Italy/Greece/Turkey - Best Cruise Options (lines, itineraries, etc.)

[ST1TCH]

Hello all,

 

Not sure the best place for this so figured I'd start with the Italy section as it seems the most busy.

 

My wife and I have never been to Europe, planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary and have always wanted to do the Mediterranean.  I've started my own search through different cruise sites as well as cruise lines and I've found a few options for an itinerary plan that I think we would be interested in.  Interestingly, what we have prioritized for our first time (which I understand is an Eastern) doesn't seem to be the most popular.  

 

Briefly, what we have prioritized (doesn't have to be every single stop):

- Rome (Civitavecchia) - definitely want to see Rome (can be prior or after cruise since some start/end here)

- 1 or 2 other Italy stops - wife has Italian heritage and we have a good neighbor from there

- Athens (Piraeus) - definitely want to see Athens

- Greek isles - Santorini & Mykonos

- Ephesus (Kusadasi) - have a friend that lives near here

 

 

I lean toward the American lines that I'm familiar with (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, etc.) and probably would prioritize Royal as they have the type of ship, venues, events, etc. that we enjoy.  I did search MSC but it seemed they don't even visit Rome at all. 

 

At the moment, I've found the most promise in the cruises offered on the Odyssey of the Seas.  And then second, the Majestic Princess - though I have no familiarity with the Princess experience.

 

 

Is there a line or itinerary I'm missing out on?  We've done Celebrity for an Alaskan cruise once and it just wasn't our scene so not interested in other similar lines that don't have many fun activities, etc. throughout the day.

 

 

[euro cruiser]

It sounds like Rome and Athens are the two places that most interest you, so I'd look for cruises that start in one and end in the other, so you can extend you time in each place.

 

Like this, for example:  Journey to Antiquities - 2024 Itinerary - Rome (Civitavecchia) to Athens (Piraeus) | Viking® (vikingcruises.com)

 

One thing that would pull me toward Viking is the absence of children, especially for an anniversary trip.

Edited June 26 by euro cruiser

[marazul]

If you are interested in seeing Venice, I would take a train there from Rome and spend two or three nights there before the cruise. Large ships cannot dock in Venice. They have to dock in ports that are 2-3 hours away. Then take the train back to Rome and visit for a couple of days at least. Another alternative is to fly directly to Venice for your stay and then take the train to Rome.  This would maximize your time at both places.  And that would make your anniversary trip even better.

 

Search this board for many suggestions on the train ride.  It is easy and fast.

 

You don't say how long a cruise you are looking for.  @euro cruiser's suggestion is a very good itinerary for the highlights.  A longer cruise would of course let you see more.

Edited June 26 by marazul

[ST1TCH]

Thanks for the great recommendations so far.

 

While I can certainly appreciate the appeal of a Viking cruise, they're out of my current price range.

 

I'm currently focused on the 9-12 night cruises on the Odyssey unless I find something better.

 

marazul - thanks for the great recommendations about Venice and Rome.  Likely will have several days either before, after or both if we depart and return from Rome.

 

[robbinsca]

Royal has the Voyager of the Seas that has sailings from Athens to Rome that fit your favored itinerary with Ephesus in both June and October next year. Not a 9-12 day sailing, but you could use the extra days at the start and end to wander those two cities. 
 

I would strongly recommend starting or ending in one of them. Our first trip to Rome was a stop along the way on a Barcelona r/t. One day was not nearly enough time so we threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain to make sure we would return!🤓

 

I would also recommend Naples as a stop. Pompeii is like nothing else you will ever experience.

[-Lew-]

We have cruised the Med on Princess, Celebrity, and Viking.  We have also cruised with Royal Caribbean in the Caribbean for the benefit of our grandson.

 

For us, Med cruising is more about the itinerary than the cruise line or ship.  Having said that, I would not choose Royal Caribbean.  RC is great for family cruising in the Caribbean, but not for the Med.

 

Don't discount Viking due to cost before putting the numbers on a spreadsheet.  Consider that Viking fares include airfare, some excursions in each port, specialty dining, laundry, and more.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

Having never been to Europe, I highly recommend you plan to spend a few days in your embarkation and disembarkation cities.  Your travel will not be inexpensive and you're flying a long way in both directions...make the most of your trip by enjoying Rome and Athens for a few days on each end.  Again, first European experience...give yourself time to get over jet lag and acclimate yourself to a different culture.

