Cruise or land tour in Europe?

[xpcdoojk]

Here is my .02. I agree with the recommendations to try to do both. Cruising in a great way to check out new spots to do a return extended visit in the future. But cruising doesn’t have to be the only means of sightseeing.

 

Up until 2014 we did land based vacations of Europe. A series of Two week vacations of seeing mostly Italy. The trains in Europe are awesome. So we’d spend 2-3 days in a spot and then move on. The bad part is the never ending “bag drag” and “packing and unpacking.” Venice is the worst. I quickly learned and became a fan on the “one bag” travel concept. Wheeled luggage is not your friend.

 

Conversely, cruising is a much more inviting “unpack once” and let the ship take you to a new spot each day. The con here is a limited time in ports. That’s why we like the overnight itineraries when we can.

 

If you have the time I’d recommend doing a hybrid. For example in 2014, we did an 11 Night Med Cruise out of Rome. We spend two nights pre-cruise and one night post cruise in Rome.

 

This fall we are doing the Symphony Transatlantic from Barcelona. We are going over to Barcelona three days before we sail so we can really enjoy the city and surrounding areas before our cruise.

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Tom

 

Venice 2004, we show up from the UK with 2 bags each a small carry-on and a small backpack. We landed at Marco Polo airport at 10PM, we took the bus to the bus park, then we lugged the luggage over 4 bridges to our hotel on the grand canal, and I swore to never do that again. Max luggage is a checked bag and a backpack. Better is a carry-on and a backpack.

 

We are sailing with Tommy3putts this fall, after doing 5 nights driving around the south of France prior to the cruise out of Barcelona. I think cruising is awesome, but land vacations are mostly better in all ways to actually see and get the feel for a place. Well, we are not actually traveling with him, we will hopefully meet him on the cruise.:eek::halo::')

 

JC

[Oceansaway17]

I love cruising and have also traveled in Italy on land (I'm Italian if that matters) so I know the differences of both....

The previous answers are 100% true...

 

If your #1 criteria is to experience Italy, then DO NOT do a cruise.

 

If you wish to see several different cities for only a few hours with time constraints to get back to the ship on time, then by all means do a cruise..... don't expect to see much of Italy.

 

I believe you're from Charlotte... your trip to Italy would look like me, a Canadian, taking a cruise to USA:

• 6 hours in Boston - would I be able to say I've seen and experienced Boston?
  
• 8 hours in New York - would I be able to say I've seen and experienced New York?
  
• 8 hours in DC - would I be able to say I've seen and experienced the Washington area?
  
• 6 hours in Norfolk - would I be able to say I've seen and experienced Norfolk?
  

Do I go home to all my Canadian friends and say 'I know all about the USA because I just "travelled" there?' ... NOT!What about New Orleans, Arizona, LA,San Fran, the Pacific Northwest, Yellowstone, Vegas, etc etc ... I can go on.

In the above "cruise" of the East Coast of USA I would know hardly anything about the US.

 

However, if I spent 4 days in Boston, 4 days in New York, 3-4 days in Philly, another 4-5 days in DC, and then 4-5 days in the Carolinas, maybe I could say I had a great trip learning and immersing myself into the US East Coast, learned a lot from the people and also had an incredible experience!

 

Capiche? :cool:;p

 

Wow very nicely written. And I do agree. For me I have been to Europe on bus tours and so next year I am doing a cruise to pick up a few ports like Monaco that I have not been to and also Greece. I don't want to fly from island to island.

 

 

The thing about cruising is it is a way to sample countries and not have to unpack and sleep in different beds.

But your comments make sense if someone is only going to do Europe or a country once. Then good to do a bus tour.

[xpcdoojk]

Wow very nicely written. And I do agree. For me I have been to Europe on bus tours and so next year I am doing a cruise to pick up a few ports like Monaco that I have not been to and also Greece. I don't want to fly from island to island.

 

 

The thing about cruising is it is a way to sample countries and not have to unpack and sleep in different beds.

But your comments make sense if someone is only going to do Europe or a country once. Then good to do a bus tour.

