Which Med cruise to book?

[LauraStrick]

Looking seriously at booking a Med cruise for late Sept, or sometime in October. Have no idea which would be better? I know we'd like to see Italy, Greece? Spain? :confused:

 

Opinions?? Thanking you in advance!!

[FreshOffTheBoat]

I would go in September, we have great weather when we went. But which cruises are you looking at? Can you give us the intinerary?

[Aquahound]

Looking seriously at booking a Med cruise for late Sept, or sometime in October. Have no idea which would be better? I know we'd like to see Italy, Greece? Spain? :confused:

 

Opinions?? Thanking you in advance!!

 

What cruises have you looked at and are considering? :confused:

 

I just returned from the Med. We cruised on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. The itinerary was without equal, which was the reason we booked it. We do not regret it because of all we saw, and if we had it all to do over again, we would do the exact same thing. However, I have very little good to say about HAL and that ship. It was by far the most boring and underwhelming cruise ship I have ever sailed on. Luckily, the port intensive cruise did take a lot out of us.

 

As for time, I would go with October.

[momphoto]

We did the Navigator 7 days out of Rome....went a couple days early to see the sites in rome. Our favorite stop was Turkey (ephesus) where we did a private tour......just amazing! Saw the acropolis in Athens......also visited Crete and Sicily. I loved the ship and my only complaint was it was not long enough.....lol

[LauraStrick]

Thanks for the quick responses!! Would prefer Royal, not sure about which ship, or even the itinerary. Just know we'd love to go. Pretty ambiguous, I know!!

[marci22]

Looking seriously at booking a Med cruise for late Sept, or sometime in October. Have no idea which would be better? I know we'd like to see Italy, Greece? Spain? :confused:

 

Opinions?? Thanking you in advance!!

 

The Serenade 12 night Med/Greek Isles would be good for that. Leaves out of Barcelona.

[Scubadoobie2]

Laura,

I have no idea what you would really like. But, maybe seeing some pictures from our VERY recent Eastern Med cruise aboard the Navigator of the Seas will help you decide. We sailed on 05/20/12. It was a cruise of a lifetime. Try the link to some of our pictures from the cruise. Most of the pics are from when we stayed in Rome for 2 days prior to cruise, when we stayed in the port city of Civitavecchia the day prior to the cruise, and from our tours at Ephesus, Turkey and Athens.

 

 

http://s1132.photobucket.com/albums/m580/EddienFamily/Eastern%20Mediterranean%20Cruise%202012/

[silentbob007]

I did a 12-night Western Med on Serenade and liked it quite a bit. I talked to several people who were on the previous sailing that included Greece and Turkey ... they loved Turkey but other than the ruins, thought that Greece was not a great place to visit.

[Iamthesea]

Come join our Roll Call group on the Liberty 9/29. It's only a 7 night, but visits Spain, Italy and France out of Barcelona. No Greece this cruise. We are staying overnight in Barcelona for one pre and two post cruise nights.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Laura,

 

It is important that you first identify the places you would like to visit, then find a ship/line that fits your interests. I would also pay attention to time in ports...you need a full day stop to really see much. We enjoy Royal Caribbean but my two most recent Med cruises have been on Princess and we were very pleased. If you can swing the time off, I would do a 10 night or longer cruise!

[hcazrat]

We've got an 11 Night Greece & Turkey Cruise booked on the Legend of the Seas for Sept. 30, 2013. It's to celebrate our 35th anniversary! It departs from Venice and goes to Dubrovnik, Athens, Ephesus, Bodrum, Rhodes, Santorini, Split, before returning to Venice for an overnighter. It's going to be a long year waiting for this one.

[justfred]

Looking seriously at booking a Med cruise for late Sept, or sometime in October. Have no idea which would be better? I know we'd like to see Italy, Greece? Spain? :confused:

 

Opinions?? Thanking you in advance!!

 

Hi there we have recently returned from the Splendour which departed from Venice visiting Bari,Corfu,Santorini.Kusadasi, & Katakolon with only one sea day and you get to see Italy,Greece,and Turkey, I know that the Splendour is a smaller ship but they have spent millions on her during the recent refit and she is in great condition and the staff on board were all very friendly, you could stay one night pre cruise in Venice to see the sites.

We have just booked to sail on her again for the end of this September, I would suggest September for the temp. hope this helps, if you want any more info please let me know.

 

Chistine & Pete.

[markarmel]

We commenced a cruise on the 9th September 2011 from Venice and had glorious weather the whole 12 nights of the cruise. Places we went to included Split in Croatia,Athens,Santorini,Mykonos and Olympia in Greece,and Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey.

[fermgirl]

Hi there we have recently returned from the Splendour which departed from Venice visiting Bari,Corfu,Santorini.Kusadasi, & Katakolon with only one sea day and you get to see Italy,Greece,and Turkey, I know that the Splendour is a smaller ship but they have spent millions on her during the recent refit and she is in great condition and the staff on board were all very friendly, you could stay one night pre cruise in Venice to see the sites.

We have just booked to sail on her again for the end of this September, I would suggest September for the temp. hope this helps, if you want any more info please let me know.

 

Chistine & Pete.

 

hi there, sorry to thread butt! am on splendour early oct on the same itinerary and wondered if the inside cabins have mini-bar? Also can you remember what time disembarkation started in venice?

many thanks

dee

[blueblock]

Splendour and Navigator both have very nice Eastern Med itineraries - you really can't go wrong.

[co2stay]

We had the same dilemmas. I so want to do Greece but my voice of reason (aka hubby) is very concerned for the financial and civil unrest in Greece right now. We are headed out 9/29 as well with Spain, France, and Italy on the cruise (same as Iamthesea).

