MSC Lirica in May out of Bari

[FrugalMother99]

My husband just found out he is going on a business trip in May which has him flying into Bari, Italy. I will join him, and at the conclusion of the business obligation, we were looking at taking a round trip cruise out of Bari; departing May 19.

The MSC Lirica itinerary has 3 ports that will be new to us ... Katakolon, Saranda & Split. On a previous Mediterranean cruise in late June/early July on NCL Spirit the ports included Venice, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Toulon, & Barcelona.

I am looking for comments (either pro or con) from people who have sailed on the MSC Lirica (food/cabins/entertainment), the itinerary (short time in 3 of the 5 ports), and what to expect on a May cruise (weather, passengers, etc.).

MSC Lirica:

Sun May 19 depart Bari @ 6 pm

Mon May 20 Katakolon, Greece 1-6 pm -- would like to visit Olympia; guess we would need a tour since the current train times listed do not coincide with the ship's schedule.

Tues May 21 Piraeus, Greece 9 am-4 pm -- not sure what we would do; we took a guided tour/shore excursion to Athens & Cape Sounion (Temple of Poseidon).

Wed May 22 Saranda, Albania 1-7 pm -- would like to visit Butrint or Blue Eye Springs; guess we would need a tour.

Thurs May 23 Split, Croatia 1-7 pm -- would probably walk to Diocletian Palace & along Riva waterfront promenade.

Fri May 24 Venice, Italy 9 am-5 pm -- we stayed in Venice and visited the major tourist sights; would probably visit the Islands of Murano & Burano.

Sat May 24 arrive Bari @ 2 pm

 

Thanks for reading and your comments!

Edited January 22, 2019 by FrugalMother99