Med cruise - 5 may or 29 may?

[cottonball511]

Hi everyone,

 

we are interested in booking in the med cruise on the serenade of the seas ex-barcelona. there are 2 sailings we are eyeing - may 5 and may 29. my questions:

1. what will the weather be like in barcelona and the ports of call in italy, greece and turkey during may? prefer mild as opposed to hot summers.

 

2. what about crowds? don't want to spend time queuing for tickets and entrances during shore excursions.

 

3. is this the start of school holidays in uk and usa?

 

this will be our first med cruise. already done 2 short ones in Asia on RCCL.

 

Replies and opinions welcomed.

 

Josephine of Malaysia

[LHT28]

We were in Athens early may it was 90F high humidity

 

So I would go earlier to be more comfortable

 

YMMV

[janelouiseb]

1. I would go earlier if you prefer milder weather but there won't be a great variation between early and late May

2. Whether the ports are busy will depend on a lot of things including day of the week you're there, but with some planning you should be able to manage days where you don't spend your whole time in a queue

3. School holidays in the UK will mostly start 4 June, for 1 week (it's later this year because of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations)

Have a great trip

[momofmeg]

We were in Athens early may it was 90F high humidity

 

So I would go earlier to be more comfortable

 

YMMV

 

Oh my goodness! We are planning to go in June so our daughter can go with us who is employed in the school system. I guess I will be picking tours with air conditioned buses.

[paul929207]

To get the weather info, try one of the online weather sites. They have average hi's and lo's for each date.

[wantocruisemore]

It will naturally be a little less hot the first of May as opposed to the end of May. But something else to consider is plane fare. The May 29 sailing is a holiday weekend for the US so plane fare may end up higher. Also, hotels over there will likely be higher as well.

 

I wish we could go in May but one DD is graduating HS and that's not til June 7th. Next year I already want to go mid May rather than wait til summer.

[momofmeg]

It will naturally be a little less hot the first of May as opposed to the end of May. But something else to consider is plane fare. The May 29 sailing is a holiday weekend for the US so plane fare may end up higher. Also, hotels over there will likely be higher as well.

 

I wish we could go in May but one DD is graduating HS and that's not til June 7th. Next year I already want to go mid May rather than wait til summer.

 

I would think flying from Malaysia -the opposite direction to Europe- US holidays would not effect plane fare. Only Americans from Hawaii-one state- may fly from Josephine's direction- Josephine should be safe.

 

Josephine, in the states, every county is different-so even in the individual states-children are getting out of school at different times. I live in the Atlanta, Ga, USA area-5 metro counties around me-and every single county has a different school schedule-though they are out by early June in my area. Some county school systems do start summer holiday the Friday before US Memorial Day. Other county school systems (especially in the northern and midwest US) do not get out until a week before July 4th.

 

I understand in England It is late June. I do not know about Europe-I am thinking though-if you leave May 5th you are safe from all.

[cottonball511]

hi everyone,

 

tks for the input.

 

momofmeg, yes, i think the may 5 sailing should be perfect for us malaysians. not too hot and not too crowded.

 

waiting for the cruise fare to drop before booking cos it's too high now at usd2199 for inside stateroom. in march or apr 2011, it was usd1099 but we couldn't commit to such a far away date, so we did not book and now regretted our decision. hope we can get a last minute deal.

 

cheers!