Cruising to Europe newbie...questions?

[moesyk4]

I secretly wrangled it out of DH that a European cruise would be his dream cruise. I am looking at booking a cruise in 2015 for our 10 year anniversary secretly and paying it off before we go so we are forced to do it :)

We have never been to Europe before so I have really nowhere to start. Wondering if anyone can help me?

 

1) I've done a little research and it seems summer is their busy season and flights seem astronomical during that time. I've looked at Marchish and flights are cheaper, but is that still a good time to go? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

 

2)If we were to go in March, I only see NCL and Costa and we've only ever done RCCL or Carnival, can anyone give me some more info on these cruiselines and what they recommend?

 

3) If you are a Europe newbie, is it possible to get a full enough experience on a cruise or would you recommend a land based vacation?

 

4) Would you recommend using a travel agent or if you enjoy planning would you be able to find enough info on here and other places to do it on your own?

 

5) Since it's such an itinerary based vacation, does a balcony or special ship really matter?

 

6) What percentage of our trip could I expect to spend on excursions and/or ports in general?

[lettienets]

Cruising in winter is cheaper because the weather isn't that warm and popular criises are usually soring+but around the Mediterranean it is sunny and not bad Italy can be cold. I was on Ncl Jade in Feb Mar and liked it. Not so busy. You have to do a lot of research because what you are asking is a lot for someone to answer.

Carnival is not doing Europe in 2014. NCL Costa MSC are the main ones off season. Excursions are always expensive esp if offered by cruise line but I take them and sometimes roll call people arrange private ones. Getting to the port of embarkation you can buy ship transfers, roll call groups, public transit... I would go to the library and get some cruise guides and Europe touring books for info.

 

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[6rugrats]

I secretly wrangled it out of DH that a European cruise would be his dream cruise. I am looking at booking a cruise in 2015 for our 10 year anniversary secretly and paying it off before we go so we are forced to do it :)

We have never been to Europe before so I have really nowhere to start. Wondering if anyone can help me?

 

1) I've done a little research and it seems summer is their busy season and flights seem astronomical during that time. I've looked at Marchish and flights are cheaper, but is that still a good time to go? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

 

2)If we were to go in March, I only see NCL and Costa and we've only ever done RCCL or Carnival, can anyone give me some more info on these cruiselines and what they recommend?

 

3) If you are a Europe newbie, is it possible to get a full enough experience on a cruise or would you recommend a land based vacation?

 

4) Would you recommend using a travel agent or if you enjoy planning would you be able to find enough info on here and other places to do it on your own?

 

5) Since it's such an itinerary based vacation, does a balcony or special ship really matter?

 

6) What percentage of our trip could I expect to spend on excursions and/or ports in general?

1. Most ships aren't in Europe in March, so your choices are quite limited.

 

2. I would not choose either of these lines. Can you wait until April to go? If you choose a cruise after Easter, IME, the airfare should not be much different than March.

 

3. I think a cruise is a very good way for someone to get a "feel" for Europe.

 

4. I never use a TA; it's a personal decision. Lots of TAs haven't even been where you are going. You can easily find enough information on your own. Look at the "Ports of Call" section of this webpage. The last two cruises I took in Europe were last minute, and I did absolutely no planning, and they worked out fine.

 

5. Not for me, but everyone is different. I'd go for the itinerary.

 

6. European cruises are port intensive. You may find yourself just not spending that much time on the ship.

[Hlitner]

I secretly wrangled it out of DH that a European cruise would be his dream cruise. I am looking at booking a cruise in 2015 for our 10 year anniversary secretly and paying it off before we go so we are forced to do it :)

We have never been to Europe before so I have really nowhere to start. Wondering if anyone can help me?

 

1) I've done a little research and it seems summer is their busy season and flights seem astronomical during that time. I've looked at Marchish and flights are cheaper, but is that still a good time to go? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

 

 

 

2)If we were to go in March, I only see NCL and Costa and we've only ever done RCCL or Carnival, can anyone give me some more info on these cruiselines and what they recommend?

 

We personally prefer the shoulder season which would be about mid April through early June and Sept-Oct.

 

3) If you are a Europe newbie, is it possible to get a full enough experience on a cruise or would you recommend a land based vacation?

 

Honestly? No. We have done many European cruises and also many land/driving vacations in Europe. Cruises are a way to see a little bit of many places in a short time, but I think you do get a "fuller" experience by spending your time on land..and not on a ship.

