Med Europe Cruise from Athens to Rome

[cruzagain]

Has anyone taken this cruise, 10 days cruise Athens-Mykonos-Rhodes-Santorini-Malta-Taormina-Sorrento-Amalfi-Livorno-Rome, also includes 2 days before & 2days after.air included from Vancouver, Canada. Sailing Sept 18,2006. Any feedback about this cruise/ship/service/fees-extra expenses on board, etc. will be appreciated. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of having only 684 passengers on this ship compared to the other big ships? We have been on the Celebrity to the Carribean but have never been to the Mediterranean.

[drwong]

You'll find most of the answers on this board by using the "search" function in the upper right corner of the listings, but in a nutshell, we've found Oceania to be superior to Princess and Celebrity in terms of dining and accommodations. Our last cruise with Princess was aboard one of the Grand-class megaships, and having only 684 passengers aboard makes a big difference, especially when everybody is trying to get on or off the ship at the same time!

 

In order to handle that many passengers, Princess is forced to engage in demand-management, telling you when to eat and which show to watch. Oceania, on the other hand, is entirely open seating. You can choose when you want to eat, and with whom you want to dine. The main (Grand) dining room is large enough (and the passenger complement small enough) to do that. Also, Princess imposes a surcharge for dining in one of their specialty restaurants, while on Oceania it's included with the fare.

 

You might notice Oceania's sticker price may be higher than Princess or Celebrity's, but if you book right now, Oceania will toss in free roundtrip air. In contrast, Princess or Celebrity's listed prices are for the cruise alone. If you let them add on airfare to Europe from the West Coast, you'll see that their prices move closer and closer to Oceania's price range.

 

Take a look at the various postings on this board to find the answers to any additional questions you might have. If you still have any unanswered ones, feel free to ask away!

[cruzagain]

Thank you drwong, I think my husband & I will consider sailing with Oceania. Yes, you're right they have air included in their promotion right now. The only thing that blows me away are the gov't taxes/air taxes/air deviation/air differential costs which adds up to almost $800.00. Do you know what are the rules in tipping now?

I find this board to be informative and appreciate your input.