mediterranean cruises

[kryn]

My husband and I are hoping to take 10 to14 day mediterranean cruise in the Spring or Fall of 2013. We are in our early 60's. Any suggestions on what cruise lines to pick or stay away from?

Thanks

[thundar10]

A Mediterranean cruise is really port intensive. You hardly do anything but eat and fall to sleep on the ship. Go with any that has food you like.

 

I went with NCL because the prices were really good. We enjoyed ourselves a lot with them but again, it really was about the ports.

[Hlitner]

You are certainly thinking "long term" :) Med cruises (we have spent more then a year on various Med Cruises) are a different experience then the typical Caribbean Cruise. Most cruisers book Caribbean cruises based on the ship, cruise line, and to a lesser degree the itinerary. For the Med, most experts would suggest looking at the various itineraries as a first step. Once you have identified the part of the Med you want to visit, the amount of time you have for your trip, and know your budget you can then look at the various offerings from the cruise lines. There are some excellent online Search Engines (operated by cruise agencies) that will allow you to put in certain criteria (such as which months, number of days, itineraries (or even ports)) into the search engine and then in seconds you will see all the various cruises (from all cruise lines) that fit your criteria. Many Med cruises are very port intensive, involve long days ashore, and often mean that a majority of passengers are in bed pretty early. I only mention this since it leads to my next point which is that the cruise line and ship are simply not as important as on other type cruises. You are probably going to the Med for the ports....not the ship. You also need to pay attention to some details of a particular cruise. The number of hours in a port can be very important (in some ports it can take 3 hours of more round trip to your destination city or site), and also the days of the week in each port. In Europe, Sunday and Monday (and sometimes Tuesday) might find certain things closed. As an example, if you are in Rome on a Sunday you will find the Vatican Museums (this is how you see the Sistine Chapel) closed (they are open one Sunday a month). If you are in Istanbul on a Sunday the Grand Bazaar is closed, and very important museums are closed on either Monday or Tuesday. We have been on many many cruises where we hear some passengers complaining "I came to see this site and it was closed!"

 

My final thought has to do with "open jaw" cruises which means they begin and end at different ports. For me, this is a good thing! If you have the time (and money) you can extend your trip at both ends and spend some land time. For example, a cruise that goes between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Istanbul would make it easy to spend some time in those two fantastic cities. So as you can see there are a lot of factors worth consideration...have fun

 

Hank

[Andee]

We've taken two Med cruises on Oceania, and it quickly became our favorite cruise line. Great itineraries, perfectly sized ships, wonderful staff, all open seating dining, no formal nights, excellent food, no charge for specialty DRs, tourist office reps that get on board at each port.

[Langley Cruisers]

I think this is a highly personal decision. All lines have something to offer and it really wouoldn't be prudent to suggest "who to stay away from". It's just so personal.

 

I suggest you find a travel agent who specializes in cruises; s/he can give you an excellent idea and hopefully has some first-hand knowledge and experience with several lines.

 

Also, yes - it's about the ports. Look for a cruise with the ports you want to see.

[Keith1010]

I think this is a highly personal decision. All lines have something to offer and it really wouoldn't be prudent to suggest "who to stay away from". It's just so personal.

 

I suggest you find a travel agent who specializes in cruises; s/he can give you an excellent idea and hopefully has some first-hand knowledge and experience with several lines.

 

Also, yes - it's about the ports. Look for a cruise with the ports you want to see.

 

Excellent advice.

 

Keith

[yorkiemomjn]

My husband and I are hoping to take 10 to14 day Mediterranean cruise in the Spring or Fall of 2013. We are in our early 60's. Any suggestions on what cruise lines to pick or stay away from?

Thanks

 

My husband & I are also in our 60's. We 'discovered' Oceania cruises two years ago and we are hooked. They are perfect for our age. Wonderful food, no formal nights (dress code is country club casual), no photographers, very low key with an emphasis on quality food and great ports. They have three small ships (700) passengers and one brand new larger ship (1200)that we sailed on this past June to the Baltics. They have another new ship being built that we are going to take to the Mediterranean next year. Our first cruise in 2010 was also to the Mediterranean, so we will be repeating a few ports. Check them out and the Oceania board. I think you will love them!!!:)

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC,

 

IMHO a European cruise is all about getting the top ports of your interest. I researched this extensively when I was planning and the choices can be numbing.

 

This was one of my favorite starting points for what each port offered: http://www.europeportreviews.com/

 

From that I built my list and narrowed my cruise down to ships that did the most of my want to go ports. Decisions were all about tradeoffs, Cairo versus Venice etc. etc.

 

I would say pay less attention to the line, get the ports right. 10 years from now you won't be remembering the food, entertainment but the port experience.

 

Good luck planning!

