Best Med Itinerary

[curlgirl13]

Never cruised in Europe before, wondering what people thing are the best stops, or things we shouldn't miss.

[JohnIreland]

For a first timer in Europe I would go with an western med loop.

[luvtheships]

take the longest cruise you can find..like a 12 day eastern and western med itinerary

 

book 3 or 4 nights pre cruise AND post cruise.

 

do lots of research and brings lots of money

 

it is the best thing you can ever do for yourself and when you return home immediately start saving and planning for your next med cruise.

 

 

alternately....

 

find a cruise that has numerous Italian ports and fits your time frame...but still do pre and post cruise days....preferably in an Italian city like Rome.

 

or Venice

 

Barcelona is great too, but not at the expense of Rome or Venice. LOL

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

While everyone will have favorites shaped by their own likes/dislikes, I predict you will LOVE your European vacation as much as we enjoyed our first time!

 

As mentioned above, we immediately began planning our next visit when the first one ended! :D

 

Of course, the best part of the "cruise" is actually the places you visit on land before, during, and after the water portion!

There was so much to do and see in each port that we are taking the exact same itinerary again to do stuff we missed or didn't have time to do the first time around.

 

As many of the cruises begin in either Barcelona or Rome, many folks add on a few days in those cities before or after they sail.

We chose to spend most of the week before our cruise in Paris. Highly recommend it if you have never been to France. You'll get a taste of Barcelona and Rome on the cruise, but Paris is worth the visit!

 

You can't go wrong with the "Western" Mediterranean as an introduction. We sailed on the EPIC and stopped in Pisa, Rome, Naples, and Palma Majorca last time. This time the itinerary is reversed and Canne/MonteCarlo is added.

 

Things we recommend:

 

- Barcelona - See some Gaudi Buildings (Sagrada Famillia especially!) and stop at the Boqueria Market as you "ramble" down Las Ramblas to the waterfront.

 

- Livorno/Pisa/Florence - Obviously we had to climb the bell tower in Pisa! The one of our favorite cities was Florence, with it's Duomo Cathedral and shopping on the Ponte Vecchio.

 

- Rome - All about the Coliseum and Vatican for us! Both are spectacular for their own reasons.

 

- Naples - This is the stop for Pompeii! We explored that with a great guide and still agreed we probably wouldn't need to spend time there again this time. Our most favorite place to see/visit here was the Amalfi Coast/Sorrento and Positano! We plan on spending the full day there and skipping Pompeii this time.

 

Once you start planning, you'll see lots more and have tons of questions like we did. The best place for answers was right here on the CRUISE CRITIC Forums and Roll Calls!

 

HAVE FUN!!!

:)

Edited March 24, 2014 by NEW 2 CRUISIN

[TruckerDave]

There is that 12 Grand Mediterranean that starts in Barcelona and ends in Venice (then does the reverse the next cruise). It hits France, the big 3 on the western side of Italy, plus, Turkey and Greece.

[macaroni]

That sounds to me like a good one...Start in Barcelona or Rome...some Italian ports, get to Greece and maybe Istanbul and then end in venice......

[heatherbelle]

Oh gosh I want to go on another Med cruise, having read all these posts.

 

If you are on a budget take the cheapest cabin you can get you will only sleep in it. Spend your money on the trips. Europe has fantastic cheap public transport it just takes some research to figure it out. Lots of good tips on the Europe port thread also search for trip reports with pictures on each cruise line page.

 

Here are my must see ports : Istanbul, Venice, Dubrovnik, Naples, Rome, Cannes/Villefranche.

 

Barca is okay, but like others have said Italy is fantastic. So much to see and do. I think ships should start doing an overnighter in Naples, just so you can fit more in.

 

I would also like to see Mykonos and Santorini too. Maybe next time (sigh).

 

Have a look at the NCL Spirit that ticks most of the bucket list. That's the one I am thinking of next. It's the limitations on the size of the cabin and bed set up that is stopping me booking the cruise for 2015 I keep searching for bed set up pictures.

 

Here is a post I have just replied to http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2012210

 

It contains some links to trip reports.

Edited March 24, 2014 by heatherbelle

[cmdchiefthom]

Having lived in Crete, I'm biased, but I'm sailing a three week itinerary next month that is absolutely what I would have designed if I were sailing a yacht myself. Rome to Naples, to Messina Sicily, to Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and then arriving in Venice the first week, then from Venice to Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos back to Olympia and Venice for the day the second week and then finally to Dubrovnik, Athens, Kusadasi Turkey and then Split in Croatia and finally to Venice for a couple of days before flying home. Frankly I can't think of a better way to see the Eastern Med.;)

[WyomingCruiser]

Sailed on the Jade out of Rome in 2011 (to Greece, Turkey, Egypt). Spent three days in Rome, which was great! Absolutely fell in love with Italy. After our cruise, we traveled to the Amalfi coast (stayed in Sorrento for a few days), which was absolutely beautiful! Then we flew to Venice, which was the highlight for us. (We also went to Paris, but that was not a favorite with us...). I would say Rome and Venice would be must-go places!

