Mediterranean Cruise Would we like it ?

[CENTEX CRUISER]

After 11 cruises ,all to the Caribbean, seeing the same ports, we are considering a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. I have been to Europe, but DW has not..I did some checking and see that we can fly to barcelona RT for about $800 each, which is less than I thought, have not flown in almost 30 years. So, those of you who have experienced the Med cruises, would it be worth it for us in your opinion ? Thanks for any input..

[KuffMUp]

OK, I have to admit I have never been there. That said, my mother did one and loved it. I have read that the itineraries are very port intensive and also expensive (in port). There are certainly lots of things to see and experience. That airfare doesn't sound too bad for flying that far. My recent tickets to Miami were more expensive than our cruise and I am looking at flying to San Juan and it is a bit over $1,000.:eek: As cheap as the Europe cruises are right now I'd say go for it. I would but am limited by DHs vacation time.

[jstducky]

It really depends on what you are looking for.

 

Since you've done Caribbean cruises, does that mean you are the type that likes to relax and lay out on the beach?

 

The Med is a very port intensive cruise. Generally, a 12 day cruise includes 8-10 port days, in 3-5 counties (depending on itinerary). Each port stop is a long day, and intense. Each city is filled with history, most of it anciet, lots and lots and lots of sights, palaces, churches, bell towers, gravestones, geographical features, etc. And a lot of time, there is a lot of travel time in between the port city and where you're actually exploring. For example, the port stop for Rome is Civitavecchia which is about 1:15 by train to Rome, and can be 2-3 hours by car. Livorno is the port stop for Florence, again, it could be up to 1 hour by car. Piraeus is the port stop for Athens, that's a 20 minute walk and a 10-15 minute train ride to Athens, on and on.

 

So, it's really dependent on what you want to do and see whether or not you would like it.

 

Personally, I love Europe. I've done 2 Med cruises, 1 British Isles cruise, and am about to do my 2nd Baltic cruise. Conversely, I've only done 1 Caribbean cruise, and while I enjoyed it, I'm not planning a future trip back there....

 

It's a matter of what you want out of a trip, what you want to do, what you want to see, what you want to experience.

[debbymark]

There may be a lot of ports but you can go at your own pace. I know we live in the UK but we never do any longer than a half day tour as my husband has heart problems

[CENTEX CRUISER]

I want my wife to see all the things you mentioned, so it sounds like it would be good for us. We can always lie on the beach in Cozumel..Thanks for the reply..:)

It really depends on what you are looking for.

 

Since you've done Caribbean cruises, does that mean you are the type that likes to relax and lay out on the beach?

 

The Med is a very port intensive cruise. Generally, a 12 day cruise includes 8-10 port days, in 3-5 counties (depending on itinerary). Each port stop is a long day, and intense. Each city is filled with history, most of it anciet, lots and lots and lots of sights, palaces, churches, bell towers, gravestones, geographical features, etc. And a lot of time, there is a lot of travel time in between the port city and where you're actually exploring. For example, the port stop for Rome is Civitavecchia which is about 1:15 by train to Rome, and can be 2-3 hours by car. Livorno is the port stop for Florence, again, it could be up to 1 hour by car. Piraeus is the port stop for Athens, that's a 20 minute walk and a 10-15 minute train ride to Athens, on and on.

 

So, it's really dependent on what you want to do and see whether or not you would like it.

 

Personally, I love Europe. I've done 2 Med cruises, 1 British Isles cruise, and am about to do my 2nd Baltic cruise. Conversely, I've only done 1 Caribbean cruise, and while I enjoyed it, I'm not planning a future trip back there....

 

It's a matter of what you want out of a trip, what you want to do, what you want to see, what you want to experience.

[loubetti]

Never did Med on RCI, but did it twice on their sister company, Celebrity, for 11 and 12 nights respectively. Top notch!

 

The Med is port intensive, as it should be. We booked shore excursions mostly through Celebrity, but did some stuff on our own in Greece (my wife at the time was Greek!).

 

We're talking often getting up at 6 AM to make an early excursion. It's different than the Caribe, where I hardly bother to get off the ship any more after so many of them.

 

Med cruises are just different than Caribe cruises, unless you care not to see anything. I saw Malta twice, and it was worth it. Palma de Majorca was well worth it, but there we just walked around town, and took no tour. We did Santorini with a ship's tour, and then had a bunch of time on our own to walk around. We did Athens on our own. We did a tour in Turkey which was worth it, along with one to Rome and Florence (had been there before on land vacations).

