Quick Snorkeling in Croatia area

[ted burke]

Hope to do a 7 day cruise to Slovenia, Croatia, and Montenegro next year.  Small to mid ship. 

 

Of the many served ports in Croatia, which 3 or 4 would be essential to visit?

 

Per weather sites:  Average high temps of low 80's with 50% humidity for July and August don't seem too oppressive.  Some reviews that August temps are killer.  Looks like late May and before late September would be pleasant enough at 70.  Rain: September has the highest rain figures at 3". Does this information seem representative? 

 

Crowd timing:  Any advice to avoid the worst shore crowds.

 

I'm new to CruiseCritic. Is there a CC board/forum for Eastern Med I should be posting to?

 

Many thanks, Ted

[cruisemom42]

Ports in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro are covered in this forum here on CC:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/149-other-mediterranean-ports/

 

The Adriatic ports have become very crowded over the past few years; seems everyone has "discovered" them. If you want to avoid crowds, I would look to travel there a bit off season, e.g., not during June, July or August. Dubrovnik in particular is subject to terrible overcrowding.

 

Since you ask about Croatian ports in particular, I would still include Dubrovnik -- a walk around its walls is a wonderful way to spend a few hours and it is a very pretty town, even if you just sit on the water and have a glass of wine. 

 

I would also make sure Split is included as it is very different to anywhere else. It is literally a medieval town that was built into the ruins of the palace of a Roman emperor.

 

As to other ports, many of them are more about natural attractions -- waterfalls, pretty coves, etc. Those aren't big on my list but you'll probably want to include one or two, such as Hvar.

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, ted burke said:

Of the many served ports in Croatia, which 3 or 4 would be essential to visit?

Dubrovnik and Split for sure and if Kotor is one of the ports, that would be good too as the sail-in and out is very scenic.  Be up on deck around an hour before ETA to make the most of it (same views leaving but the early morning light is IMHO far superior) And pretty Rovinj is high up there too although fewer ships call there.

 

if you cannot decide between 2 or 3 of them, you could post the itineraries and others will probably give their opinions on  which are the most scenic/interesting/whatever, but remember that none are actually  "essential"., only "preferred"

 

We love the Adriatic, but it took us I think 4(X 14 nights) itineraries to see as many as we did but we covered a number of countries and ports around the Adriatic, some more than once, or twice, or even three times.  and you only asked abnout Eastern Adriatic, but I am almost certain that you will find itineraries with some Italian Adriatic ports too, maybe even some Greek ones.

 

And are you aware that Venice may feature on different itineraries, but the actual city is now used by only the smallest of cruise ships with others porting instead in Trieste or Ravenna, both a long way from Venice.

 

You might get more or better responses if you were to instead cross post on the individual boards which are more specific.

 

IE Italy Boards,

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

 

Other Med Ports (and yes that is where CC locate Slovenia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Croatia  and other Adriatic ports )

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/149-other-mediterranean-ports/

 

Edited January 26 by edinburgher

[John Bull]

We've done a shoulder-season road-trip the length of the Croatian coast -glorious.

We also broke one of our own cardinal rules - never go to the Med in high season. We fell for a bargain-priced and otherwise-excellent Adriatic cruise in July, and it was hot, hot, hot. Fortunately we'd visited most ports before, because the heat was stifling.

 

Despite the crowds, yes Dubrovnik and Split.

Walk the walls in Dubrovnik And take the cablecar up Mount SRD (we took a taxi up from the cruise berths, the cablecar down to Dubrovnik & a taxi (buses also available) back to the ship).

Visit the Diocletian's Palace & old-town of Split. It's walkable along the waterfront though the cruise berths are the furthest piers.

 

Kotor (Montenegro) for sure. Glorious long sail-in & sail-out The hell with @edinburgher's daft o'clock sail-in, the sail-out views are fine for lazy cruisers like JB 😏. Ship berths right at the attractive historic town (for ships which moor off-shore the tenders go to the same place).

 

Koper (Slovenia) is another attractive & historic little town - again the cruise pier is close by. 

 

Trieste (Italy) is an attractive and pleasant-enough town, but included mainly as a gateway to Venice (100 miles and about  2 hrs by road or rail)

 

Sarande (Albania). Not been there, but would be interesting

 

JB 🙂

 

 

Edited January 26 by John Bull

[edinburgher]

21 hours ago, John Bull said:

The hell with @edinburgher's daft o'clock sail-in, the sail-out views are fine for lazy cruisers like JB 😏.

