Best Cruise Line for Mediterranean Summer Cruises?

[212cruiser]

We would like to plan a family Mediterranean cruise for June 2007. We have teenage children and will likely be travelling with 80 year-old parents, as well. We have sailed together on several Caribbean cruises, and were hoping to do something different while exposing the kids to Europe at the same time.

Which itinerary is considered best?

Which cruise line would you recommend, and why? Ports of call, food, etc.

What is the ideal length for a cruise like this? 10 days or 15, or longer?

How long do you stay on land before and after the cruise?

What other considerations are important?

Thanks in advance!

[alinehu]

Last year we went To Europe for the first time. We were a group of 14 people ages 45 to 9.Our experience was perfect in every sense.We choose the Grand Princess a large ship but not as many people as other cruise lines everyone like it.The food was great and the flexibility of Personal choice is perfect for the busy schedule of the Mediterranean.We choose the least expensive cabin not much time to spend there and a window wont be enough you need a 360 view.We choose this itinerary because we wanted to cover at much as posible of Italy and Greece.The ship sailed from Civitavecchia and ended in Venice so we spend to nights in Rome before the cruise and two In Venice after the cruise.We covered Italy(Livorno, Naples, Rome and Venice) ,Greece(Athens) and greek isles(Santorini, Mykonos,Corfu) even Turkey and Montecarlo in 12 days.Other considerations? Take private tours!!Its more personal and you are going to see more and make friends so its going to make a difference in how you see a country. Cant wait to go back!!!!If You have other questions please ask

[alinehu]

Stay in hotels with good locations so you can walk everywhere, that really made a big difference.Dont choose a ship with many activities because you wont need them, Princess big screen for movies Under the stars was perfect after a long day.We also had to make a stop in Madrid so we decided to spend two nights there. So we covered a little of Spain, France, Greece, Turkey and dreamy Italy!!

[Gabgab]

NCL's Jewel I would reconomend. With that range of ages you get to really enjoy the whole freestyle concept were you dont have to follow assigned dinner times. During May and June they are doing a trip going to Greece, Turkey and my persoanal favoirate Eypgt. Also have another iternery but I dont know that one off the top of my head. So there is a wide variety of beaches, shopping, food, and history. Somthing there for everyone in the whole family. And when I did my searches on prices the prices seem to be on the more afforable side for med cruises, which is always good. So anyways hope this gives you somthing to think about.

[Joanne G.]

Everyone's idea of the "best" cruise line, ship, or itinerary is different based on what's important to them. For many people, in Europe the itinerary is more important than the ship. It's all about the ports; what ship goes to the places you most want to see?

 

These are things we considered when choosing our Med cruise last year:

 

When comparing itineraries, be sure to check the times you'll be in port. Arriving at 7:00 and leaving at 2:00 isn't great. On the other hand, some evening or late night sailings give you a chance to enjoy a dinner experience ashore, a sunset wine toast, or at the very least a leisurely day ashore.

 

As much as we wanted to see a variety of ports, we chose an itinerary with several sea days throughout the cruise. Did we every enjoy those sea days! Our port days were exciting, but long and tiring. Having 3 sea days on a 10-day cruise was perfect for us - a chance to sleep late and rest up for the next day of port activity.

 

How do you feel about dressing up a bit for dinner? You may have to pack a bit more clothing and factor dining times into your port plans if you choose one of the more formal, traditional-dining cruise lines. But most ships have some kind of casual dining option, so this needn't be a deal breaker.

 

Airfare can be cheaper for a round-trip cruise than for one that starts in one city and ends in another.

 

The best length for a Med cruise? The longest you can afford! How long should you stay on land before and/or after the cruise? As long as you can afford to! With what you'll spend getting the family over to Europe, make the most of it. A land stay before the cruise is especially important for adjusting to the time change and having some extra time in case of airline problems en route.

 

Personally, I'd rather have a longer cruise in an ordinary cabin than a shorter cruise in a suite. All ships have ample public space to sit and enjoy the views. But to each his own, and wine on the balcony while sailing away from a beautiful port certainly would be wonderful.

 

Prices can vary a lot, even between ships of the same line. Prices tend to be higher on the newer ships, a little more affordable on the older ships. That doesn't mean the newer ships are better, only that they are newer. For the same money, give me a longer cruise on an older ship!

