Planning our first Mediterranean cruise - need the cliffs notes!

[markwfpb]

We've sailed our fair share of the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda and various cruise lines' private islands. So we have a good idea of which ports and excursions to hit or miss. And which are a "one and done".

Now that we're planning our first European cruise, we're lost to say the least. I've been reading many "Live" threads, destination boards, etc. There are definite trends but the more I read, the more confused I get. 

Looking for general advice on which airport(s) are best for embark/debark (proximity to port), ports that are "don't bother" at least for first timers, that kind of thing. 

We've sailed Divina many times as well as Seascape but really looking forward to MSC in Europe instead of the Americanized MSC.

We're leaning towards itineraries that include Italy and Spain but open to anything and we realize we'll be getting just a taste of each port.

That happened on our first cruise that stopped in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We loved it so much we did a ten day vacation there the next year. 

Thanks for any cheatsheet advice you can offer!

[Essiesmom]

Don’t know where you will be flying from, but you will probably get the most direct flights to Barcelona and Rome, although the airport for Rome (FCO) is about 90 minutes away.  Research on cruisetimetables.com will show you that most cruises have a circular itinerary and board and debark guests in most of the ports.  This can make embarkation less hectic, but you have safety drill announcements almost daily…but you may be off sightseeing when they occur.  
  If you want Spain and Italy you want western Mediterranean cruises.  If you haven’t already, get a copy of Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports, read about them and decide which ones are the most important for your first time visit.  My preference is for Eastern Mediterranean, especially including Venice.  
   You need to plan your excursions, or book cruise line excursions because you won’t find vendors waiting on the dock to sell you a tour.  You know, I don’t think Ive ever been to a port talk on MSC, but any in Europe will not have shopping recommendations.  No DI in Europe.  Enough for now.  EM

[markwfpb]

Thank you Essiesmom for this truly useful information!

We're coming from San Francisco area but will likely stop on the east coast along the way - I've discovered I don't do well on flights over 8 hours - even with a lie flat seat, ambien, earplugs, the works, I just don't sleep - maybe it's the altitude the cabin is adjusted to. Who knows.

I'll check out cruisetimetables.com - didn't know them. And of course Rick Steves - didn't know he had specific cruise books.

We'd love to go to Venice if they still allow cruise visitors next year.

And what a treat to not have vendors badgering us for tours!! 

Forgot to mention I'm also juggling the pros and cons of each ship but I think I have a handled on that with our past cruise experiences. 

[Essiesmom]

Venice still loves visitors, but not ships.  MSC actually docks the closest to Venice of any cruise line.  They dock in the industrial area of Marghera, across the lagoon from the islands of Venice proper (if there is such a thing).  You would fly into Marco Polo airport.  Not sure if they provide transport from the airport all the way to the ship, but I do know you check in for the ship at the Marittima terminal (where most of the ships used to dock) and they then transport you to the ship.  Of course, we all recommend you come in a couple of days early and/or stay a few days after.  Rick Steves also has a guide for Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Ports.  He tells you about the port areas, what there is to see in the area, how to do it on your own, and how much you can do in the time you have allowed.  He also has free audio tours on his website that you can download.  For the places he doesn’t cover, he recommends Lonely Planet.  With LP you used to be able to go to their website, pull up the city you were interested in, and purchase for download only that chapter.  
  With cruisetimetables you can search by ship, departure port, or ports you want to visit.  Lots of fun!  EM

Edited May 9 by Essiesmom

[markwfpb]

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Lots of fun!  EM

 

Yes, this is very fun! The planning is a great part of the trip as are the memories later. 

The plan for this trip has been a bit overwhelming so thank you for all the insights. The fact that MSC gets you closest to Venice is the kind of fact I hadn't discovered. The smaller lines were on my radar too but would rather go with a line we've sailed and are familiar with.

I ordered Rick's Med ports book today per your suggestion and saw the Scandinavia and North Europe books on offer. I had forgotten about Lonely Planet - I have a few of their guides somewhere, none for the Med tho. 

Thanks again!

[alserrod]

Well... if your intention is to visit the Mediterranean, it is not bad to choose a company called "Mediterranean Shipping Company" (it is the full name of MSC).

