Any help trying to plan a Mediterranean cruise?

[SuiteTraveler]

I have to say I was VERY disappointed with the excursions. WAY overpriced and disappointing. Did not deliver what was promised. BUT we had no way of knowing how to tour these countries and ports.

 

This is exactly why it is imperative that you plan your own excursions and/or book a private tour guide to take you where you want to go. A good resource for this is Rick Steve's Mediterranean Cruise Ports. So sorry you were disappointed! The Med is absolutely magical when you get to see and experience what you are interested in.

[Aquahound]

I have to say I was VERY disappointed with the excursions. WAY overpriced and disappointing. Did not deliver what was promised. BUT we had no way of knowing how to tour these countries and ports.

 

If you go back on a cruise to the Med...and this is also advice for the OP...check out:

 

www.shareashoreexcursion.com

 

You can create your own private excursion and invite a few others from your cruise, or join one already created. We did this on our last Med cruise and it was excellent. Our groups were a max of 6 people (it can be more) and we were able to tailor it as we went. The drivers we hired were very flexible. And, it was less than the ship's tours and without all the masses of people.

 

I don't do ships tours anymore. They're way too structured and I hate sitting on large buses with all those other people. There's no flexibility at all.

[hrmkr]

We are getting closer to picking an itinerary. At least we have decided that we want the Western Med. I want to see/do as much as possible on the cruise since we may never go back. Basically, getting more bang for the buck. The wife wants some rest days and not so much hustle and bustle. Several of the itineraries only have 1 sea day in the middle while the Princess cruise has several.

 

We took into account some recommendations as to leave from one city and debark from another. That way, we can plan extra days at the beginning and the end.

 

Thoughts??

 

Here are a few of the itineraries we are considering:

 

Princess:

Ships: Sapphire Princess

Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy | Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Barcelona, Spain | Gibraltar, Great Britain | Lisbon, Portugal | Paris/Normandy (Le Havre), France | London (Southampton), England

Celebrity:

DAY/NIGHT

PORT/CITYARRIVALDEPARTUREMon May 7Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 5:00 PMTue May 8Naples, Italy7:00 AM6:00 PMWed May 9Catania, Sicily, Italy10:00 AM7:00 PMThu May 10Valletta, Malta7:00 AM6:00 PMFri May 11At Sea Sat May 12Palma De Mallorca, Spain9:00 AM6:00 PMSun May 13Cartagena, Spain8:00 AM4:00 PMMon May 14Gibraltar, United Kingdom9:00 AM6:00 PMTue May 15At Sea Wed May 16Barcelona, Spain7:00 AM

Norwegian:

 

SHIP Norwegian Spirit

CRUISE PORTS Embark Barcelona (Spain); Palma, Majorca (Spain); Valencia (Spain); Cartagena (Spain); Granada (Malaga) (Spain); Gibraltar (United Kingdom); Cagliari (Sardinia); Valletta (Malta); Messina (Sicily) (Italy); Naples (Italy); Disembark Rome (Civitavecchia) (Italy)

Holland America:

Itinerary

 

View Larger Map

 

 

Ship: ms Koningsdam

 

 

Day 0:

 

April 11, 2018 Departs 06:00 PM

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

 

Day 1:

 

April 12, 2018

AT SEA

 

Day 2:

 

April 13, 2018 Arrives 08:00 AM

Departs 05:00 PM

Cartagena, Spain

 

Day 3:

 

April 14, 2018 Arrives 01:00 PM

Departs 11:59 PM

Gibraltar, British Territory

 

Day 4:

 

April 15, 2018 Arrives 07:00 AM

Departs 05:00 PM

Cadiz (Seville), Spain

 

Day 5:

 

April 16, 2018

AT SEA

 

Day 6:

 

April 17, 2018 Arrives 08:00 AM

Departs 06:00 PM

Barcelona, Spain

 

Day 7:

 

April 18, 2018 Arrives 08:00 AM

Departs 06:00 PM

Marseille (Provence), France

 

Day 8:

 

April 19, 2018 Arrives 08:00 AM

Departs 10:00 PM

Monte Carlo, MonacoTRNW

 

Day 9:

 

April 20, 2018 Arrives 07:00 AM

Departs 07:00 PM

Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy

 

Day 10:

 

April 21, 2018 Arrives 07:00 AM

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

[Aquahound]

You're probably going to get some varied opinions on those itineraries, but I like the Celebrity one best. Starting in Rome gives you the opportunity to tour Rome for a couple days pre-cruise (a must-do). Then, Barcelona is a great ending point.

