European Cruise Comparison and Questions

[lt9921]

Hey everyone!

 

I'm looking into a Europe cruise for June 2016, and I'm having a hard time deciding... This would be my first time to Europe. I currently have 3 options... (All three are 7 nights, which is the longest cruise we can do at this time)

 

Harmony of the Seas - Western Med

Barcelona - Palma de Mallorca - Marseilles - La Spezia - Rome - Naples

1-2 days pre cruise in Barcelona

 

Celebrity Equinox - Istanbul to Rome

Istanbul (Overnight) - Mykonos - Valletta - Catania, Sicily - Naples - Rome

1-2 days post cruise in Rome.

 

Serenade of the Seas - Baltic

Stockholm - Helsinki - St. Petersburg (Overnight) - Tallinn - Riga

1-2 days pre cruise in Stockholm.

 

I'm torn, as they all seem like great options, but every port is new to me! I like the idea of sailing on the brand new Harmony, but only 12 hours in Rome doesn't sound too great. I have already been on the Oasis, so the Harmony is just a bonus on that itinerary. The Celebrity itinerary seems pretty awesome? I feel like it gives a taste of a lot of different types of Med ports. Only thing is, I really like RCI. But Serenade's itinerary also seems very good. Interesting ports and great ship. Prices are all relatively close to each other, so that's not a big deal. Which cruise is most appealing to you? I'm just looking for some opinions to help me make my decision easier! TIA!

 

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Edited June 12, 2015 by lt9921

[bogofman]

It's possible to join the Harmoney in Rome or Barcelona, so you could do a pre or post in Rome

or at least it's available on the UK Web site, we are looking at doing similar next year, since we would like to try oasis class ship b4 it relocates.

[peteukmcr]

Celebrity for me, the ports are far better than some of the others but then again I've worked in Helsinki, Riga & Stockholm and have no desire to give any of my custom to Russia (St Petersburg).

 

Although Barcelona is one of my favourite cities there isn't as much in Marseilles, La Spezia is only convenient for a long drag to Pisa and Florence, for Rome you'll dock in Civitavecchia with a long transfer to the city of Rome which requires more than a few hours to do it justice IMHO on the Harmony itinerary. Much more opportunity on the Celebrity sailing post cruise.

 

The Celebrity ports are far more accessible due to their size of island (Mykonos , Malta & Sicily).

Edited June 12, 2015 by peteukmcr

[lt9921]

It's possible to join the Harmoney in Rome or Barcelona, so you could do a pre or post in Rome

or at least it's available on the UK Web site, we are looking at doing similar next year, since we would like to try oasis class ship b4 it relocates.

 

I had originally thought that, but it appears that they are only allowing passengers to board in Rome starting on July 7th, and we would like to go the second to last week in June.

[papaflamingo]

in my opinion a ship like Harmony is a waste in Europe. Unlike the Caribbean, Europe is about the Ports. You will spend very little time on board, and at sea days will be "rest days." You really won't have time or energy to really enjoy all Harmony has to offer.

Both the other cruises are great. But totally different. You'll likely want to do both at some point. If you go with Celebrity, try to spend more than 2 days in Rome. Rome is SPECTACULAR! But takes days to really see.

Good luck with your decision. What a nice dilemma. :)

[SPacificbound]

Celebrity Equinox - Istanbul to Rome

Istanbul (Overnight) - Mykonos - Valletta - Catania, Sicily - Naples - Rome

1-2 days post cruise in Rome.

 

This would be my choice. It's not a round trip. :)

[tidygirl]

I'd have to agree that I think a huge ship like the Harmony would be a waste on a port intensive cruise. We did the Western Med in Sept. on the Liberty and besides the 1 sea day we didn't have much time on the ship. Basically slept, (very little!) ate and occasionally watched an evening show.

We were off as early in the morning and back as late as possible to see as much as we could!

[MADflyer]

Any of these 3 options would be fantastic.

 

I would personally choose a longer sailing later for the Eastern Med and Baltic and would therefore recommend the Harmony sailing for a 7 night first trip to Europe.

 

I would just do Harmony a little different than many and would not over-plan.

I would not try to do 'everything' on a cruise around the MED.

 

Barcelona is a great first arrival airport to Europe and transport to hotels and the port is easy. This is my favorite pre-cruise city and the port functions better then almost any other in the world.

 

I would see Marseille as just taking a shuttle to the center and doing a quick walking tour. Alternatively, I would just visit Aix de Provence.

 

Palma is very easy to do on your own and one can just take a shuttle to the center or take the bus 1 over and do a good walking tour.

 

From La Spezia, I would just do cinque terre and soak in the charm and not do the full day Pisa/Florence trip, but save that for a better visit. *maybe prior to a future sailing from Rome or Venice.

