Which Mediterranean itinerary?

[CruiseNTheWorld91]

I know the board police will want this question in the ports of call section but it's hard to get questions like this answered the way that forum is laid out. That being said, we are looking at doing a Western Medi in September 2018. The two options are Jewel or Symphony. I know the difference in ship but my bigger question is ports of call. Which itinerary is better?

 

Jewel

Departing Rome to Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma, & Cagliari

 

Symphony

Departing Barcelona to Palma, Marseilles, La Spezia, Rome, & Naples

[Ned11]

I’ve done from Rome and found it a pain to get to the ship.

Did Ajaccio, Palma and Barcelona on the cruise and enjoyed it. It was on Mariner in 2012.

Just done the latter on the Epic in May but the other way round from Barcelona and loved the ports. Really easy from Barcelona and inexpensive.

Going on Symphony in May from Barcelona and really looking forward to it.

 

 

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[FionaMG]

I know the board police will want this question in the ports of call section but it's hard to get questions like this answered the way that forum is laid out. That being said, we are looking at doing a Western Medi in September 2018. The two options are Jewel or Symphony. I know the difference in ship but my bigger question is ports of call. Which itinerary is better?

 

Jewel

Departing Rome to Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma, & Cagliari

 

Symphony

Departing Barcelona to Palma, Marseilles, La Spezia, Rome, & Naples

 

Well, you have Rome, Barcelona and Palma on both, so essentially the difference comes down to Cannes + Ajaccio + Cagliari or Marseilles + La Spezia + Naples.

 

Have you visited any of these ports before or are they all new to you? It's all very subjective, but in my opinion, as far as sightseeing is concerned, I would definitely go for the Symphony itinerary. Many more interesting options from/in Marseilles, La Spezia and Naples than Cannes, Ajaccio and Cagliari, in my opinion.

 

Maybe another thing to consider is how much time you want to spend in your departure port? Both Rome and Barcelona could keep you occupied for days on end. However, it's much easier to get to the port in Barcelona because it's right there in the city, whereas the port for Rome is a good hour's drive away (if you have a private transfer and depending on traffic).

[voyager70]

I would also vote for Symphony. Better ship and itinerary (in my opinion) and as others have mentioned much easier to get from airport to city to ship in Barcelona than Rome/Civitaveccia.

[cruzgryphon]

Here's another one for the Symphony itinerary especially if you haven't travelled to Europe very much/ first time in the Med.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Symphony the far better ship ( in my opinion) and because of the ease of getting to the port.

Barcelona is a great city and worth spending a couple of days in pre or post cruise.

[tru2logan]

So would it be best to do Barcelona to Rome or to do the itinerary in reverse on Symphony?

[stacymay30]

You may want to consider what the international flights will cost too. Is it significantly cheaper to one city? What about including the transfer?

 

 

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[yuvraj]

I prefer Barcelona as an embarkation port. Plenty to do pre-cruise, easy to get from airport to port etc. So if I had a choice, I would always choose Barcelona for convenience.

 

The political situation in Spain is a factor to take into account. If you are the cautious type and concerned about things getting ugly in Barcelona then Rome embarkation is the safer option.

 

The choice of pre-cruise stay in Rome or Barcelona and which one appeals to you most might be the determining factor.

[oldguysandgalls]

While embarking in Barcelona is easier, on our Med. Cruise we took the commuter train from Rome's main train station (Stazione Termini) to the Port of Civitavecchia in just under 1 hour. The train station in Civitavecchia is within walking distance from the pier.

 

On another Med. Cruise, friends of ours did a DIY day tour of Rome by train from Civitavecchia to Rome and back when their ship docked in Civitavecchia (Port of Call).

 

The Ports in either of your itineraries are wonderful to explore on your own, especially Palma, Barcelona and Naples. In Naples for example, you can take a local train to Pompeii.

 

Buon Viaggio!

[Tin can]

Symphony itinerary for me.

 

Not that the Jewel one is bad but you are hitting some big tourist sites on this one.

 

Pompei from La Spezia is fabulous.

 

 

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[Havingfun2010]

I know the board police will want this question in the ports of call section but it's hard to get questions like this answered the way that forum is laid out. That being said, we are looking at doing a Western Medi in September 2018. The two options are Jewel or Symphony. I know the difference in ship but my bigger question is ports of call. Which itinerary is better?