 

It's not so much a "vacation" as a "tour", you will be up and about early if you so desire, otherwise, why go? Whether you book tours with the ship or do your own thing, it's still very much touring.

[akcruz]

To us definitely worth it. We did a med cruise on Navigator last summer with our kids wrapped in an additional week on land.

 

We very much enjoyed the cruise, but it definitely is different than a caribbean cruise. In the med you go for the ports, not the ship. Most days will start early and end late, leaving less energy to stay up to do the cruise thing. We purposely picked Navigator as it had 2 sea days while most others only had 1 in the week.

 

Depending on what you want to do you may or may enjoy. I know on our last tour daying my son asked "more rubble!" :eek:. Yes it was "rubble" but interesting rubble. If you aren't interested in history or such and prefer the beach you might now like it too much.

 

If you can get $800 rt air, and you think it might interest you, give a try. We are glad we did.

[BobbyD]

Last summer we did a 12 day Med cruise. Went on the Carnival Magic, but RCI had the identical itinerary. It was worth every penny. It was an awesome cruise and like previous posts, very port intensive. We did mostly private tours (Rome in Limo). It was an exhausting 12 days (followed by 5 days in Paris) but worth it! We are now thinking about when we can get to the Eastern Med! I'm sure you'll love it, but don't think you're going on a relaxing cruise. You will be busy!

[jst4fun715]

Read this review...it is of a 12 day Serenade cruise. It is so much fun to read and will give you a good idea of the ports, tours you can take and it is filled with wonderful pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1668619

[hazeleyez3]

One thing I have always thought of is the port times.

 

Since I have never thought to myself, "I want to spend a week in Tallinn". I was willing to book our cruise next month. Sure we know of things we want to do/visit in the cities, and we will be off the ship as soon as possible to do them; however, they just aren't ones that are on my bucket list.

 

On the flip side, I have a long list of cities and places to visit in Italy. Having a 12 hour port stop in Rome (which would really mean about 9 in the city) is not worth it (to me). I'd be rushing around like crazy to make sure I get a glimpse of all the sites or choose to miss a few so I could spend more time at another. I need to have a land vacation there before I consider a W. Mediterranean cruise.

[mskaufman]

We had done 8 previous cruises and this year we did a Med cruise (Lib of Seas). It was really great. It is different than a Carrib cruise as we spent a lot more time off the boat. You never get to see a city in depth but you get a "taste" of a lot. The link to my pictures is below so you can see how much we saw in 10 days (a couple of days in Barcelona on the front end).

 

http://markandkareneurope2012.shutterfly.com/

[BillOh]

I'm glad you asked and have enjoyed the answers. We are in the same boat, pun intended, but having changed jobs a few times in the past 10 years, I don't have as much vacation as my wife does so 12 day cruises are out of the question and I would think you have to plan an extra day each way. I highly enjoyed a few of the recent med reviews including that Mad Klingon lady (sorry forget your username)

[KathyPet]

As others have said we have done two Med cruises (Rome to Athens and Barcelona to ROme) and I have loved both of them. Still one more on the bucket list and that is to sail from Venice. I really love that history and culture thing so I was thrilled.

They are very port intensive. Lots of walking so not for the faint of heart. You have to get up early in the morning to eat and be ready for a 8 or 8:15 tour departure time so no staying up late dancing until midnight. Depending upon the time of the year very, very hot and humid. We did our last one in early September and the day we were in Pompeii it hit 100 degrees. No shade their either. THe heat can really tale its toll on you and by the time we returned to the ship I had to take a short nap of I would not even have made it to dinner.

I would not do another unless I could get a early October departure date.

[mchcruiser1000]

Never cruised the Med, but have been to all of the countries on the itinerary and even lived on Crete for a year and a half. I think it would be very much worth your effort, especially as your wife has never been to Europe. The weather is much the same as the Carib (although drier in the summer), but the history is facinating. After reading KansCoaco's review (the one cited above) I'm torn between the Med cruise or the Arctic circle cruise now...and I've only been to Norway once!!!:confused:

[guineapig]

Having only done one Caribbean cruise (a special for our wed anniversary)-which was our first cruise and one of the best! I would say travel to the Med/Eastern/Western etc, we love the different ports, yes it can be very "busy" lots to see-plan ahead what would be your "must sees" choose your itinerary for the cities you want to see. For myself I love Venice been twice would go again tomorrow very easy to walk around on your own-just the time that constrains you. Rome we did over a long weekend (4 days), not on a cruise, but it is a "must see" city, maybe add it on to the end of a cruise, lots to see! There has not been anywhere we have visited that we did not enjoy, can be tiring, a challenge with the language, weather can vary alot! But I must say we have visited alot of places and all are well worth the effort. Hope to come back over to the Caribbean one day. Have visited California and Florida before but not on cruises-wonderful country, great people!