 

Enjoy your adventure...

[ST1TCH]

1 hour ago, -Lew- said:

 Having said that, I would not choose Royal Caribbean.  RC is great for family cruising in the Caribbean, but not for the Med.

 

 

Is there any information specifically as to why you say that?  Bad experiences, etc.?  Or you just don't like Royal's style and experience?

 

As I mentioned in my first post, my wife and I do enjoy Royal's style and experience and find ourselves bored to death on Celebrity.  Yes the Mediterranean is more about the places you visit but there's still time spent on the boat and the boat itself has to factor into that as far as what's offered, etc.

 

Is there any reason, based on what I said, that Viking would offer more or less than what Celebrity does?  

[CCJack]

These are all good suggestions... My opinion is for a trip like this I would be focusing on the itinerary and price. All of these mainstream cruiselines would be fine for me (Viking, Royal, Celebrity, etc.)   These trips are quite a bit different than a Caribbean trip.

 

Since you are mixing Italian stops with Greek stops, the choices of cruises that do both may be more limited, although that Viking cruise is a good suggestion.

 

Not sure what your requirements are for total trip time, but for sure tack on at least a couple nights pre cruise and hopefully 1 or 2 nights post cruise, even if you have to change to a 7 night cruise to meet your timing.     We sometimes book a flight home the same day as debarkation but frequently airlines will change transatlantic flight times a month or two ahead of time, causing issues with getting to the airport on time.  One hotel night post cruise helps with this issue, you will see loads of threads of people trying to figure out if they can make it from ship to airport on time after a flight time change.

 

I think Venice is a city everyone should try to see at least once, but if you add that to your list - your list grows, and you may need to drop another port so your trip doesn't grow to be too much.

 

Good luck, have fun planning.

 

[ST1TCH]

8 minutes ago, CCJack said:

These are all good suggestions... My opinion is for a trip like this I would be focusing on the itinerary and price. All of these mainstream cruiselines would be fine for me (Viking, Royal, Celebrity, etc.)   These trips are quite a bit different than a Caribbean trip.

 

Since you are mixing Italian stops with Greek stops, the choices of cruises that do both may be more limited, although that Viking cruise is a good suggestion.

 

Not sure what your requirements are for total trip time, but for sure tack on at least a couple nights pre cruise and hopefully 1 or 2 nights post cruise, even if you have to change to a 7 night cruise to meet your timing.     We sometimes book a flight home the same day as debarkation but frequently airlines will change transatlantic flight times a month or two ahead of time, causing issues with getting to the airport on time.  One hotel night post cruise helps with this issue, you will see loads of threads of people trying to figure out if they can make it from ship to airport on time after a flight time change.

 

I think Venice is a city everyone should try to see at least once, but if you add that to your list - your list grows, and you may need to drop another port so your trip doesn't grow to be too much.

 

Good luck, have fun planning.

 

 

Thanks.

 

We will certainly add time on to the beginning and end of the trip as it's looking like Rome may be the start and end of our journey.  And definitely agree that trying to fly in/out on embarkation or disembarkation days can be a real challenge and should be avoided if possible.  My thinking at the moment is that if we're traveling all that way and incurring the costs of transatlantic flights, etc. we'll probably plan to stay 14 days total.

 

I didn't realize I walked into the Viking recommendation forum  - they certainly seem to have some loyal cruisers here.  I fully understand that they offer a premium experience with premium features and a premium price.  Not saying I'm writing them off completely...we will see.

[marazul]

If possible, try to find a cruise that begins and ends in different places, like Rome and Athens. Both cities need the extra time. 

[ST1TCH]

13 minutes ago, marazul said:

If possible, try to find a cruise that begins and ends in different places, like Rome and Athens. Both cities need the extra time. 

 

Certainly a good idea....seems to be even more of a unicorn than just wanting an eastern med with Italy/Greece/Turkey.  Or the ones that do start in Rome/end in Athens or vice versa, then I miss out on places like Mykonos or Santorini or Ephesus. 

 

Will keep looking.

 

Anyone know of a good site that has some pretty deep filters where I could search based on these requirements?  Many times I can't seem to do better than "Europe" and then either a length, departure port or brand/ship....I found one site that would let me specify the ports I wanted, but then it would return any cruises that had at least 1 of those....