Thats as maybe JB, but the sail-in is a rather beautiful, serene and tranquil arrival, as the ship moves slowly along, similar to what others may also have experienced in areas of the Norwegian Fjords and Alaska, and with perfect light for taking photos and filming.

 

By contrast, the sail-out sees more crowded decks, therefore more  noise, also more noise from outside deck entertainment, the bay itself can be very busy and noisy with many enjoying water activities, some of which are motorised, and the sun is in totally the wrong place for photos, but these are only our personal experiences and others may have found the sail-out better.

 

Deciding between zzzzz or scenic viewing is a personal choice and I expect everyone will be happy with whichever choice they made as it best suited them.

 

I would also add that we found the early sail-ins to Venice and to Valletta Grand Harbour more enjoyable than the sail-outs, and there were other ports too. Sometimes it is worth an earlier start to the day. 

One time my DH decided he wanted a lie in rather than get up early for sailing Trollfjord.  I went on deck without him..  A short time later he appeared, having looked out the window and seen what appeared to be a sheer wall of rock only feet away. This was enough to make him curious so he decided to go up on deck and was very glad he did as Trollfjord is quite unique in some ways and he would have otherwise missed it..

Edited January 27 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

Regarding the scenic cruising in Kotor Bay, it would be great if more cruise ships would do what Voyages to Antiquity did on my cruise with them: they timed it so that you didn't have to get up at zero dark thirty* to see the scenery. Instead, we had a leisurely cruise down the Bay beginning around 9:00 am with a commentator providing periodic information via loudspeaker to the outside decks.

 

On the other hand, our day in Kotor itself wasn't long, but they did stay until it was dark. Which was fine with me as for me the city itself (while pretty) was a bit underwhelming.

 

______________________________________

*Possibly an Americanism meaning "way too bloody early"!!

 

Edited January 27 by cruisemom42

[Hlitner]

Agree with most of what has been said.  As an avid cruiser, we must still admit to a big problem with cruising in various parts of the world including Croatia and Kotor.  There are simply too many huge cruise ships and they have done more than their part to contribute to overtourism.  Cruisers tend to stay relatively close to the cruise ports (usually necessary because of limited time) which contributes to cruise destinations like Kotor and Dubrovnik being too darn crowded during the height of the cruise season (which has also become longer in those waters).  The unfortunate fall-out is that once charming destinations (like Dubrovnik) have taken on more of a Carnival atmosphere.  They are still nice to visit, but many of us do still seek out the charm that we knew in past years.

 

This leads me to our personal solution which is to combine cruises (we still love to be on ships) with independent driving trips.  Those that are resistant to the idea of driving can accomplish something similar by combining a cruise with some kind of extended land tour (by bus, river boat, etc).  These days when DW and I plan a driving trip (such as after an upcoming cruise that ends in Trieste) we look at inland destinations out of the range of port days.  While we still love our cruises (and even visiting ports) we find ourselves looking forward (more and more) to our driving trips before or after European cruises.  

 

I post this to get some readers to put some thoughts into the heads of fellow cruise lovers.  Perhaps instead of planning a 2 week Med cruise, one might want to consider a 1 week Med cruise coupled with a 1 week land trip/tour.  Also consider that the large majority of Europe is not accessible to port days on Ocean cruises.  Another plus for spending some significant time on land is being able to experience the wonderful cuisine that one finds throughout Europe.  

 

Hank

[YourWorldWithBill]

Just a note to agree with those who said Dubrovnik and Split (and Kotor) should not be missed. Simple looking out, you'll see some of the most beautiful water anywhere.

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

zero dark thirty* to see the scenery

Have never had to do that anywhere other than when transiting the Panama Canal as it was still dark when we went out on deck just before  the Bridge of the  Americas, although dawn broke very shortly after.  That was our choice but a "one off" as we wanted to see both ends of the canal and didn't expect to ever return. The bow views were  actually quite busy with fellow pax who had the same idea, but I expect others were still zzzzz especially if the transit was something they had previously experienced.