 

My husband and I are hoping to take 10 to14 day mediterranean cruise in the Spring or Fall of 2013. We are in our early 60's. Any suggestions on what cruise lines to pick or stay away from?

Thanks

[John Bull]

My husband and I are hoping to take 10 to14 day mediterranean cruise in the Spring or Fall of 2013. We are in our early 60's. Any suggestions on what cruise lines to pick or stay away from?

Thanks

 

Hi, and welcome to cruise-critic,

As other posts, the Med is all about sight-seeing. And the big downside of cruising is the limited time in each port, esp for places such as Rome, Pisa, Cairo, Israel, where a chunk of that limited time is travelling.:(

 

This is the advantage of taking a land-based vacation in europe.

But its difficult to beat the comfort & ease of cruising.:)

 

Look for overnites in port - many lines offer overnites in Istanbul or Cairo, some like Azamara have more overnites. But check arrival & departure times - an itinerary which quotes eg monday, tuesday & wednesday in Venice looks great, but a 5pm arrival on monday & a 5am departure on wednesday is effectively 2 days at sea & just one day in Venice.

 

As Hank's post a one-way cruise, rather than one which returns to its embarkation port, gives you the opportunity to spend a few days exploring two destinations properly rather than zipping through & seeing it all in a blur. A leg of a round-the-world cruise may suit.

Though if a round-trip cruise is perfect in other respects, before your cruise you could spend a couple of days in the city, and after your cruise you could hire a car or use public transport to explore somewhere else - such as around Naples from Rome, or the Austrian / Swiss Alps from Venice, or deep into Spain or France from Barcelona.

If your time is limited, I'd strongly suggest a shorter cruise to allow for this.

 

If it's your first cruise I'd certainly suggest a US ship - there's something comforting about returning "home" every evening. And I'd caution you not to be easily seduced by the prices & basic itineraries of the italian lines, Costa & MSC. Their ships, although beautifully-presented, have a very different style & atmosphere, with a very cosmopolitan passenger mix - loved by some americans & brits but a bit of an acquired taste. And often short hours in port - including many half-days.

 

Have fun choosin', have fun cruisin'

 

John Bull :)

[jilloh2]

We went with RCL and were on the Brilliance of the Sea for 12 days. Brilliance was beautiful, we had a aft cabin which was lovely. As someone mentioned it is very port intensive and you do get tired, not much time to relax on board, you walk your little legs off. It is so amazing though and you can rest when you get home:). We used all private tours and didn't have one problem.

[zaban3]

Also looking for a Med. Cruise for summer of 2012. I am thinking about the July 2 trip on Celebrity that has 3 sea days and a stay in Istanbul.

 

We have cruised before (Panama Canal, Baltic/Russia and Alaska) and in our late 50's. We have always sailed Princess.

 

Looking to see other people thoughts on this destination. There are so many choices!

[John Bull]

Also looking for a Med. Cruise for summer of 2012. I am thinking about the July 2 trip on Celebrity that has 3 sea days and a stay in Istanbul.

 

We have cruised before (Panama Canal, Baltic/Russia and Alaska) and in our late 50's. We have always sailed Princess.

 

Looking to see other people thoughts on this destination. There are so many choices!

 

Istanbul.

Super destination. :)

West meets east.

Bustling, atmospheric.

Inexpensive.

Stax of history.

Stax of interesting sights.

Friendly people.

Enough speak understandable english

Fairly compact

USD accepted most shops/bazaar stalls/eateries (not trams, museums etc)

Very easy to DIY

 

JB :)

[crusingnut]

We took a 12 day Med cruise on Princess and loved it. I agree look at the ports and choose based on what is most interesting to you. We went in mid June and it was very hot, and I'm used to heat. If I were to go again I would go when it's cooler and not so crowded. It is a port intensive cruise and yes, you are tired after taking full day tours one port after the other, but it's worth it. We didn't have much time to relax and enjoy the ship. Our cruise left from Venice and we got there 2 days prior to enjoy the city. It ended in Barcelona and again we stayed a couple of days after before heading home. I love starting in one place and ending in another. Good luck on making a decision and enjoy your cruise.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We did Holland and loved it

[kryn]

My husband and I changed our minds about Med cruise. We are now booked on NCL Sun for a 12 night Alaska Crusie Tour. We fly into Fairbanks for 2 nights , then to Denali for 2 nights, then to Whittier to board ship for 7 days. August 1, 2013 to Aug 12th.

Has anyone done this tour with NCL?

[Keith1010]

I would post this on the NCL board.

 

Keith

[marco]

Where you're going is the primary focus. I'd choose by itinerary, dates, price, availability. However MSC and/or Costa would NOT be lines I'd go on again outside of the Caribbean. We have, and WON"T, again.

[Putterdude]

I would be inclined to go to the NCL or Alaska forum with you question. I have been to Alaska some 17 times but never with NCL.