would you sail in May or September? (any advantage of one over other?)

[NalCruiser]

for mediterrenean off season, would you choose May or September and why? Is early June better than any of those?

[Travelcat2]

It would be helpful to know specifically the ports you are referring to. We were in the Med in late April - May 13th (Istanbul, Greek Islands, Italian Riviera). In Istanbul, it can still be very hot in early September. IMO, October is the best time to travel there. While June is not as hot as July/August in Greece and Italy, May and late September/early October are still better.

 

You may also want to consider crowds and/or children. Once school is out of session, there are a lot of children on cruise ships and in port. According to the tour guides we spoke to, August is the worst month to travel in the Med., followed by July. Mid to late May, mid to late September and October are the best.

[texancruzer]

Can only comment on May as we have not sailed in September.

 

We sailed Celebrity Solstice for her very first Med cruise in May 2009. We left Rome (Civi) on May 3rd and ended May 14th back in Rome.

 

We enjoyed this time frame..... having previously sailed the Med in November (late Nov.) which we also enjoyed.

 

Many areas had flowers blooming already so very "springy" and while warm it was not really beach weather. So if that is a factor - go later. In Ephesus it was already quite warm as was Athens. Not summer crazy hot tho :eek: as I just won't travel to Europe in that heat...... not enjoyable at all for me.

 

We did our third Med cruise last November (but early Nov) and it was perfect for us....... cool/cold nights (depending on where we were) and nice comfortable days for lots of sightseeing. Best prices then too !

[iancal]

IF we are wrapping a land tour around a cruise, our preference for the Greek Islands would be mid May-mid June. The reason for this is by mid October the locals on the islands can be a little 'tired' of tourists. We find that at the beginning of the season they are a little more welcoming.

 

Having said that, we toured Turkey last October after a Med cruise. People could not have been friendlier and more helpful. We are biased though-Greece and Turkey are two of our favourite vacation spots. You see so much more when you do a land based trip.

[TLCOhio]

It would be helpful to know specifically the ports you are referring to. We were in the Med in late April - May 13th (Istanbul, Greek Islands, Italian Riviera). In Istanbul, it can still be very hot in early September. IMO, October is the best time to travel there. While June is not as hot as July/August in Greece and Italy, May and late September/early October are still better. You may also want to consider crowds and/or children. Once school is out of session, there are a lot of children on cruise ships and in port. According to the tour guides we spoke to, August is the worst month to travel in the Med., followed by July. Mid to late May, mid to late September and October are the best.

 

Excellent above summary by Travelcat2 and other good insights, questions, etc. We have done mid June and had super success on both times for the Greek Island and around Italy, etc. Nice and warm, but not too hot, beating the school kids/family holiday rush.

 

Much depends on your family/personal/work needs and schedules. Tell us more on your specific needs/interests, locations desired, etc.

 

You can go to

http://www.wunderground.com

and check for the very specific weather history on many of the key towns in the world for their past temperatures in that specific area for a date in the past. Just look lower left in the page for weather history area, put in your exact dates and the year prior. You will then see what last year was like, along with recent highs and lows for that date there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 89,339 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[sire_bobbie]

We were in the Med last Nov and found it chilly, the day we were in Athens was colder than the UK!! Only a couple of warm days, cool evenings. I think next time we would go a little earlier in the year.

[renebfl]

I like May because the days are longer. Sun sets earlier in the fall

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Airfare tends to be cheaper in the spring so that is a consideration.