1st time to Europe, Which Cruise is best

[bencruzN]

For our next cruise we are thinking about a European one. We've never been to Europe; what would be a good suggestion for first timers, Spain, Italy, France, England? There are quite a few choices, so wanted to get the consensus of the more experienced. We will be doing a next cruise deposit with Europe in mind.

 

Thanks

[Goes Cruising]

I don't think you can go wrong any way you choose. It's really a personal decision based on your interests. What about Europe has always interested you? Ruins in Greece/Rome, Architecture in Western Europe, rolling countryside of the British Isles? Just start there, and build a cruise around it!

 

I will say, if you are accustomed to Caribbean cruises and consider the sun and pool time a priority, take into consideration you won't get much of that on the Western and Northern Europe routes. Of course, that applies to Alaska & New England cruises as well, and those are extremely popular itineraries. I will say, the Med was my absolute favorite because it was such a perfect mix of culture and sun, but I would do Western Europe again in a heartbeat. Then again, there are a dozen Europe Itineraries still on my bucket list!

[Ashland]

A little biased because I just came back from Northern Europe/Baltics on RCI Jewel with cabin #1100...WOW !!!!!:eek::D

[polodad]

You'll probably have the least difficulty with the language in England.

[polodad]

I was kidding about the language above, but seriously we're doing a 13 day Med cruise a month from now & the itinerary is Barcelona, Toulon, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Venice, Dobrovnik & Corfu (Greece). My wife's 1st trip to europe & we think that's an awesome itinerary.

[Ashland]

You'll probably have the least difficulty with the language in England.

LOL LOL !! Hmmm...Maybe not...We stayed in London a week post cruise..and I at times did have to listen very carefully....;)..Loved London..:D

 

Cheers !!!

[Bruin Steve]

For our next cruise we are thinking about a European one. We've never been to Europe; what would be a good suggestion for first timers, Spain, Italy, France, England? There are quite a few choices, so wanted to get the consensus of the more experienced. We will be doing a next cruise deposit with Europe in mind.

 

Thanks

 

We've done quite a few European cruises...We've done three Baltic cruises, a British Isles/Norwegian Fjords cruise and three Mediteranean cruise (the last one being an Israel/Egypt route)...We have a Dover to Rome 16 nighter scheduled for this coming August...

 

First questions one really should ask is where your interests lie...

One typically does not cruise in Europe for the same reasons one cruises the Caribbean or the Mexican Riviera...You are not doing it for sun tans and snorkling...You go for the history, the culture, the art, the architecture and the archaeology...

 

For someone who has never been to Europe, my recommendation would be to a Mediterranean cruise--and one that gets to as many varied ports as possible...The Med has the most incredible ports--incredible in terms of history and ancient sites and art and culture...

 

Look at the ports and figure which ports you've always dreamed of visiting...Rome? Athens? Istanbul? Venice? Cairo? Jerusalem?...

 

Aside from the bigger and more famous ports, some of the smaller ports are incredible--Dubrovnik, Santorini, Malta, Kusadasi...the list goes on...These ports are incredibly rich with history, archaeology and culture...

 

The best itineraries are actually the ones that go "one-way"...starting in one port and ending in another...that way, you can tack on a few nights on either end to really enhance the experience...One note: Always plan on flying into the embarkation port at least a couple of nights early...helps you catch up with the travel fatigue and the change in time zones, works as a hedge against missed connections and delayed flights...and gives you the chance to actually see the embarkation city...

 

Aside from Royal Caribbean, take a really good look at their sister line, Celebrity...

I think Celebnrity does the absolute best job in Europe...and the ships are less crowded--which is nice on an exhausting port-intensive cruise as many of these are...

 

Good luck...

[Hlitner]

We have spent more then a year cruising in the various waters that surround Europe and suggest you do a little "homework" and look at all the various options. A major issue for many crisers is going to be your budget. Cruising in Europe costs quite a bit more than cruising in the Caribbean since the cruises are usually more expensive, air is not cheap, and shore activities can cost even more than the cruise for those that prefer to take the overpriced cruise line excursions. For those with the time, we suggest talking at least a 12 day cruise that begins and ends at different ports. You then can extend your vacation at both ends so you not only get a cruise but also get some land time in Europe. Personally, we prefer the Med ports to the northern Baltic because of all the history and interesting cutlure of the Med countries. Going to places such as Ephesus (Turkey), Pompeii (Italy), southern France and Spain on a single cruise is a great introduction to Europe. The Baltic countries are also interesting, but some would say they are a bit too sterile not to mention expensive. There is a rule of thumb for travel in Europe which is the further north you go the more expensive the countries. Places like Norway can be shocking (from a price point of view) when you find yourself paying $7 for a small glass of soda. Many do seem to prefer the English speaking countries on a first trip (the UK and Ireland) although we often say that the worst language barrier for English speaking folks is in London where there are many immigrants who speak anything but English :) As to which cruise line we recommend sticking the US oriented lines (RCI, Celebrity,HA, Princess, etc) and looking very carefully at the price. Most European cruises are very port intensive so you actually do not spend a lot of time on the ship.

 

Hank

[bencruzN]

You go for the history, the culture, the art, the architecture and the archaeology...QUOTE]

 

That's exactly the reason for wanting to go to Europe, the history, culture, art, ect (We live in Las Vegas). Europe has been on my list for a very long time.

 

Our cruises have always been in the caribbean; land vacations in Mexico, Hawaii and other beachy sunny places...it's time for this. You guys are making me very excited:D

 

Thanks

[north29]

I love the Med, and would go again, like someone said above when I have more money LOL.

One thing for sure, if Egypt is a must, make sure any cruise you take spends at least two days in Egypt.

We have done the Baltic, and like everyone said, it is cold, and colder depending on the cruise date, but St Petersburg is spectacular, but do a excursion booked off the ship, we used Denrus and they were spectacular even under less than ideal conditions Helen was our tour guide. The other port were OK also. But if any of you think the Med is expensive you have not been on a Baltic cruise LOL.

[bencruzN]

Thanks for all the great information and input.