19 year olds cruising in Mediterranean Europe in May

[marylanecruise]

Me and my friend wanted to go cruising in the Mediterranean next May. We are really exited. However we found several problems while looking up cruises.

 

a) Firstly it turns out that there are age restrictions*! (We will both be 19 by then) Now I did some research and I found that different companies have different policies. However it looks like some companies allow 18+ to cruise alone. Can anyone please confirm my results? Especially Royal Caribbean, they have awesome cruises it seems.

*we are NOT looking for US or Caribbean departures. ONLY Mediterranean

 

 

• Age restrictions
  Carnival:
  21+
  Royal Caribbean
  18+ in europe
  
  Holland America
  18-21: Parent/guardian; letter of constent
  Disney
  18+ no Europe cruises
  
  MSC
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Norwegian Cruise Line
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Costa
  18-21: Parent/guardian; letter of constent
  Cunard
  18+
  Celebrity
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
  Croisières de France
  18+ ???
  Princess
  18+: With responsible adult over the age of 21
   
  

 

b) The reason we want to cruise is because its a cheap way to get around. Europe is often expensive, and if you are saving money in one way you are loosing it in another. Cruise provides food, lodging and transportation. All for about $100-120 a day if we are lucky! Now question is, is it really that cheap? Are there any hidden fees? I heard about tipping, and pricey shore tours and not-free restaurants and pricey alcohol drinks. Is there anything else that we need to pay for? and how can we avoid paying too much for all of that?

 

c) The cruises we are looking up have a few sea days. What can do on a cruise ship that's free?

 

d) Our primary goal is seeing the Mediterranean (historic) cities. Whats on the boat is really just a bonus and a secondary concern. As long as they get us where we want to go on time, the food is free, there is something to drink (juice soda we don't care), the bed is clean and we have a nice bathroom with bearable shower almost anything is a go. Should we be aware of any nasty surprises? We don't want to end up cruising for the sake of the cruising.

 

E) the weather in May. Is it good for Mediterranean cruise? Can we swim (i don't need shower-warm water I'm Canadian)? I would like to take only the barest essentials e.g. a la backpacking. Is it possible for May weather? Shorts, jeans, dress, jacket (how warm?), sweater, swimsuit (do we even need that in may?) 6 shirts, blouse, cardigan, sneakers, sandals, sarong (for catholic churches).

 

F) These are probably the ports we are maybe hopefully visiting:

Barcelona, Spain

Nice (Villefranche), France

Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Naples (Capri), Italy

Venice, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Should we know anything particular about them? How far are these ports from touristic city center? I know Rome is pretty far away, how about others?

We might want to take a city tour or two with the cruise line if the places are not easily accessible. Which cities are easier (cheaper) to explore alone and which are easier (safer) to stick with the cruise tour?

 

g) Last but not least: dress code. I don't have a cocktail dress (only evening) for "formal wear" nights and I don't want to drag one all the way from Canada. Is it possible to eat somewhere on the ship without dressing up, or maybe getting room service? Also how fancy is "smart casual" is a regular dress good enough?

 

I realize it's a lot of questions, but if you could at least answer one or two I would be terribly grateful!

 

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

[dsrdsrdsr]

A - in most of Europe, 18 is the age of consent at which you become full adults. So many American lines and probably all European lines will treat you as adults. Certainly British lines, so far as I know, have few if any restrictions for over 18s.

 

B - tipping is the only 'compulsory' extra. There are free restaurants for all the food you would need; excursions are optional; alcohol is optional. Most lines have free tea, coffee and water available all hours, and there's water in the taps as well as available at meals. You would need to work out how much you are willing to spend on tour - google it in advance, make your plans.

 

D - no surprises, just check the itinerary for times in port. Some lines, eg. P&O, are a bit chary about giving useful information - eg. the may say "morning arrival" and that means between 8.30 and noon, you don't know which. Check some of the lower budget lines - eg. Cruises & Maritime, a British-based company, charge half what P&O charge. Three of us had a week in Norway for just over £1,000.

