Celebrity Equinox or Emerald Princess: Athens to Rome

[luv2trvl6]

This is being cross-posted, as Istanbul is one major port along with the other Greece ones for our question.

 

We are contemplating which one to take next summer between the one on Celebrity Equinox in June and the one on Emerald Princess in July. Both will be 14-day Athens to Rome (by booking B2B).

 

For comparable price, we can get mini-suite on Emerald or Concierge on Equinox.

 

Pros for us for Equinox

- right at the beginning of the summer, so easier for scheduling and more manageable temperature, and hopefully cheaper flights

- repeat port of Athens on the second leg, so that no pre-cruise tour will need to be planned

Cons for Equinox

- repeat ports of Mykonos and Kusadasi, both of which we have been to before

- shorter port time in Istanbul (1pm arrival on day-1 and 5pm departure on day-2 – will this be enough time to visit the major sites without shopping anyway?)

- smaller bath room and cabin

 

Pros for us for Emerald

- laundry room

- bath tub means easier shower

- bigger cabin

- longer port time in Istanbul (4 hours extra on the morning of day-1 and 4 hours extra on the evening of day-2 for B2B hand-off, as compared to Equinox)

Cons for Emerald

- middle of the summer means hotter weather, more expensive plan tickets, and possible conflict with family’s summer activities or kids’ summer job

 

Neither of those will take us to the next level of the “frequent traveler” membership. So this does not really matter. It is possible when we actually look at airfare, the cost of airfare can be the deciding factor, as we don’t have enough miles for free tickets. Assuming food and service are comparable between the two ships, does one do Mediterranean better than the other? Or does the assumption hold in the first place?

 

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[cberge]

This is being cross-posted, as Istanbul is one major port along with the other Greece ones for our question.

 

We are contemplating which one to take next summer between the one on Celebrity Equinox in June and the one on Emerald Princess in July. Both will be 14-day Athens to Rome (by booking B2B).

 

For comparable price, we can get mini-suite on Emerald or Concierge on Equinox.

 

Pros for us for Equinox

- right at the beginning of the summer, so easier for scheduling and more manageable temperature, and hopefully cheaper flights

- repeat port of Athens on the second leg, so that no pre-cruise tour will need to be planned

Cons for Equinox

- repeat ports of Mykonos and Kusadasi, both of which we have been to before

- shorter port time in Istanbul (1pm arrival on day-1 and 5pm departure on day-2 – will this be enough time to visit the major sites without shopping anyway?)

- smaller bath room and cabin

 

Pros for us for Emerald

- laundry room

- bath tub means easier shower

- bigger cabin

- longer port time in Istanbul (4 hours extra on the morning of day-1 and 4 hours extra on the evening of day-2 for B2B hand-off, as compared to Equinox)

Cons for Emerald

- middle of the summer means hotter weather, more expensive plan tickets, and possible conflict with family’s summer activities or kids’ summer job

 

Neither of those will take us to the next level of the “frequent traveler” membership. So this does not really matter. It is possible when we actually look at airfare, the cost of airfare can be the deciding factor, as we don’t have enough miles for free tickets. Assuming food and service are comparable between the two ships, does one do Mediterranean better than the other? Or does the assumption hold in the first place?

 

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

If just picking a cruise then I would go with the 2nd one...why go back to 2 places you have been to spend that money again if you get my drift? BUT,then the reasons not to go on the 2nd cruise are pretty strong as to why not to go.Maybe waiti to find another cruise at a different time would be best for you ,but that is just my opinion...you did aske for an insight and I am good at doing that:)

[cruisemom42]

You'll have to figure out what things are most important to you. I'd pick the June cruise because I'd do nearly anything to avoid the Med in July or August -- way too hot and crowded for me to enjoy it. But you may do better in the heat than me.

 

As for Istanbul, I think either ship gives you enough time to see the main sights in that period of time. The ship docks close to the city and most of the sites are close together so there isn't a lot of time spent traveling.

 

I could easily find something new to do in Kusadasi on a second visit. In fact, I'll be there for a 5th visit this fall AND it's an overnight. I'm looking forward to doing one repeat of something I've previously done (the ancient towns of Priene, Miletus and Didyma) and something I've never done before -- a long day trip to Aphrodisias, a famous Roman city in antiquity.

 

Mykonos perhaps isn't so exciting for a second visit, but in a long, hot Med cruise sometimes you need a more low-key port to just walk around a bit, visit a beach or chill. You don't mention what all the other ports are, so I assume they are more or less similar...?

 

Finally, it's been said many times, but the ship and cruise line really ARE less important in the Med due to the large amount of time spent onshore rather than aboard. Of course, if you (or your family) feel more comfortable on a particular line, that's always a plus.

 

Good luck with your choice. I'm sure both would be great.

[iancal]

I would go with June. The earlier the better.

[texancruzer]

Agree with Cruisemom on many points…… we are returning next April/May for our 5th Med cruise. Many of the ports we have been to a few times…. we can always find something fun and interesting to do in each of them. In fact, we are thinking about doing a scuba dive in Mykonos since it will be our 3rd time there. We still havent made it to Delos either so thats also on the short list.

 

I too would avoid the mid summer heat. We always cruise off season (early May or late fall) to avoid not only the heat but the crowds and lines and the prices are better too…… I would much rather put on a sweater than sweat like a pig :eek:

 

With planning the major items in Istanbul can easily be done in the shorter time frame.

 

We have cruised Royal, Celebrity, Princess and Holland America.

 

Celebrity is our favorite by far !

[luv2trvl6]

Thank you for all the replies. We have decided to go with the June one, as June does seem to be more manageable heat-wise.

[paluni]

I really, really wanted to see Mykonos, but our Princess ship in I think it was September couldn't get in after two hours of trying, because of strong winds. So maybe one time your ship won't get in! For Kusadasi, I have been twice, and the guides I had missed things I wanted to see. I would love another time to see Ephesus on my own, without the constraint of a tour guide. And without having to leave time for the all-important rug shop visit! (not!) I would love to go back there. And also I still want to see Mykonos! Apparently that island gets missed a lot because of winds.

[cruisemom42]

I really, really wanted to see Mykonos, but our Princess ship in I think it was September couldn't get in after two hours of trying, because of strong winds. So maybe one time your ship won't get in! For Kusadasi, I have been twice, and the guides I had missed things I wanted to see. I would love another time to see Ephesus on my own, without the constraint of a tour guide. And without having to leave time for the all-important rug shop visit! (not!) I would love to go back there. And also I still want to see Mykonos! Apparently that island gets missed a lot because of winds.

 

I wouldn't say it gets missed a lot. Maybe less than 5 times in a given Med season.

 

The winds are called Meltemi winds and they occur mainly from June through September, with July and August being the "most likely" months. (Kind of like hurricane season in the Caribbean).

 

You can read more here: http://gogreece.about.com/cs/weather/a/meltemiwind.htm