Edited Thursday at 05:31 PM by ST1TCH

[euro cruiser]

I've been bombarded by marketing materials for Atlas Ocean Voyages this year, I've never sailed with them but I noticed that they have 9 and 12 night Rome - Athens cruises:

 

12-Night Rome to Athens 7.24.24 - Atlas Ocean Voyages

[-Lew-]

17 hours ago, ST1TCH said:

Anyone know of a good site that has some pretty deep filters where I could search based on these requirements?

 

cruisetimetables.com offers a search utility that works well for me.

[alserrod]

On 6/26/2024 at 6:54 PM, ST1TCH said:

Hello all,

 

Not sure the best place for this so figured I'd start with the Italy section as it seems the most busy.

 

My wife and I have never been to Europe, planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary and have always wanted to do the Mediterranean.  I've started my own search through different cruise sites as well as cruise lines and I've found a few options for an itinerary plan that I think we would be interested in.  Interestingly, what we have prioritized for our first time (which I understand is an Eastern) doesn't seem to be the most popular.  

 

Briefly, what we have prioritized (doesn't have to be every single stop):

- Rome (Civitavecchia) - definitely want to see Rome (can be prior or after cruise since some start/end here)

- 1 or 2 other Italy stops - wife has Italian heritage and we have a good neighbor from there

- Athens (Piraeus) - definitely want to see Athens

- Greek isles - Santorini & Mykonos

- Ephesus (Kusadasi) - have a friend that lives near here

 

 

I lean toward the American lines that I'm familiar with (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, etc.) and probably would prioritize Royal as they have the type of ship, venues, events, etc. that we enjoy.  I did search MSC but it seemed they don't even visit Rome at all. 

 

At the moment, I've found the most promise in the cruises offered on the Odyssey of the Seas.  And then second, the Majestic Princess - though I have no familiarity with the Princess experience.

 

 

Is there a line or itinerary I'm missing out on?  We've done Celebrity for an Alaskan cruise once and it just wasn't our scene so not interested in other similar lines that don't have many fun activities, etc. throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

Hello:
MSC does not operate from Civitavecchia to the eastern Mediterranean because all the cruises it organizes are loop type and from there it would not compensate.
MSC operates from Civitavecchia to the Western Mediterranean and has several ships (I think up to four) stopping every week.

However, you have MSC trips to the Adriatic and Greece from Venice and from Bari.

Please note that from Rome it takes 4 hours to Bari and 4:30 hours to Venice by Frecciarossa (= Red Arrow) high-speed train.

I suggest you consider...
- fly to Rome. Surely you have a direct flight
- visit Rome
- Train to cruise origin: Bari or Venice.
- Cruise
- Visit Bari or Venice when you finish
- Fly back home (from Bari you will surely have to transfer, from Venice there may be intercontinental flights)

possible cruises you have with MSC
- 9 nights through Athens, Istanbul and Greek islands. Start in Bari or Venice (boarding possible in both)
- 7 nights around Athens and all the Greek islands from Bari
- 7 nights through Athens, Santorini and Montenegro from Venice
- 7 nights through Croatia, Montenegro, Greek islands from Bari and Venice
- ..

 

[alserrod]

Anyway, I just went on a cruise that passed through Civitavecchia (and Rome is definitely not possible to visit in a single day).

I have visited two Spanish cities (Barcelona and the island of Mallorca), one French (Cannes, on the Côte d'Azur) and three Italian cities (Rome, the towns of Cinque Terre and Genoa plus a day of sailing.

There are multiple variants. Some change La Spezia (Cinque Terre) for Palermo (on the island of Sicily) and even for a stopover in Malta.
Or change Mallorca for Ibiza and even stop in Tunisia, in North Africa. Or....there are many options.

Even in the itinerary I made, you can replace the excursion to those picturesque Italian towns with a visit to Florence (it is a long bus trip but it is possible).

I say this because if you look on the map, Rome is on the western Mediterranean side and almost all the cruises that leave will go there. If you want to go to the eastern Mediterranean you must leave from Bari or Venice. If you ask for Rome+Athens the options are greatly reduced.

On these cruises you can board almost any port. That is, you can take a flight to Barcelona, board there and Rome would be one of the stopovers.