 

A ship tour is a must for me at Civitavecchia as I would never want the stress of a port transfer on my own there as I know many do without any problem.

 

I would even do a ship or private tour at Naples most likely and would choose just one of the great choices from this port.

 

Done right, one can both get a good first visit to Europe while still enjoying a fantastic ship.

 

Getting from the ship to the airport is just so much easier at Barcelona and the port is so organized with the baggage terminal and taxi and buss at terminal.

 

I actually lived most of my life in Stockholm and it is a great city and also very functional. All those ports are very easily manageable except for SP.

Edited June 13, 2015 by MADflyer

[Merion_Mom]

Hey everyone!

 

I'm looking into a Europe cruise for June 2016, and I'm having a hard time deciding... This would be my first time to Europe. I currently have 3 options... (All three are 7 nights, which is the longest cruise we can do at this time)

 

Harmony of the Seas - Western Med

Barcelona - Palma de Mallorca - Marseilles - La Spezia - Rome - Naples

1-2 days pre cruise in Barcelona

 

Celebrity Equinox - Istanbul to Rome

Istanbul (Overnight) - Mykonos - Valletta - Catania, Sicily - Naples - Rome

1-2 days post cruise in Rome.

 

Serenade of the Seas - Baltic

Stockholm - Helsinki - St. Petersburg (Overnight) - Tallinn - Riga

1-2 days pre cruise in Stockholm.

 

I'm torn, as they all seem like great options, but every port is new to me! I like the idea of sailing on the brand new Harmony, but only 12 hours in Rome doesn't sound too great. I have already been on the Oasis, so the Harmony is just a bonus on that itinerary. The Celebrity itinerary seems pretty awesome? I feel like it gives a taste of a lot of different types of Med ports. Only thing is, I really like RCI. But Serenade's itinerary also seems very good. Interesting ports and great ship. Prices are all relatively close to each other, so that's not a big deal. Which cruise is most appealing to you? I'm just looking for some opinions to help me make my decision easier! TIA!

 

.

 

I cast 3,208 votes for choice #2!!!!!

[sky0000547]

For ship I would pick Harmony. For itinerary I would pick Celebrity Equinox. If I'm booking I will stick with RCI as I'm not ready for Celebrity yet and therefore go with Harmony. And I'm someone who has been on Allure.

[yolanda1]

Given those choices, I would not hesitate to book the Celebrity one.

 

I agree that the newness and bells and whistles of Harmony is probably better suited to other itineraries, as IMHO Europe has so much more to offer in terms of fantastic ports than most other itineraries, such as the Caribbean, therefore the ship is probably secondary to the itinerary itself.

 

Celebrity is generally also a step up from Royal in terms of quality, so my choice would be Celebrity for sure.

[lt9921]

Thank you all of the great responses!

 

I'm still having a hard time deciding, however. I really love the Celebrity itinerary, its just that I'm not really sure I want to sail on something non-Royal Caribbean. I've done that 3 times previously and haven't really been happy with the other lines. We'll see!!

[celebrity]

Thank you all of the great responses!

 

I'm still having a hard time deciding, however. I really love the Celebrity itinerary, its just that I'm not really sure I want to sail on something non-Royal Caribbean. I've done that 3 times previously and haven't really been happy with the other lines. We'll see!!

 

I would book Equinox in a heartbeat! The ship is magnificent and yes I've been on a good number of Royal cruises including Quantum. Go for it!

[buchhalm]

The Equinox is a wonderful ship. We had great cruises on it / her.

Great itinerary as well. To consider perhaps that your flights may be more expensive if you are not flying to and from the same airport.:-)

[celebrity]

The Equinox is a wonderful ship. We had great cruises on it / her.

Great itinerary as well. To consider perhaps that your flights may be more expensive if you are not flying to and from the same airport.:-)

 

Agreed! She is gorgeous! Love the lawn!

[villauk]

It's possible to join the Harmoney in Rome or Barcelona, so you could do a pre or post in Rome

or at least it's available on the UK Web site, we are looking at doing similar next year, since we would like to try oasis class ship b4 it relocates.

 

Are you following us :D? Equinox this year, and now possibly Harmony next :p.

 

 

OP

We've booked Harmony for next year as it will be more about the ship, having visited all the actual ports many times.

 

If I was wanting to sail for the ports, I would choose Equinox - great ship and fab itinerary ;). Perfect places for a pre and post cruise stay.

 

The Baltics are also great, however personally, I'd prefer a longer cruise to enjoy more of that area in one visit.

[balanceok]

I would book the Harmony and cruise out of Barcelona. I would try and spend at least 3-4 days in Barcelona and admit my bias that this is the most beautiful city in all of Europe. We love Rome, but Barca is just a place that is so unique and inviting. You will love it.

