Med Cruise vs Caribbean Cruise any differences?

[porthole21]

Good morning all....just killing some time at work on a slow friday. 202 Days until our first ever Western Med Cruise on the Oasis (also a first on the Oasis class). Just wondering if the cruise line changes any daily activities to cater to the ships current location? For example i assume no steel drum bands....things like that. Do they tweak the MDR menu's at all ? Thank you and Fair Winds and Following Seas to all......

[Clarea]

Biggest difference is the length of time off the ship.  Many of the ports are some distance away from the city.  For example Rome is about an hour away from the port.  Florence is also quite some distance from the port. 

[allylily]

We did Symphony on Western Med this past summer.    Definitely agree with Host Clarea that the days are so long on excursions that the day time activities could have been the same or curtailed and you would never know, because you're lucky if you get back by dinnertime.  Nighttime activities were similar with the shows, comedians, music, RCCL parties.   On my cruise, there were a lot of European, Middle Eastern, and Russian cruisers who were all participating in the activities.    The dress mode was very fancy for everyone  in the evening - if you have room to pack all of that!   Our MDR menus tended toward Italian and Mediterranean menus with the regular standard options, too.  

[George C]

Mediterranean cruises do not have many sea days and are not as relaxing as Caribbean most of tours were long so we were gone 8 hours or more a day .

[Danitroline]

No duty free shop on board.

Also agree with Clarea- we did the med last summer and we were off the ship the entire day. 

there were no comedian as the jokes dont always translate.

VAT tax if you leave from Barceloa and a few other ports

The entire feel of the crowds was different but still quite enjoyable . We had a marvelous time

 

We were with NCLfor that cruise, however.

[Tin can]

We have always found steel drum bands on Med cruises to answer your specific question.

 

I think you will find the biggest difference by far is dress code at night. You will not see onesies, flip flops and unlikely shorts in the MDR at night. We are from the UK and attire on a US departing  cruise is very different from a UK/Europe cruise.

 

Nothing wrong with that and we quite enjoyed it when we were on Oasis last from Port Canaveral but you will find Formal night will be observed by a large proportion of passengers on your cruise. 

 

I actually like the cultural differences when you cruise far from home as it makes it interesting. Cruising from the Middle East is even more formal and we saw tuxedos and ball gowns in the Windjammer!

 

 

[debgreg]

We are from the UK and last year sailed Oasis in Jan around the Carribean and Symphony end of May in Europe from Barcelona.

 

As said dependent on iternieray some trips are long and they are city breaks, very rarely beach stops were you relax and sunbathe so pack comfortable shoes. They are port intensive but we stayed onboard at a few to enjoy the beautiful ship 👌

 

Steel bands & Comedians on both, entertainment very similar, food very similar, we didn’t notice any difference, Chops etc same menus. How people dressed was definitely different in the evening but we wore the same type of outfits on both and didn’t feel out of place. You will see more Tuxs/ Long gowns in Europe but that’s not for us anyhow. My daughter did however get a rather rude comment in the main dining room on Oasis from an American gentleman ( I use the term loosely) on the first night 😳  He was in a checked shirt and jeans and felt it appropriate to shout loudly at her as she walked past after making an effort, nice dress, hair and make up etc Stupid woman, not on the first night, to which she turned and looked him up and down and said each to their own 😂🥳 

[cementhands]

On 1/18/2019 at 9:49 AM, porthole21 said:

Good morning all....just killing some time at work on a slow friday. 202 Days until our first ever Western Med Cruise on the Oasis (also a first on the Oasis class). Just wondering if the cruise line changes any daily activities to cater to the ships current location? For example i assume no steel drum bands....things like that. Do they tweak the MDR menu's at all ? Thank you and Fair Winds and Following Seas to all......

Onboard different food as supplies are in Europe. Example the little bags of chips in solarium cafe are European. 

Offship with research you can find excellent food in many locations. TripAdvisor yelp and other sites for information pre cruise. Example in Naples Italy we had excellent pizza for $5 euros. Cannolis and cappuccino. 

