Need help from those who have cruised Europe

[ceoswis]

Eight time cruiser...first time Europe cruise. I would love some feedback from those who have been there as to pros and cons with destinations and cruise lines. We are looking to cruise in May of 2022. Would love for Venice, Mykonos and Santorini to be included as some of the stops. Is that possible and who would you recommend? Trying to find a smaller ship. Can you help me with your thoughts?

[CruiserBruce]

Am booked on a cruise with Holland America that picks those ports up, along with other ports,  next May.

[Cruise4Twos]

Norwegian typically has cruises that hit these 3 ports.

[dolittle]

It is not about the cruise line or the ship, Europe is all about the ports pick the one with the best stops for you . Excursions in Europe can run into the thousand's but many can be done D.I.Y. with help from this site. Sometimes it make sense to do a cruise ship excursion but most times it does not . Tell us what ports you are going and many on this site will tell which you can do yourself. Europe is long days and you will come back to the ship tired and may not be using all the ships extras. Also look at private tours were you can join up with other's and save money and have a smaller group . Do not know much about smaller ships .Good luck .

[cruisemom42]

I'm not sure that May 2022 itineraries are out yet, at least not for all lines.  If you want to sail in or out of Venice (or just visit it as a port) you may face some uncertainty as Venice is currently trying to limit some or all cruise ships from docking AT Venice proper, looking for other alternatives that are further away (and have a less scenic approach to the city).  Smaller ships MAY still be allowed but nothing is sure as of right now.

 

It should be relatively easy to find the combination of ports you ask for in May. Look for Med or Greek Isles cruises. Read brochures and see what line appeals to you. As others have said, the ship is of less importance in the Med, but I do like the smaller ones better. If you've already been cruising, what lines do you already like?

[navybankerteacher]

There are dozens of sailings scheduled for 2021 from Venice (worth a couple of days before boarding) calling at Mykonos and Santorini. I would urge you to do some research  based on the numbers of ships at each port on the days you might be there. Both Mykonos and Santorini get over-run on busy days, so if you find less busy days your experience will be much better.  Also, if possible, a smaller ship for yourself could also help.   I believe Azamara regularly calls at those islands - and are not as expensive as many of the other smaller ships.

 

 

[ceoswis]

Thank you for the replies. I am getting some great information. My best source is from those who have been there.

[sverigecruiser]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 As others have said, the ship is of less importance in the Med

 

I think that the ship is more important in the Med because there are more ports there where we choose to stay onboard! 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I think that the ship is more important in the Med because there are more ports there where we choose to stay onboard! 

 

But I'm fairly sure that for an American cruiser looking to visit the Med for the first time, the advice offered is mostly spot-on. 

[Cruzaholic41]

The wrong ship or line is a good way to ruin a vacation. I whole heartedly disagree with anyone who says the ship is just transportation and is of little matter. You still spend every night, eat dinners, and attend shows on the ship. Book itinerary first, but then pick the most appealing line for that itinerary. 
 

I suggest looking at Celebrity or Holland America. Both fit in great with the European itineraries and are nice cruise lines. 

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

But I'm fairly sure that for an American cruiser looking to visit the Med for the first time, the advice offered is mostly spot-on. 

 

I understand that but wanted to point out that people are different and want different things.  I didn't say that the ship is more important in the Med, I said that I think that the ship is more important in the Med. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by sverigecruiser

[crazyank]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

If you want to sail in or out of Venice (or just visit it as a port) you may face some uncertainty as Venice is currently trying to limit some or all cruise ships from docking AT Venice proper, looking for other alternatives that are further away (and have a less scenic approach to the city).  Smaller ships MAY still be allowed but nothing is sure as of right now.

This is simply not true.  There has been a proposal  to change what ships can dock in Venice. This proposal has been in discussion for years. Venice is not trying to block cruise ships.  A bunch of environmental activists is behind the proposal. Some of the larger ships have to dock in a different area of the city is all that has changed.