 

I also love its itinerary. We´ve cruised these ports before. From La Spezia you can get to Cinque Terre and one day in Rome is enough to give you a great experience and then you can come back and stay longer.

 

We are booked on the Serenade for next August and it will be the first time for us to those ports. But we´ve cruised the Med several times and my vote is for Barca and the Harmony. But either way, you really can´t lose.

 

Enjoy!

[Donna_In_India]

With Europe the ports are most important, not the ship. For that reason - and because I don't particularly like the itinerary, I'd rule out the Harmony.

 

I love the Baltic itinerary and in fact, we are going on the 13 night Serenade in July 2016. We have 3 days in St. Petersburg as well as other ports and we're really excited about that cruise. I don't think you can do the Baltic justice in a week so I'd rule out the Serenade.

 

So that leaves the Equinox. I haven't sailed Celebrity in a while but don't think you can go wrong with them. I have to say that for me I'd be hard-pressed to choose Rome post-cruise or Istanbul pre-cruise. Turkey is my favorite country and Istanbul is in my top 3 cities of the world (ranks higher than Rome for me).

 

I'm sure you will have a great cruise no matter what you decide! Happy Sailing.

[pcur]

We've been on several European cruises, and if you are focusing on the Italy in the Med, then to me the "must see" cities are Rome, Florence, Naples (for Pompei or Capri), and Venice.

 

I just booked the Harmony yesterday for October 2016 for my friend and I. She wants to see Italy. The cruise starts in Rome and ends in La Spezia, and includes Naples. This way we can pre-cruise in Rome, post-cruise in Florence, then take the train to Venice, which is about $11 per person.

 

It also includes Palma de Mallorca and Marseilles (quick train ride to Monaco).

[peteukmcr]

It also includes Palma de Mallorca and Marseilles (quick train ride to Monaco).

 

Just to mention that it's nearly a 3 hour train ride from Marseilles to Monaco, so you'll need to plan your time carefully.

Edited June 14, 2015 by peteukmcr

[Newtoncruise]

Not sure where the op lives. Is it a hot climate at home because the eastern med and western med will be hot in June. Not unbearable though.....

 

The opportunity to cruise the baltic in mid June will allow you to experience the high northern hemisphere and the land of the midnight sun.

 

The serenade is older but lovely apparently!

 

The Baltic Cruise would be my choice!

[MADflyer]

We've been on several European cruises, and if you are focusing on the Italy in the Med, then to me the "must see" cities are Rome, Florence, Naples (for Pompei or Capri), and Venice.

 

I just booked the Harmony yesterday for October 2016 for my friend and I. She wants to see Italy. The cruise starts in Rome and ends in La Spezia, and includes Naples. This way we can pre-cruise in Rome, post-cruise in Florence, then take the train to Venice, which is about $11 per person.

 

It also includes Palma de Mallorca and Marseilles (quick train ride to Monaco).

 

Doing an early disembarkation the day prior in La Spezia is certainly one way to do this. While you do have high speed rail from Rome to Florence also, you save the trip from Civitavecchi to Rome at disembarkation and gain a land day.

 

Here you would need to request a security clearance to disembark early the day prior. If you or your agent have not already contacted them, here is the information.

 

AirSeaGFO@rccl.com

Toll Free Number: 1-800-256-6649

 

Marseille is best for the city itself or a trip to Aix de Provence as Monaco is some distance and best done from Villefranche.

 

Another thing with any combo like this is that flights in or out of Milan can sometimes be much less expensive than Rome and have greater availability.

[pcur]

Just to mention that it's nearly a 3 hour train ride from Marseilles to Monaco, so you'll need to plan your time carefully.

 

You're correct; I was thinking of Nice.

[pcur]

Doing an early disembarkation the day prior in La Spezia is certainly one way to do this. While you do have high speed rail from Rome to Florence also, you save the trip from Civitavecchi to Rome at disembarkation and gain a land day.

 

Here you would need to request a security clearance to disembark early the day prior. If you or your agent have not already contacted them, here is the information.

 

AirSeaGFO@rccl.com

Toll Free Number: 1-800-256-6649

 

Marseille is best for the city itself or a trip to Aix de Provence as Monaco is some distance and best done from Villefranche.

 

Another thing with any combo like this is that flights in or out of Milan can sometimes be much less expensive than Rome and have greater availability.

 

The cruise I'm referring to ENDS in La Spezia, so there is no early disembarkation. We take the train to Florence, overnight or two, then train to Venice.

 

It BEGINS in Civitavecchia, so there is a night or two in Rome prior to the cruise.

 

Yes, I was thinking of Nice by train to Monaco/Monte Carlo.

[MADflyer]

The cruise I'm referring to ENDS in La Spezia, so there is no early disembarkation. .

 

Ok. I was thinking that RCI were only offering 7 night sailings from Civitavecchia and Barcelona.