Not sure who/which to choose

[IflyWJ]

Hi

I'm looking at 3 cruises on 3 different lines. All three Europe/Med, in May 2016, pricing is within 600.00 so not really a deal breaker.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any recent experiences or opinions to help me make a decision please.

 

Holland Eurodam

12 nights

Venice/Dubrovnik/Kotor/Corfu/Naples/Rome/Florence/Toulon/Barcelona

 

Norwegian Spirit

12 nights

Venice/Dubrovnik/Kotor/Athens/Mykonos/Naples/Rome/Florence/Toulon/Barcelona

 

Carnival Vista

10 nights

Athens/Izmir/Rhodes/Valetta/Messina/Naples?Rome/Florence/Marseille/Barcelona (no Venice)

 

Thanks!

[Shmoo here]

Hi

I'm looking at 3 cruises on 3 different lines. All three Europe/Med, in May 2016, pricing is within 600.00 so not really a deal breaker.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any recent experiences or opinions to help me make a decision please.

 

Holland Eurodam

12 nights

Venice/Dubrovnik/Kotor/Corfu/Naples/Rome/Florence/Toulon/Barcelona

 

Norwegian Spirit

12 nights

Venice/Dubrovnik/Kotor/Athens/Mykonos/Naples/Rome/Florence/Toulon/Barcelona

 

Carnival Vista

10 nights

Athens/Izmir/Rhodes/Valetta/Messina/Naples?Rome/Florence/Marseille/Barcelona (no Venice)

 

Thanks!

 

With those choices, my preference would be Holland America mostly because 12 nights vs 10. HAL over Norwegian because 7 ports vs 8 ports - just a tad less busy.

 

But it really boils down to - what itinerary interests you most?

Edited February 2, 2016 by Shmoo here

[fishywood]

Carnival Vista will be a brand new 4000+ passenger ship. Norwegian Spirit (vintage 1998) and Eurodam are barely half that capacity, which is why they are able to call on the Adriatic ports that Vista doesn't.

 

One important factor is the length of time in each port. Spirit does have one more port than Eurodam but does it compensate for that with shorter hours at each call? And does either of those cruises begin with an overnight in Venice?

 

Comes down to whether itinerary or ship is your main factor--or are you trying to balance both? Some people swear to never take a ship barely a month removed from its maiden voyage, some would never be caught dead on an 18 year old ship. Some cruisers would never spend 12+ hours flying to and from a Med cruise without seeing Venice or Dubrovnik; others believe the better cruise is one that calls mainly on Med islands like Sicily and Malta.

 

Hope this helps you decide which are your priorities.

Edited February 2, 2016 by fishywood

[zqvol]

I'd pick NCL because of Athens and Mykonos

[searoses]

Ncl ticks all my boxes but no hc balconies on this ship....:(

[Essiesmom]

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and read about the ports. that might help you decide on itinerary. EM

[Kris74]

Venice is must if you have not been there and Norwegian is not my cup of tea, the negative reviews they get are from the things that are important to me, so Hal would be my choise, although I hate the smoking policy of Hal.

[Clarea]

I'd go with NCL because of Venice and Athens.

[IflyWJ]

Thank you everyone for your input, much appreciated!

[SuiteTraveler]

I would pick NCL for the 12 days and Athens AND Venice. That's a great itinerary. Remember the Med is extremely port intensive, so you will be off the ship from early in the morning until around 5 or 6pm. Because of this, the ship is really acting more as a floating hotel and amenities don't matter all that much. If you can do a suite, penthouse or above, so much the better, but any cabin would be nice on this cruise. NCL does a great breakfast and we especially like the Freestyle policy of not ever having to get dressed up when in the Med because after a full day of touring we're too tired to get into fancy clothes. DO make reservations for the specialty restaurants in advance of your cruise as with the SDP, they sell out. We like Le Bistro and Cagney's best. The other thing that is nice is to get a spa pass as NCL has a thalisotherapy pool and thermal suite you can use to recover from the beating your feet and legs will take everyday. Have a wonderful cruise!

[SPacificbound]

NCL also.