 

The two things to keep in mind when cruising Europe with MSC:

 

- multi-boarding. Passengers do not board at a single port and disembark at the same port but will continually board and disembark at all ports. That is, if you get on in Barcelona and the next day you arrive in Marseille, more people will get on there, probably of French nationality. The next day in Genoa you will see people of all nationalities arriving. Almost every day there will be an evacuation drill (only for those who have just embarked) although if you are on an excursion you will not notice.
Of course, it has positive parts. In each port only a small portion of passengers board so there are not that many people. And the services are always operational (even the restaurant on the first day)

 

- languages. MSC will show everything in six languages (the menu on the table will only be in yours and something similar). In the case of public address they will say them in the order of nationalities on the boat. There you will realize the multiculturalism that is the European continent and the detail that the European Union is made up of 27 countries with 24 official languages (MSC only uses 6)

about ports for boarding... things to keep in mind

 

- In another thread I reviewed direct flights from NY to embarkation ports in the western Mediterranean. Rome, Barcelona and Palma (yes, there are also direct flights to the island of Mallorca) have one or more direct flights from NY. I pointed out New York exclusively to make a comparison (I suppose that if a European airport does not have flights to the busiest area in the eastern part of the United States, it will hardly have flights anywhere else but it is a matter of looking).

 

However, if you come from somewhere else, I suggest you compare. For example, there is a daily direct flight from Barcelona to Los Angeles (duration, 13h15m). There is none in San Francisco and if you have to make a link, you don't care about one place or another.
If you are connecting in Europe, remember that flights within the Schengen zone countries are domestic for passport control purposes.

-I participate in a local forum in my country about cruises and there is one thing guaranteed with every user who registers: the first question he asks is always about excursions.
It is true that those who take a cruise in Europe pay a lot of attention to the destinations. Being the same boats (very similar, some even "twins"), the boats are not considered the destination themselves, but rather the excursions. Shipping companies choose the routes, always making sure they have some of the most in-demand cities and that the rest of the ports are always different from one route to another so that people repeat. For example, I'm going on a cruise soon and Rome is very highlighted in the itinerary (the other big city is Barcelona but it's where I embark) and then we'll go over the rest of the excursions.

 

If you are going on a long plane trip, I suggest that you choose the port of embarkation so that you can stay a few days after (or before) and visit more. And be careful... here you can even include the island of Mallorca. It has a direct flight from the United States (it has the 17th airport with the most travelers in Europe, don't expect anything small for an island) and it is the favorite destination of many European tourists. You will find a multicultural destination.

Although really any place can be great. Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Marseille, etc....

- about arriving at the ports for embarkation.... and I always refer to the western Mediterranean:
* Rome is the worst option of all. The port is 1h30m by taxi or train from the city (the airport is not far from the city considering its size but the port is)
* Genoa is the best option of all. It has a metro stop almost in front of where the MSC ship drops you off.
* The rest of European ports are in the cities themselves. Due to its size and dimensions, it is necessary to arrive by taxi (or specific buses for the port) but always urban routes or similar.

[MyriamS]

We really like the Rick Steve's self-guided walks of European cities! 

Since you're coming all the way from SF, I would say not worry too much about the departure port and just take a flight that has a good timing/price for you, then stay a couple of night pre-cruise. Yes Rome is much further from the port of Civitavecchia than Barcelona is from its cruise port, but the difference seems negligible compared to the rest of your journey.

 

[alserrod]

I also agree.
Consider all possible ports. If you have to travel from San Francisco, I think you don't mind stopping in Los Angeles, New York,... and even making two different stops. The important thing is the total time since you leave home... and the price. And it seems to me that there are tools to search for flights and be able to choose.

Choose the embarkation port based on where you would like to be before or after a few days. Remember that there are people who choose these destinations even for a week's vacation. That is, without thinking about cruises, there are those who go to Rome and spend a whole week visiting it, or Barcelona... Mallorca is the main destination for people from Central Europe. But consider renting a car and visiting the towns on the Côte d'Azur in France (if you end up in Nice, Marseille or Cannes), ending up in the Alps with another car (if you end up in Genoa), etc...
That is, any port is a vacation destination and offers a lot.

For this reason, I invite you to do a little research on them and choose according to the time you can stay in the port.

Due to mobility issues... what was mentioned. Normally you will arrive from your trip after many hours and you will take a taxi to the hotel and sleep for a while. You will choose a hotel (for before or after the cruise) that allows you to get to know the city. To go to the port, a taxi takes care of everything. Shorter or longer trip but everything can be solved by a taxi. Genoa has it the easiest (as I say you can take the metro almost to the boarding area) and Rome has it the worst (it's 1h30m but I insist that a taxi can solve everything... and a train in this case too )

[perakcruiser]

8 hours ago, markwfpb said:

Looking for general advice on which airport(s) are best for embark/debark (proximity to port), ports that are "don't bother" at least for first timers, that kind of thing. 

