European Cruiselines--which one???

[kimber0504]

Hello!

 

My daughter and I have always wanted to go to Europe. I figured I would visit certain ports on a cruise. I do not know much about the cruise lines out there, so I am seeking recommendations. If you have any recommendations about ships and ports, please let me know!

 

By the way, she will be in finishing her Junior Year of College! She speaks Spanish fluently and is a whiz with languages, so I am not panicking about different countries and not understanding :D

 

Thank you everyone!

Kim

[rebeccalouiseagain]

If she speaks fluent Spanish you might want to start in Barcelona. I love Celebrity cruises but there won't be many people her age on that line. There may be more young people on NCL and I haven't cruised them in years.

The best cruise ports IMO are

 

Venice, Istanbul, Villefranche, Santorini and Dubrovnik. Barcelona is a good cruise port too (but I got pick-pocketed there so not a big fan).

 

There are wonderful places inland like Rome and Florence but the ports that feed these are far away.

 

Since you posted this on British Isles- I can say that I did Celebrity Equinox to Norway and it was wonderful and Grand Princess around the British Isles and that was great too.

[tom_uk]

Do you mean a genuine European cruise line? Or a US line that operates out of a European port?

 

For the former, the main players would be Costa and MSC in the Italian market, and P&O and Cunard in the UK. Costa and MSC operate a 'five language' policy - all announcements are repeated five times over, in Italian, French, German, Spanish & English. Then there's also Louis Cruises in the E Med (pretty cheap & cheerful, I gather), several German-language only lines (TUI; Hapag-LLoyd; Phoenix Reisen); and Pullmantur, which is a Spanish line, and pretty much Spanish/French/Italian speaking. It's fair to say that on Costa, MSC, Pullmantur, and the German lines, native English speaking passengers will be in a very small minority.

 

Alternatively, most of not all of the mainstream US lines base ships in Europe, at least for the spring/summer/autumn period. You also have a choice: they all base ships in the Mediterranean, and several (Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean) also base at least one ship in the UK, doing mainly longer cruises (typically 14 nights) from the UK to the Med and the Baltic.

[Bruin Steve]

Hello!

 

My daughter and I have always wanted to go to Europe. I figured I would visit certain ports on a cruise. I do not know much about the cruise lines out there, so I am seeking recommendations. If you have any recommendations about ships and ports, please let me know!

 

By the way, she will be in finishing her Junior Year of College! She speaks Spanish fluently and is a whiz with languages, so I am not panicking about different countries and not understanding :D

 

Thank you everyone!

Kim

 

Kim,

I sense you are just looking for some help in general, not necessarily that you want infor on specifically European cruise lines, buit more on cruise lines that might offer you cruises to ports in Europe...

 

First thing to look at is itinerary...

There are a lot of different variations on European cruises--going to different parts of Europe...

Many will cover the two prime cruising areas--the Mediterranean or the Baltic, but there are other variations as well--Norwegian Fjords, Blacks Sea, British Isles and a number of Coastal cruises that head south toward the Mediterranean from Britain...

 

My personal favorites...and possibly the best considering your daughter's age group...are Mediterranean cruises...

Baltic cruises and Norwegian Fjord cruises tend to attract a little older crowd and don't have the advantages of warm weather, etc.

For the most part, the Med offers more history, archaeology, art and architecture...and, perhaps, more interesting culture and food...

Norwegian Fjord cruises are great for scenery...Baltic cruises give you the Scandinavian capitals (Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki) plus the incredible history and architecture of St. Petersburg...

 

But the Mediterranean gives you what I believe to be the best variety of interesting ports...almost every port is a gem...and some are large cities with impressive history, some are smaller ports with incredible beauty...there are some great beaches in some ports if you want an off-day from touring...just a lot of variation...

 

There are localized cruises that just do part of the Med--like the Greek Isles or the Adriatic or the Wesatern Med...and there are some "Grand Mediterranean" itineraries that sweep across the Med from West to East or vice-versa...