 

Jewel

Departing Rome to Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma, & Cagliari

 

Symphony

Departing Barcelona to Palma, Marseilles, La Spezia, Rome, & Naples

 

I have been in Rome and Barcelona. When I travel I always stay a few days before. So with that being said, and if it was my first time, I would want to go to Rome. Yes, it is more difficult etc, but Rome would be a must see city to spend time in. However, being in both cities, I like Barcelona better as a city, and would find it more enjoyable as a pre cruise city. It is extremely convenient for the ship also.

 

I would decide based on pre cruise and what you want to achieve overall.

[MiniChunks]

I would lean toward the Symphony itinerary, unless cost was a big factor. If Symphony was considerably more expensive, I'd go with Jewel. As others have mentioned, the port is quite a distance from Rome and the airport, so don't forget to consider transportation cost/time.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I know the board police will want this question in the ports of call section but it's hard to get questions like this answered the way that forum is laid out. That being said, we are looking at doing a Western Medi in September 2018. The two options are Jewel or Symphony. I know the difference in ship but my bigger question is ports of call. Which itinerary is better?

 

Jewel

Departing Rome to Cannes, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma, & Cagliari

 

Symphony

Departing Barcelona to Palma, Marseilles, La Spezia, Rome, & Naples

We did the Symphony of the Seas route (with Allure) in 2015 out of Barcelona - an fantastic cruise and ports. All of the destination ports on the list are great - take advantage of private tours if you can - you get to see more for less money.

[FionaMG]

Symphony itinerary for me.

 

Not that the Jewel one is bad but you are hitting some big tourist sites on this one.

 

Pompei from La Spezia is fabulous.

 

 

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Think you mean from Naples? But, yes, Pompeii is amazing.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Think you mean from Naples? But, yes, Pompeii is amazing.

Agree!

 

We did a ferry over to Capri Island (known as the Beverly Hills of the Mediterranean), then back to Sorrento, before spending almost 3 hours at Pompeii - all at the Naples stop. Fantastic.

[Tin can]

Think you mean from Naples? But, yes, Pompeii is amazing.

 

 

 

Yes you are right, sorry about that.

 

It was Cinque Terre from La Spezia on the boats out and train back.

 

Fabulous experience.

 

 

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[FionaMG]

Yes you are right, sorry about that.

 

It was Cinque Terre from La Spezia on the boats out and train back.

 

Fabulous experience.

 

 

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Cinque Terre, yes, an absolute must do. Gorgeous! Have done it twice, both times by train because we travelled later in the season when the boats weren't running any more.

[George C]

Loved leaving from Barcelona last year great city to visit , I also love Naples and food there, also can visit Capri or Pompeii from there. Can not go wrong with either

[cruisequeen4ever]

I️ vote Symphony and not because it’s the new ship, because of the itinerary. The ports give a solid covering of the Med.

 

 

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[SullytheBFG]

Symphony would be my vote.

 

Don’t do the tours with the cruise line they are ridiculously expensive.

[George C]

Symphony would be my vote.

 

Don’t do the tours with the cruise line they are ridiculously expensive.

 

Totally agree on tours avoid Rccl, we had some great tours arranged with others from our roll call, most had just 6 or 8 people, we started booking out tours almost a year before we sailed

[TNCruzer56]

We did a similar itinerary on the Epic last year.

Let me say this just once: ROME You may only get a chance to go there once in your lifetime. It is MOST definitely NOT a 7 hour excursion! We spent 4 full days there (pre & post cruz) and still had items "not done". It is a spectacular city with so much history and sites, you won`t want to leave. BTW a 50 minute train-ride from the Termini train station and you`re right at the port. Piece of cake and I speak zero Italian. Everybody was so helpful!

Re: Barcelona...Other than Familia Sagrada (spectacular) a few Gaudi stops and time at Los Ramblas, it`s just another bustling Big City. And you can do it all in one day!!!

 

Of and I highly recommend Pompeii morning and Amalfi coastline for lunch and a stop at Sorrento. I have a fabulous guide I could recommend.

[Davebhoy]

I'd go with Jewel on the itinerary- Naples isn't great (some decent excursions though) and I wasn't overly impressed with Marseilles). Also, easier to see Barcelona as a port of call than Rome.

 

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[FionaMG]

Just occurred to me that Symphony interports so you can start your cruise either in Barcelona or Rome. Prices are fairly similar on the whole but there can sometimes be big differences for the sake of just a few days. If you are keen to spend time in Rome before/after your cruise it would probably be worth seeing if the dates work for you in terms of price, flights and vacation time.