On land make sure that you’re credit card has a good exchange. We called prior to cruise and did. It is helpful to have some euros on land or other depending on ports. England.

Mdr seemed the same as USA based cruise.

Enjoyed excellent sea bass anchovies and sardines in Spain and Portugal.

 I rarely eat ashore in Caribbean but in Europe I loved everything onshore. Lots of research prior trip.

Activities onboard were similar to USA based cruise Zumba dancing etc.

 

[rimmit]

Med cruises are extremely port intensive as everyone above has stated.  Why pay 1,000 in airfare to get to Europe to just sit on a ship.   The day time activities really don’t matter as most days tend to be 8-10 hour tour days at least.   So be prepared to book it on the port days and since the ports are so close together there are very few sea days.

 

The crowd tends to have a more international flavor which is fun and the Europeans tend to stay up later than us Americans.

 

We love cruising, but in all honesty prefer to explore Europe Independently.   In Europe it’s easy to hop from city to city via train, and going independently gives you a slower pace than the cruise ship which is go go go.  Ironically cruises tend to be less relaxing for European vacations we have found due to the limited port time and the need to maximize what you do in that limited time.  Obviously independent touring can have some stress as well such as constantly packing bags up and finding food.   It’s just our personal preference.  Especially since we have younger kids the flexibility is nice.

 

It will be a fun time.  Just make sure to bring a diffferent mindset than the one you have in the Caribbean in which most don’t care about the port.  It’s just all about how many nights on a ship there.

[vickiw0318]

We were greeted by a bagpiper at a port in Ireland last fall, but I don't remember any particular "welcomer" on either of my Mediterranean cruises.  My bit of advice is to give yourself a day or two in your departure city before you board to adjust to the time change and get some rest before your port intensive cruise.  I didn't do that and "hit the wall" about three days into my cruise.  I couldn't get the angle right to take the time honored photo of my daughter holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and just lost it.  Thank goodness the ship's photographers were there to take over the project for me.

[vacationlover_mn]

On 1/18/2019 at 2:41 PM, George C said:

Mediterranean cruises do not have many sea days and are not as relaxing as Caribbean most of tours were long so we were gone 8 hours or more a day .

This! Exactly this!  At each port we were up by 6am, ate, did all day excursion, showered, lates dinner, sleep aroun midnight, repeat :).  Glad we had a few we days to just relax...  

 

Also, the demographics were much older on our 12 night trip...  we were in our mid 30’s and among the youngest travelers there.

[rimmit]

24 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

This! Exactly this!  At each port we were up by 6am, ate, did all day excursion, showered, lates dinner, sleep aroun midnight, repeat :).  Glad we had a few we days to just relax...  

 

Also, the demographics were much older on our 12 night trip...  we were in our mid 30’s and among the youngest travelers there.

 

The demographics will be much older on any 12 night trip.   The Mediterranean skews slightly younger for a 12 night trip than Alaska or any cold climate cruise. At least in the Mediterranean is warm.   The crowd will definitely still be relatively old. But I find that med cruises have slightly more families.

 

Mediterranean cruises are definitely not for relaxing.  I personally do not think of med cruises as a vacation, in the traditional sense of kicking up your feet and chilling.  I view them more in the sightseeing category. They are basically an efficient way to see lots of European cities in a short period of time.

Edited January 20, 2019 by rimmit

[island lady]

Cost!  $$$

[pstone1]

We find the fruit and vegetables much tastier on European cruises.  Menus vary slightly - no Lobster in the MDR on formal night.  The announcements are made in several different languages depending on the passengers and can go on a bit.

 

Agree that the Port stops are typically longer.  We have not been disappointed eating anywhere off the ship during the day or in the evening.  We also find the wine in Spain and Italy to be excellent so take advantage and carry-on the two bottles you are allowed.   

 

Also, keep in mind that almost all Forts and Castles are located at the highest vantage

point so an uphill walk on Excursions/tours with these is likely in many Countries.