 

E - Google it. You want us to do all the work? ;) You can swim, the sea won't freeze.

 

F - check the ports of call board in detail. All those ports, so far as I know, are DIY-able with varying degrees of difficulty.

 

G - a dress is fine for smart casual. Even on the posh lines, "smart casual" means no jeans, no vest tops, and clothes without holes in the them. Probably a simple dress would do for formal as well, because there are no hard and fast rules on what constitutes "formal" for women. It would be a brave maitre d' who would tell a woman her dress is the wrong style. :eek:

[Floridiana]

d) Our primary goal is seeing the Mediterranean (historic) cities. [/b

F) These are probably the ports we are maybe hopefully visiting:

Barcelona, Spain

Nice (Villefranche), France

Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Naples (Capri), Italy

Venice, Italy

Zadar, Croatia

Kotor, Montenegro

 

Should we know anything particular about them?

 

I think you should plan in a different way. First of all, cruising is not the cheapest way to travel in Europe. There are options with cheap train tickets and youth hostels. Instead of going to 5 different countries on one cruise, you could concentrate on one or two countries and several cities and do research on their historic relevance. At your age, there is probably still lots of time to come back and visit the other places on a later trip.

 

For example, Florence and the Toscana region can easily fill an entire vacation if you are really into history and art. The former territory of the Venetian Republic includes ports in today's Croatia, Montenegro and Greece, lots of fascinating history and art. I could go on and on.

[cb at sea]

A guidebook will be VERY helpful to you!

[rose6]

Crusing can be an economical way to travel when you are on a limited budget, but it is not necessarily the best way to experience the cities you wish to visit. Port times are usually less than eight hours and often the cities are two hours travel time each way from the port. Florence, for example, and Rome are at least two hours travel from the ports. In my view you, will only get a taste of what the cities can offer. You need several days to really experience a destination.

 

If you still decide to cruise be sure to speak directly with the cruise lines to determine their age policy. If you find a cruise line and itinerary that suits you, ask about a rate for an inside guarantee stateroom. The guarantees are often less expensive than choosing a specific stateroom.

 

May is a wonderful month to travel in the Mediterranean, in fact, we have done the Med in both May and June and found the temperatures in May to be more comfortable.

 

One last suggestion, Google information on youth hostels in Europe and see if you and your friend could stay longer in some of the cities you wish to experience in more depth. Best advice is be careful and remember European cities are very different from Canadian cities. Enjoy your trip and remember you are young and will probably have other opportunities to return to Europe in the future if you don't get to see every place on your wish list on this occasion.

[SteveH2508]

Checkout this http://www.interrail.eu/

 

It might fit your needs - just a thought.

[boulders]

Royal Caribbean's minimum age to book a cruise is 18 and up in the Mediterranean. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=309&faqSubjectId=333

 

Disney does not mention a minimum age to book, but just says that 17 and younger must be accompanied by someone 21 or older http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/booking-conditions-gb/

 

In Europe, Royal Caribbean's minimum age to purchase alcohol is 18. Disney's is 21.

 

I think a cruise would be a much better option for touring Europe than staying in a hostel for a couple of 19 year old females. Go for it.

[marylanecruise]

I think you should plan in a different way. First of all, cruising is not the cheapest way to travel in Europe. There are options with cheap train tickets and youth hostels. Instead of going to 5 different countries on one cruise, you could concentrate on one or two countries and several cities and do research on their historic relevance. At your age, there is probably still lots of time to come back and visit the other places on a later trip.

 

For example, Florence and the Toscana region can easily fill an entire vacation if you are really into history and art. The former territory of the Venetian Republic includes ports in today's Croatia, Montenegro and Greece, lots of fascinating history and art. I could go on and on.

 

I see your point Floridiana, however I must point out that I've been to Europe before. I have visited Rome 3 times already and although I've never been to any of the other port I specified I have been to many other places mainly around Italy, Greece, Montenegro, and Israel. And usually it was in a group, so the stays in a particular city was often one night and moving on. So I know what its like o both stay for long in the same city and move around. So now we'd like to see many coastal cities (including Barcelona (me) and Venice (friend)). the cities that are listed are just the cities in a particular cruise we are looking at.