Edited September 8, 2020 by crazyank

[Ashland]

Our 12 nighter last May doing the Med/Greece onboard RCI Vision was one of the best itineraries we've done. I never would have realized our stop in Malta would end being a favorite. If you can find this port included consider yourself lucky. 

Enjoy what ever works out for you.

[VMax1700]

Pay special attention to the time available in the ports.  Later arrivals and earlier departures can cause disappointment with planned excursions.

[Essiesmom]

I suggest going to https://www.cruisetimetables.com/.  Choose Venice as your departure port.  It will show you who is sailing from there, and their itineraries.  There is not much choice for May 2022 yet, but if you go back to May 2021 you will see what hopes to be sailing then and get an idea of what may become available later.  Also choose Venice as a Port of call and see what is available.  It's a great tool for finding our who is going where, and when.  EM

[cruizergal70]

10 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

The wrong ship or line is a good way to ruin a vacation. I whole heartedly disagree with anyone who says the ship is just transportation and is of little matter. You still spend every night, eat dinners, and attend shows on the ship. Book itinerary first, but then pick the most appealing line for that itinerary. 
 

I suggest looking at Celebrity or Holland America. Both fit in great with the European itineraries and are nice cruise lines. 

I'm wholeheartedly the person that thinks the ship doesn't matter. For me, the ship is just transportation and hotel. I place no further expectations on the ship/cruise line than I would on Delta Airlines or the Hilton Hotel. 

 

As long as food and basic entertainment is available,  I'm fine. I get more excited by the thought of seeing Rome than seeing whatever show is playing in the theater. If I want a great show, I'll fly to NYC and see it on Broadway.

[evandbob]

14 hours ago, ceoswis said:

Eight time cruiser...first time Europe cruise. I would love some feedback from those who have been there as to pros and cons with destinations and cruise lines. We are looking to cruise in May of 2022. Would love for Venice, Mykonos and Santorini to be included as some of the stops. Is that possible and who would you recommend? Trying to find a smaller ship. Can you help me with your thoughts?

 

About 8 years we did a 10 day Princess cruise that began in Rome, then went to Florence, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Olympia,  Corfu, Split and Venice - this could be what the OP has in mind.  Not sure if Venice is now a tender port for bigger ships though with its new ban in effect?

 

We spent 4 days in Rome prior.

[FredT]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

I suggest going to https://www.cruisetimetables.com/.  Choose Venice as your departure port.  It will show you who is sailing from there, and their itineraries.  There is not much choice for May 2022 yet, but if you go back to May 2021 you will see what hopes to be sailing then and get an idea of what may become available later.  Also choose Venice as a Port of call and see what is available.  It's a great tool for finding our who is going where, and when.  EM

I would take this one step further.   On that same website, look up EVERY port you are stopping on the exact day you will be there, and see who ELSE is there that day.   Nothing else ruins a scenic port more than 4 or 5 3000 passenger ships all arriving at the same time!   Also, IF you are into sailing, consider Star Clippers.   200 passenger ships that sail the Greek islands, and mostly call on smaller ports and islands that the big boys cant get into.  (Food is all locally sourced and "to die for" also!) 

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, crazyank said:

This is simply not true.  There has been a proposal  to change what ships can dock in Venice. This proposal has been in discussion for years. Venice is not trying to block cruise ships.  A bunch of environmental activists is behind the proposal. Some of the larger ships have to dock in a different area of the city is all that has changed.

 

I didn't say that there was a ban now. I said it was under discussion, which is quite true. The progress has been quite unpredictable, but at least a few years back there was a mad shuffle when the port announced that larger ships were no longer welcome. I am merely trying to warn the OP that the discussion is ongoing.

 

Also it's a bit misleading to say that it is only a "bunch of environmental activists" involved.  I've certainly seen pronouncements from the Venice mayor (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41914262) and also from the Italian transport minister (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/news/cruise-ships-crack-down-venice-historic-centre-unesco-overtourism/).

