Europe 2006

[maestra]

I need some info about the European cruises. My friends and I want to do a cruise next June or July. Can anyone who's been on the Grand Princess, make some suggestions? We are sailing the Caribbean Princess in July.

 

Maestra

[sema4]

Hello Maestra,

Depending on what itinery you are looking for, that would determine what ship you would choose. My wife and I are booked on the Golden 6/3/06 fo 12 days Med/ greek isles. It is packed with ports...not a relaxing cruise but Europe isn't easy to get to every year(cost) so we decided to see as much as we can. We also sailed on Caribbean last summer and the Star in March...all grand class ships.

Patrick

[maestra]

We are looking at the Grand Princess sometime in June or July. I was wondering what these cruises are like. We've been on 8 cruises but want to see Rome and Greece.

 

Maestra

[pvmkmyer]

I've taken several Mediterranean cruises on various lines, including Princess, and am planning another on the Golden next year in June. I can't tell you about the specific ship, but I can tell you that cruising the Med is a wonderful experience, but can be tiring. The itineraries are packed with ports and very few at-sea days, so you are going all the time. I think the western Mediterranean is a bit easier than the eastern Med, simply because there are so many ruins to see in the latter. If you really like history and looking at ruins, then Italy, Greece and Turkey are the places to go. Some major attractions aren't that close to the ports, so you will have long travel days at those ports (Rome and Florence are the most notable ones in this category).

 

I also recommend taking some time both before and after the cruise to see a little more of your beginning and ending ports. You don't want to arrive after a long overnight flight and then have to get on the ship and sail away. Whether you choose to do the western Med (such as Spain, Portugal and the French Riviera) or the eastern Med (Italy, Greece, Turkey, Croatia) is completely up to you. They are different trips. I've done both and one isn't better than the other, just different.

 

My personal preference is to either begin or end a cruise in Rome. It is a fascinating city with lots to see, thousands of years of history, and it needs at least 4-5 days to see just the major sights. You can't begin to do it justice on a one-day cruise stop.

 

One last bit of advice: If you have to travel in the summer months, like me, then you should go as early in June as possible. The mediterranean can get oppressively hot by mid-July through August. It's no fun walking ruins in this heat. There's a reason all the Europeans head for the beach at this time of year.

 

I hope this helps and doesn't confuse you even more.

[katisdale]

I love to cruise in Europe. Do go to the europe board here on cruise critic to get excellent ideas for tours in the cities you will visit. I would second the idea to spend some extra time in Rome if at all possible. Since you are cruising on the CB this summer make an open booking so you can get the room credit and the low deposit.