Hostels are unfortunately not an option-- I've stayed in one (with a group of youth I knew) and staying in one as two young girls is not very appealing to me. Also very strict mothers who wont allow it.

In europe trains are often a problem. Express trains take away on average 5 hours (+3 hours for getting to and from hotel). That's almost a whole day. Sleeper trains are only available between major cities far enough from each other. If sleeper train journey is less than 6 hours you're often in no condition to get up and walk around for a whole day after that.

Also price.

Major cities are very expensive. So hostel in good location is around $50-$80 CAD pp, plus $30-50 meals per day (that is very basic food), plus around $50-$100 train tickets, $5-10 public transit pd... You get the gist of it.

Also big problem booking in advance. Cruises are generally cheaper about 90 days before departure date (for europe). Hotels and hostels on the other hand are mostly booked and have three times their normal price. And we yet don't have the money or any guarantees that we will go in May.

 

So in the end a cruise ship is like an all-inclusive (+fees) overnight train with breakfast and dinner and a comfortable bed with a private bathroom. Aaaaand good prices with cool last minute deals.

 

But I do agree many places are worth exploring for weeks and weeks!

[pseudoware]

Consider what is your primary goal - to see Europe or go on a cruise. If the former, you might be disappointed.

 

Dude, if I was single and your age, I'd travel by land and stay in Europe as long as possible. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[Essiesmom]

Have you priced out airfare? You may find good cruise prices 90 days out, but airfare may be twice the cost of the cruise. EM

[Langley Cruisers]

The reason we want to cruise is because its a cheap way to get around. Europe is often expensive, and if you are saving money in one way you are loosing it in another. Cruise provides food, lodging and transportation. All for about $100-120 a day if we are lucky!

 

Cruises in Europe are not cheap - can you tell us where you found one for $100 per day? Our European cruise was the most expensive one we have taken.

.

[Floridiana]

Marylanecruise,

 

I get it. Your moms don't want you cavorting around Europe on your own. ;)

 

May is a good month.

Have you checked P&O UK cruise line? Maybe they have no restrictions above age 18. How about pullmantur? I saw 2 of their ships in the Caribbean and they were older with lots of young passengers getting off.

[whogo]

Cruises in Europe are not cheap - can you tell us where you found one for $100 per day? Our European cruise was the most expensive one we have taken.

.

Billiance of the Seas, 12 nights starting from $1393 or about $116 per day. Taxes, etc. add another $117 making a total of $126 per day. Tips will add another $13 per day. $156 each for tips is enough to make a bargain hunting teenager's heart stop, but budget accordingly and don't stiff the crew. Airfare will increase costs considerably and Florence and Rome are at quite a distance from their ports. With the goal of seeing historic cities the OP will have to plan and budget wisely. Budget carefully and take hundreds of dollars more than you think you need.

 

Sat May 14 Barcelona, Spain 5:00pm

Sun May 15 Nice (Villefranche), France 10:00am 7:00pm

Mon May 16 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Tue May 17 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Wed May 18 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am 6:30pm

Thu May 19 At Sea

Fri May 20 Venice, Italy 3:00pm

Sat May 21 Venice, Italy 6:30pm

Sun May 22 Zadar, Croatia 7:00am 5:00pm

Mon May 23 Kotor, Montenegro 12:30pm 8:30pm

Tue May 24 At Sea

Wed May 25 At Sea

Thu May 26 Barcelona, Spain 6:00am

[jamessemaj]

I just scanned the responses, but my view is that Europe on land is incredibly expensive and the OP has the right idea. American young adults as the OP would freak out over the cost of food in Europe. I hope a cruise will work out. Maybe a personal appeal to the cruise line may work.

[Langley Cruisers]

Billiance of the Seas, 12 nights starting from $1393 or about $116 per day.....

 

Thank you.