 

4) Would you recommend using a travel agent or if you enjoy planning would you be able to find enough info on here and other places to do it on your own?

 

You can certainly find a lot of info here on CC and the reality is that most local travel agents are not truly cruise experts. The large online cruise agencies have a lot more experience and can often get you a better deal.

 

5) Since it's such an itinerary based vacation, does a balcony or special ship really matter?

 

Part of the answer would depend on how many sea days you have vs days in port. But if one can afford it, a balcony is a nice thing on any cruise. We also know frequent cruisers that always book the cheapest inside cabins and are really happy to save the money.

 

6) What percentage of our trip could I expect to spend on excursions and/or ports in general?

 

It all depends on you. If you only book cruise line excursions it is possible to spend as much on excursions as on the cruise! You can often save money by joining with others to do private tours (the CC Roll Call board for your cruise to find others) and you can often do much better by simply doing things on your own. There are quite of few of us who are very active on the Ports/Europe boards helping folks with detailed info on how to do it yourself.

 

If you can spare a few extra days you should consider spending some time in Europe before and/or after your cruise. Always plan on flying-in at least one day early in case the airlines mess up...plus it gives you some time to recover from jet lag and enjoy a European city.

 

 

Hank

[dsrdsrdsr]

1. It would help if you decide approximately where you want to go. Asking about Europe is similar to asking about the USA - if I said I wanted to visit the USA in March, the answer might be coloured slightly depending whether I fancied Florida or Alaska. It's colder in March, and some attractions may not be open because of out-of-season and/or snow. Very variable between countries, though.

 

2. Try the European lines - P&O, Cunard, Fred Olsen, Thompson, Costa, etc. You'll get a much bigger choice - even in March.

 

3. Cruise. So much easier to travel by night on a cruise. If you try and travel a couple of hundred miles (or more) every day on land, you get pretty tired.

 

4. Yes and yes - there's plenty of info on-line if you want to do it yourself, or a travel agent could do the same job. I do my equivalent USA tours myself.

 

5. Very little difference. If a balcony is important to you on your usual cruise, the only difference is that you may have less time to spend on it because you're on shore. If a balcony is not usually important, it still isn't - you can see more from the public decks than you can from a balcony.

 

6. P&O typically charges about £80 for a full day, £45 for a half day. There are cheaper ways of doing shore excursions. You usually get a free shuttle bus into the town or city, if needed.

[Scrapnana]

I secretly wrangled it out of DH that a European cruise would be his dream cruise. I am looking at booking a cruise in 2015 for our 10 year anniversary secretly and paying it off before we go so we are forced to do it :)

We have never been to Europe before so I have really nowhere to start. Wondering if anyone can help me?

 

1) I've done a little research and it seems summer is their busy season and flights seem astronomical during that time. I've looked at Marchish and flights are cheaper, but is that still a good time to go? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

If you are planning to cruise the Med, it will be much cooler than summertime and you will have few children onboard.

 

2)If we were to go in March, I only see NCL and Costa and we've only ever done RCCL or Carnival, can anyone give me some more info on these cruiselines and what they recommend?

March 2015 itineraries may not be out for all lines yet.

 

3) If you are a Europe newbie, is it possible to get a full enough experience on a cruise or would you recommend a land based vacation?

You will get a taste only of your ports as you will usually have only have 7-8 hours in each. It is a good way to see what you like and want to come back to on a land vacation.

 

4) Would you recommend using a travel agent or if you enjoy planning would you be able to find enough info on here and other places to do it on your own?

I enjoy planning but I also always use a travel agent. You usually get some perk (dinner at a specialty restaurant onboard, bottle of wine, onboard credit, etc.) plus I like having a professional dealing with the cruise line if there is a problem.

 

5) Since it's such an itinerary based vacation, does a balcony or special ship really matter?

Most Med cruises are port intensive (5-6 days out of 7) so, to me, the balcony and ship are second to the ports.

 

6) What percentage of our trip could I expect to spend on excursions and/or ports in general? I budget about $100 per person for shore excursions. Some will be less and some more, so it works for me. You can usually get cheaper prices on independent excursions rather than ship sponsored ones but there are pros and cons to them. [/quote]

 

I think a European cruise would be a great way to get an introduction to Europe and celebrate your anniversary.

