Mediterranean Cruise in February

[Jwhite268185]

Hi fellow cruisers!! We just booked a 7 night Mediterranean cruise on the MSC Grandiosa in February 2022. I realize we are sailing in the winter season and to expect cold temps and possible rain. Just wondering if anyone has done a similar sailing and hoping to hear experiences. We will be traveling from the US so we are excited for the experience and will be keeping an open heart and mind! Thank you!!

[Liviucostin]

I've done the 7 night Mediterranean cruise twice, at the beginning of February, and then at the end of March, on Meraviglia and Bellissima. Both times we had one rainy day, once in Palermo and then in Valletta. Although at night and in the evening it's chilly, sometimes even cold, during the day when it's sunny you can enjoy the outside decks and even get a bit of tan. Of course you will need warm clothes, and maybe bring an umbrella..

[drsel]

I would avoid both land and Cruise travel anywhere around Europe in winter because there is not much sunlight for sightseeing

[CruisingFox27]

3 hours ago, drsel said:

I would avoid both land and Cruise travel anywhere around Europe in winter because there is not much sunlight for sightseeing

 

This would be true in some of the North, or Scandinavian countries. However, If you're travelling to say Barcelona or Rome you'll have sunlight from before 8am until at least 5pm, maybe 6pm. Which will allow for plenty of sightseeing, most definitely all of the hours you'll be off the ship. 

[drsel]

What about the possibility of rainfall?

[drsel]

Also I don't think the cruise fares in Europe are much cheaper in February

 

 

[CruisingFox27]

On 8/25/2020 at 3:57 AM, drsel said:

What about the possibility of rainfall?

 

There's a possibility of rainfall. There always is. 

An increased possibility late winter or early spring, most certainly. Although we had a week in Barcelona one January and Although a little cold the weather was sunny and beautiful all week, ditto Rome one February. 

[drsel]

How is the weather in Barcelona and the Mediterranean in November

[hamrag]

3 hours ago, drsel said:

How is the weather in Barcelona and the Mediterranean in November

Sometimes rainy, sometimes cold, when sunny at best cool or a little warm.

[RNRcruisers]

We did a Mediterranean cruise a few years ago (NCL not MSC) that was the end of January and enjoyed it. It was cold and rainy many days but if you dressed warmly that wasn't too bad. The worst part was that it wasn't comfortable sitting outside for drinks or meals and we would have enjoyed doing more of that. We did spend a lot of time outside but that was walking and sightseeing, not relaxing at a cafe. The best part was that places weren't as crowded as they are in the busier seasons and the cruise was really inexpensive. 

 

That being said, we would like to go back and will probably make it a spring or fall trip instead of winter, mostly so we can enjoy being outside more.

[J_Boss]

We did the loop on Grandiosa in January last year and it was great!

 

The weather can be spotty, as others have said, but it was sunny everywhere except Genoa and 15-25 degrees. Genoa was about 5 degrees and misty, so we just stayed on the boat as we have 2 small children.

 

The best part is it was very quiet everywhere. The ports were all very easy to navigate and lines weren't anything terrible.

[cruiser man 60]

We went from Barcelona to canaries loop in January and we had fantastic weather, sunny and mid 20s every day even in Mediterranean. 1 month later it was snowing in Barcelona so you never knows , however we have been in Spain many times in winter and weather in daytime is normally dry & bright which is why so many winter there.

Edited September 12, 2020 by cruiser man 60

[sealynx]

On 8/24/2020 at 9:34 PM, drsel said:

I would avoid both land and Cruise travel anywhere around Europe in winter because there is not much sunlight for sightseeing

That is very untrue. For Barcelona: sun's up 8:00, sun's down at 18:00 (6:00 pm), so that's 10 hours of sun/daylight, often longer than your ship is in port.

 

On 8/25/2020 at 4:57 AM, drsel said:

What about the possibility of rainfall?

For Barcelona February is second lowest rainfall in mm after July and June. There is even more rainfall in August (often fewer, but longer and heavier showers), than in February. Most rainfall in October.

 

On 8/25/2020 at 5:05 AM, drsel said:

Also I don't think the cruise fares in Europe are much cheaper in February

 

 

Yes they are, often 75% to 50% lower than during the summer.

[Tapi]

On 8/24/2020 at 3:34 PM, drsel said:

I would avoid both land and Cruise travel anywhere around Europe in winter because there is not much sunlight for sightseeing

We sailed the Mediterranean in early winter, and the early sunsets was something that I should’ve considered, but didn’t think about until we were actually there. Sunset was around 5pm, so we would be sailing away from each port in the dark. But it didn’t really affect our sightseeing time because we normally had to head back to the ship by sunset anyway for our scheduled departure time. 

 

On 8/26/2020 at 9:49 AM, drsel said:

How is the weather in Barcelona and the Mediterranean in November

We were blessed with absolutely fantastic weather during most of the cruise. We had one cloudy day (no rain) in Valletta, and it rained when we were in Marseille. Otherwise, we had clear skies and mild temperatures at the other ports (Barcelona, Palermo, Genoa, and Civitavecchia). It was perfect for sightseeing. (65-70F / 18-21C).

On our sea day (between Valletta and Barcelona) it was warm enough for the kids to use the water slides. 

 

On 8/24/2020 at 11:05 PM, drsel said:

Also I don't think the cruise fares in Europe are much cheaper in February

For us, the cruise fare was insanely cheaper. Literally a fraction of what it would’ve cost to cruise in the summer. That was one of the reasons why we sailed the Med when we did. It was so cheap, that we decided to upgrade to a suite, and it was STILL cheaper than sailing during the summer. Plus there were far fewer fellow tourists to deal with. 