 

Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, there's 2 sea days. That's nice to have on a 10 day cruise, especially when that last full day is at sea. What better way to come down from a great cruise than a last day spent relaxing at sea.

 

Celebrity is a great cruise line. What ship is it? If it's Solstice Class (Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, Silhouette, Reflection), I think they are the most beautiful ships at sea.

 

My last choice on that list would be the NCL Spirit. I just can't imagine cruising Europe on that tub. Just my opinion. :)

[hrmkr]

You're probably going to get some varied opinions on those itineraries, but I like the Celebrity one best. Starting in Rome gives you the opportunity to tour Rome for a couple days pre-cruise (a must-do). Then, Barcelona is a great ending point.

 

Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, there's 2 sea days. That's nice to have on a 10 day cruise, especially when that last full day is at sea. What better way to come down from a great cruise than a last day spent relaxing at sea.

 

Celebrity is a great cruise line. What ship is it? If it's Solstice Class (Solstice, Eclipse, Equinox, Silhouette, Reflection), I think they are the most beautiful ships at sea.

 

My last choice on that list would be the NCL Spirit. I just can't imagine cruising Europe on that tub. Just my opinion. :)

 

The Celebrity ship wold be the Constellation.

[cruisemom42]

Of the choices you have listed, I'd also vote for the Celebrity itinerary, and here's why.

 

Several of the other itineraries you list have ports with points of interest that are QUITE far from where the ship docks. This makes for expensive ship tours (or private tours) and long days, and/or unsatisfying options closer to port. In this category I'd put Florence (which is a good 90 minutes from Livorno), Granada (about 1 hr and 45 mins from Malaga) and also Paris (which is just over 2 hours from Le Harve on a good day...).

 

I'm less excited about the Princess itinerary which ends in London, as it's not truly a "Med" cruise, but if they are ports you like, then....

 

NCL would not be a line I'd choose; also has some ports that appeal less to me, including Cagliari.

 

HAL's Konigsdam would probably be in the running except for being round-trip from Rome.

 

The Celebrity itinerary has some nice ports (lots of choices of things to do from Naples, Valletta is lovely, and nice to stop in Catania from which you can do Taormina or Syracusa).

 

Most of the itineraries you list, though, are very heavy on Spanish ports and light on the French ones. Is that intentional?

[hrmkr]

Of the choices you have listed, I'd also vote for the Celebrity itinerary, and here's why.

 

Several of the other itineraries you list have ports with points of interest that are QUITE far from where the ship docks. This makes for expensive ship tours (or private tours) and long days, and/or unsatisfying options closer to port. In this category I'd put Florence (which is a good 90 minutes from Livorno), Granada (about 1 hr and 45 mins from Malaga) and also Paris (which is just over 2 hours from Le Harve on a good day...).

 

I'm less excited about the Princess itinerary which ends in London, as it's not truly a "Med" cruise, but if they are ports you like, then....

 

NCL would not be a line I'd choose; also has some ports that appeal less to me, including Cagliari.

 

HAL's Konigsdam would probably be in the running except for being round-trip from Rome.

 

The Celebrity itinerary has some nice ports (lots of choices of things to do from Naples, Valletta is lovely, and nice to stop in Catania from which you can do Taormina or Syracusa).

 

Most of the itineraries you list, though, are very heavy on Spanish ports and light on the French ones. Is that intentional?

 

Cruisemom,

Thank you for the information bout how far the cities are from the ports. that will factor into our decision.

 

The reason we were looking at the Princess cruise was because we have family in London and was going to stop there and see them along with seeing London. If we do the Celebrity cruise, we could also fly from Barcelona to London to see them. UGH. Added cost we could use for excursions. Oh well.

 

 

I just did a search for cruises on several websites and those are the one's that came up that sort of matched where we wanted to go. Leaning away from the Greek islands. Guess i need to look more. I would love to find a nice combination of Spain, Italy and France.

 

 

Any added eyes looking for me would be appreciated. We would like to sail anywhere from mid March-early May.

[crzndeb]

Since you mentioned Carnival, have you ruled out the new Horizon? It will be doing a shortened Med season in Apr 2018 and then the TA on May 9th. I noticed the last Med includes Corfu and Dubrovnik.