[navybankerteacher]

I just scanned the responses, but my view is that Europe on land is incredibly expensive and the OP has the right idea. American young adults as the OP would freak out over the cost of food in Europe. I hope a cruise will work out. Maybe a personal appeal to the cruise line may work.

 

For the money a cruise would cost, two people traveling together on rail passes and stopping at inexpensive hotels and avoiding top end restaurants can do quite well - and get a real taste of the places they do see. Most ports in Europe are not convenient to places worth seeing: they might not get to as many places if they travel by land, but they would actually experience them. Trying to see Rome, or Florence, or Athens - or many other places on a port visit is an exercise in superficiality - sure: you've been there, but barely passing through.

[EGG]

Many people take cruises without spending a lot of additional money on the ship. The only additional expense that you will definitely have (besides the biggie - excursions) is gratuities which vary by cruise line but are in the $12 per day per person range. Get the least expensive cabin you can, like an inside guarantee. Any cabin on a cruise ship is better than a hostel. You are young, you will probably spend free time at the pool or whirlpool and enjoying the free entertainment on the ship.

 

The other thing that adds up quickly is the very expensive drinks. If you and your friend can resist all drinking, that will help a lot. Do the math. If you are going to have even one drink a day it will add up. Hundred of people go on each cruise and do not drink, buy pictures, go to the spa or the casino or the specialty restaurant and have a fantastic time. They are there for the ports and for the relaxation when on the ship. So before you go any further you need to decide whether you can be happy sitting by the pool, in the whirlpool, at the theatre, at the dinner table, watching other people drink and not care that you are not drinking. It does not bother me in the least. I love going on cruises and losing weight and I don't care to drink my calories.

 

<script id="gpt-impl-0.33264767169495035" src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gpt/pubads_impl_69r.js"></script>You will not need to spend any money for food on the ship. Formal nights are not very formal. You can get by with one long black skirt and sparkly polyester tops, which you can wash in the sink if they get dirty so you can wear them multiple times. You will have to bring a few extra outfits for dinner anyway, so just go for lightweight, washable, pretty colors with maybe a little bling on them. Then you can even wear these blouses on non formal nights. It is a little harder for guys but a button down shirt and a tie are a good start. I've seen a lot of men who have an outside jacket that is slightly tailored and suit jacket length and they have used that. Not perfect, but if they look neat, it works. You always need to have an outer jacket anyway in case of colder weather. Otherwise, you can aways eat in the buffet. A lot of people eat in the buffet after a day of touring anyway, being too tired for a 2 hour dinner.

 

I never eat off the ship. You are not supposed to bring food off the ship so I always pack a few boxes of granola bars and this holds me over between a big breakfast and when we get back on the ship. (Another reason I lose weight Yeah!!). You can refill a water bottle with ship water to take off the ship to save a few more dollars.

 

The problem with the ports is that some of them are not close to the city and therefore you need an excursion just to get to the city. This is going to take a lot of research on your part. I would suggest you go to the ports of call boards to get started http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19. Find out which ports you can walk to or take public transportation from the ship. DH and I love absorbing the atmosphere of the European cities, so our main goal has been to get there and to walk around for hours. We choose 1 or 2 museums or sights we want to visit. Before we leave we have a budget because we try to figure out how much foreign currency we need to bring. A trip to Europe takes a lot of planning since you will only be ashore for 5 or 6 hours. You need to get up early, and get back to the ship early and walk, walk, walk. Just an aside here, we avoid the hop on hop off busses. There is too much sitting in traffic and standing around waiting for the bus. I would rather enjoy the walk and all the buildings and people we see along the way.

 

Sit down and do a budget.

• Cost to get to airport.
  
• Airfare
  
• Taxi to get to hotel in Europe. We always go a day early, drop our bags at the hotel and tour like crazy on that first day. Have an early dinner and a good nights sleep. Some cities are cheaper and easier for debarkation. I see you have Barcelona first on your list and that is one of the less expensive cities for hotels and food and the airport is closer to the port than many other cities. Venice is a fantastic walking city where you can have a magical day without spending any money but a very expensive embarkation city as is Rome. Remember that many of the people who are kind enough to answer you are much older and cannot walk as many miles as a 19 year old. I am going to add some advice here - Make sure you have good maps for every city you plan to do on your own. Plan to get back to the ship at least an hour before they tell you to be back on the ship.
  