All places in Europe have excellent public transport, you don´t need to think about this. Just decide by price. 

 

First decision: Western or Eastern Med? Or both with two cruises after you made the long trip to the other side of the atlantic ocean. 

 

Most important: Avoid the hot season in Europe. The week before and after Easter, the Pentecost week and the long summer holiday from mid June to beginning of September. 

[Essiesmom]

And speaking of the hot season, it can be beastly hot in July and August, especially in the eastern Mediterranean.  If looking at Greece, Turkey (Kusadasi/Ephesus) I would do them in spring or fall.  EM

[Best Cat Mom]

7 hours ago, markwfpb said:

I ordered Rick's Med ports book today per your suggestion and saw the Scandinavia and North Europe books on offer. I had forgotten about Lonely Planet - I have a few of their guides somewhere, none for the Med tho.

When we need this type of guidance, we check the books out of the library and take pictures of all the pages we need. This is lots easier than carrying the books with us on holiday and everything is electronically available later to reference.

[mnpurple]

Our first MSC cruise was Med in 2021. We flew into Madrid and from there took a flight directly to Naples. I arranged for a transfer because I knew our travel day would be long. I think a taxi would have probably been just as good. We stayed at a hostel in a family room that was very close to the port and we were able to walk the day of embarkation.  I would have enjoyed more time in Naples, but after the cruise we hopped on a train and in less than two hours were in Rome and stayed there a few days. This was in mid-May and it was already getting hot then.

 

We were recently on another Northern Europe cruise and left from Southampton. Not sure if that was on your radar. With this we flew into London and took a train to Southampton. Very easy to do. 

[markwfpb]

Thank you all for this detailed information - it gets me headed in the right direction and with more focus.

We're looking at early/mid March 2025 to coincide with a birthday and anniversary so weather and holiday crowds shouldn't be too bad - fingers crossed.

That's an excellent point that travel from a particular European airport to the cruise port is a small fraction of overall travel time. And it looks like there are options from both Mallorca and Genoa so I'll check out flights.

The circular itinerary with multi-boarding cities will be new. The only thing we've ever done like that was boarding a Panama Canal cruise in San Diego that originated in Seattle. It was the smoothest/quickest boarding we've ever had. I assume in Europe they board simultaneously while everyone who wants to leave the ship gets off? That complicates doing a B2B a bit - you'd debark and then embark on another itinerary in a city that both cruises share I guess. Since each city is a destination in its own, probably not a need for a B2B this first trip! But I do like that idea of doing both western and eastern cruises as long as we're there. 

Thanks again for all the advice and insights. Even if I didn't mention some of it, I made notes - it didn't fall on deaf ears!

[notley-cruise]

29 minutes ago, markwfpb said:

you'd debark and then embark on another itinerary in a city that both cruises share I guess.

Not neccessarily.  On a recent Eastern Med cruise at disembarkation there was a large contingent been bused from Venice to Genoa to join a Western Med cruise.

[alserrod]

1 hour ago, markwfpb said:

Thank you all for this detailed information - it gets me headed in the right direction and with more focus.

We're looking at early/mid March 2025 to coincide with a birthday and anniversary so weather and holiday crowds shouldn't be too bad - fingers crossed.

That's an excellent point that travel from a particular European airport to the cruise port is a small fraction of overall travel time. And it looks like there are options from both Mallorca and Genoa so I'll check out flights.

The circular itinerary with multi-boarding cities will be new. The only thing we've ever done like that was boarding a Panama Canal cruise in San Diego that originated in Seattle. It was the smoothest/quickest boarding we've ever had. I assume in Europe they board simultaneously while everyone who wants to leave the ship gets off? That complicates doing a B2B a bit - you'd debark and then embark on another itinerary in a city that both cruises share I guess. Since each city is a destination in its own, probably not a need for a B2B this first trip! But I do like that idea of doing both western and eastern cruises as long as we're there. 

Thanks again for all the advice and insights. Even if I didn't mention some of it, I made notes - it didn't fall on deaf ears!

 

 

 

Hi, enjoy your anniversary!!!!

 

Weather. In March it is fine. You will still need a sweater because it is late winter/early spring but it is fine. I rather prefer then than in a very hot summer like 2022 for instance.

 

Multi-boarding can surprise you but it will not change anything on the cruise. There will be seven days, seven nights, etc.... The main issue is.... for example, for you white party could be the third one and gala night the sixth one. For other people it could be conversely or so (first nigh white party, fourth nigh gala night, and so on...)