[CruiserBruce]

I secretly wrangled it out of DH that a European cruise would be his dream cruise. I am looking at booking a cruise in 2015 for our 10 year anniversary secretly and paying it off before we go so we are forced to do it :)

We have never been to Europe before so I have really nowhere to start. Wondering if anyone can help me?

 

1) I've done a little research and it seems summer is their busy season and flights seem astronomical during that time. I've looked at Marchish and flights are cheaper, but is that still a good time to go? What are the advantages/disadvantages? Well, the weather will be less "nice" but not out of line. Crowds will be smaller.

 

2)If we were to go in March, I only see NCL and Costa and we've only ever done RCCL or Carnival, can anyone give me some more info on these cruiselines and what they recommend? You can read about these cruise lines on their boards. Just my opinion, and I will get flamed, but neither suits us.

 

3) If you are a Europe newbie, is it possible to get a full enough experience on a cruise or would you recommend a land based vacation? Only you can define "full enough". We have toured Europe both on land and via cruise ship. We will always go back for more. In fact, our first Med trip 3 years ago is pushing us towards an Italy land tour next summer. It all depends on your curiosity, interest and love of Europe. Med cruises can be very port intensive, and you will get a lot of exposure, but we will just keep going back as long as we physically can.

 

4) Would you recommend using a travel agent or if you enjoy planning would you be able to find enough info on here and other places to do it on your own? We do both. Research, then present a pretty defined package to a TA. Book our own flights. Land tours we do totally on our own.

 

5) Since it's such an itinerary based vacation, does a balcony or special ship really matter? We never sail without a balcony.

 

6) What percentage of our trip could I expect to spend on excursions and/or ports in general? Totally impossible to predict. Far too many variables.

 

Have you done any research on the Med Ports boards? This will give you some background info on many of these issues.

[jocap]

Almost all cruise lines you've heard of, and several you won't have, will be in the Med from around April to Oct each year, though I believe Carnival is pulling out next year.

August is the month when schools are shut, so most people take some time off and are likely to be travelling around the Med- it can be very crowded and hot.

March is just moving from winter, so the weather is risky- I've cruised then and obviously, the further south you go such as Malta, Tunisia and some Greek Isles will have better weather. The northern Europeans holiday in the Canary Islands, off the African coast for winter sunshine in the way the N. American will go to the Caribbean, which is an option, sailing from the UK or Spain.

It depends which part of Europe you want to see; there are umpteen ships circling various stretches of the Med; there's the fjords of Norway, or the Baltics; the Iberian Peninsular and Canaries; Greece and Turkey etc.

The ship is not the important factor if you want to visit ports- it's exhausting, so eating and sleeping are the main activities after tiring days!;)

[busmech]

Rick Steve's has 2 books out one on the Mediterranean and on northern Europe cruises. Very good info. Give yourself a couple of days before to see the city you will leave from. to get over any jet lag and to get used to being in Europe. I did a Athens to Venice 12 day cruise in Oct. last year and not crowded had good weather and we had Santorini to ourselves, no other ships that day. You will enjoy Europe. Also if you connect through London or Paris on your flights give your self a couple of days there also.

[moesyk4]

Thanks so much, obviously I have plenty of time so I just thought I'd start poking around to see if it's even a possibility!

[Jacs]

I've done a cruise with some Europe ports and a land based med cruise, both have good and bad points. Cruising maximises your travelling distances as you travel while sleeping. You also get to travel in comfort and not lug bags with you. BUT you only get a small taste of a couple of cities, and it's a fairly sheltered experience, as you are generally doing a tour, either a ship one or private one. It is a great was to get a sample though to then do a land based later.

 

Land based lets you go anywhere you like, to places a ships tour can't reach, you just research where you would like to go then figure out how to get there. Then you can explore at your own pace and discover off the beaten track things. But this way takes longer as you travel during the day and generally stay in each place longer.

 

Or you can mix both, fly into the embarction city a few days early and explore, then go to a new city for a few days and explore there before flying out. For instance our med cruise last year we flew into Rome a day early (have already been there before otherwise it would have been 3 days) then did our cruise back to Rome, where we got a train up to Torino for a few days and flew home from Milan. You can get to anywhere in Italy within half a day on the train, so if the cruise leaves from Rome or Venice you can easily see other parts of the country before and after.