• Taxi to the ship
  
• Cruise price including fees and tax. (The advertised price does not include these so you need to do a dummy booking past the page where you choose your cabin)
  
• Ports. This is the most work. Tackle this port by port. We do a mix of on our own, ship excursions and tours we take with people we meet on our cruise critic roll call.
  Gratuities and other ship expenses like drinks
  
• Taxi to the airport.
  
• Expense to get home from airport.
  

 

Ask individual questions - you will get more answers

 

You can search a forum by putting a key word in the box towards the top of the page next to the blue bar.

 

Good luck and happy planning.

[cruisemom42]

If, as you say, your PRIMARY goal is seeing the historic Mediterranean cities, I think you may be somewhat disappointed in a cruise. You have such limited time in each city. Think about it for a minute:

 

Rome -- the ship docks in Civitavecchia, from which it's about an hour, give or take, into Rome. So you lose 2.5 hours of what is usually a 12 hour port day, plus you want to be back to the ship an hour before sailing, and it generally takes a half hour or more to "get things going" after the ship docks. The best you can hope for is 8 hours in Rome.

 

Florence -- is even further away, a minimum 1.5 hour commute each way.

 

The other cities you listed are not as bad, but you get the picture. Especially when you're young, you are missing out on half the fun of being in Europe if you are missing out on the evenings (when the tourists are often, thankfully, gone and there are more locals around).

 

Four of the stops you've listed are in Italy. With a little planning and with the $240/day that would be your base price onboard ship ($120 x 2), you should be able to find hotels in these cities that are safe and well located and also be able to use the good fast trains to get from city to city without too much expense or loss of time. (Buying the tickets in advance often results in substantial savings.) Also note -- most Italian hotels provide breakfast in the cost of the room.

 

If I were the mom, that's what I'd recommend. :D

[chrispb]

Consider what is your primary goal - to see Europe or go on a cruise. If the former, you might be disappointed.

 

Dude, if I was single and your age, I'd travel by land and stay in Europe as long as possible. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

 

At your age, most young people are out there backpacking. You'd have a much better experience and meet other like-minded 19 yr olds.

If backpacking isn't your thing, try flashpacking.

 

There are low cost airlines between the cities you've mentioned eg Ryanair, Easyjet plus others.

[marylanecruise]

At your age, most young people are out there backpacking. You'd have a much better experience and meet other like-minded 19 yr olds.

If backpacking isn't your thing, try flashpacking.

 

There are low cost airlines between the cities you've mentioned eg Ryanair, Easyjet plus others.

 

thanks for the advice, but i've had a so-so experience in the two hostel I've ever stayed in and also our Moms are highly against it. But my point it's that it's not as cheap as it seems. Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Venice hostels are usually $50-70 CAD pp per night, plus the food is really expensive and we don't really want to spend our days cooking. Ryanair will be at least $75 one way plus extra luggage costs. In total it would be approx. $150-200 a day (+tax) for hostels and cheap food and public transit and flight tickets and airport-to-hotel-costs (if we fly every three days).

Oh and don't forget that flights may take up half your day with all the airport round-trips and waiting and luggage.

 

Flashpacking as in more expensive hotels is of course more pricey. $250 per room per day + taxes ($125 pp +tax) and add taxis and real meals... that's more like $300 per day.

 

If we find a May cruise that is $1200 (+ tax $200) for 12 days that would be $100 a day pp (+tax). And those are realistic prices. There are September and November cruises like that.

