Trying to plan a Med. cruise and am overwhelmed!

[griffy116]

Thanks for all the great responses. I see that people still use travel agents on here. I can't remember the last time I used one and don't know if I really like the idea. I don't like the idea of having to get my questions answered through them and wait for the replies.:) Is it advantageous, however, to do so?

 

Marco, may I ask what cruiseline you are going on?

 

We use a travel agent that specializes in cruises only. He's accessible and is ALWAYS quick to get back with us, plus gives us little perks (wine, OBC, etc) for the booking. He makes sure our cabin is in a good spot for our tastes too. Takes some of the stress off things for me.

[CherylCT]

Thanks for all the great advice. To make things worse, we're now thinking of combining a land portion of the trip as well.:eek:

[paul929207]

Thanks for all the great advice. To make things worse, we're now thinking of combining a land portion of the trip as well.:eek:

Just pick a few places you really want to see and then plan around them.

[Travel R]

I will be leaving on a Western Med cruise in less than two weeks. Some things we had to consider to help narrow it down:

 

1) Itinerary - We had narrowed down the coutries we wanted to visit. For us, it was important to go in Rome, so that is where we will begin (and have time pre-cruise to enjoy the city). Also some of the smaller ships are able to stop at smaller ports that may be "must-sees" on your personal list, but you be giving up the bells and whistles of the larger ships.

 

2) Timing & Duration - Due to work and kids (school & camp), we had to choose a period where the DDs did not have school [yes, I know others do try to avoid cruises at this time].

 

3) Weather & Holidays - It gets hot -- very hot -- in the mid to late summer in many of those countries, so those will be times you may want to avoid. On the other hand, you may want to avoid cruising during some holidays because certain locations may be closed (e.g., it is a holiday in Rome when we disembark, and the Vatican is closed -- those that want to tour Rome that day will not be able to see it, or a few other buildings in the Vatican).

 

Once you have the itinerary, dates, & duration figured out, punch them into one of the websites selling cruises for all lines [you do not need to buy from them, but it is a good way of finding the cruises that match your criteria]. Take the list and go to step #4:

 

4) Price - How much you want to spend will be different for everyone and only you will know how much you have to spend (including tranfers, hotels, excursions, etc.). Airfare is expensive. It cost just as much to fly to Europe as the cost of the cruise itself. Transfers from/to the airport/hotel/port can also expensive if using cabs & private transport, but there are less expensive public transportation options.

 

Once you have chosen the ships/cruiselines and itineraries that fit your own personal criteria, start performing your research on each one. Do your research, ask questions on CC and get our opinions (but remember they are only opinions), compare your choices, and then narrow it down to the line/ship/itinerary that is best suited for you.

 

Just take it one step at a time and good luck!

[olemissreb]

We are hoping to do a Med cruise 4 years from now for my youngest son's high school "pre-graduation" present. He wants to see Venice, so that will be either the start or the end of the cruise. I want to see Rome - thus our other starting or ending point. In both cases, we will be spending 3-4 days pre/post cruise to see the cities. I thought since my DH's family is of Greek descent, we would do an Eastern Med that included Greece, but that isn't as set in stone as our starting & ending points. I've got plenty of time to plan and research, but first I need to relax and get packed for our Alaskan adventure in 9 days!

[t_car]

If you want to see Rome then you need to have a cruise that starts in Rome and spend at least three nights in Rome before the cruise.

 

The Rome port is a long ways from Rome. Also, transportation from the Rome airport to Rome and then the ship will be expenses.

 

If you only want to spend a few hours in Rome then you can take a cruise with Rome as a port stop and take the train to Rome for the day.

 

I disagree with this poster.

My wife, daughter and I spent 5 nights in Rome before our Med cruise on the Mariner of the Seas last August.

Transportation from the airport to Rome was very reasonable. For 3 of us with luggage in a cab was 48 Euros and took less than one hour. Our hotel was a 10 min walk to the train station and 15 min walk to the Colosseum. The Subway and bus system is easy to navigate and best way to get around Rome. Did a one day (13 hour) tour of Tuscanny by motorcoach that was awesome, and another to Naples, and Pompeii.

From Rome we took the train to Civitavecchia to catch the cruise, very convenient and inexpensive (from 5 to 10 Euro per person).

For a lot of info on Rome, check out rome.info

For train information, schedules, buy tickets etc, follow this link

http://www.fsitaliane.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3fdbe14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD

 

I prefer to do my own research and planning, but a good Travel agent is good too. Be sure to use one that is very familiar with european travel arrangements.

 

Good Luck and have fun planning your vacation

[perbinder]

It is very easy to get around Italy by train or plane so this could be done as a land holiday before or after the cruise.

 

If you are going to the Greek islands do not miss santorini. It is out of this world and it still blows me away having travelled extensively around the world.

 

In terms of pricing in the med there is not much extra a ta will give you. I usually price up a med cruise using us and uk websites. I have heard that German websites can provide cheaper deals.

 

For rci USA websites are cheaper. For msc European tend to be cheaper. Don't forget Louis cruises who come out of Athens and exclusively go round the Greek islands and to Israel.

 

Let us know what you book.

 

 

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