 

Have a wonderful time, whatever ship you choose.

[Bruin Steve]

I've done 4 European Cruises in the past 5 years--one on Princess (Baltic), two on Celebrity (Mediterranean and Britain/Norwegian Fjords) and one on Oceania (Mediterranean)...

 

Our cruise on the Celebrity Millennium (13 nights Venice to Barcelona) was by far my favorite cruise of all I've been on...Best space-to-passenger ratios, bext service and food...and a dynamite itinerary (including multiple late nights in port)...

 

Here's my advice:

 

Most important aspect is the itinerary. Most of these cruises are very port-intensive with few at-sea days...and you're usually exhausted when you get back to the ship...So a ship's activities aren't quite as important as, say, a Caribbean cruise...What IS important is that the service is top flight and the ship is comfortable...

 

But, the first thing to look at, really, is the itinerary...

IMHO, if you're going all the way to Europe, you want a longer itinerary--don't want to fly over there, make a few stops, and turn around and go home...The typical longer itinerary is 12 to 14 nights...I would ALWAYS do at least that...

Second, note that there are two basic formats: Round trip or one-way...A round trip will start in, say, Barcelona...and then end in Barcelona...The one-way will start in, say, Barcelona and end in, say, Venice...or the other way around...or Athens to Istanbul...or Istanbul to Barcelona...(You catch the drift)...Some folks THINK they save a little money on airfare doing the round trip--but the truth is, not much...Most cruise line air is the same either way...Frequent Flyer tickets cost the same as well (they'll do an "open jaw--fly into one city and out another) and booking your own open jaw doesn't really cost that much more than a round trip...

 

But, the advantages of the "one-way" are many: The ship doesn't "backtrack"--which usually allows for an extra port or two...or more time in port...and you get the opportunity to stay pre- and post-cruise in two distinctly different cities...

 

Also, as has been noted, don't just check the ports visited, check the HOURS in port...

 

The next thing to think about is those pre- and post-cruise stays...Definitely try to book at least two nights BEFORE and,if you can, two nights after in the embarkation and debarkation ports...First, these are usually great cities and the cruise itself doesn't really account for the time to visit them...Second, when you fly clear over to Barcelona or Venice or Istanbul or wherever, you've likely been anywhere from 10-18 hours in airports, on planes, changing planes, etc....AND you've also lost between 5 and 10 hours in time zone changes...You are tired, exhausted, jet-lagged and disoriented...It's nice to have a little relaxation time to nap and adjust...not to mention it's a hedge against flight delays, missed connections et al...You don't want to even try to get in the day of the cruise...Don't want to miss the boat!

 

Next, consider the ship and cruise line...Personally, I prefer Celebrity for the food and service...Oceania has great food as well...but, it's not a great choice when taking kids--there are no kids programs or activities and much less to do on the smaller ships...Princess has some very good itineraries--but I wasn't impressed at all with our experience on Princess in Europe. I think Celebrity beats it hands down across the board...Of course, that's just my opinion...Royal Caribbean has SOME good itineraries and would be as a good choise as any when travelling with kids...

 

Good luck...

[PTC]

Everyone will post their favorite cruiseline as the best experience but really, they all can deliver a great cruise experience.

 

PTC

[Keith1010]

In the end all of this comes down to a personal choice.

 

When we made the decision to take a cruise with the family in the Mediterranean given the ages of our children and the fact that there are less children on that type of cruise compared to say one in the Caribbean we tried to find a cruise line and cruise ship that would have enough activities for the children so that they could have a nice balance between seeing the Med and also enjoying the ship. We felt that we didn't need lots of kids but wanted to make sure there were some.

 

Second, for us we chose a 12 day cruise which I'm glad we did. Since the Med itineraries tend to be more port intensive the 12 day cruise tends to provide a couple of days at sea which is nice plus the trip to and from Europe is so long that it's nice to have the extra days to enjoy the cruise.

 

Third, I would carefully look at where the boat embarks and disembarks in terms of ease of flying in and out of those cities.

 

Forth, when you fly over to Europe I would recommend arriving at least two days before your cruise begins so pick a city for embarkation that would be fun to tour. I highly recommend arriving early to avoid problems should your flight be canceled or delayed and just as importantly to get over the jet lag. I have seen people arrive the day of embarkation and for the first couple of days they are not enjoying the cruise as they are still getting over the jet lag.