 

I did the last 2 Meds and TA on the Vista last year, and was able to see so much. I'm glad I did 2 Meds, because even though it repeated most ports, I was able to do something different and see so much on each leg.

 

Are you limited on time? Can you do a Med, then a TA? If the ones posted are your only choices, I would also go with Celebrity.

[Aquahound]

The Celebrity ship wold be the Constellation.

 

Got it. That's a Millennium Class ship, which is also very nice. I cruised the Constellation to Alaska and had a really nice cruise. She has a nice pool deck and a beautiful glass enclosed adults only pool. What's nice about Constellation are the 2 story tall windows in the main dining room that look out the aft of the ship.

 

I also agree with cruisemom42's post.

[SuiteTraveler]

How about the P&O Aurora - with a much more relaxing sort of itinerary and before and after in Southampton:

Wednesday, May 2 London (Southampton), England4:30pmThursday, May 3 At SeaFriday, May 4 At SeaSaturday, May 5 At SeaSunday, May 6 Alicante, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, May 7 Barcelona, Spain8:00am6:00pmTuesday, May 8 Cannes, France8:00am7:00pmWednesday, May 9 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy7:00am7:00pmThursday, May 10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00am7:00pmFriday, May 11 At SeaSaturday, May 12 Almeria, Spain9:00am6:00pmSunday, May 13 Gibraltar, UK Territory8:00am2:00pmMonday, May 14 At SeaTuesday, May 15 At SeaWednesday, May 16 London (Southampton), England6:30am

[SuiteTraveler]

There is also this Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise that ends in Southampton - I like the port times and all the different ports would really give you a lot of opportunity to see the Med:

Tuesday, May 15

Barcelona, Spain6:00pmWednesday, May 16 Valencia, Spain8:00am6:00pmThursday, May 17 Alicante, Spain8:00am4:00pmFriday, May 18 Malaga, Spain9:00am11:00pmSaturday, May 19 Gibraltar, UK Territory8:00am11:00pmSunday, May 20 Seville, Spain8:00am7:00pmMonday, May 21 Portimao, Portugal7:00am5:00pmTuesday, May 22 Lisbon, Portugal7:00am6:00pmWednesday, May 23 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal8:00am4:00pmThursday, May 24 La Coruna, Spain8:00am5:00pmFriday, May 25 Bilbao, Spain9:00am3:00pmSaturday, May 26 Bordeaux, France8:00amSunday, May 27 Bordeaux, France5:00pmMonday, May 28 Lorient, France8:00am4:00pmTuesday, May 29 St. Malo, France10:00am11:00pmWednesday, May 30 St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands7:00am4:00pmThursday, May 31 London (Southampton), England7:00am

 

 

This is a more upscale line but the prices include all alcohol and non alcoholic beverages, tips, specialty dining, internet and even some shore excursions!

Edited May 16, 2017 by SuiteTraveler

[SuiteTraveler]

Or this on the P&O Nautica:

Sunday, May 27 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00pmMonday, May 28 At SeaTuesday, May 29 Barcelona, Spain7:00am5:00pmWednesday, May 30 Cartagena, Colombia11:00am8:00pmThursday, May 31 At SeaFriday, June 1 Lisbon, Portugal7:00am7:00pmSaturday, June 2 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal8:00am5:00pmSunday, June 3 La Coruna, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, June 4 Bilbao, Spain10:00am9:00pmTuesday, June 5 Bordeaux, France1:00pmWednesday, June 6 Bordeaux, France11:00amThursday, June 7 At SeaFriday, June 8 London (Southampton), England8:00am

[buggins0402]

Or this on the P&O Nautica:

Sunday, May 27 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00pmMonday, May 28 At SeaTuesday, May 29 Barcelona, Spain7:00am5:00pmWednesday, May 30 Cartagena, Colombia11:00am8:00pmThursday, May 31 At SeaFriday, June 1 Lisbon, Portugal7:00am7:00pmSaturday, June 2 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal8:00am5:00pmSunday, June 3 La Coruna, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, June 4 Bilbao, Spain10:00am9:00pmTuesday, June 5 Bordeaux, France1:00pmWednesday, June 6 Bordeaux, France11:00amThursday, June 7 At SeaFriday, June 8 London (Southampton), England8:00am

 

That ship must sprout wings and use some jet engines between Barcelona and Lisbon.:D

[jocap]

Or this on the P&O Nautica:

Sunday, May 27 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00pmMonday, May 28 At SeaTuesday, May 29 Barcelona, Spain7:00am5:00pmWednesday, May 30 Cartagena, Colombia11:00am8:00pmThursday, May 31 At SeaFriday, June 1 Lisbon, Portugal7:00am7:00pmSaturday, June 2 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal8:00am5:00pmSunday, June 3 La Coruna, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, June 4 Bilbao, Spain10:00am9:00pmTuesday, June 5 Bordeaux, France1:00pmWednesday, June 6 Bordeaux, France11:00amThursday, June 7 At SeaFriday, June 8 London (Southampton), England8:00am

Nautica is Oceania, not P&O :D....I love the ship's programme, which says Cartagena is in Columbia :rolleyes:....

Once our ship's hand out about Cartagena was for the wrong port; it told us where to buy emeralds, but didn't mention the Roman amphitheatre...

I think a ship ending in the UK, where you have family, is a good idea... There are plenty of cheap flights from Barcelona, but you might have to pay quite a bit extra for your luggage, as they are very demanding!

[hrmkr]

Or this on the P&O Nautica:

Sunday, May 27 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00pmMonday, May 28 At SeaTuesday, May 29 Barcelona, Spain7:00am5:00pmWednesday, May 30 Cartagena, Colombia11:00am8:00pmThursday, May 31 At SeaFriday, June 1 Lisbon, Portugal7:00am7:00pmSaturday, June 2 Oporto (Leixoes), Portugal8:00am5:00pmSunday, June 3 La Coruna, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, June 4 Bilbao, Spain10:00am9:00pmTuesday, June 5 Bordeaux, France1:00pmWednesday, June 6 Bordeaux, France11:00amThursday, June 7 At SeaFriday, June 8 London (Southampton), England8:00am

 

Suite Traveler.

 

Thnak you so much for finding these. The sites I looked at didn;t even gie these as an option.

 

Is P&O upscale? Don;t really know much about them.

[hrmkr]

Since you mentioned Carnival, have you ruled out the new Horizon? It will be doing a shortened Med season in Apr 2018 and then the TA on May 9th. I noticed the last Med includes Corfu and Dubrovnik.

 

I did the last 2 Meds and TA on the Vista last year, and was able to see so much. I'm glad I did 2 Meds, because even though it repeated most ports, I was able to do something different and see so much on each leg.

 

Are you limited on time? Can you do a Med, then a TA? If the ones posted are your only choices, I would also go with Celebrity.

 

I looked at this cruise but no desire (at this time) to go to Corfu and Dubrovnik.

[hrmkr]

How about the P&O Aurora - with a much more relaxing sort of itinerary and before and after in Southampton:

Wednesday, May 2 London (Southampton), England4:30pmThursday, May 3 At SeaFriday, May 4 At SeaSaturday, May 5 At SeaSunday, May 6 Alicante, Spain8:00am5:00pmMonday, May 7 Barcelona, Spain8:00am6:00pmTuesday, May 8 Cannes, France8:00am7:00pmWednesday, May 9 Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy7:00am7:00pmThursday, May 10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy7:00am7:00pmFriday, May 11 At SeaSaturday, May 12 Almeria, Spain9:00am6:00pmSunday, May 13 Gibraltar, UK Territory8:00am2:00pmMonday, May 14 At SeaTuesday, May 15 At SeaWednesday, May 16 London (Southampton), England6:30am

 

Of the several that you posted, this may be the only one that fits into our schedule. I took a quick look at the P&O website. As I asked in the last post, is P&O upscale, middle of the road or bottom of the barrel?

 

How would this compare cruise line/ship to the Celebrity Constellation? I kind of know the reputation of Celebrity.

[jocap]

Of the several that you posted, this may be the only one that fits into our schedule. I took a quick look at the P&O website. As I asked in the last post, is P&O upscale, middle of the road or bottom of the barrel?

 

How would this compare cruise line/ship to the Celebrity Constellation? I kind of know the reputation of Celebrity.

P&O is similar to Princess- they used to be the same line. It's middle of the way, but does have 2 formal evenings a week, although there are places where you needn't be formal. It is, however, very British, so the food might not always be what you want... mainly Indian crew, so there's quite a lot of curry! ;p- that's only one option, though...

The line doesn't make big tipping demands on you, and you can take alcohol on board at any port, although that's for cabin consumption. No tipping on drink, and pub prices the same as outside London prices. If it's Aurora you're looking at, she's a beautiful middle sized ship, unique in her build as she was built with world cruising in mind. A lovely little cinema on board; an beautiful indoor pool, and lots of viewing places on deck, especially aft.