Oh, keep in mind that it is 1h30m from the port of Civitavecchia to Rome

[edinburgher]

On 6/27/2024 at 2:35 PM, ST1TCH said:

As I mentioned in my first post, my wife and I do enjoy Royal's style and experience and find ourselves bored to death on Celebrity.  Yes the Mediterranean is more about the places you visit but there's still time spent on the boat and the boat itself has to factor into that as far as what's offered, etc.

Not interested in other similar lines that don't have many fun activities, etc. throughout the day.

 

You said this, which is quite an odd thing for someone visiting "the Med" for the first time to say. Are you planning to stay onboard for significant amounts of each day instead of going ashore?  Only asking as it is more common for daytime activities to be of little interest when porting in European cities and towns. If you do plan on taking part in onboard daytime activities, the itinerary itself will not be a priority, the ship will be.  Having said that, if I  have  misunderstood, some of the following suggestions might help you choose.

 

Med cruises can be quite exhausting as distances between ports are short so not uncommon to have multiple days at sea without frequent sea days. And days ashore can be long depending on your port and distance from the "headline" city or town. After a few days of this, evening entertainment can lose some of its appeal, especially if you have returned from an 8 or 9 hour tour or day ashore and have a similar one planned for the following day, and possibly another the day after that.

 

You should look carefully at distances between the "actual" ports and the "headline" ports as longer days ashore are preferable to shorter ones.There are a number of these but the most well known and frequently used in cruiseline marketing, would be le Havre (Paris), Civitavecchia (Rome) and Trieste or Ravenna (Venice) Don't be fooled into thinking you will be able to step ashore in the "headline" city and begin sightseeing.  You won't!

 

Compare port arrival and departure times should you have narrowed your choices down to a small number. EG not much point in an early arrival such as 0600 if the departure time is 1300 or 1400. Likewise an arrival of eg 1600 isn't of much interest if the departure time is 2200.

 

And size matters too.  Check itineraries carefully for any indications of tender ports. RCCL ships are mostly "big girls" and may have to tender instead of dock, and tendering from and back onboard can use up valuable shore time, as the bigger the ship the longer it usually takes unless you have special status which gives you tender priority..

 

And try to avoid the hottest months if you can.

 

And expect crowds almost everywhere too as popular European cities and towns/regions have become ever more crowded in recent years with many suffering from "overtourism". You won't be lonely!

Edited yesterday at 01:11 PM by edinburgher

[rhiannon84]

Can I also suggest looking at some of the 'Live From' threads for Mediterranean cruises? It'll give you a good sense of which ports are busy/tender-only, as well as how people experienced the port times and lack of days at sea. You might also be surprised how few people say they did evening entertainment, and instead went to the buffet followed by an early night! 

[alserrod]

Hello

 

Things I think you should consider

 

- From Rome, almost all cruises go to the south of France and west of Spain for mere geographical reasons.

 

- If you want to go to Greece the easiest is from Venice and Bari. Of course there are also from Rome but much less.

 

- In Europe it is very common to travel by train. They are high-speed trains and quite comfortable. The strange thing is taking a trip of several hours by plane. As an example, Alitalia has 4 flights between Rome and Venice while Trenitalia has a train almost every 30 minutes!!!!

 

- Keep in mind the location of the ports. Rome is 1h30m from Civitavecchia. Florence is 1h30m from Livorno (and Paris is... very far from Le Havre). However, Marseille, Barcelona, Athens, etc... have the port quite centrally located. The best case, without a doubt, is Genoa. As soon as you leave the maritime terminal you have a metro stop.

 

- Something very important. For cruises in Europe the "destination is not the ship." The destination is the ports. That is to say, people choose one cruise or another paying close attention to the ports they will stop at. Most disembark in the cities to visit them (it can be with the cruise, it can be DIY) and the number of activities on the ship while it is docked is very low.

 

They plan them in the afternoon when people have returned.

 

With what you have mentioned, I would opt for
- Option 1. Fly to Rome, visit Rome. Train to Venice, cruise from Venice to Greece and return. Visit Venice, return by plane from Venice

- Option 2. Fly to Rome, visit Rome. Cruise through the Western Mediterranean. Review one that has several scales that interest you. Return from Rome. You can even visit Florence before returning