[momofmeg]

Rick Steve's has 2 books out one on the Mediterranean and on northern Europe cruises. Very good info. Give yourself a couple of days before to see the city you will leave from. to get over any jet lag and to get used to being in Europe. I did a Athens to Venice 12 day cruise in Oct. last year and not crowded had good weather and we had Santorini to ourselves, no other ships that day. You will enjoy Europe. Also if you connect through London or Paris on your flights give your self a couple of days there also.

 

We enjoyed his books and watched several of his videos. We knew we could do Venice on our own because of him.

[Markanddonna]

I also recommend getting Rick Steve's Mediterranean port's book. The Med. is probably the best intro to Europe, but don't settle on a cruise line until you see the offerings from Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess and Celebrity. I personally wouldn't start with a European cruise line as some, such as Costa cater more to Europeans.

 

Unless you are willing to do a lot of research on your own, perhaps a travel agent who specializes in cruises might be a good alternative. I'm just guessing that they may throw in some goodies, but there is a chance that they might be leading you to an experience that is higher price overall (more commission for them). Always do your homework online before you agree and sign a contract. You might also want to purchase travel insurance but go through a private company, not the cruiseline.

 

My first two times in Europe were land based. Now, I see that a combination of the two is ideal. I took a TA from Rome last year and spent 4 days in Rome beforehand. Next year, I will be doing another TA, but spending time in Copenhagen and then flying to Krakow with five days there and then flying home from Krakow.

 

Combining a land based and cruise is a great way to see several port cities and then go more inland to the city of your choice.

 

There is a steep learning curve and the more info and search you have under your belt, the better experience you will have. Check out the message boards for European ports for some good info and go to Ricksteves.com and tripadvisor.com.

[pris993]

We have done many Mediterraean cruises, one Baltic and a number of Transatlantic cruises. These cruises were done on Princess, HAL, Celebrity and Cunard mostly. Did a recent NCL as well.

 

We have gone in and out of Rome, Barcelona, Venice, Istanbul, Athens, Southhampton and Dover England. We find both Barcelona and Athens the easiest and cheapest port for transportation to and from the port.

 

We usually go late spring (May) or early fall (October). Less crowded, cooler weather and cheaper air.

 

Recomend you decided which countries and/or cities you would like to see and then compare itineraries of the main stream lines.

 

You might consider spending a few days before and after your cruise to gain more of a European experience.

 

It can be a lot to figure out. You can't go wrong on any itinerary. Just pick one that includes sites you want to see and you will have a great time.

[Emmasoma]

I've done both. First, since you've never been to Europe, decide where you want to go most. Do you want to see the Alps-not a cruise, see Venice and Rome-yes a cruise. After deciding what you want to see most, narrow it down. Do you want to see Italy and Spain or Copenhagen and Amsterdam? Baltic or Med. based.

Look into a cruise we have booked for May of 2015. Its Viking Oceans. A new ship. I have done Viking River and they are great and include port tours and all rooms have a balcony. Secondly, since they are a smaller ship, they go from the Med. to the Baltic and stop in Paris (Rouen) and London (Greenwich) as well as many other major cities. We are doing the leg from Barcelona to Bergen because it stops in Gibralter and Lisbon. We did our "own thing" in Europe for 20 years before cruising. A cruise will give you an easy "ride" and a taste of Europe but will not let you see the real culture as it will only stop in touristy ports. Might be good, though for your first visit,and then you can narrow down places you want to explore more thoroughly when you go back.

[thinfool]

Is this a secret from your hubby?

[puppycanducruise]

We've done 3 European cruises, and I might suggest you look at river cruises. We did a trip from Amsterdam to Basel along the Rhine in April, 2010. Everyday was a different port (you travel at night) and a shore excursion was included. It was a good way to see the highlights and we had time to explore a bit on our own. It's more casual than the big ship cruises (although I love them too).

[griffy116]

We did our first cruise to Europe last summer for my Grandson's high school graduation present. We started in Rome and spent 3 days there pre-cruise. We had stops in Greece and Turkey. It was a great way to get a taste of Europe. We enjoyed it so much that we are taking another cruise in Europe in the summer of 2014. We sailed on Royal Caribbean and everything, including the ship and all the ports were WONDERFUL. You won't regret the trip. I don't enjoy touring in the cold, and because of work/school schedules, summer is really the only time we are able to cruise as a family. We had a great time. The planning is half the fun! We went to ports in Italy, Greece and Turkey. Next summer will be Italy, France and Spain. We can't wait!