 

Ports and destination.... just glance a travel brochure and you will see options to go for a week at Rome, or Rome and Florence and all the Tuscany or 10 days within Rome, Florence and Venice.... or a week on the French Blue Coast (Cote d'Azur) and its villages, or staying in Barcelona and visiting some other towns and Pyrenees or staying for a week in Mallorca islands...

 

Just be sure, for many Europeans, these plans are their main holidays along all the year (and nothing near their home).

 

I am sure any airport will fit to you. 

[80sGal]

We did our first European itinerary in 2022 and loved it so much we went back (from KY) last summer.  The first time we really enjoyed Portugal and France (Lisbon and Porto, Le Harve and La Rochelle) where the ship offered fantastic excursions at every stop.   Brussels was also unique and Spain was nice too.  Of you choose that area of Europe, I'd recommend itineraries that include Portugal and France.   Agree 100% with other posts that planning ahead for excursions is essential in Europe!!  The second time we did Rome pre-cruise and then sailed to various Greek islands.  Crete (Chania) was beautiful but we focused more on the Greek historical sites with the excursions in Athens and Rhodes.   Santorini gave us the classic blue domed photo but it is SO heavily tourist .... I would recommend Athens, early excursion before the crowds get too heavy .... and Sounio for some breathtaking scenery along the way.    Lindos in Rhodes  .... and if you choose Rome as your home port, a great hotel I found thru CC is Hotel Barocco.  It was a wonderful boutique hotel in reasonable walking distance of every major tourist site in Rome except the Vatican.   We are booked to go back to Europe for Round 3 in 2026.  

[markwfpb]

2 hours ago, alserrod said:

 

 

 

Hi, enjoy your anniversary!!!!

 

Weather. In March it is fine. You will still need a sweater because it is late winter/early spring but it is fine. I rather prefer then than in a very hot summer like 2022 for instance.

 

Multi-boarding can surprise you but it will not change anything on the cruise. There will be seven days, seven nights, etc.... The main issue is.... for example, for you white party could be the third one and gala night the sixth one. For other people it could be conversely or so (first nigh white party, fourth nigh gala night, and so on...)

 

Ports and destination.... just glance a travel brochure and you will see options to go for a week at Rome, or Rome and Florence and all the Tuscany or 10 days within Rome, Florence and Venice.... or a week on the French Blue Coast (Cote d'Azur) and its villages, or staying in Barcelona and visiting some other towns and Pyrenees or staying for a week in Mallorca islands...

 

Just be sure, for many Europeans, these plans are their main holidays along all the year (and nothing near their home).

 

I am sure any airport will fit to you. 

 

Thanks, it will our 28th anniversary and my partner's 65th bday, hence the big trip!

Speaking of Gala night, I'm thinking it will be more formal (in a good way) than what we're used to here. And good to know there will be a white party - I didn't think through that.

I've been researching flights using google flights which is fantastic - you can search multiple airports on each end and compare them easily. I also will look at using our American Air or United miles too, but that's a whole other set of gymnastics to dive into. 

Once we decide on departure port and ports of call, I'll dig into each - plenty of resources for that. We realize we'll just be scratching the surface of every port! 

[markwfpb]

2 hours ago, 80sGal said:

We did our first European itinerary in 2022 and loved it so much we went back (from KY) last summer.  The first time we really enjoyed Portugal and France (Lisbon and Porto, Le Harve and La Rochelle) where the ship offered fantastic excursions at every stop.   Brussels was also unique and Spain was nice too.  Of you choose that area of Europe, I'd recommend itineraries that include Portugal and France.   Agree 100% with other posts that planning ahead for excursions is essential in Europe!!  The second time we did Rome pre-cruise and then sailed to various Greek islands.  Crete (Chania) was beautiful but we focused more on the Greek historical sites with the excursions in Athens and Rhodes.   Santorini gave us the classic blue domed photo but it is SO heavily tourist .... I would recommend Athens, early excursion before the crowds get too heavy .... and Sounio for some breathtaking scenery along the way.    Lindos in Rhodes  .... and if you choose Rome as your home port, a great hotel I found thru CC is Hotel Barocco.  It was a wonderful boutique hotel in reasonable walking distance of every major tourist site in Rome except the Vatican.   We are booked to go back to Europe for Round 3 in 2026.  