 

For a first timer, I would choose one of these Grand Itineraries...Our first Med cruise went from Venice to Barcelona stopping in Dubrovnik, Corfu, Athens, Santorini, Naples, Rome, Livorno and Nice...That is the type of itinerary I would recommend to a Med newbie...several countries, some big cities, some small ones...and starting and ending in different places so you can tack on a few extra nights at either end to enjoy those cities in depth...

 

But, consider what it is in Europe that you want to see, then look for cruises that go there...

 

As to cruise lines, there are different lines for different people...Everyone has different criteria and different standards...What might be a great line for me might not be for you...

 

Personally, my favorite is Celebrity...best value for the money, IMHO...large but fairly uncrowded ships, great food and service...

I also like Oceania--great itineraries, food and service--but it is a bit pricer and the passengers a bit older...Royal Caribbean is a great line with a little younger overall clientele...I would avoid Carnival (they're too crowded and cut too many corners) and of course, Costa...

 

As was noted, some cruise lines cater more to Europeans (like Costa and MSC)...Some have a little older clientele (though on a port-intensive Med cruise, it matters less)...

 

Assuming you might weant something with good food, entertainment and a nice mix of ages and reasonable pricing, I would recommend looking first at Celebrity, then Royal Caribbean, then, maybe Princess...But, of course, some people may differ on preferences...

 

I look at things like the Space-per-passenger ratios (divide the number of passengers into the gross tonnage of the ship to see how crowded or uncrowded the ship will be--this affects both the service and the "feel" of the ship)...

 

When you look at itineraries, along with which ports you visit, considder the hours you are in port--some cruises allow for late hours in some ports--even some "overnights"...some have very short hours in some ports...

 

Remember, many European ports are fairly distant from the sites you will want to visit--so they require extra time and expense--or costlier tours--to get to and from those sites...

 

Just start pulling up cruise itineraries from the time frame in which you want to visit and start comparing the cruises...and come back here and ask with any questions...

 

Good luck...

 

Ps. Just let me add a note about the US-based cruise lines versus those "European" lines...The advantages for the US-based lines (ie Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc.) are 1) Everyone onboard speaks English--the waiters, the crew, the bar servers, etc., 2) Entertainment is in English, 3) Any shore excursions (port tours) purchased through the ship will be in English, 4) the menus will be easily within the understanding of those of us who speak English, 5) Everything should be up to the typical "American Standards"...

 

Pps. Though your daughter is a whiz at languages, it won't be that big a problem...Almost everywhere you go, you will find a lot of people who can speak English...We've traveled extensively in Europe...and, especially in the traditional cruise ports, they are very well prepared to deal with you in English...and, I have also found that MY Spanish is NOT the same Spanish they may be using in Spain...I had the most difficult time trying to order "Camarrones" in a restaurant in Barcelona--the waiter had no clue as to what I was asking for...until I figured out that in Spain, it's "Gambas"...

[Almagetty]

I also like Oceania--great itineraries, food and service--but it is a bit pricer and the passengers a bit older...

 

Hi Steve:

 

I'm curious about this and hope you can expand a little further on it. My DH and I are very close to booking the Marina for next year to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We're looking at a September 2013 cruise sailing from Southampton to Barcelona. I think you may have done a very similar cruise on Marina. I've read your trip report and value your opinion. We will both be 50 at the time of the cruise. How will we fit in age wise with the Oceania crowd?

 

Thanks!

[Bruin Steve]

Hi Steve:

 

I'm curious about this and hope you can expand a little further on it. My DH and I are very close to booking the Marina for next year to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We're looking at a September 2013 cruise sailing from Southampton to Barcelona. I think you may have done a very similar cruise on Marina. I've read your trip report and value your opinion. We will both be 50 at the time of the cruise. How will we fit in age wise with the Oceania crowd?

 

Thanks!

 

We're not much older than you (in our 50s--though my wife is more around your age)...

We did feel that we were among the younger people on board...I'd say the overwhelming majority were in the 60-75 range...but, with the Marina being a bit larger than O's other ships, there were a few more in our general age range onboard...We managed to find others with whom we got along well--some our age, some a little older (yes, some folks who might be in their 60s still manage to be fun to be around)...