 

Things to consider:

• a longer cruise?
  
• New Ports?
  
• Flights?
  
• Any traveling companions?
  
• Schedules?
  
• Cabin Availability?
  
• How much money?
  

A longer cruise might be more for your buck. Do you speak any other languages? Between DH and DD, we have the Spanish covered and are working on French. When the cabash was put on Greece, DH wanted Spain and France, Italy was a bonus for him.

[Racing fan]

In September 2006 we picked Carnival for a 12 day cruise over RCCL 7 day cruise out of Rome, It did not go to Greece but we did see Naples, Croatia, Sicily, Cannes, Barcelona, and other stops. The weather was just great.

[terpfan101]

I've never been on a Med cruise but have traveled a fair bit in Europe (all over the UK, Paris, Venice, Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Santander Spain, and Strasbourg France. I'd love to do a European cruise and think that some of the ports I'd definitely want to visit are the following: Barcalona, Nice France, Monaco, some other Italian ports, Dubrovnik, and perhaps Greek Isles. But I too am overwhelmed by the options available.

[rjrpar]

We did a 12 day - Italy, Croatia, France - from Barcelona last Sept and had a great time. Late Sept and early Oct are beautiful.. I'll probably get ripped for this but check Carnival. The prices are much lower, their food is good, and the ship isn't as important as the ports in the Med.

[Aquahound]

We had the same dilemmas. I so want to do Greece but my voice of reason (aka hubby) is very concerned for the financial and civil unrest in Greece right now.

 

FYI, I just got back from a cruise that visited 3 ports of the Greek Isles....Corfu, Argostoli, and Santorini. There was no sign of trouble at all, and certainly no civil unrest.

[villauk]

You really need to investigate which ports you'd definitely like to visit. We've been on quite a few Med cruises and each one has offered something different. Obviously, the longer the cruise the more you'll see, and you will still be paying the same airfare.

 

Serenade's itinerary out of Barcelona is good (did this on Brilliance a few year's ago), some nice highlights and 12 nights. This itinerary allows you to visit Venice and Eastern Med ports as well as the Western Med. Cruising in or out of Venice is breathtaking. Dubrovnik is also one of our favourite ports.

 

Out of Rome, Mariner or Navigator (Eastern Med - Ephesus a must. Done this and doing again in August). Nice for a pre or post stay in Rome. It will be cooler and better for sightseeing later in the season for this route.

 

Splendour from Venice for the Greek Isles. We were not too keen on Splendour (referring to the ship, not the itinerary), however she has been updated and now has some good reviews. This offers some nice Greek ports.

 

Liberty from Barcelona: again the main West Med itinerary must do's on offer and the added bonus of more ship activities. We did a b2b on Liberty and even though we visited a couple of the same ports, there was still plenty to see/do on our second visit. Monaco is a personal favourite.

 

You really do need to narrow it down to which ports are a 'must' to visit and work from there. Usually, October will be warmer in Greece and Turkey than northern Italy. September is a nice month to travel as the weather is still good. Additionally, the children are all back at school resulting in less crowds at the sights.

 

Sorry it was long, but if you need any further assistance, just ask.

[justfred]

hi there, sorry to thread butt! am on splendour early oct on the same itinerary and wondered if the inside cabins have mini-bar? Also can you remember what time disembarkation started in venice?

many thanks

dee

 

Hi Dee, we had an inside on splendour on May 12th Venice cruise and have booked again but in a balcony cabin departing 29th Sept this year.

There was no mini bar/fridge in the inside cabins but they leave plenty of soft drinks and snacks on the side that can be purchased, if you contact your stateroom attendant they will fill your ice bucket as often as you wish.

We disembarked at 07.45 but from memory you could leave at aprox 6.30 if you wanted, I think the ship actually docked at about 05.00 so if you needed to leave earlier there's nothing stopping you from keeping your cases in your room and taking them with you when ever you want to leave?.

The new flat TV's are nice but not yet equipped to show your on board spending which we thought was odd as the ship had recently been refitted. Hope this info helps.

 

Christine & Pete

[tdk]

Thanks for the quick responses!! Would prefer Royal, not sure about which ship, or even the itinerary. Just know we'd love to go. Pretty ambiguous, I know!!

 

 

 

Just got back from the Navigator as well out of Rome....loved the ship and the ports

[fermgirl]

Hi Dee, we had an inside on splendour on May 12th Venice cruise and have booked again but in a balcony cabin departing 29th Sept this year.

There was no mini bar/fridge in the inside cabins but they leave plenty of soft drinks and snacks on the side that can be purchased, if you contact your stateroom attendant they will fill your ice bucket as often as you wish.

We disembarked at 07.45 but from memory you could leave at aprox 6.30 if you wanted, I think the ship actually docked at about 05.00 so if you needed to leave earlier there's nothing stopping you from keeping your cases in your room and taking them with you when ever you want to leave?.

The new flat TV's are nice but not yet equipped to show your on board spending which we thought was odd as the ship had recently been refitted. Hope this info helps.

 

Christine & Pete

 

 

 

thanks so much! very helpful - now i just have to count the days down!

[hazeleyez3]

Looking seriously at booking a Med cruise for late Sept, or sometime in October. Have no idea which would be better? I know we'd like to see Italy, Greece? Spain? :confused:

 

Opinions?? Thanking you in advance!!

 

One thing to look at, would you ever do a land vacation, and if so, is there a place that you would prefer going?

 

One of the things I concidered was what places I was willing to "limit" my time in. By that I mean, I would go nuts if I only had 9 hours in Rome (for the first time). On the other hand, I don't mind having only 8 hours in Estonia.