 

So, I would start off by deciding what month you want to cruise and about how many days you would like to cruise and then look at the various itineraries to see who is cruising and where. As I mentioned as part of your decision think about ease of flying in and out of these cities. We have cruised the Med three times now and there are lots of wonderful ports to see.

 

Keith

[212cruiser]

Everyone's input has been very valuable. Thank you very much.

I'm wondering if someone could comment on the differences, if any, that they experienced between cruising in a balcony stateroom and an outside/inside cabin? Aside from the difference in size (and cost), my wife is prone to clostrophobia and it has always been a comfort to "know" she is able to open the balcony door. However, I think if the window were large enough, and we were on a a high enough deck (to avoid the washing-machine syndrome) it would be alright.

I suppose that question is ship specific. So far, we are seriously considering the Jewel and Galaxy itineraries. Saving money on staterooms is a major consideration. If we could book oceanview staterooms we could save big, and put the savings toward guides or hotels on land.

Has anyone sailed those ships? Of course, any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks, again.

[Keith1010]

I have sailed the Galaxy and have enjoyed our sailings over the years on Celebrity. I'm sure you will get posts from many who enjoy the Galaxy and Celebrity and others who enjoy the Jewel. I would recommend reading reviews that others have posted from each of these cruises and also going to each respective cruise board just to get a sense for the line and the ship. I usually look for 90% consensus (eg., if most of the posters have a particular view I go with that).

 

The issue of whether or not to do a balconey is a personal decision. For us, part of the decision is based on itinerary and the size of the ship. For example, when we did a transatlantic saiing we saw no reason for a balconey as we knew it would be quite cold and we just didn't think it was worth the extra cost.

 

But, if cost was an issue I wouldn't go with the balconey for us.

 

But, the big issue is what you mentioned. We are not clostrophobic so it is not an issue for us. However, we do know folks who are clostrophobic and they required a balconey. In therir case, the person also needed to sit in the first seat of the bus because of the condition. In the end, only you can decide how important that is.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

Guess I will be my usual "contrarian" self on this great topic. Regarding cruise lines (and we have cruised on more than 40 ships of 11 cruise lines) I do not think its very important when cruising in the Med. Most of these cruises are very port intensive, and its not unusual to see a majority of the ship in bed by 11 because they are exhausted from long port days. Itinerary (and cost) should be your main criteria. As to time, in order to amortize the cost of your air, it makes sense to spend as many days as possible in Europe. If you take a cruise that begins and ends at different ports, this allows you to spend some time pre and post cruise on land. As much as we love crusing in Europe, you are quite limited and what you can see from ports...so combining land and sea will give you the best of both worlds. Since you are traveling with your own group, you should consider booking private tours or just doing things on your own as opposed to the overpriced large-group cruise line tours. Looking at the various itineraries for next summer, I really like the cruises done by the Celebrity Millenium that go between Barcelona and Venice. This gives a chance to spend a few days in Spain, and perhaps spend more than a few days at the Venice end which is a great location to start exploring Italy or other nearby countries. That cruise gives you the French Riviera (Nice), Rome, Florence, a wonderful Greek Island (Santorini), Athens, and Dubrovni as well as Naples. This gives you access to a lot of history in Rome, Athens, and than you can use Naples to see Pompeii. This is an itinerary that has something for everyone and can be very educational and eye-opening for the kids. As to the seniors, it all depends on their health, energy, and ability to walk.

 

Hank

[212cruiser]

"But, the big issue is what you mentioned. We are not clostrophobic so it is not an issue for us. However, we do know folks who are clostrophobic and they required a balconey. In therir case, the person also needed to sit in the first seat of the bus because of the condition. In the end, only you can decide how important that is."

 

That must have been my wife!

Thanks for the tips. And Hiltner's suggested itinerary remains a consideration, except I wanted us to get to Instanbul which is why the NCL Jewel remains in the running.

[Hlitner]

You will get no argument from me regarding Istanbul. My wife and I both love Turkey and have always found the Turks to be warm and friendly. Istanbul is a great tourist town, and quite easy to do on your own. I only hope that their government can continue to keep the radical muslims under control.

