best time of year to go on a Mediterranean cruise?

[cruisingfor5]

Going on our third Caribbean cruise in the fall and are already talking about our next one :) We think we would like to try a Mediterranean cruise. With neither of us ever being there we were wondering when would be the best time to go?

[CruiserBruce]

Best in what sense?

 

Reading over on the Med boards would reveal a concensus that September is pretty good, due to more moderate temps and humidities, and lower crowds.

[Maryandi]

I think the best time is now. The only 'bad' time is the heat of the summer.

 

Enjoy, M.A.

[ducklite]

We were there in late May/early June last year. If I do it again I'd probably choose to go a few weeks earlier. After spring break but before Memorial Day. We had a few hot days--not unbearable, but we would have preferred five degrees cooler.

[cruisingfor5]

Just curious for weather as far as exploring and cruising. Want nice warm weather but not roasting. Calmer waters and not too much rain.

[dsrdsrdsr]

For warm weather, you need to look on the weather charts (wikipedia, or most weather sites) for averages. There's no point me telling when you'd be warm if I don't know what you call warm - Canada's a big place, I don't know how hot is too hot for you. But summer is definitely hot.

 

As for calm waters, there's no great advantage any time of year. I've been in September and missed Livorno (and almost missed Rome) because of rough seas, I've been in October and December and it's been calm. Unless you can book at 2 days' notice, it's pot luck.

 

July and August are the busiest times for tourists; but once you get into October, some of the tourist sites may close. Probably not many, though, not close to busy ports anyway.

[Azulann]

Been on two Med cruises in early Sept.

Had rain only one night and one afernoon fro about 1 hour in Rome.

On Eastern Med cruise, the sea was like glass for 11 days and never a cloud in the sky during the day.

It was hot, in the 80's and 90's. but I like sun and hot.

[cruisingfor5]

I like it in the 80's. Hot enough to enjoy but not roasting. I guess I will have to figure out which one I want to do and look into weather for the different area's. Any favorite ports that I should try to go too?

[ducklite]

Dubrovnik, amazing city. I also loved Hvar Croatia. Kotor, more for the cruise through the fjords than the city itself, although that was nice as well.

[sail7seas]

Mid May......

[Kik35]

We cruised the Med last October and the weather was beautiful. Sunny, high 70s, the water was calm and it was not crowded. Would love to go again and would def go in the fall.

[pris993]

We have gone many times, usually go late March thru early May, or late September thru early November. Weather is great, less crowded and sometimes better travel rates. We are going again - leave Apr 4, returnApril 20th.

 

We have cruised Princess, HAL, Cunard, Celebrity, NCL, and Crystal... always have a good time in the Mediterranean.

 

It is one of those places that you can go back again and again.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We cruised the Eastern Med last year the first two weeks in May. The weather was perfect, 70-85 and the seas were very calm; so calm the captain said it was his smoothest Mediterranean cruise ever, so I guess we were lucky, unless it was only his 2nd cruise!

 

Having been in Rome in late April and absolutely boiled (90-100) I would not want to be there in July and August.

 

Now I want to be on a cruise to Venice, but not when the crowds, heat, floods or ice!! in the canals are there. So probably that means May, Sept. or Oct.?

 

Our son was in Venice in August on his honeymoon (we tried to warn them!) and it was so hot and crowded they didn't enjoy it much.

[busmech]

Went last Oct. nice weather, sunny in the 70's. What was nice is in Santorini we were the only ship. But you do take your chance with weather. Also went through in April and had almost nice weather, just a rough windy day for Rome. Just go and have fun.

[cruisemom42]

When I cruised the Med in September it was roasting. Over 100 degrees the day I boarded in Athens (and this was in the last third of the month). It was also 95+ in three other ports.

 

I much prefer October or November. I'll chance a little rain (and on most cruises it isn't much) to avoid the heat AND the crowds.

[flamomo]

Here's another idea ..... last October I boarded the Ruby Princess in Venice for a 19 day cruise. We visited ports for Naples, Rome, and Florence in Italy, then Cannes, France, then Barcelona, Spain. Next was Casablanca, and finally the island of Madeira, Portugal. The cruise ended in Ft Lauderdale.

Prices for transatlantics can be surprisingly good, and Princess EZAir does a fantastic job of finding low fares for the open jaw flights.

IMO, this was a great way to see some of the Mediterranean ports, and made for a nice leisurely way to return to the real world.

[jdvmd]

May and September.