Which cruise line is better for the Mediterranean?

[evelynmonica30]

I have solely cruised with Royal Caribbean, my last 8+ cruises, just cruised on Allure of the Seas, and was in Awe, beautiful ship, dont think any other cruise can beat it, but the itinerary is boresome, have seen the caribbean so many times already dont think I want to do it again for awhile. We are now planning a cruise for our 40th bday next year and would like to try Princess cruiseline since the itinerary for Greece is better, what other cruiseline do you suggest??? Any other suggestions??

 

Thanks!

Evelyn

www.twoculturescook.com

[CruiserBruce]

"Better" is very subjective. What is "better" for you may have no appeal to me.

 

Secondly, we don't have any knowledge of you, so it would be very hard to make recommendations for you. Do you like history? Art? Scenary? Museums? Want to focus on beaches?

 

I would say, if you really like RCCL, start with their cruises, and see if you like anything they offer. All of the major cruise lines cruise the Med.

[euro cruiser]

Frankly, for the Med it really doesn't matter what ship or line you are on.

 

Med cruises are all about the ports, so choose the one that best fits your goals for destinations. You'll only be on the ship for dinner and evenings most nights, and you'll be so exhausted from touring all day that your evenings will likely be pretty short.

[Langley Cruisers]

I completely agree with CruiserBruce. Have you not checked out RCI's Med itineraries? We are going on Brilliance next month. Apparently, Radiance-class ships are gorgeouos with a lot more windows than other ships, plus there is outside seating in the Windjammer. Win-win!

 

If you are comfortable with Royal, stay with them. Otherwise, as stated, a lot of the lines go to the Med. I mean no offense but I really think this is something you need to research for yourself and then make your decision.

[John Bull]

Frankly, for the Med it really doesn't matter what ship or line you are on.

 

Med cruises are all about the ports, so choose the one that best fits your goals for destinations. You'll only be on the ship for dinner and evenings most nights, and you'll be so exhausted from touring all day that your evenings will likely be pretty short.

 

Sound advice. :)

And isn't it about time you checked-out other cruise-lines? ;)

 

John Bull :)

[maltagirl5]

We sailed 4 yrs ago on Oceania, the ship was Insignia. Definitely a small ship, with few ammenities...but the ports of call were amazing....we went to Rome, Amalfi, Malta, Tunisia, Crete, Rhodes, Alexandria, Kusadasi, Antalya...amazing. And the food...wow, beyond fantastic. Like eating in a 5 star restaurant every night in the Grand Dining Room. Amazing staff and crew...loved it. Check it out.

[KirkNC]

We start with itinerary first, ship or cruise line second.

 

Kirk

[Keith1010]

As some have said the best line depends on your preferences and your budget.

 

All Med cruises are not created equally once you get beyond the itinerary. So, I don't agree with some of the posts that say the cruise line doesn't matter because it does. Yes, the on board experience will vary not only by cruise line but by ship.

 

First begin your research by looking closely at the itineraries. I recommend an itinerary that is around 12 days to give you more time in the Med. Consider the ports of embarkation and disembarkation in terms of getting to and from them from your home city. I also advise flying in a few days in advance to not only get over the jet lag but to also ensure that you do not miss the ship should your flight be cancelled or delayed. So as you consider the port of embarkation consider what city you might want to have extra time to tour.

 

And as you narrow down the list then it is time to consider which cruise line or ship is a better fit for you. Again, you will consider additional factors including cruising preferences and your budget.

 

The experience does vary by cruise line and cruise ship and if it didn't then everyone would book one specific ship/cruise line and that is certainly not the case.

 

Keith

[patseacruiser]

Depending upon your budget of course, have you checked any of the niche lines? There are some small enough to go through the Corinth Canal and have very intensive excursions which are included but they are primarily based on history and local culture. Depends on what you are really interested in and your budget.

[Happy ks]

When we planned our Med cruise we originally thought we'd go on a specific ship, one we had seen featured on a TV show. But, when we looked closer, it was only a 7 night cruise without ports we really wanted to see, so back to the drawing board. We ended up with an older ship that was doing an awesome itinerary. We could not have been happier with our selection and it was a great ship.

 

So, itinerary first, ship second. Ours was a 13 night cruise, with arrival 2 days pre cruise and staying over 1 day post cruise. Many people want to get right onto the plane and head home after a cruise, but we've done this several times and staying over a day or two is wonderful.

 

Start by researching the ports you want to see and go from there. While I'm sure there are rust buckets out there that you wouldn't want to set foot on, there are also marvelous ships with lousy (for you) itineraries.

 

If we were to go again, I think we'd look closely at Oceania. Longer cruises with intense itineraries...love it!

[TITISSA]

To a certain degree Med cruises are all about the itinerary. It's very port intense. Having said that, on sea days, I prefer a big ship that offers options to do whatever I want or nothing at all. I don't like small ships because they don't have much in terms of activities. I've cruised with Seabourn and loved it but it got old after awhile.