 

I did a bus tour 34 years ago, and I swore never again. Being trapped on those buses and watching cars speed past me on the autobahn drove me insane. I will do a day tour occassionally on a bus, but I will never ever do a bus tour. If you must be on a supervised tour, I highly recommend a river cruise, yes they often use buses, but it is not the confining spirit killing experience of a bus tour. River cruises are expensive, but they are actually the most relaxed way to see Europe, or at least the small part of Europe that is tourable by river boat. Basically the Rhine, the Moselle, the Danube, maybe the Elbe, the Main, and a few other smaller rivers in Southern France, or Portugal, and the Wild West (East) of Russian Rivers.

 

I still think the best way to visit Europe if you can do independent travel is in your personal car. If you are not comfortable with that trains between spots then local tours is the next best. I put a bus tour on the absolute bottom of the options. Yes, that is personal bias from personal experience, and that trip was a good trip.

 

JC

[SRF]

To me, land by FAR gives you the better experience.

 

Cruise, you blown in with several thousand people,then back out.

 

The trick to land travel is:

 

1). Pack light.

 

2). Don't unpack every time you move, get a suitcase that opens near the top, and just open the top. Use packers to sort things.

 

I travel a lot internationally, and almost never unpack. Even when I am in the same location for several weeks.

[Tommy3putts]

Venice 2004, we show up from the UK with 2 bags each a small carry-on and a small backpack. We landed at Marco Polo airport at 10PM, we took the bus to the bus park, then we lugged the luggage over 4 bridges to our hotel on the grand canal, and I swore to never do that again. Max luggage is a checked bag and a backpack. Better is a carry-on and a backpack.

 

 

 

We are sailing with Tommy3putts this fall, after doing 5 nights driving around the south of France prior to the cruise out of Barcelona. I think cruising is awesome, but land vacations are mostly better in all ways to actually see and get the feel for a place. Well, we are not actually traveling with him, we will hopefully meet him on the cruise.:eek::halo::')

 

 

 

JC

 

 

 

JC

 

Looking forward to meeting you on the Symphony TA this October. It should be an awesome cruise!

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[4774Papa]

We love cruising, but didn't start until I retired in 2010. Prior to that I lived in the Middle East for five years and Germany for four years.

I have traveled any way possible, on your own, on land tours, rail and rail tours, river cruises, ocean cruises, driving with my own car or a rental, bus tours, etc.

 

If you have never been to Europe, there is so much to offer and you have to decide where to go. What interests you the most? If you like history, art and culture, you can't beat Italy. If you like scenic places, Italy is nice, but Switzerland, Norway and Scotland are wonderful.

 

The Greek Islands have both scenic places and history. A cruise is a great way to visit several Greek Islands.

 

Still, a land tour is best for visiting places in depth. You can't Rome, Paris or London in one day, each requires several days.

 

Still, big cities are not all worth seeing in Europe, the countryside is awesome. Consider taking the Romantic Road in Southern Germany.

Tuscany and Umbria in Italy have several wonderful small towns and cities, many you can do on a day trip from Florence.

 

If you pick Italy, do the big three first, that is Rome, Florence and Venice for about two weeks.

 

For London and Paris, plan on a minimum of four nights for each city. The Med countries are a bit cheaper than those in Northern Europe, but if you go in the Summer, be prepared for heat.

 

The British countryside is not to be ignored and you can do day trips to Canterbury, Cambridge, Salisbury, Winchester, Oxford, Bath, Stratford Upon Avon and more.

A British Isles cruise will allow you to see some great places in Ireland, N. Ireland, Scotland and even Wales (from Liverpool).

 

A Baltic cruise is great to see St. Petersburg, Russia as well as other great ports. You won't need a visa for Russia if you use local tours that are cheaper than the ship's tours.

 

Venice is a great city to cruise out of or into. You can do a great cruise that stops in Croatia (Split and Dubrovnick) which are a bit hard to get to otherwise, then see some Greek Isles.

 

France has so much to see in Normandy, Alsace, Provence and the Loire Valley. Spain and Portugal are very nice, Iberia is large and getting around there from city to city can take some time. Rail or air are your choices.

 

Decide what you want to see, then decide on how to do it and this requires some planning.