[kernow]

A slightly different perspective from me. We're British so have been to the Med a lot over the years and we treat a Med cruise the same as we would a Caribbean one. We might do the odd tour but mostly we just wander off the ship for a couple of hours or go to a nearby beach, we've even been known to stay on the ship all day in a port! We're not the only ones, there are usually quite a few others (mostly Europeans) onboard with us and the activities around the ship are very similar to what they would be in the Caribbean. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a Med cruise doesn't have to be hectic, it can be whatever you make it.

 

As others have already said food is very similar with a few local things thrown in, nationality of passengers is much more varied and announcements may be in more languages. Dress is generally smarter, I've never seen shorts in the MDR at night and most people are more dressed up even on casual nights. Dinner seatings are generally later too, I think once we had late seating at 9.30, although it's usually 8.30 or 9. Evening entertainment is along the same lines as other cruises.

 

Julie

 

 

[VaTech8912]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

A slightly different perspective from me.  we just wander off the ship for a couple of hours or go to a nearby beach, we've even been known to stay on the ship all day in a port!

 

Julie

 

 

 

Which ports do you find it most easy to do your own walking about / exploring at leisure?  (ie: avoiding long transfers and excursions)  We are fine with local, do it yourself, type excursions.    Thanks in advance.

[di T]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

A slightly different perspective from me. We're British so have been to the Med a lot over the years and we treat a Med cruise the same as we would a Caribbean one. We might do the odd tour but mostly we just wander off the ship for a couple of hours or go to a nearby beach, we've even been known to stay on the ship all day in a port! We're not the only ones, there are usually quite a few others (mostly Europeans) onboard with us and the activities around the ship are very similar to what they would be in the Caribbean. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a Med cruise doesn't have to be hectic, it can be whatever you make it.

 

As others have already said food is very similar with a few local things thrown in, nationality of passengers is much more varied and announcements may be in more languages. Dress is generally smarter, I've never seen shorts in the MDR at night and most people are more dressed up even on casual nights. Dinner seatings are generally later too, I think once we had late seating at 9.30, although it's usually 8.30 or 9. Evening entertainment is along the same lines as other cruises.

 

Julie

 

 

Totally agree Julie, we are from the Uk too and do exactly the same in fact I find the Med cruises my favourites,nice short flights and never get sick of wandering about the great ports of call. Dianne

[kernow]

1 hour ago, VaTech8912 said:

 

Which ports do you find it most easy to do your own walking about / exploring at leisure?  (ie: avoiding long transfers and excursions)  We are fine with local, do it yourself, type excursions.    Thanks in advance.

For us it's most of them, the only places that come to mind where you have to get train/excursion are Rome, Florence and Pisa, they are too far away from the port. Saying that as we've been to Rome before when we cruise there we always just walk into Civitavecchia and look around, I think there are beaches nearby too. 

 

Which intinerary are you doing and I'll try to be more specific?

 

Julie

[George C]

2 hours ago, VaTech8912 said:

 

Which ports do you find it most easy to do your own walking about / exploring at leisure?  (ie: avoiding long transfers and excursions)  We are fine with local, do it yourself, type excursions.    Thanks in advance.

Kotor was a amazing port tender took you within blocks of the city wall, really fun place to walk around people were extremely friendly 

[VaTech8912]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

 

Which intinerary are you doing and I'll try to be more specific?

 

Julie

 

Totally open right now.  We plan to do land based to see Rome and Venice on one trip. Looking to take a cruise to get a feel for where else we want to go back and explore more.  We enjoy water/nature more than building viewing. Thanks for any advice.  

[stowite]

4 hours ago, VaTech8912 said:

 

Which ports do you find it most easy to do your own walking about / exploring at leisure?  (ie: avoiding long transfers and excursions)  We are fine with local, do it yourself, type excursions.    Thanks in advance.

Venice was very easy to walk off an buy a pass for the vaporetto boats and used them to go everywhere. 

 

If you are up for the hike up the city wall, Kotor would be easy to do on your own on foot.