 

IOW, it wouldn't keep me from doing the cruise...

 

In fact, I think the passenger mix on our recent Celebrity Eclipse cruise was about as old as on Marina...Face it, with longer, more expensive cruises, you tend to get an older crowd--people who are done paying off their mortgages and with their kids out of school and "off the payroll"...

 

All in all, though, it really is an OUTSTANDING ship...and the best food we've ever had at sea...The specialty restaurants are included--and each one is excellent...and that itnierary (or the variations thereof--ours went all the way to Rome) is really interesting with some very different ports going around France and Spain on the Atlantic side...

 

Have fun...

[hubofhockey]

My two cents.

 

The most important thing in a European cruise is the itinerary. I agree with others that the best first cruise in Europe is a Mediterranean cruise. I would even narrow that down to Western Mediterranean. For young people, ports like Barcelona, Civatavecchia (for Rome), Livorno (for Florence), and Naples (for Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast) are the basic ports and you work from there. From there, choose a cruise anywhere from 7 to 12 days, depending on how much time you have or how much time you would rather spend at the original or ending port. Many of these will start or end in Barcelona, which is a fabulous port with a great nightlife, beaches, restaurants, architecture, and young people. While the language is Catalan, it is close to Spanish. Other ports on this itinerary could include Monaco (for Nice/Monte Carlo), Marseille (for Provence or city), or even Sicily. NCL and Princess have "Grand Med" itineraries, which start in either Barcelona or Venice and end in the other and also include ports such as Istanbul, Ephesus (Kusadasi), Athens, and Mykonos (greek island). That is my favorite itinerary.

 

As far as cruise lines go, of the mass market lines, Carnival and NCL offer more budget pricing and Princess, Celebrity, and RCI offer higher prices, but nicer ships and perhaps better amenities. It's all personal preference and budget based.

 

What I really like about summer Med cruises is that days at sea are as fun as days on a Caribbean cruise because you get the nice hot summer days. We also like to get a port with a beach day or swimming like Mykonos, Capri, or Mallorca. It's getting the best of both worlds (culture and fun in the sun). I would contrast this to our British Isles cruise, where I wore shorts maybe one time the whole cruise.

[Almagetty]

Thanks, Steve. That's pretty much what I thought. It does look like an amazing itinerary and most of the ports will be new to us. We've heard wonderful things about the Marina, Oceania's food and Oceania's service. It's going to be our first cruise in a very long time where it is just the two of us. We normally cruise with our DD's, but they're both in college and grad school now, and 25th anniversaries come along only once, so we're looking forward to being spoiled on Oceania.

 

We have many interesting and fun friends who are in their 60's and even older :eek:. We aren't age snobs, lol. You've given me a good idea on what to expect.

 

OP: Sorry for hijacking your post.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

You did say that your daughter is a junior in college- you can sign a waiver to allow her to drink onboard because the technical drinking age is 21 but if she is over 18 she can with your consent (ask about this ahead of time).

 

If this is a mother-daughter, port intensive trip... I think the only thing that really matters is good food, a comfortable bed and some nightlife for her.

 

I would probably do NCL because many people with children pick this line due to it's affordability. I know on my last NCL cruise (in 2005) my older son, then 17, had an absolute ball and met many kids his own age. For my part- I enjoyed the ship too. It isn't as sophisticated as Celebrity, Princess or Holland America but your daughter will have a chance to meet people her own age and I think that's important. When I was 20- I was all about socializing. She may even meet other families that you can tour around with- which I really enjoyed. I am a single parent and take it from me- if your child isn't having fun, it's a real bummer. You spend all this money and want them to be over-joyed.

 

I wouldn't want to be on a ship where there weren't people in my age group.