The one thing I'd point out is that the passengers will be almost all British or Irish, so you might find it a little quieter- or less active- than some of the other ships we've tested... but that will depend on the mix on each cruise.

[GCHAN]

One thing to be aware of with Cost and MSC is that they tend to have shorter port times than some of the "mainstream" US cruise lines. Even a couple of extra hours in Athens, for instance, can make a BIG difference in what you can see and do with your time ashore.

 

So do look carefully at not just the ports but the actual port times when you're deciding on a cruise.

 

We have been on cruises to Eastern Mediterranean and loved it. Greece, Turkey, Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Italy all lovely and relaxing. Cruising out of Italy seems to be our normal way and Venice is really interesting but also a bit harder. Rome is an hour away from port but easy if you get a transfer.

 

We did our first cruise on an Italian cruise line and we were in the minority. Excursions etc. seemed harder for us. Not a problem now as we only do private tours organised through the Roll Calls on Cruise Critic.

 

The whole language thing on the Italian lines with announcements in about 5 languages is really tedious.

 

I would stick to English speaking lines as I find the whole experience much better. Have gone on Celebrity ,Holland America which are my 2 favourites. Also NCL and Msc.

 

Have only been on NCL in Hawaii which is a fantastic itinerary and will most likely stick to Celebrity, Hal and Royal Caribbean from now on.

Edited May 17, 2017 by GCHAN

[MicCanberra]

Sorry. forgot to add some info.

 

Thinking around 8-10 days. Depending where we embark and debark from, may add on a few days at either the beginning or end of the cruise

NCL EPIC does a nice 7 day round trip from Barcelona

CRUISE PORTS Embark Barcelona (Spain); Naples (Italy); Rome (Civitavecchia) (Italy); Florence/Pisa (Livorno) (Italy); Cannes (France); Palma, Majorca (Spain); Disembark Barcelona (Spain), You can also board it at Rome and do the round trip from there.

[SuiteTraveler]

Of the several that you posted, this may be the only one that fits into our schedule. I took a quick look at the P&O website. As I asked in the last post, is P&O upscale, middle of the road or bottom of the barrel?

 

How would this compare cruise line/ship to the Celebrity Constellation? I kind of know the reputation of Celebrity.

 

It will be nice. Aurora was built in 2000 and refurbished in 2014. Constellation built 2001, refurbished 2014. Aurora will be more British, Constellation will be more American. Both are about equal otherwise. I would go by which is the longer cruise and less expensive per day. Both attributes are best for a Med cruise.

[MicCanberra]

It will be nice. Aurora was built in 2000 and refurbished in 2014. Constellation built 2001, refurbished 2014. Aurora will be more British, Constellation will be more American. Both are about equal otherwise. I would go by which is the longer cruise and less expensive per day. Both attributes are best for a Med cruise.

Breaking down the cost per day is great for comparisons especially if you have all costs included as some cruise lines include a drinks package or other perk that may be of advantage.

[hrmkr]

I am taking everything in account. The big item I am now trying to do is research the individual ports before deciding on which itinerary.

[jocap]

We love Aurora, but I'm slightly worried that you'll not find the same experience as on your Carnival ship.... she doesn't have quite the same activities and entertainment that you might find on a ship aiming at the younger generation. Although she's a family ship, there won't be many children on board as Brits aren't allowed to take children from school during term time. The activities on sea day will be more lectures, arts& crafts, quizzes, card games, dancing lessons, films. It can be quite chilly for the first day or two out of Southampton, so only the inside pool will be useful; the nearer you are to the south, the more people relax into the warmth and start using the outside decks.

The suggested tips are £6 pppd- around $9 for over 12 years.; no tips on drinks, and you can take a reasonable amount of alcohol on board- some take a box of wine and a bottle of spirits, but we usually buy Spanish brandy at a port- we find the drink prices on board usual for British pubs.

If you need to find out anything, there's a useful answers page on Google: P&O Frequently asked questions (make sure it's not the P&O Ferries page, which has a similar page! :) )

[hrmkr]

We are not tied to just Carnival.. We have liked the itineraries of the cruises we have taken and the price has been good.

 

My wife and I will be traveling by ourselves for our 25th anniversary. We are now empty nesters. Both kids are in college. Doesn't really matter if there are kids on board or not.