 

Hank

[Aquarians]

Hi,

I agree with the suggestion that the Ports of call should be the first consideration. The next is the size of the ship, Last year we were on Galaxy with about 1800 other passengers. We found Celebrity first class and recommend the Eastern Med as a good introduction. This year we were on Carnival liberty criusing the western Med. Again good but we found the passenger numbers meant it was difficult to meet people more than once! The Carnival entertainment, however, needs to be geared to the passenger mix (not all American!). Next year we are back on a RC cruise in the Eastern Med as it includes Egypt & Cyprus. We feel happier with 2000 passengers. In our case, coming from N.Z. we have about 24 hours flying time & like Rome as departure port as we can get there with only one refuelling stop. Having flown straight through we prefer a couple of days in Rome before embarkation. If you from outside Europe I would suggest a cruise of at least 10 nights to make it worthwhile. If you book on RC Legend saing 12th June 2007 log into 'meet & mingle' so we can meet you on board.

Aquarians

[MVPinBoynton]

We will be doing our 4th European cruise in May on the Grand Princess. Our previous 3 were on RCCL and Princess. The ports/itinerary rather than the ship have normally been the deciding factor for us. When all else is equal, we go for the newer ship or one that we haven't yet been on. As others suggest, be sure to spend as much pre and post cruise time as possible in the embarkation and debarkation ports. Cruises are wonderful, but spending full days and nights in these remarkable ports really helps you to experience them much better.

[Queenk2]

I have been on the Galaxy and enjoyed my trip VERY much. We had a skysuite, but I have sailed in an outside, a balcony and even an inside. In the med. I prefer a balcony and found that we use it alot here. In the caribbbean, it really doesn't matter to me. On longer trips I like a balcony simply because it gives you another option when in the room and of course breakfast on the balcony is wonderful. However, that being said, cost is the deal breaker...you have to decide which option is most affordable for you. I would rather do a closet than stay home. I am sure that whatever choice you make, you will have a fabulouys time!

karen

[KathiB]

We did the RCL Brilliance of the Seas 12 day Med. cruise this past summer. Great ports including an overnight in Venice. It was a roundtrip from Barcelona and we stayed in Barcelona for 3 nights pre-cruise. I would love more time in Barcelona. The time in ports was good and the trip included 3 sea days which really helped on such a port intensive cruise.

 

The Brilliance was beautiful, is a perfect size and the service was fantastic. Our two teenage daughters had a great time. We went June16-28 and I would highly recommend June over July or August. It was extremly hot and crowded in June and I cannot imagine what July would be like.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

KathiB

[mitaxi]

We did the RCL Brilliance of the Seas 12 day Med. cruise this past summer. Great ports including an overnight in Venice. It was a roundtrip from Barcelona and we stayed in Barcelona for 3 nights pre-cruise. I would love more time in Barcelona. The time in ports was good and the trip included 3 sea days which really helped on such a port intensive cruise.

 

The Brilliance was beautiful, is a perfect size and the service was fantastic. Our two teenage daughters had a great time. We went June16-28 and I would highly recommend June over July or August. It was extremly hot and crowded in June and I cannot imagine what July would be like.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

KathiB

Kathi...Nice to find you on here..have a request.. do you have a pic of all of us at Fargo for dinner in Barcelona? Put my scrapbook (s) together from the trip and don't have one of all of us? can you email me please...thanks tillnextcruz@aol.com

 

Happy Holidays...tell the girls hello.

 

Michele

[tom_uk]

I agree with the suggestion that the Ports of call should be the first consideration. The next is the size of the ship

 

I'm not sure I do agree with this. These days I think here's a huge difference between the on-board experience on different ships, in two ways:-

 

a) the difference between the traditional 'dinner sittings' ships and Freestyle dining (or its equivalent); and

 

b) the difference between the facilities offered on a very large ship and those offered on a slightly older ship.

 

For instance, Galaxy offers a traditional-style cruise on a ship with fewer facilities: no alternative dining, for example (OK, they have a sushi bar and a restricted-menu service in the buffet, but these are both operated in the buffet.) Millenium also offers a traditional-style cruise but with added facilities: increased dining options, more balconies, bigger spa, etc, etc. Finally, ships like Norwegian Jewel offer a very unstructured on-board experience with a wide range of dining choices.