Edited January 28 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Have never had to do that anywhere other than when transiting the Panama Canal as it was still dark when we went out on deck just before  the Bridge of the  Americas, although dawn broke very shortly after.  That was our choice but a "one off" as we wanted to see both ends of the canal and didn't expect to ever return. The bow views were  actually quite busy with fellow pax who had the same idea, but I expect others were still zzzzz especially if the transit was something they had previously experienced.

 

On my second and third navigations of Kotor Bay, it was very very early morning. Having done it before (and so thoroughly) I didn't rush to get up.  As I recall, on one of the cruises there was not even any information shared about the sail-on and I think a lot of people were not even aware of how scenic it is....

 

I have gotten up a couple of times on my own initiative for sail-ins that were of major interest to me. One was the early approach to Venice through the lagoon (most passengers only got up around the time we reached the entrance to the Giudecca canal). The other was the approach to Tunis, in Tunisia, as I wanted to imagine how the ancient Roman ships might've felt approaching the home of their sworn foes, the Carthaginians, during the Punic wars.

 

Most of the time I am happy to sleep through the early morning approaches though, especially if I can see them in the afternoon. I am definitely impacted badly by rising early -- find it hard to get my bearings and be mentally sharp the rest of the day.

 

[Hlitner]

Relating to the idea of getting up early for scenery, the first time we cruised north of the Arctic Circle (Prinsendam) I decided to stay awake to see what happens in the "land of the midnight sun" to the sun when it gets low to the horizon.  I was quite lonely in my comfy seat inside the Crows Nest, but was satisfied to see how the sun does behave at that attitude.

 

Hank

[CPT Trips]

On 1/26/2024 at 10:53 AM, John Bull said:

Sarande (Albania). Not been there, but would be interesting

The city itself isn’t much, at least when we visited 10 years ago. That said, it was a worthwhile port visit because we went to Butrint.
Our cruise was in October/November so less crowded and it was a small, 50 pax, ship. We had overnights in Kotor and Split as well as a late arrival to Dubrovnik that provided opportunities to tour during off hours without the crowds.

The sail-in at Kotor is spectacular.
 

[Haljo1935]

LOVED Dubrovnik, Split and Trogir Croatia. We were there just a couple months ago Oct/Nov 2023; the weather was mostly gorgeous w/some fog and rain. It was still crowded - I guess the tourists didn't get the message it was off season and to go home. Architecture is wonderful.

 

Sarande Albania was a delightful find - fabulous wine and olive oil tasting. One of our favorite ports.

 

Bari was another top port.

 

Kotor Montenegro - Captain told us the day before to be someplace w/a view for sail in the next morning as it had the most beautiful fjords he had seen in his career - it was spectacular. Quite enjoyed exploring the city and got fresh fruit from the street vendors that we still talk about.

 

[edinburgher]

17 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

One was the early approach to Venice through the lagoon (most passengers only got up around the time we reached the entrance to the Giudecca canal).

Personally I think they missed some of the best views doing  that.  The longer approach in early light is a delight.  Despite having been fortunate to experience it seven times in total, we were still up on deck each time as it was, for us, THE absolute best.  In contrast, we only experienced the sailaway one time, in the dark, thinking it would  be pretty with many of the  buildings illuminated , but we were so disappointed we didn't repeat it.

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

LOVED Dubrovnik, Split and Trogir Croatia. We were there just a couple months ago Oct/Nov 2023; the weather was mostly gorgeous w/some fog and rain. It was still crowded

We visited Trogir only once from Split, taking the public bus there and back, but it was incredibly crowded that morning and as  we had to almost push our way through the tiny narrow streets  we didn't stay long.  We had the impression that these visitors were on land trips, not cruise pax, just like our evening venture into Dubrovnik when we expected hardly any tourists, only to find it still busy busy.

 

"Over tourism" is nowadays quite the problem in many of the most popular  European cities and towns, with some local authorities taking steps to reduce numbers, and some actively discouraging tourism.(Amsterdam being the most recent I have read about but there may have been others since.)

 

Even here in Edinburgh, the city is surprisingly busy with tourists even in November,January and February, in part as it is such a popular weekend and short break destination and easily reached with flights from many European countries. December is actually the busiest winter month as visitors are attracted to the Christmas and Hogmanay attractions and events.

