Winter weather in the mediterranean

[EllieinNJ]

Looking at some mediterranean cruises for next year and saw some in Jan. and Feb. for some very good rates. How is the weather there at that time of year? Is it worth getting a balcony if it is too cold? Do you need to wear jackets on the outer decks and for excursions? Thanks in advance for any answers. Ellie

[Annieban50]

Hello, we cruised the med in January, 2010. It was 50ish in some ports and slightly warmer in others. It did rain, but there were no crowds. We are from minnesota, so it was still warm to us. Dress in layers, bring gloves if your hands get cold. We did use the balcony for short periods of time and it was not too bad.

 

We had a fantastic time and I would do it again.

[Single Cruiser]

The better ones in winter are those that stick to Eastern Med like Sth Greece or that go down to the canary islands where you'd get 70s even in January.

[Turtles06]

We cruised the Med on the Jade in Jan/Feb 2010, and it was one of the best cruises we've ever taken. (R/t out of Barcelona, with port calls in Civitavecchia [Rome], Athens, Izmir [Ephesus], overnight in Alexandria, then Malta.) It was chilly and rainy in Rome, but we still had a fantastic day. It was sunny and comfortable in Turkey, and sunny and warm in Egypt (I could not imagine touring either place in the summer), and downright balmy on the sea day heading to Malta -- sunbathing and pool weather! Comfortable walking around weather in Barcelona (jeans and a jacket).

 

Definitely a trip for dressing in layers and being prepared for anything (including snow I suspect). But the crowds were of course much smaller than during "the season," and I don't like being a tourist when it's really hot out anyway.

 

We had a day or so of rough seas, but that can happen anywhere, anytime.

 

It was a great cruise.

[casinoman1]

The only Med destination I would consider in winter are the canaries. I personally would not consider a cruise there at that time of year. I will be in Tenerife for christmas, at that time of the year on the south of the island it tends to be in the mid 70s during the day. Anywhere else in the med tends to be significantly colder. They really are the only winter sun destination in Europe and the reason why the majority of cruise lines move their ships to the caribbean in the winter. They certainly don't move them to the caribbean for revenue as cruises tend to be priced significantly higher in the Med at any point of the year with good weather.