 

In addition to the cruise fare being cheaper, air fare was also substantially cheaper (we flew nonstop from Atlanta to Rome). Overall, we spent less sailing in the Mediterranean off season than on a typical Caribbean cruise. 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Tapi

[drsel]

Wow, what was the cruise fare in winter

[Tapi]

3 minutes ago, drsel said:

Wow, what was the cruise fare in winter

Because of a kids sail free promotion, the average fare per person for our family of 4 would’ve been about $350pp. So I started pricing out higher categories to see what we could get for the amount of money that I had originally budgeted for. We ended booking an Aurea Duplex Suite (now reclassified as a Yacht Club Duplex Suite) for about $1,000pp. This was on the MSC Meraviglia in 2018. 

[drsel]

So how would the weather be for a land tour of Spain and Portugal in October?
And for Mediterranean Cruises in November?

[hamrag]

8 minutes ago, drsel said:

So how would the weather be for a land tour of Spain and Portugal in October?
And for Mediterranean Cruises in November?

Pleasant.

Cool at sea, but a chance of decent port days.

[Nunagoras]

9 minutes ago, drsel said:

So how would the weather be for a land tour of Spain and Portugal in October?
And for Mediterranean Cruises in November?

Speaking from Portugal: Weather here in October can be a mix of relatively warm or even hot and relatively cold. Nights are generally cold. Possible rain. Schools are in season so fewer people at the most touristy attractions... In Barcelona it is more similar than different. Perhaps a bit less rainy than my own Lisbon...

 

I did a 10 nights Med loop in mid October, and other than the odd rainy Genoa day, the weather was really nice for that time of the year, really. Palma de Maiorca day was even quite like a summer day.

 

You'll have generally a nice time!... Have a nice day and wonderful sailings!...

[sverigecruiser]

The best thing with cruising during the winter can be that it isn't too hot for sightseeing!

[drsel]

Speaking from Portugal: Weather here in October can be a mix of relatively warm or even hot and relatively cold. Nights are generally cold. Possible rain. Schools are in season so fewer people at the most touristy attractions... In Barcelona it is more similar than different. Perhaps a bit less rainy than my own Lisbon...
 
I did a 10 nights Med loop in mid October, and other than the odd rainy Genoa day, the weather was really nice for that time of the year, really. Palma de Maiorca day was even quite like a summer day.
 
You'll have generally a nice time!... Have a nice day and wonderful sailings!...

Should I buy the city pass for each and every city Lisbon, Oporto, Barcelona, Madrid.
Any other city passes available?
which city pass do you recommend to cover all the sites in that city within 3 to 4 nights?
Are they value for money?

[Nunagoras]

On 9/15/2020 at 3:29 PM, drsel said:

Should I buy the city pass for each and every city Lisbon, Oporto, Barcelona, Madrid.
Any other city passes available?
which city pass do you recommend to cover all the sites in that city within 3 to 4 nights?
Are they value for money?

Hi!...

 

For my own Lisbon it might to be a good option. Take a look at https://www.visitlisboa.com/en/shop/lisbon-card.

 

Same for Porto: https://visitporto.travel/en-GB/porto-card-landing-page#/.

 

Here is what I can see for Madrid. Information is quite uncertain or incomplete, IMHO. It seems they're changing whatever else these days, perhaps because of the covid situation. If the inclusion of one day HOHO is right, then it is a good choice: https://onlinecitypass.com/en/city-pass/madrid-city-pass-/

 

My 2nd home Barcelona is such a world of its own. Beware the fact that distances between all the attractions are normally big. You need quite some time to go from one another. The city pass is here: https://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_tickets/barcelona_city_pass

 

Usually the official public transportation companies might to have a tourist card just for public transportation. Some independent HOHO or guided tours operators might to have their own plan. Go to the Cruise Critic ports of call section and you might find reference to some of them. Only you can decide of the real value of them all. One thing is for certain: Lisbon and Porto are very manageable cities. Not too big, not too small either. Madrid and Barcelona, especially the latter are very big cities!... You'll need time to go from attraction to attraction certainly. And those passes might to be of good help!...

 

Hope to have helped a bit. Have a nice day!

 

Oh: And be aware that the current availability and benefits for the cards might to change due to the Covid situation.

[ziggyuk]

On 9/15/2020 at 3:29 PM, drsel said:

Should I buy the city pass for each and every city Lisbon, Oporto, Barcelona, Madrid.
Any other city passes available?
which city pass do you recommend to cover all the sites in that city within 3 to 4 nights?
Are they value for money?

 

Some cities have a choice of passes, I have used Turbopass in many cities and found them excellent value.

Looking at your cities only Barcelona is listed on Turbopass and I have not used it in Barcelona but it's worth a comparison check:

https://www.turbopass.com/barcelona-city-pass

[sealynx]

To determine whether or not you want a city pass, you could start with listing the cites you want to visit. Take in mind the travel time between tue cites, like Nunagoras mentioned for Barcelona, and count the time you want to spend there. Then find out the admision fee for each of the cites and compare the total with the price of a pass (if public transport is included in the price, ad that too ofcourse).

 

Personally I'm not a fan of city passes. To me, they are often more expensive then individual admission fees. Also because I like to spend a lot of time just wandering around the city (or rent a bike), rather than going in and out of historic buildings and such.