 

Highlights of trip?

1. Taking bus in Rome at night, and seeing sights lit up at night, especially the Colosseum.

2. Driving Amalfi Coast

3. Venice! (Gondola ride, and just wandering the city...)

4. The Scavi tour under St Peter's in Vatican City (only 200 people allowed per day; tickets can sell out 6 months in advance)

5. Sistine Chapel (timed it so there was hardly any people in there!)

 

We are taking a Baltic Sea cruise this June...

 

 

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[AF-1]

Having lived in Crete, I'm biased, but I'm sailing a three week itinerary next month that is absolutely what I would have designed if I were sailing a yacht myself. Rome to Naples, to Messina Sicily, to Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and then arriving in Venice the first week, then from Venice to Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos back to Olympia and Venice for the day the second week and then finally to Dubrovnik, Athens, Kusadasi Turkey and then Split in Croatia and finally to Venice for a couple of days before flying home. Frankly I can't think of a better way to see the Eastern Med.;)

 

Please post a review of your cruise. Your hitting all the spots in Europe.

[AF-1]

Never cruised in Europe before, wondering what people thing are the best stops, or things we shouldn't miss.

 

Suggest you read the Europe thread. Make a list. Do you want historical trip, easy sightseeing trip, or just relaxing and enjoying the sights. This can make a difference on which ports to visit.

[Demonyte]

Personally I like Eastern Mediterranean better than Western. Cruise ship is a lot better way of moving around in eastern parts, in western parts it's quite easy to use trains, cars, etc and travel around the area by land. Last summer we did the Greek Isles from Venice, this May we'll do the other part of the loop having two very interesting stops in Croatia.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Demonyte

[curlgirl13]

Right now were looking at 14 night Norwegian spirit July 2015. Leaving Barcelona going to Venice with stops in Provence, Florence, Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Athens, Istanbul, kusudasi, Dubrovnik and Kotor. Think it's a good one?

[rsato]

If you never have been to Rome before, I would recommend either starting or ending in Rome so you can see the amazing sites which take more a single day to see.

 

We have sailed the Eastern Med twice on the Jade, both times having Egypt cancelled.

 

Istanbul was my favorite port (of all 6 cruises we have done). The Grand Bazaar, the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque - incredible fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, coexistence of two great religions!

 

Jerusalem was another fascinating place. I loved Naples (Pompeii).

 

Other great ports - Malta, Izmir (Ephasus), Athens.

 

If NCL starts sailing to Egypt again, I'll be doing another Eastern Med cruise!

[ShannonSC2]

We are doing our first Med trip in June on the Epic. There is so much information on the European boards. Start looking at airfare also because it it changes daily. So make sure you shop around for the airfare.

 

We are flying into Barcelona the morning of the cruise on a direct flight and getting on the ship. I wanted to fly in a day early but because of DH work schedule we couldn't do it this time. We are staying a day after our cruise though with a direct flight to Charlotte.

 

I am still trying to figure out where we are going and what we are doing. It changes everyday. I am glad I still have some time to plan out the trip. I think we are going to do our own tours this time around. I hope to go back in a couple of years and do the one from Barcelona to Venice. :)

[curlgirl13]

If we do this cruise we would stay on Venice for the day then take the train to Rome for another 2 nights. I figure I can't see Rome in a day!

[rnvaniderstine]

Right now were looking at 14 night Norwegian spirit July 2015. Leaving Barcelona going to Venice with stops in Provence, Florence, Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Athens, Istanbul, kusudasi, Dubrovnik and Kotor. Think it's a good one?

 

My husband and I did a similar cruise to this and absolutely loved it. Keep in mind July could be really warm. Getting ready for my next one in May ... this time on the Spirit out of Barcelona. Mostly the same ports as yours with a few changes. Not stopping at Dubrovnik (great stop by the way) and Kotor. Ours goes to Naples, Athens and Venice instead. Going with a girlfriend this time and she picked it. Honestly its a great itinerary and will give you a taste of what you would like to go back and see another time. Once you cruise there is always "another time" :)

 

I was on the Spirit when it was sailing out of NOLA, and really fell in love with it. Nothing else like it in the NCL fleet...it has a charm all its own. No matter what you choose you will enjoy it!

 

Rhonda

[WyomingCruiser]

If we do this cruise we would stay on Venice for the day then take the train to Rome for another 2 nights. I figure I can't see Rome in a day!

 

 

Also look into the cheap airlines (EasyJet, RyanAir). When we went from Naples to Venice, it was cheaper to fly than to take train...

 

 

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[sverigecruiser]

I agree that many places in Italy are beautiful but I stay away because so few Italians speak english! I know that my english isn't very good but compared to most people in Italy it's excellent!