 

We spent a few weeks in Portugal in 2022 and loved it, of course. My partner's parents were born there and we're hoping "some day" to move there full time. What a luxury that would be - to explore Europe with train rides and relatively short flights - all those cultures readily accessible. Other than Portugal, we've only been to London and Paris. 

Rome, France and Greece are definitely on our list to see tho Greece may have to wait as it's not on the itineraries we're finding. 

I'm glad our dates are in the spring. Summer travel with the heat as perakcruiser and Essiesmom mentioned and all the tourists (like you said regarding Santorini) doesn't seem ideal. 

[markwfpb]

17 hours ago, alserrod said:

Well... if your intention is to visit the Mediterranean, it is not bad to choose a company called "Mediterranean Shipping Company" (it is the full name of MSC).

 

Forgot to mention earlier that before I originally posted, I researched other lines to see what all was out there. To your point that Mediterranean is in their name, I could find zero other options on all the major lines and several of the boutique ones that sailed during the first half of March except one Majestic Princess 7-day that has two sea days which doesn't seem ideal!

 

[Tierun]

World Europa from Barcelona. Arrive a day early and stay a day later to see the city and you will have multiple stops in Italy including Sicily. 

[Tapi]

We did our first Mediterranean cruise on MSC. 

 

• We chose our embarkation port (Rome/Civitavecchia) simply because it was the easiest to get to from where we live (Atlanta). Flying nonstop made it SO easy to begin and end our trip.
• We spent 2 nights pre-cruise in Rome. Spending a few days before the cruise at the city of embarkation is a definite must. Not only will it allow you to acclimate a bit better to the time change before getting on the ship, but it will give you needed extra time to explore. 
• One thing that we quickly learned about cruising in Europe vs the Caribbean is how painfully short one day is at most ports. There's simply SO much to see, that it's impossible to see it all. You'll barely scratch the surface. So make a very short list of highlights that you wish to do at each port and stick with that. Don't try to do too much.
• We decided to travel off season (November) and it was a wonderful decision. Crowds were non-existent at most tourist attractions, temperatures hovered in the 60's which was wonderful for sightseeing and walking around. And best of all, cruise fare and airfare were substantially cheaper than during the summer/high season months. Only drawback was that days were shorter, with sunset before 5pm. But usually we were back on the ship by that time anyway. 
• We visited Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, and Genoa. Of all the ports visited, Valletta was the absolute highlight of our cruise. Beautiful destination, with dramatic scenery. This is rated as one of the most beautiful ports of call by many travel experts. 

 

Enjoy your cruise! The Mediterranean was truly one of our favorite cruises, and now we're booked to do Northern Europe next year! 

 

 

[markwfpb]

38 minutes ago, Tierun said:

World Europa from Barcelona. Arrive a day early and stay a day later to see the city and you will have multiple stops in Italy including Sicily. 

 

That's the exact itinerary we're zeroing in on! Plus a few days tacked on to the beginning to hopefully ease jetlag while exploring the city. 

 

Should we expect the (high) possibility of rough seas in March? 

[markwfpb]

5 hours ago, Tapi said:

We did our first Mediterranean cruise on MSC. 

Enjoy your cruise! The Mediterranean was truly one of our favorite cruises, and now we're booked to do Northern Europe next year! 

 

Sounds like we're on the right track according to your experiences. Not seeing any itineraries with Valletta but I'll keep it in mind for next time because I'm sure we'll want to return!

[alserrod]

6 hours ago, Tapi said:

We did our first Mediterranean cruise on MSC. 

 

• We chose our embarkation port (Rome/Civitavecchia) simply because it was the easiest to get to from where we live (Atlanta). Flying nonstop made it SO easy to begin and end our trip.
• We spent 2 nights pre-cruise in Rome. Spending a few days before the cruise at the city of embarkation is a definite must. Not only will it allow you to acclimate a bit better to the time change before getting on the ship, but it will give you needed extra time to explore. 
• One thing that we quickly learned about cruising in Europe vs the Caribbean is how painfully short one day is at most ports. There's simply SO much to see, that it's impossible to see it all. You'll barely scratch the surface. So make a very short list of highlights that you wish to do at each port and stick with that. Don't try to do too much.
• We decided to travel off season (November) and it was a wonderful decision. Crowds were non-existent at most tourist attractions, temperatures hovered in the 60's which was wonderful for sightseeing and walking around. And best of all, cruise fare and airfare were substantially cheaper than during the summer/high season months. Only drawback was that days were shorter, with sunset before 5pm. But usually we were back on the ship by that time anyway. 
• We visited Palermo, Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, and Genoa. Of all the ports visited, Valletta was the absolute highlight of our cruise. Beautiful destination, with dramatic scenery. This is rated as one of the most beautiful ports of call by many travel experts. 