[edinburgher]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Relating to the idea of getting up early for scenery, the first time we cruised north of the Arctic Circle (Prinsendam) I decided to stay awake to see what happens in the "land of the midnight sun" to the sun when it gets low to the horizon.  I was quite lonely in my comfy seat inside the Crows Nest, but was satisfied to see how the sun does behave at that attitude.

On one of our trips to that area, crew actually served burgers and hot docks from trolleys  out on deck between midnight and 0100. It was still light as day at that time and there were plenty of pax to serve, most of them sitting enjoying a nightcap and admiring the scenery.

[MBP&O2/O]

Bridge watchkeeping.

4 on 8 off

12 x 4

Interspersed with frequent 12 x 6 's 🥴

The first time I saw the midnight sun I was on the 12 x4 watch .... midnight to 4am.

A weird feeling.

I was so used to this watch being in virtual complete darkness my teeny brain to a while compute what was happening. It felt so wrong 🙂

Interesting though.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

We visited Trogir only once from Split, taking the public bus there and back, but it was incredibly crowded that morning and as  we had to almost push our way through the tiny narrow streets  we didn't stay long.  We had the impression that these visitors were on land trips, not cruise pax, just like our evening venture into Dubrovnik when we expected hardly any tourists, only to find it still busy busy.

 

 

Yes, both of them busy day & evening.

 

JB 🙂

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Sarande Albania was a delightful find - fabulous wine and olive oil tasting. One of our favorite ports.

 

I must've visited a different Sarande from you. I found it very depressing. They were busy building cheap, horrible-looking hotels all round the area and totally suffocating any natural beauty or charm of the place. (The kind of hotels that look terrible after 10 years and are crumbling in 20....)

 

I was very glad to go to Butrint. Like the other poster above, it was the only redeeming thing I saw....and I've been to Sarande twice.

 

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

On one of our trips to that area, crew actually served burgers and hot docks from trolleys  out on deck between midnight and 0100. It was still light as day at that time and there were plenty of pax to serve, most of them sitting enjoying a nightcap and admiring the scenery.

We are talking about a HAL cruise.  On that line, most are in bed before 10 :).

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

19 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We are talking about a HAL cruise.  On that line, most are in bed before 10 :).

Thinking that that particular one might have been with FRED O, but two others in that area were with HAL. only thinking that though, but deck food offerings on HAL used to be more like Dutch pea soup, but I might also remember hot chocolate.

I think bedtime depends on the passenger demographic on each itinerary, but I agree that the majority of  HAL pax are not "dancing into the early hours clubbers"😀

Edited January 29 by edinburgher

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Thinking that that particular one might have been with FRED O, but two others were with HAL. I think bedtime depends on the passenger demographic on each itinerary, but I agree that the majority of  HAL pax are not "dancing into the early hours clubbers"

Funny that you mention Fred O.  About 2 hours ago, while I was out on my morning walk here in Puerto Vallarta, I watched Fred O's Borealis dock for a visit.  Ironically that ship used to be HAL's Rotterdam.  

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

and I've been to Sarande twice.

Double the joy then!😁

 

We only visited Albania  once, but it was to Durres, and unusually for us we joined a shorex as we knew what we would find in town if we stayed there. Nothing at all and depressing. Although a very long day, the shorex was actually very good as we visited hilltop Kruja which was attractive in itself and offered fabulous views, and the capital Tirana.

Edited January 29 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Funny that you mention Fred O.  About 2 hours ago, while I was out on my morning walk here in Puerto Vallarta, I watched Fred O's Borealis dock for a visit.  Ironically that ship used to be HAL's Rotterdam.

Hank, we did a few with them and enjoyed all of them, but they have replaced the ships of theirs we sailed with them with  more than one EX HAL, a good thing really as the originals were not the best. Having said that, as you know we were always itinerary driven which is the reason we also sailed the Marco Polo despite all her challenges.  She too is gone.

[Hlitner]

42 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Hank, we did a few with them and enjoyed all of them, but they have replaced the ships of theirs we sailed with them with  more than one EX HAL, a good thing really as the originals were not the best. Having said that, as you know we were always itinerary driven which is the reason we also sailed the Marco Polo despite all her challenges.  She too is gone.

DW and I truly adored the old Marco Polo (especially when she was with Orient Lines).  One of our best cruises, ever, was on that ship when she did a fantastic Asian itinerary to Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysa and some other countries.  A large majority of the passengers were Brits and we made some wonderful friends (who later visited us in the US).