Mediterranean

[CaribbeanCrushed]

What time of year do you prefer to cruise the Mediterranean?

[Clarea]

Late Summer to Early Fall.

[dogs4fun]

October is our preferred month both for land and cruise visits.

Edited January 13, 2020 by dogs4fun

[CruiserBruce]

Any time I can be there.

[h20skibum]

We enjoyed the great weather in July there. 

[George C]

Did September a few years ago , way to hot. Europe has recently been hitting 100 in summer so early spring or late fall. 

[crystalspin]

We did the re-positioning transAtlantic FLL to Barcelona to Venice in April of 2015 and encountered good, not-too-hot weather. I think it only rained (drizzled) at Pompeii/Herculeum. Oh also foggy at Horta in the Azores. Your weather mileage may vary.

[Zach1213]

I do everything I can to avoid travel to Europe in the summer, at least on holiday/vacation. Just way too busy between mid-May and late-August. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Zach1213

[mom says]

I refuse to cruise the Med. But our land visits to Med areas are always late April/early May, or October. Anything in between is too freaking hot and crowded.

[clo]

52 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

I do everything I can to avoid travel to Europe in the summer, at least on holiday/vacation. Just way too busy between mid-May and late-August. 

Ditto. Too many dang tourists 🙂

[navybankerteacher]

The climate in the Mediterranean is not like in the US - October and November is usually fine (ever notice the palm trees in Rome?).  June through September is usually uncomfortably hot and over-crowded.  

 

But are you sure you want to get snapshots of just a few hours in several ports?

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The climate in the Mediterranean is not like in the US - October and November is usually fine (ever notice the palm trees in Rome?).  June through September is usually uncomfortably hot and over-crowded.  

 

But are you sure you want to get snapshots of just a few hours in several ports?

The US is a big country. Ever notice the Southern California area has what is commonly called a "Mediterranean climate", and is typically quite nice in October and November. And, oh yes, they have palm trees...

[CaribbeanCrushed]

14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The climate in the Mediterranean is not like in the US - October and November is usually fine (ever notice the palm trees in Rome?).  June through September is usually uncomfortably hot and over-crowded.  

 

But are you sure you want to get snapshots of just a few hours in several ports?

 

Good point. Maybe a land vacation is the way to go.

[Tapi]

We did the Mediterranean in November. We had fantastic weather, and very few crowds. At most stops, we had mild temperatures, perfect for walking, and sunny skies. Another advantage about cruising “off season” in addition to less crowds and milder temperatures is pricing. Our cruise fare was ridiculously cheap. It was cheaper to cruise the Med than to take yet another Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral that same week. 
 

The only thing that was a tiny bit of a bummer is that days are progressively shorter later in the fall. We cruised in late November and it was dark by 5:00pm. But it wasn’t much of an issue, since we departed most ports by 5-6pm anyway. 
 

True, a cruise only allows you to sample (a really, REALLY tiny, crumb sized sample) of the Mediterranean, but it was still an absolutely fantastic experience. Easily one of my best cruises ever.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Tapi

[Markanddonna]

I agree that later Fall is a nice time in the Mediterranean. The one negative is the increased possibility of rain, but fewer crowds/competition, mild temperatures with the need for just a jacket, and a much less expensive trip are the pluses. 

[cloud_nine]

I like to cruise the med in May/June and late August/early September. No idea why people think it's too hot during those times - I find October/November to be too cool in most Med countries unless you're doing Greece, but maybe that's just me. Yes, it can also be crowded in July/August but I don't generally go to the "tourist" places so I haven't found it that bad (with the exception of Santorini, but then that's crowded pretty much until November anyway). 

[AF-1]

My choice for my last four med cruises; has been May.  It is the beginning of tourist season so it's not over crowded; the weather in Spain, Italy, Greece, etc is high 70's and the water in the Med is calm.  No waves.  It always seemed to feel like we were cruising on a calm lake.  

Edited January 14, 2020 by AF-1

[Markanddonna]

6 hours ago, cloud_nine said:

No idea why people think it's too hot during those times - I find October/November to be too cool in most Med countries unless you're doing Greece, but maybe that's just me. Yes, it can also be crowded in July/August but I don't generally go to the "tourist" places so I haven't found it that bad (with the exception of Santorini, but then that's crowded pretty much until November anyway). 