Edited August 23, 2015 by marylanecruise

[navybankerteacher]

thanks for the advice, but i've had a so-so experience in the two hostel I've ever stayed in and also our Moms are highly against it. But my point it's that it's not as cheap as it seems. Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Venice hostels are usually $50-70 CAD pp per night, plus the food is really expensive and we don't really want to spend our days cooking. Ryanair will be at least $75 one way plus extra luggage costs. In total it would be approx. $150-200 a day (+tax) for hostels and cheap food and public transit and flight tickets and airport-to-hotel-costs (if we fly every three days).

Oh and don't forget that flights may take up half your day with all the airport round-trips and waiting and luggage.

 

Flashpacking as in more expensive hotels is of course more pricey. $250 per room per day + taxes ($125 pp +tax) and add taxis and real meals... that's more like $300 per day.

 

If we find a May cruise that is $1200 (+ tax $200) for 12 days that would be $100 a day pp (+tax). And those are realistic prices. There are September and November cruises like that.

 

It's your trip, so of course you will do it your way. But you do appear to be skewing figures to support your decision to cruise; by overstating the cost of hostels, hotels and meals and understating the cost of cruising --- while ignoring the fact that you will be able to experience very little of the cities you want to see.

 

I suggest you do some serious cost checking - getting real quotes and including all costs: taxes and port fees (often not included in fare quotes), service charges of about $25 per day for two (unless you plan to stiff the crew), costs of getting from ports to points of interest, among others. Also get real quotes for inexpensive hotels - as well as hostels (that $50-$70 Cdn per person per day is simply out of line).

 

You could do very well (not to mention seeing a lot more of what you are after) on land for what a cruise would cost.

 

But, don't take any of our recommendations - just seriously check real costs out yourself.

[dsrdsrdsr]

It's a cruise messageboard and the OP asked a question about cruising - why has it turned into a thread about the benefits of backpacking? :confused:

[cruisemom42]

It's a cruise messageboard and the OP asked a question about cruising - why has it turned into a thread about the benefits of backpacking? :confused:

 

I suspect it's because the OP said (as quoted below) that their primary goal was to see the historic cities. We all love cruising, but cruising is NOT the best way to accomplish this....:cool:

 

 

Me

d) Our primary goal is seeing the Mediterranean (historic) cities. Whats on the boat is really just a bonus and a secondary concern. As long as they get us where we want to go on time, the food is free, there is something to drink (juice soda we don't care), the bed is clean and we have a nice bathroom with bearable shower almost anything is a go. Should we be aware of any nasty surprises? We don't want to end up cruising for the sake of the cruising.

 

[dsrdsrdsr]

I suspect it's because the OP said (as quoted below) that their primary goal was to see the historic cities. We all love cruising, but cruising is NOT the best way to accomplish this....:cool:

 

What, absolutely not, no, never, no way, anyone who says otherwise is wrong? IMO cruising from place to place is a good way to get there - entirely relaxing. Seeing 10 cities in 14 days with overland travel in between can be tiring, even at 19; after travel on the overnight train, sleeping in your seats, you might not want a full day walking the city. And if you travel by day, then obviously you don't see the city.

 

The OP, unless I am misreading her posts, has decided on a cruise if it can be done cheaply enough. If the thread is to consist of nothing but telling her she is wrong, it isn't answering her questions.

[navybankerteacher]

What, absolutely not, no, never, no way, anyone who says otherwise is wrong? IMO cruising from place to place is a good way to get there - entirely relaxing. Seeing 10 cities in 14 days with overland travel in between can be tiring, even at 19; after travel on the overnight train, sleeping in your seats, you might not want a full day walking the city. And if you travel by day, then obviously you don't see the city.

 

The OP, unless I am misreading her posts, has decided on a cruise if it can be done cheaply enough. If the thread is to consist of nothing but telling her she is wrong, it isn't answering her questions.

 

OP made it clear the primary purpose was to see a few Mediterranean cities. The 12 days devoted to a cruise would allow, at best, some 50 hours divided among, perhaps, 10 cities: barely enough time to be able to say they were there. If divided among, say, five cities they would have spent one or two nights in each - allowing four hours travel time between, and 8 hours asleep per day, they would allow three times as much opportunity to achieve that primary purpose.