 

Enjoy your cruise! The Mediterranean was truly one of our favorite cruises, and now we're booked to do Northern Europe next year! 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you

 

- choose (for everyone) the best option origin-destination considering prices and times. You may have a direct connection which makes it easier, but you may have one link and it really doesn't matter where to change to another plane.

Remember all airlines have partners around the world. In that case, you can leave your baggage in origin and claim it in final destination. You will have one (or two) airports to change the plane but without baggage

Remember also that in Schengen area you will have passport control only in the first one you come (Schengen area = The whole EU except Ireland PLUS some other countries). All inner Schengen area flights are domestic on passport control

 

So... I would glance options and would choose some embarkation ports and look for options for flying there.

 

- Having a so long journey deserves to visit something else. For an European... it makes sense just having exact time for cruise but after so long flight, please visit something extra. Add some problems due to jet lag.

I would book some days in advance and after the cruise in the port to visit that area. Just think there are a lot of people going there as a week destination for holidays

 

- Ports.... just as an example. If you glance excursions guide for MSC in Rome you have full day in Rome focusing in ONE point only. It can be focusing in Vatican and a fast sightseen tour, focusing in Roman ruins and a fast sightseen tour, a sightseen plus any unknown tresor, etc... If you remain in Rome for a week you haven't finished to visit it.

I pointed Rome because it seems it is easier to explain but really same situation with other ports. A port could be in a small town but with a lot of things to do around.

 

It is enough to see how many MSC excursions in Caribe offer some "activities" and how many in Europe. I point "Europe" because Greek cruises, northern Europe cruises, etc... are in the same situation.

So... can you go to a port and ask for snorkel, for a fishing day, for any water activities?. Of course you can, and of course you can go to the beach but just consider visiting it at first. Those activities are offered .... and are requested for people who remain one week in the area. Less days, first a visit (mainly)

 

- Month to visit. As you are going to make more visits than activities.... and it is not Caribe at all (just be awared Rome, Barcelona and.... New York have almost the same latitude: 41º), it is important to think on weather.

It is cold in winter, hot in summer, it can rain (but it is not a rainy area). If you can choose among all the year, surely Autumn or Spring are the best.

 

 

- And... about Valletta, I am glad to know they still exist some "hidden gems" in these itineraries. I am sure you weren't expecting to find a port like Valetta, the smallest capital and smallest country in the EU.

My parents were there some months ago. Nice for a whole week (the entire country)

 

I have searched this summer itineraries in Western Mediterranean. As you will see, all of them have some major cities like Barcelona, Rome or Marseille, all of them have known destinations as Naples, Nice (Monaco) Palma or Genova, and all of them have some minor ports that could be hidden gems (like La Spezia, Cannes, Nice, Ibiza, Tunis, etc...)

Obviously in a week cruise with one day at sea.... 2 major ports, 2 known ports, 2 hidden gems, 1 at sea....

 

But let MSC surprise you with these ports. Do not worry if you haven't heard about them. Just focus on the whole itinerary and after, try to learn about these ports.

 

 

I have searched for MSC itineraries in Western Mediterranean this summer

 

- MSC Grandiosa: Barcelona, Tunis, Palermo, Livorno (Florence), Marseille

- MSC Musica: Barcelona, Ibiza, Cagliari, Rome, Genova, Cannes

- MSC Seaview: Barcelona, Cannes, Genova, La Spezia, Rome, Palma

- MSC World Europa: Barcelona, Marseille, Genova, Napoli, Messina, Valetta

- MSC Seaside: Valencia, Marseille, Genova, Rome, Palermo, Ibiza

- MSC Fantasia: Valencia, Livorno (Florence), Rome, Genova, Marseille, Tarragona

 

For a first cruise, all of them are fantastic.

For example, last one, MSC Fantasia, do not call at Barcelona but Tarragona (100 km away only). It is the main Roman city in western Mediterranean. Of course it is not Rome, but after Roman ruins, Middle age ruins, Art nouveau, etc.... You will not visit Sagrada Familia in Barcelona by Gaudi but you will visit Gaudi museum in the city where he was born (Reus, 20 km away, very easy to reach)

 

It is just an example. When people see Tarragona replaces Barcelona is concerned. Do not worry (nor with this port, nor with other itinerary). It can be a real hidden gem that you will remember over major cities.