 

Everyplace else we booked private excursions.

 

[kernow]

7 minutes ago, VaTech8912 said:

 

Totally open right now.  We plan to do land based to see Rome and Venice on one trip. Looking to take a cruise to get a feel for where else we want to go back and explore more.  We enjoy water/nature more than building viewing. Thanks for any advice.  

If you do Western, pretty much all the Spanish stops are doable on your own, either walking or with a shuttle/local bus ride. Nearly all the cities (even Barcelona) have beaches. If you like water/nature you would probably enjoy a cruise that includes some of the Greek isles, lovely scenery and plenty of beaches and all easy to get around. Although (understandably) most people talk about all the famous sights there are plenty of other things to do. There is lots of good info on the ports of call boards too when you've decided on your cruise.

[debgreg]

18 minutes ago, kernow said:

If you do Western, pretty much all the Spanish stops are doable on your own, either walking or with a shuttle/local bus ride. Nearly all the cities (even Barcelona) have beaches. If you like water/nature you would probably enjoy a cruise that includes some of the Greek isles, lovely scenery and plenty of beaches and all easy to get around. Although (understandably) most people talk about all the famous sights there are plenty of other things to do. There is lots of good info on the ports of call boards too when you've decided on your cruise.

Yes this is what we do, also as we have been on quite a few we save some trips for next time. In Rome we had a driver for the 6 of us brilliant but elsewhere, Madeira, Spain, even Norway etc we walk in or jump on a Hoho...we often have a few days after the cruise to chill, but for us flights are cheap to Europe 

[pspercy]

Med Cruise vs Caribbean Cruise any differences?

 

Euros, the world's first evaporative currency, first you see them, then you don't 🙂

 

Then there's the VAT, up around 20%.

[Neeny12]

Loved the Med both East and West.

We would def do a few more cruises there but split future port excursions amongst different cruises.

Most unlike the Caribbean are the 8-11 hour excursions we have had:

Lining up for the furnicular to leave Capri was claustrophobic so we walked down instead - it was relaxing and quite lovely.

We did Pompeii 2x - once just the 2 of us and on another cruise with our young adult children. Freakishly hot both times and not a lot of shelter from the sun as you had to keep up with the tour group. Wear a hat and always bring water.

As we wandered Rome (2 pre cruise stays)we found so many great places to eat - some down what we would call an alley way at home. Never disappointed with the food there but we were never disappointed with Caribbean food either.

Most Caribbean islands speak English but you will encounter several languages on a Med cruise. It helps to learn a few basic local phrases in the Med: Hello, Goodbye, Thank you and Where are the toilets? My barely there high school French got me through some simple purchases in Cassis.

Some toilets don’t have seats so bring paper seat covers. 

Just be aware of safety advisories as some cities have more pickpockets-not our experience but just be aware of the tactics.

When we went to Pisa, the port we went to was La Spezia and we were told that we could only get on a bus tour as they don’t like having so many people wandering about their town - not sure if that was true or not.

In Palma de Mallorca we shared a cab with another couple to a beach just 10 minutes from the ship.

In Barcelona we only walked up and down Las Ramblas because of port fatigue on that trip but next time would see more of the city.

We were interporting that trip. It had 2 embarkations - Barcelona and Rome. Most passengers got on in Barcelona, but we got on in Rome as we wanted to spend more time in Rome precruise. We had to hand over our sea pass cards at the end of the cruise in Civitivecchia. Our kids had to make new friends after some left halfway through our trip when they debarked in Barcelona.

Yes it’s more formal on formal nights in the Med, but do what feels comfortable.

On land in the Med most locals do not wear shorts - that seems to be done by us North Americans more.

Some churches like St. Peter’s in Vatican City have dress codes. You may want to look up the specifics or buy Vatican Museums tickets online ahead of time. Long lines and at some points very congested to go through the Vatican museums. No photography or talking in the Sistine chapel. Lots of security that will take your camera or phone if you attempt it.

Mostly have fun and try to do the Med more often to avoid port fatigue.