[joe6666]

We just did a 7 day Med cruise on MSC Fantasia.

The 7 days were part of another two weeks staying with the Wife's Son's family in Italy.

All the ports had much more to see and do than Carib ports.

 

Lots of fun. but no 24/7 Bob Marly music...... Dang :)

[sailawayjack]

After 11 cruises ,all to the Caribbean, seeing the same ports, we are considering a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. I have been to Europe, but DW has not..I did some checking and see that we can fly to barcelona RT for about $800 each, which is less than I thought, have not flown in almost 30 years. So, those of you who have experienced the Med cruises, would it be worth it for us in your opinion ? Thanks for any input..

 

:cool:I did the 12 day Barcelona to Barcelona, and loved it. I would go over a day early, and stay a day late. Book late seating since your days are busy, and it gives you a time to relax after getting back on the ship. Make sure it has the Dubrovnik stop in it. Biggest surprise of cruise. I did not expect anything, and loved it. Venice--should be two days. Take excursion to Maurono and Burono (lace island). In barcelona, take double decker bus in both directions. Best way to see city:cool:JACK I$ $AILING AGAIN

[hcazrat]

Like has already been said, it all depends on what you're looking for in a vacation. The very first cruise we ever took was to the Mediterranean and although the cruise itself left a little bit to be desired (another cruise line), we enjoyed all of the ports tremendously. That cruise was to the Western Mediterranean and we decided then we'd have to go back and do the Eastern at some point. That's scheduled for next year!!!

 

If you enjoy variety in your travels and love to see new places, I'd say go for it. It's not something we could do every year due to the expense of getting there, but definitely something we want to do every few years. Lots of places still left to be explored.

[Grumpy100]

You would love it. We have done approx. 20 cruises and 1 has been to the Mediterrean, one to the British Isles, one to Norway and we are going back next November, 2013 to do Greece and Italy and the eastern mediterrean.

Doing a couple of the same ports again but that's OK because I am sure we missed a few things.

We have done Alaska, 3 times, Australia, South American, Hawaii, New England and about 5 to the caribbean, eastern and western.

We are doing another eastern caribbean this November and I would cruise just about anywhere as long as it is a cruise.

But...you will love the Mediterrean. You might consider when you are going because I like to go either in May or November when it is cooler and it is not as crowded.

Happy sailing.:p:p:p

[CENTEX CRUISER]

This is great, as this is the ship I was thinking about..Thanks much..

Read this review...it is of a 12 day Serenade cruise. It is so much fun to read and will give you a good idea of the ports, tours you can take and it is filled with wonderful pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1668619

[jstducky]

Yes, time of year would certainly be something to consider. Beginning and end of the Europe cruise season is more desirable. During the summer months, it's hot, and crowded. Not only are all the Americans traveling, but a lot of Europeans travel as well, especially in August. So, if you want to avoid long lines at popular tourist attractions, and the sweltering heat, try May, early June or October. My first Med cruise was in July and it wasn't too bad, but my 2nd one was in August, and after the end of the cruise, while I loved it, I vowed not to go back to the Med in August as it was just too hot and unbearable and incredibly crowded everywhere (so I'm doing the Baltic in August instead!).

 

Also, something that has been briefly mentioned here too, take into consideration that even though the US Dollar is strong vs the Euro right now, stronger than it has been in many years, Europe is still expensive. If you can get yourself a r/t air to Barcelona for $800 pp that's an incredible deal. But you'll also have to factor in transportation, meals and hotel cost in Barcelona either pre or post cruise, or both, and that can add up. Even a budget-type hotel in Barcelona can run 100 Euros, which at today's exchange is $123 USD. And since the cruise is more port intensive, that means you'll need tours (either through the ship or private) in some of the cities, and those costs can quickly add up. It's not unusual to spend $100-$300 on a tour to Rome for the day, per person, for example. So, multiple those tour costs by 5-9 port stops and that adds up. And even if you do some cities on your own, you'll probably still need to pay for transportation. For instance, Dubrovnik, you can easily take a taxi from the pier to the walled old medieval town, but I believe, if I remember correctly, a taxi will cost you about 10-15 Euros ($12.30 - $18.45), then there's the entrance fee for the walled town, and then probably a snack/meal/small souvenirs in town, and then taxi back again. Before you know it, you've easily spent 40 Euros or more in a small town, and that's for a town that's relatively close to the pier. Sure, some ports won't be as expensive, but some will be much more so. So you need to factor in the costs for traveling to Europe as opposed to the Caribbean.