Perhaps we need to know if a traveler wants to use the beaches. Nov isn't too cool for touring, but it certainly is for swimming.

[DarrenM]

Summer everytime. June july august.

 

Who on earth complains about glorious weather?

[mom says]

21 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Who on earth complains about glorious weather?

You mean the kind of weather that can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn and misery? Not everyone likes unremitting heat.

 

To me glorious weather is 20 to 27°C, with low humidity, and a slight breeze.

Edited January 14, 2020 by mom says

[frantic36]

34 minutes ago, mom says said:

You mean the kind of weather that can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn and misery? Not everyone likes unremitting heat.

 

To me glorious weather is 20 to 27°C, with low humidity, and a slight breeze.

 

55 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Summer everytime. June july august.

 

Who on earth complains about glorious weather?

 

This is why it is important for people to define what they are comfortable with for temperature. 

 

I am used to warm weather and am not keen on cool weather. So for me I prefer temperatures 28-35C. I just make sure I have my insulated bottle with cooled water, wear a hat and suncream. I also try to explore morning and late afternoon and rest and eat in the hottest part of the day.

 

Julie

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

Summer everytime. June july august.

 

Who on earth complains about glorious weather?

 

I dunno but there was plenty of whingeing when I was in the UK in June and July this past year (the hottest on record, both of them, including two terrible heat waves). 

 

When people are on holiday, they often do things that they wouldn't do at home that pose dangers -- they drink more, they are likely more active, they are out in the sun for longer periods. 

 

I live in a place where the average summer highs are around 32 C (90 F) and frequently hotter. But when I'm at home I go from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office. When I'm in the Mediterranean I'm trotting off to archaeological sites where I'm walking, standing, climbing in rocky areas that tend to radiate heat. There's no way that's not going to be a miserable experience in Greece or southern Turkey in August.

 

[cloud_nine]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I dunno but there was plenty of whingeing when I was in the UK in June and July this past year (the hottest on record, both of them, including two terrible heat waves). 

 

When people are on holiday, they often do things that they wouldn't do at home that pose dangers -- they drink more, they are likely more active, they are out in the sun for longer periods. 

 

I live in a place where the average summer highs are around 32 C (90 F) and frequently hotter. But when I'm at home I go from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office. When I'm in the Mediterranean I'm trotting off to archaeological sites where I'm walking, standing, climbing in rocky areas that tend to radiate heat. There's no way that's not going to be a miserable experience in Greece or southern Turkey in August.

 

I've done Greece in August. Wasn't miserable in the slightest. Yes it was hot particularly in Athens when we went to see the Acropolis, but no way was I miserable in the slightest! I'm on holiday, why would I be miserable? This year we spent a night in Venice in August in a hotel room with no A/C - that was a pain, yes, but again we dealt with it. I often find that people who are spoilt by having air conditioning everywhere they go to be the ones who complain about the heat the most because they don't acclimatise to the heat as much, as like the above poster commented they are constantly going from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned office, but just because you're used to one thing and would be miserable in Greece in August, doesn't mean we all are.

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

When I'm in the Mediterranean I'm trotting off to archaeological sites where I'm walking, standing, climbing in rocky areas that tend to radiate heat. There's no way that's not going to be a miserable experience in Greece or southern Turkey in August.

 

To me it depends on the person. We were in Venice and Greece last July. We checked out the Art Biennale in Venice, we climbed to the top of highest point in Monemvasia from the town which if I could post a picture it was a decent climb. But we are fit and in our early 60's and took precautions. I will admit we had an afternoon siesta after our late lunch 😊 in Monemvasia.

 

Julie

[cruisemom42]

5 minutes ago, cloud_nine said:

I've done Greece in August. Wasn't miserable in the slightest. Yes it was hot particularly in Athens when we went to see the Acropolis, but no way was I miserable in the slightest! I'm on holiday, why would I be miserable? This year we spent a night in Venice in August in a hotel room with no A/C - that was a pain, yes, but again we dealt with it. I often find that people who are spoilt by having air conditioning everywhere they go to be the ones who complain about the heat the most because they don't acclimatise to the heat as much, as like the above poster commented they are constantly going from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned office, but just because you're used to one thing and would be miserable in Greece in August, doesn't mean we all are.

 

Well, I guess those 400 additional people who died every day in the UK during the heat wave were just spoilt. Thanks for clarifying that.