 

[iancal]

I would be looking at ports, time in ports, AND I would be looking specifically at how many ships were in port on those days for stops such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Dubrovnik.  There will always be other ships in port but 2 ships is far better than 5 ships.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I think the ship matters very much. I can't imagine pulling into some of the smaller ports (Mykonos, 10k population; Santorini, 11k; Katakolon, 600 people; Patmos, 3k, etc) with a 3,000 to 5,000 person ship. We've done these ports on Oceania and when the Oceania ships were Renaissance ships. An 800 passenger ship is a far better way to go. If you can afford Silversea and 300 passenger ships, so much the better.

[cruizergal70]

2 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

I think the ship matters very much. I can't imagine pulling into some of the smaller ports (Mykonos, 10k population; Santorini, 11k; Katakolon, 600 people; Patmos, 3k, etc) with a 3,000 to 5,000 person ship. We've done these ports on Oceania and when the Oceania ships were Renaissance ships. An 800 passenger ship is a far better way to go. If you can afford Silversea and 300 passenger ships, so much the better.

The size of ship allowed into a port is a different matter than perceptions of "life" on the ship.

 

For instance,  I plan on cruising to Antartica. They only allow ships fewer than 500 people to port and disembark. So, I'll be on a small ship as I have no choice. However, my onboard experience will vary very little from when I was on a 3000 person ship at the port of Rome. It's all a floating hotel to me.

 

Passengers have no control of the size of ship allowed at the various ports. Choose the ports/itinerary you want and the regulations will dictate the available options.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

 

About 8 years we did a 10 day Princess cruise that began in Rome, then went to Florence, Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Olympia,  Corfu, Split and Venice

 

We spent 4 days in Rome prior.

 

 

Very much the sort of itinerary that I had in mind - and which a great many cruise lines offer, incl Princess, RCI, Celebrity, probably NCL.

Which neatly side-steps the discussion about whether, or to what degree, the ship itself is important. 

Generally 10 to 14 days,  some minor variations in the ports-of-call such as Bubrovnik instead of Split.

They also offer this cruise in reverse, and most include an overnite in Venice at the end or start of the cruise.

Whichever way round, you have the opportunity to have a few days pre-cruise and post-cruise. That's particularly important with Rome - if you fly into Rome on the day you sail you won't even see Rome itself. 2 or 3 full days is ideal.

Provided you fly both ways with the same airline or air-alliance you can book both legs in one booking, using the "open-jaw" or "multi-city" facility on airlines' / consolidators' websites, and the total cost will be midway between the return fares to the two cities.

 

A few minor caveats....

Bear in mind VMax's comment about the hours in port. Most cruise lines offer about the same hours, but be especially wary about Costa and MSC itineraries - they often include a number of half-days.

Size of ship / number of other ships in port is important in some places, Santorini is a classic example, but websites are notoriously inaccurate about which ships are in port on given days, and one ship in port for a morning and another for the afternoon = just one ship. 

But ship size & number of other ships is pretty irrelevant for places like Rome, Naples, Athens & Venice, where land-based trippers significantly out-number cruisers.

 

JB 

Edited September 8, 2020 by John Bull

[Tapi]

10 hours ago, Ashland said:

I never would have realized our stop in Malta would end being a favorite. If you can find this port included consider yourself lucky. 

I agree! Valletta, Malta turned out to be our favorite port when we sailed the Western Mediterranean in 2018. It was like sailing into a postcard. 
 

About the discussion concerning ships, we were on a port intensive itinerary with only one sea day. While I agree that the Med is more about the ports of call than the ship, it was so nice to come back to a brand new ship and a nicely appointed suite, specially after a long day of sightseeing. 
 

But if I had to pick between nice itinerary or nice ship, I’d go with itinerary. 

[iancal]

Very much agree on Malta.  We liked our stop there so much we returned for 10 days on a land vacation the following year.