Cruise (Navigator) out of Rome in August

[tikkas]

Hello!

 

My husband and I would like to go on the cruise of the Eastern Med on August 7 starting from Rome. This is going to be our special "away from the kids" time for us, so while we wouldn't mind some kids around, we really don't want a rowdy crowd withs tons of children. What has been the experience of previous travellers on Med cruises from Rome in August?

 

Thanks

[Aquahound]

My Rome NOS cruise embarked on Aug 31, 2008.

 

It was a fantastic cruise with awesome ports. Other than the time spent in Rome, Ephesus (Kusadasi) was my favorite. But....

 

My cruise was full of very rude people. It was, by far, the rudest group of fellow passengers I have ever cruised with. Even the crew was exhausted.

 

I read reports that agree, and reports to the contrary. So, hopefully you will luck out.

[Missus Makkem]

Hello!

 

My husband and I would like to go on the cruise of the Eastern Med on August 7 starting from Rome. This is going to be our special "away from the kids" time for us, so while we wouldn't mind some kids around, we really don't want a rowdy crowd withs tons of children. What has been the experience of previous travellers on Med cruises from Rome in August?

 

Thanks

 

Mmm, August is a peak period for school holidays in Europe so you will probably have lots of children onboard.

[tikkas]

Thank you both! it´s more the rude crowds that bother us, rather than many children!

[jjb415]

I am just off of the Eastern Mediterranean sailing of the Navigator today and there were many families with lots of childran of all ages. For me, this wasn't a problem because they were well-behaved for the most part. I found my fellow passengers to be very polite and quite a lot of fun with whom to share the seas.

 

The Promenade was very busy until the early morning hours with many tables in the Cafe occupied as late as 3 and 4am. One morning when I was up at 6am, I passed a very nice group of young people who were just finishing their night with a dip in the jacuzzi. It was great to see everyone having such a nice, relaxing vacation.

[swcruise]

My Rome NOS cruise embarked on Aug 31, 2008.

 

It was a fantastic cruise with awesome ports. Other than the time spent in Rome, Ephesus (Kusadasi) was my favorite. But....

 

My cruise was full of very rude people. It was, by far, the rudest group of fellow passengers I have ever cruised with. Even the crew was exhausted.

 

I read reports that agree, and reports to the contrary. So, hopefully you will luck out.

 

Hi,

 

I was on the same cruise as Aquahound in 2008 and have many many happy memories of the trip. Not sure if the itinerary is the same or different now, but we really liked Taromina in Sicily and Kusadasi and the ruins of Ephesus are memorable. The majority of the passengers were Italian and I think that there are some cultural differences that have to be taken into account. The crew weren't in particularily good form, and I believe that stems from the fact that Europeans don't tip by default and the crews take home pay was lower then they would have liked. These were just some general observations and didn't detract from our cruise experience.

[Grand Prix Racer]

We cruised with my 15 year old son in the Med four years ago. It was the time the Italians won the World Cup. Many kids on board but you could find places on the ship that were manly adults. European adults tend to be more pushy than Americans. Italians more so and I am of Italian decent. Nothing wrong with that; it is a cultural thing. Italians generally do not line up for things; they seem to just push their way through. The ports are amazing and the cultural differences for each country is what makes the cruise.

[toonye]

If you want to spend a romantic time with your husband away from your kids, DON'T cruise the med in August:D

 

August is definitely our PEAK HOLIDAY season in Europe, most families go on vacation at that time, it'll be crowded and extremly expensive wherever you go, so be prepared:)

 

Also keep in mind that August is the hottest month in the med and air conditioning isn't as common as in the US, I know many US tourists that have been bothered by the heat

 

As for your specific question about the Navigator out of Rome, I -but it's only my personal opinion- would definitely avoid it

 

We were on it last August, departing Rome on the 16th and I could have summarized my vacation on the exact same terms:

 

My cruise was full of very rude people. It was, by far, the rudest group of fellow passengers I have ever cruised with. Even the crew was exhausted.

 

There were more than 1000 kids onboard but they did not bother us, the parents were much more an issue...

Imagine 600 people at a time coming to the Windjammer to have breakfast: a zoo!

 

And don't underestimate the culture shock between US and Italy....:p

 

Also keep in mind that August being high peak season, the prices are extremly high

If you could sail in September, you'll enjoy beautiful weather for less money and also have only few kids onboard

 

That being said, I always travel in August (due to personal and professional constraints) and it's absolutely fine for me- apart from the horrendous prices...

I love the heat and prefer a more lively atmosphere (we did not really appreciated the sedate atmosphere on sea days in the Caribbean in early Februar)

 

So it's all depending on which experience you want!

 

The same ship, with the same crew, will appear completely different from one week to another only depending on the current passenger mix.

 

Have fun!

Toonye