[xcomet]

While I would normally recommend RCCL, I can def say that there were no one my daughters ages (18-20) on the med cruise this past summer. Plenty of kids, plenty of unde 18,plenty of over 30

[azrose]

I agree with picking the itinerary first! Pick the ports that are the most interesting. You will probably be spending much more of your time in port that even on the ship! I took my then-16 year old son on a Carnival Med cruise in 2005. It was a perfect mix of intense ports -- which he liked since it wasn't "boring" on the ship -- and enough to entertain him on our 2 sea days (meaning the video game room)...

[kimber0504]

Everyone has given me such great advice! I know she really wants to visit France, England, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Too bad these ports are soooo far apart! I am not worried about the age thing as I like talking to people who are more mature. As for my daughter, even without the nightlife she is fine! I am one of those people whose kid hangs out with her mother and won't leave (LOL!) I enjoy historical tours and learning about the cultures of these countries.

 

Now for the research...I will begin with pricing these different lines and different itineraries.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

It is hard to do justice to all those place and when you say England, France, Spain, Italy and Greece- is she thinking London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Athens?

 

I'm assuming you are going between Mid-May and Mid-August if she is a college student.

 

You can do a cruise that visits Spain, France, Italy and Greece. You could fly to England first and get over your jetlag. England is a good place for this because you speak the language and won't be as overwhelmed. Then you can fly into Barcelona and end in Venice. The way you do the air is do a split ticket to London and return from Venice. and a one way London-Barcelona.

 

Almost all the cruise lines offer Barcelona- Venice in May and airfare and cruises are cheaper in May.

 

Here is a great one on Holland America. I love that you sail into Venice and overnight there and all the countries that you mentioned are represented!

 

Wed, May 15 Barcelona 4:00 P

2 Thu, May 16 Marseille 8:00 A 5:00 P

3 Fri, May 17 Monte Carlo 8:00 A 6:00 P

4 Sat, May 18 Livorno 7:00 A 8:00 P

5 Sun, May 19 Rome/Civitavecchia 7:00 A 7:00 P

6 Mon, May 20 Naples 8:00 A 5:00 P

7 Tue, May 21 Strait of Messina

7 Tue, May 21 Messina 10:00 A 6:00 P

8 Wed, May 22 At Sea

9 Thu, May 23 Katakolon 8:00 A 5:00 P

10 Fri, May 24 Corfu 8:00 A 5:00 P

11 Sat, May 25 Dubrovnik 8:00 A 4:00 P

12 Sun, May 26 Venice 1:00 P

13 Mon, May 27 Venice 5:00 A

[sunsetbeachgal]

You might also check out Princess...they have a Grand Med. And a Greek Isles itinerary both of which have great ports and they also have nice ships. My friend just cruised on the Crown Princess with her college age granddaughter and said there were alot of young people on the ship.

[jocap]

The legal drinking age on any European-based ship is 18 years, which is the age of reaching adulthood; also on any RCI ship other than those sailing from North America.

My suggestion is to fly to the UK, and take a sailing with RCI's Independence of the Seas- a vast ship, run on mainly American lines with a few UK additions (kettles in cabins, no tipping on bar sales etc). It may feel more familiar to you than, say, P&O or Costa etc. You'll probably stop in Northern Spain, before reaching the Rock of Gibraltar, and see a different part of the less popular Spain this way. The rest of the cruise may well circle the Western Med, before returning to the UK.

If you extend this pre or post cruise, you could take a train to France, or Belgium, or further afield in N. Europe- all a short distance from the UK. The passengers will be mainly from N. America and the UK, with a smaller mixture of N. Europeans.

Just a thought! ;)

Jo.

[Giantfan13]

before we cruised Europe, we also were debating about which itinerary to choice from and which cruise line. We are really not into very hot weather, which you could very well get in the Mediteranean in summer so we opted to go further north and do a Baltic Cruise (they are still in Europe, yes:D).

 

The thought of visiting such world cities as Copenhagen, Helsinki, Berlin, Stockholm, and St Petersberg Russia was overwhelming and we did that cruise in mid August. It was simply magnificent and a true dream come true.

We cruised this with NCL and though it might not have been as elegant as other cruise lines, most of these cruises are very port intensive so you should worry more about which ports you might want to see and then try and see which cruise lines do that itinerary.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Len