med itineraries -- I'd try to make sure your cruise includes this, because the Amalfi coast is another "must see" for most people (the towns of Amalfi, Positano, Ravello). Pompeii is also easily accessed from this port.

 

I know these are the well-known "must see" places of Italy. But they are must-sees for a reason: because they have so much to offer in terms of history, architecture, art, culture, and/or natural beauty.

[ActiveTraveler]

This question does not have a right or wrong answer. You can ask for opinions all day long, but you're going to need to decide this yourself.

 

Do you have something against getting a guidebook on Italy and reading about the different cities, until you find something interesting?

 

I will get a lot of guidebooks after I book my cruise, but they have this limitation: there's only one author of each, so I don't get many opinions about cities and attractions if I do not also ask cruisers for their suggestions. Believe me, I am not against guidebooks for any reason, just trying to get some ideas from cruisers first. By asking for help online, I can figure out which parts of Italy to concentrate on when I read those books and which books to check out of the library.

[RHefley228]

I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

 

All of them are must-sees. Good luck.

[Susan-M]

.... I still need to know which Italian cities are not must-sees for my first trip out there and I will continue to ask about them until I figure out what can be skipped in 2012.

 

If you let us know which cities are on your list now, we can help prioritize them.