 

I would think that the same cruise (ie, same itinerary/timescale) on each of these three ships would feel quite different, with Galaxy at one end, Norwegian Jewel at the other, and Millenium somewhere in the middle. I think that these are important issues to decide before you look at itineraries.

[kdowneymd]

We also did the Brilliance 12 night cruise from Barcelona but in June 2005. I chose this cruise because my husband and children (we took our 4) had never been to Europe. This was a great itinerary, combining Spain with Italy. Our 4 children who ranged in age from 9-17 had an absolutely fabulous time. They did not use the children's programs but met many children on board from different countries and had a great experience. We also did private tours which made life much easier and wasted less time. We did not mind the dining room seatings because it provided us with a set time for everyone to know where they had to be and we enjoyed the time being able to talk to our children without them running off.

[e-cruiser]

Once you've had a balcony it's hard not to get it again.

There's nothing like waking up early with a cup of coffee on your varanda to see the sunrise as you dock in a port.

Seeing the sunset with a cocktail on your deck is even better.

Personally there's nothing better than an aft balcony.

[Kindlychap]

I booked our Mediterranean trip on the basis that it would give us a chance to have a thirty knot run down to Spain......

 

We all have our separate reasons.....

[Kindlychap]

Once you've had a balcony it's hard not to get it again.

There's nothing like waking up early with a cup of coffee on your varanda to see the sunrise as you dock in a port.

Seeing the sunset with a cocktail on your deck is even better.

Personally there's nothing better than an aft balcony.

 

More vibration on an aft balcony.

 

You can't see where you are going....

 

You are overlooked.....

 

But I agree about the balcony - I've had one on every trip save my first. I'd even want one on a transatlantic.

 

Matthew

[tomko2]

Hi,

I agree with the suggestion that the Ports of call should be the first consideration. The next is the size of the ship, Last year we were on Galaxy with about 1800 other passengers. We found Celebrity first class and recommend the Eastern Med as a good introduction. This year we were on Carnival liberty criusing the western Med. Again good but we found the passenger numbers meant it was difficult to meet people more than once! The Carnival entertainment, however, needs to be geared to the passenger mix (not all American!). Next year we are back on a RC cruise in the Eastern Med as it includes Egypt & Cyprus. We feel happier with 2000 passengers. In our case, coming from N.Z. we have about 24 hours flying time & like Rome as departure port as we can get there with only one refuelling stop. Having flown straight through we prefer a couple of days in Rome before embarkation. If you from outside Europe I would suggest a cruise of at least 10 nights to make it worthwhile. If you book on RC Legend saing 12th June 2007 log into 'meet & mingle' so we can meet you on board.

Aquarians

 

We are booked on a 12nt Med cruise this August on RC Legend. I have searched the ports of call boards etc for a review on Cypress and can't find anything. Basically, I am looking for suggestions/recommendations on what best to do there. We are in late fifties but fit and enjoy walking. Is this someplace we should venture off on our own or should we book something in advance. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks

[the2006Junket]

212,

As many others have said, I’d let itinerary and pricing drive your decision, however with teenagers involved you’ll also want to ensure that you’re on a ship that has programming for them. We were a group of 5 families with many teens that cruised last summer. After much exploring and research we ended up on the Millenium – primarily because we loved the itinerary and wanted a ship known for high quality food. We were not disappointed, and we’re a fairly “high maintenance” group used to traveling to 5 star hotels.

We spent extra time in both Venice and Barcelona (great cities for doing so). How many nights in your embarkation/disembarkation cities…really depends on the cities and if you had some touring time while still sleeping on the ship. At least 1 night precruise, but if you can do more…do so! Having an itinerary that included Greece, the key Italian ports, Croatia, France and Spain was the key selling point for us on the Millie and we were so pleased with our choice.

There were many families on board this summer-time sailing and our kids participated in some of the teen events and otherwise hung around with our own group. They all had a wonderful time.

We choose to have one outside, balcony cabin and one inside (across the hall) for our teens and it worked fine and would choose that arrangement again. It saved significant $$ not having two balcony cabins, yet the kids could easily come across the hall to enjoy the view. Having a balcony on a Medit. cruise was very nice…beautiful sites to be seen! Other families in our group had the Family View cabins on the Millie which are aft with huge balconies. They really enjoyed their cabins, but for our family….I wanted a second bathroom and more privacy from my teens for that long a trip.;)

Happy Planning,

Lynne