cruising the Med in late fall

[matamanoa]

I will post this on the Med forums as well. I am interested to know if anyone has cruised the Med in Oct and/or late Nov. in regards to weather conditions. In the research I have done so far I find that there is a greater risk of rainy conditions as one heads towards Nov and beyond. There are two cruises which I am trying to decide between and I chose them because I wanted to avoid the summer crowds and heat. I'm looking at the Eastern half of the Med towards Greece and Montenegro. Has anyone had any experience with cruising in these areas and what conditions did you encounter?

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

Barb

[tropicalkerry2002]

We did a TA that set sail from Rome on Nov 18th in 2011.

The weather was just like at home in Toronto for that time year....we wore spring/fall jackets. There was one day of colder weather, with drizzle, during the few days we spent in Rome before sailing. My husband feels the cold more than me, and he would often have a hoodie on under his jacket.

This year we are sailing the Med beginning Oct 25th...I expect it will be the same. I will bring gloves, earmuffs(for early mornings), and spring jacket.

[paul929207]

We took a cruise a few years ago that was in the Eastern Med over US Thanksgiving (roughly November 22 to 28). Most days were cool - high in the low to mid 60's. I remember that Malta was 75. We were lucky and had little rain.

[Cruise Junky]

I've done the Greek islands in Early October. We had a bit of rain but not much. Temps were very comfortable. I'm booking next week for October again next year

[sanger727]

We did eastern med in mid October and the weather was perfect. Shorts/t shirts plus a light jacket for windy days. No huge crowds like the summer time

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[buggins0402]

We've done three Med cruises in November...a western RT from Rome, an Adriatic from RT Barcelona, and a Holyland RT from Rome.

 

The Western was the rainy in Genoa with some rough seas during cruise. All other ports were mild weather. Rome had pleasant temperatures and was sunny for touring post cruise.

 

The Adriatic was warm down south, hit drizzle in Dubrovnik, very minor flooding in Venice (which can be very bad in late fall winter), sunny in Kotor and warm enough returning to Barcelona that people were using the pool. Seas were fine.

 

The Holylands (Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Egypt) was warm all around and Rome was light jacket/ sweater post cruise, but sunny (Thanksgiving in Rome).

 

I love the Med in November....no crowds. We have also been to Andalusia in November and mornings light jacket, but by mid Day it was pool weather.

[matamanoa]

Thanks to all who replied with very encouraging weather reports.

 

Barb

[Hlitner]

We have cruised (and traveled) throughout the Med in spring, summer and fall. Personally, we find the Spring to be our favorite season in terms of both weather and tourist crowds. The late fall does certainly increase your chances of rain (when compared to late Spring or Summer). On the other hand, the temperatures will be more reasonable and there will be fewer tourists crowding many of the most popular sites. The tough part of dealing with these issues is that anyone can post anecdotal stories (i.e. we visited in November and had gorgeous weather....or we visited in November and had chilly rain)......but none of that really means much when it comes to your specific trip. Personally, we have encountered all kinds of weather in Oct-Dec from gorgeous to horrendous.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We have had good luck in early-mid October. We have also had mixed weather in late Oct in the Med but on balance it was fine.

[CanadaDeb]

I lived in Malta for 5 years and that time of year can bring cool, rainy days not the mention a rocky sea.

[Keith1010]

Early October or September is a terrific time to sail it.

 

I would just be carful as you get close and into November.

 

Weather is weather. As such it is unpredictable and you just never know but it could be rainy and on the cold site.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

We've been in Barcelona several times during late October and early November. Cool days, sometimes rainy, mostly sunny. A light jacket and umbrella were all we needed.

[maryann ns]

We sailed east from Rome on Nov. 15 a few years ago. We had great weather and at outdoors in Italy (Amalfi Coast), Greece, Cyprus and Turkey (several ports.) It was hot in Egypt. We had a sprinkle of rain before docking in Alexandria and that was it for rain. We had no rough seas either. The lack of crowds made for a great trip.