 

I would first chose the itinerary and then work within my budget. I also feel more comfortable cruising with an American line. I would be a little lost in a ship where most of the passengers spoke a different language. A predominantly German ship or an Italian ship or any other nationality. It's true that on European cruises Americans are the minority but still I feel more at home with a line that I'm familiar with.

 

Whatever you choose I hope you have a wonderful and memorable time!

[EGG]

I agree to go with a longer cruise with an itinerary and price that works for you. Europe is all about the ports. We've jumped around from one cruise line to another and we've enjoyed the different experience on each of the ships.

 

Personally, I would stay away from a larger ships, especially if there are tender ports because we do as many ports as we can on our own or with independent excursions and I hate to wait hours to get off the ship.

[jocap]

Another way of doing it is to look at flights from your nearest airport, which should give you an idea about itineraries....check prices to, say, Venice, or Athens, Istanbul etc, and whether there's a change in some European hub. It can be cheaper to do it that way-eg KLM flies to Amsterdam, then has a short flight to Barcelona, and this can be cheaper than flying straight there.

Consider a cruise from the UK, which will give you 2 or 3 days to get over jet lag, but will call at one of the Atlantic ports of Spain or Portugal going and returning....this may be a cheaper way of touring the Med, and there's most major lines sailing from Southampton, including Cunard.

If you want the smaller, more unknown ports, look on this site for the small cruise lines, which go to remarkable places.

Enjoy choosing!

Jo.

[karinad]

Our first Med. cruise was a 7 day r/t BCN on the Celebrity Millenium. It was a "working" cruise. We loved it! We were so glad we got a balcony. Waking up in the morning and being docked in Malta could not be descibed! Our 2nd was on the Grand Princess Venice/Rome 12 days. Also a working vacation, but beautiful! 3rd was Celebrity Century, Amsterdam/Rome 8day, also undescribable and awsome cruise. All different ships and sizes. We picked them all for the ports, and we were exhausted at the end of each day. We did miss a few shows. We wouldn't go without a balcony, even though you're not in the cabin alot. Celebrity has some great prices for the fall for European cruises!

[chipmaster]

Med is PORTs PORTs PORTs! You are right what good is the greatest ship with good food after spending thousands and than to wake up every morning but not get the ports you dreamed of.

 

IMHO make a list of the ports you want, this is a good place to start ( http://www.europeportreviews.com/Rome.htm ) Than find the ship/cruiseline that sails the most. I'd much rather compromise on the ship, cabin, food/entertainment but get the dream port lineup. 10 or 20 years from now will your memories be of the ship or the ports and the excursion you took.

 

FWIW we liked Princess a lot :D

 

Happy planning!

 

I have solely cruised with Royal Caribbean, my last 8+ cruises, just cruised on Allure of the Seas, and was in Awe, beautiful ship, dont think any other cruise can beat it, but the itinerary is boresome, have seen the caribbean so many times already dont think I want to do it again for awhile. We are now planning a cruise for our 40th bday next year and would like to try Princess cruiseline since the itinerary for Greece is better, what other cruiseline do you suggest??? Any other suggestions??

 

Thanks!

Evelyn

www.twoculturescook.com

[beachchick]

I have solely cruised with Royal Caribbean, my last 8+ cruises, just cruised on Allure of the Seas, and was in Awe, beautiful ship, dont think any other cruise can beat it, but the itinerary is boresome, have seen the caribbean so many times already dont think I want to do it again for awhile. We are now planning a cruise for our 40th bday next year and would like to try Princess cruiseline since the itinerary for Greece is better, what other cruiseline do you suggest??? Any other suggestions??

 

Thanks!

Evelyn

www.twoculturescook.com

 

So true. I think RCI doesn't worry about that too much because the idea is that the ship is the destination.

 

We really need much more information about you (tastes, on shore priorities, general age, activity level, onboard preferences, etc.) before being able to make any suggestions. The one thing I can say is that I urge you not to start comparing other ships to Allure. Your feeling about Allure also illistrates what I mean about "knowing" you: Oasis/Allure have absolutely no--zip, zero, zilch, nada--appeal for us. We would only cruise on one of them if it was free and in a suite.

 

I completely agree with CruiserBruce. Have you not checked out RCI's Med itineraries? We are going on Brilliance next month. Apparently, Radiance-class ships are gorgeouos with a lot more windows than other ships, plus there is outside seating in the Windjammer. Win-win!

 

If you are comfortable with Royal, stay with them. Otherwise, as stated, a lot of the lines go to the Med. I mean no offense but I really think this is something you need to research for yourself and then make your decision.

 

They are! Our first RCI cruise was on Radiance. Loved her then; love her now. The Centrum is spectacularly beautiful; the ship is laid out well; the size is great: plenty to do, but you still know you're at sea.

 

Have a great time.:)

 

beachchick

[Greghouseo]

Couple of nice Celebrity Cruises around the Med.

Silhouette (Holyland/Med)

Eclipse

Equinox

solstice