Mediterranean - Sept. or Oct.? School Age Kids?

[CruiseNut7]

Seeking expertise from Celebrity CCs about planning our first trip to Europe and a Mediterranean cruise (12 nights Rome, Venice, Croatia, Barcelona, Cannes).

 

1) SEPT. or OCT.? We booked an October 10th sailing, but after looking at weather.com the temperatures seem to be about 10 degrees warmer in September. If we want to spend any time at the pool (3 sea days), would September be a better month to cruise the Med?

 

2) KIDS IN SCHOOL? If we re-schedule a September 4th sailing, are the kids in Europe back in school - I know they start here in the U.S. in late August or early Sept.? Love the little ones (we have grandkids), but would rather cruise when there are less children on board?

 

Thanks for any feedback! :)

 

Diane

[CruiseNut7]

Anyone?

[kazza]

I would think September would be a good month. I don't know about the whole of Europe but in the UK children generally return to school around 4th/5th September so would be unlikely to take this cruise. Are there any cruises for mid September (to be on the safe side) or does it have to be the 4th?

[tom_uk]

You're right on both of those points. It can be pretty warm in October, and it can be quite cool in september, but on average September will be warmer than October. You've got to be reasonable, though - the first week in October will be pretty much the same as the last week in September, of course. It's truer if you compare early September against late October.

 

And in most cases school will be back by early September. Many countries do have a half-term holiday of a week in the middle of term, and in late October you could be getting close to that, but it's normally only a week so is unlikely to affect a 12-night cruise. It's more of an issue on something like MSC's (or Costa's) 7-night circulars. There are laws in many EU countries about taking kids out of school these days.

[superjerryw]

Personally, I would go with the October date as cooler weather can be better if you are doing a lot of sightseeing. In addition, the crowds will be smaller in October at the major tourist venues. We did a Med cruise this past September on the Galaxy and had a great time but most of the tourist spots were very busy.

[fsr44]

We took that cruise in late September '03 and it was fantastic! The weather was gorgeous. The only rain we saw was overnight on the first night. Other than that, clear skies, balmy temperatures and boy was I tan. Don't miss Dubrovnik...I had no idea what a beauty it is, it ended up being my favorite port.

Have a lovely time!

[Celebrity Addicts]

We have always booked the last Med cruise of the season the 3 times we have gone on Celebrity, which ranged between late September and Early October. I'm not sure we even saw any children, and we have the same preference as you. Weather was plenty warm each time. Only have worn long sleeves one or 2 times. Were able to sunbathe as well. Enjoy your trip!

[Susan-M]

We cruised on Millennium in the Med during the last 2 weeks of Sept. this past year .... the weather was perfect, sunny and mid 70's, and only a handful of children on board. I think you would be safe with either date that you mention - Sept. will be a better bet for pool weather, but October will be more comfortable for walking around in port. There were a lot of tourists when we went, so perhaps the crowds thin out a bit in October?

[Celebrity Addicts]

I think Susan M is right. Every time we went (end of season) there were not a lot of tourists. For cruise ports, it was not very crowded, and very enjoyable.

[CruiseNut7]

Thanks to everyone for the great advice. I think we'll stay with the October 10th sailing.

 

CCs are the best!:)

[Scott Cyn]

Hey Diane, hi from Suwanee. In fact, my office is in Duluth.

 

We did the Med in 2004 on Millennium, sailing on September 18. The weather was perfect. In thinking about your question, I don't remember seeing any kids. Surely there must have been some, but I can't dredge any up from the memory banks. I guess that says they were not there in big enough numbers to amount to anything.

 

I'm sure either date will end up being a great cruise.

 

Scott

[lionheart]

I did the med in OCt. 2004 and I don't remember seeing many kids onboard at all. In Athens their were some school kids but thats about it. The weather was fine---not too hot not too cold. morning usually overcast and the sun would come out in the afternoon. rained a little in Croatia but not bad. The time of year (oct.) the crowds aren't too bad.

Enjoy.

 

Kurt