 

As I said before, it's not for everyone, but if this is your opportunity to see Europe, I'd say go for it. It's a fascinating place filled with so much history, culture, people, places, etc.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Thank you for all the great replies, so helpful..I lived in Madrid for 2 years in 1969 & 70 , USAF , but it has been so long , I have forgotten so much. Have been to Italy and France, can't tell you the names of cities ? But I really want my wife to see some of Europe before we run out of years...My next issue is learning the ropes as far as flying, airport transfers , etc . You have got me really wanting to go though...We have 3 scheduled cruises now, so this would be after that, probably Oct 0f 2014, about 6 months from now when you are my age...:)

[mjldvlks]

We did our Eastern Med cruise in Nov. [of 2007] The weather was great for touring, but some sites/attractions [e.g. certain boat tours on Corfu, and some Rhine River day tours we thought about during our layover in Germany] were starting to close because it was so late in the season. For that reason, I think your October plan is pretty much ideal.

 

As others have said, there is a lot to see. But don't kill yourself. You will never see it all even if you had weeks in each port area. So don't stress about what you don't get to. Do your research and pick a reasonable number of things in each port. I will add that we found the people everywhere we went [Germany, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, England, and France] to be friendly and helpful.

 

I agree that Europe can also be expensive, but you can control the cost if you want. Public transportation is usually available and reasonable. You can see a lot just by walking around. Whatever you decide to do, I encourage you to go. We have done the Eastern Med and a TA ending in Southampton [with follow on trip to Normandy] in the last few years. We enjoyed both immensely. If Venice is an option, take it. The sail away down the Canale Della Giudecca and past St. Mark's Square cannot be beat.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Great information..Thank you :)

Yes, time of year would certainly be something to consider. Beginning and end of the Europe cruise season is more desirable. During the summer months, it's hot, and crowded. Not only are all the Americans traveling, but a lot of Europeans travel as well, especially in August. So, if you want to avoid long lines at popular tourist attractions, and the sweltering heat, try May, early June or October. My first Med cruise was in July and it wasn't too bad, but my 2nd one was in August, and after the end of the cruise, while I loved it, I vowed not to go back to the Med in August as it was just too hot and unbearable and incredibly crowded everywhere (so I'm doing the Baltic in August instead!).

 

Also, something that has been briefly mentioned here too, take into consideration that even though the US Dollar is strong vs the Euro right now, stronger than it has been in many years, Europe is still expensive. If you can get yourself a r/t air to Barcelona for $800 pp that's an incredible deal. But you'll also have to factor in transportation, meals and hotel cost in Barcelona either pre or post cruise, or both, and that can add up. Even a budget-type hotel in Barcelona can run 100 Euros, which at today's exchange is $123 USD. And since the cruise is more port intensive, that means you'll need tours (either through the ship or private) in some of the cities, and those costs can quickly add up. It's not unusual to spend $100-$300 on a tour to Rome for the day, per person, for example. So, multiple those tour costs by 5-9 port stops and that adds up. And even if you do some cities on your own, you'll probably still need to pay for transportation. For instance, Dubrovnik, you can easily take a taxi from the pier to the walled old medieval town, but I believe, if I remember correctly, a taxi will cost you about 10-15 Euros ($12.30 - $18.45), then there's the entrance fee for the walled town, and then probably a snack/meal/small souvenirs in town, and then taxi back again. Before you know it, you've easily spent 40 Euros or more in a small town, and that's for a town that's relatively close to the pier. Sure, some ports won't be as expensive, but some will be much more so. So you need to factor in the costs for traveling to Europe as opposed to the Caribbean.

 

As I said before, it's not for everyone, but if this is your opportunity to see Europe, I'd say go for it. It's a fascinating place filled with so much history, culture, people, places, etc.

[daveky]

Just came off my first Med cruise this past June and had a great time. Had never done a cruise in Euro/Med, and wondered if I would like it. Agree with other posts, it's more of a tour type vacation. Still digesting all we did. Sailed the Splendour out of Venice (staying a nice in Venice before boarding and a night in Venice when the got off the ship). Lots of sites to see, history to take in, really enjoyed Ephesus. I would recommend it.