Mediteranean by Cruise?????

[cdnliving]

Hello. Our family of 4 (kids 13, 11) is considering a June sailling to the Western Mediteranean. This will be our first time both cruising and in the Med. I have read several reviews thus far and was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports?

Once again, thankyou to all for all your shared insights, and making the trip planning process most enjoyable!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

I was very impressed with Barcelona, and suggest that you look at cruises to go round trip from Barcelona.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[cdnliving]

Thanks Fred. We are looking into that. Love to hear from any others who have done the voyage too! Thanks

[cdnliving]

I was really hoping someone could answer these questions. Anyone?

[caviargal]

Hello. Our family of 4 (kids 13, 11) is considering a June sailling to the Western Mediteranean. This will be our first time both cruising and in the Med. I have read several reviews thus far and was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports?

Once again, thankyou to all for all your shared insights, and making the trip planning process most enjoyable!

 

1) IMO, after 5 Med cruises and 15 land visits, yes, it is very rushed. You will only scratch the surface.

2) Barcelona pier is walking distance to many things and well located. Civitiavecchia and Livorno are a haul to the centers of Rome and Florence. Excursions are very pricey and make for a very long day.

3) Generally, no, on the mass market lines. MSC was different IME and the food served in the Med did reflect a difference, one which I have read many complaints about but I found to be wonderful (I am second generation Italian).

 

Personally, I would rather fly and stay than hop around for a day here and a few hours there. Med cruises are very popular, however, and many do like them.

[Robb]

1. What do you consider 'rushed'? Some people think any escorted tour is rushed. It will also depend on what tour(s) you intend to take. Time to see highlights.....again will depend on what tours you select. I would advise you to do some studying, buy a GOOD travel guide of each port and decide what you want to see and select a tour that covers it. I have found that the more I read about any place, the more I enjoy it. Children the age of yours should be involved. Traveling is a great education for everyone and being able to experience the world at a young age is something they will remember forever. Have the kids help with the research of the ports.

 

2. Distance from ship dock and cities will vary greatly. In Barcelona you are very close to the town (Las Ramblas, be sure to stroll along this strip if you have time). Rome is a long, long way from the port. Expect at least 2 hours before you reach your destination for sightseeing. Nice is close, only minutes away depending on where the ship is. Florence is a pretty long drive as well. But the country side is worth it, great scenery if you are into that sort of thing.

 

3. Entertainment/menus. This depends on the cruise line, we have had some cruises where local entertainers were brought on board. On some, the ships entertainers used the port (area) as a theme for programs. On other ships you would have no clue as to where you are by watching one of the evenings programs. The same can be said about the menus, although I think more attention is paid to your location with food than with entertainment.

 

All questions about travel depend heavily on your 'carrier', length of visit, and what your special interests and expectations are. My best advise is what I said above. Read up as much as you can on the areas you are to visit. Also, deal with a reliable and informative travel agent.

 

Hope your trip is as wonderful as mine have been. :D

[Parrot Mom]

Hello. Our family of 4 (kids 13, 11) is considering a June sailling to the Western Mediteranean. This will be our first time both cruising and in the Med. I have read several reviews thus far and was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports?

Once again, thankyou to all for all your shared insights, and making the trip planning process most enjoyable!

 

We hired a guide in Barcelona and would be glad to give y ou his name.. and we saw more in one day than the average tourist seems in several...In Rome we also hired a guide and instead of Rome...we went to Tuscany...which was to die for... Nice, we made a mistake and didnt.. will next time. Without a driver and with your family it would make it very reasonable... I never would have seen a Picasso mural on an office building that blew my mind...we went to the area to see something else.. Also,asked other tourists if they had seen in Barcelona the sculpture of the hat/fish onthe waterfront...nobody knew what I was talking about.. In Rome having a guide is important as they can buy ahead of time passes to the highlights without having to wait in line.. Twenty -five cruisers who decided to do it ontheir own were stranded on a broken down train.. the Captain did hold the ship up for two hours... The port of Barcelona is close.. the port to Rome is not.. parrotmom@comcast.ne

[chasetf]

.........was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?!

It is as "rushed" as you want to make it. We were four and did a lot of walking. We did not want to miss anything. It will certainly be more "rushed" than the Caribbean for instance, because there is so much more to see. I am assuming you are not going to Europe to go to the beach.... but to see sites.;) So the kids enjoyment will be how excited they are about seeing history and willing to walk.

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

Rome and Florence are long bus rides (1-2 hrs each way). We embarked at Rome and did a pre-cruise. Rome is hard to see all the important stuff in a day. So suggest a tour that can get you in and out. On your own you will spend lots of time in line. Florence you can do on your own. Lots of walking to see it all but it is more compact than Rome. Nice depends where you dock. We were in Monte Carlo and it was an hour bus ride. I would recommend St Paul, a beautiful small city on top of a mountain. You can do both Nice and St Paul in a day. Again recommend a tour. Have not been to Barcelona.

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports? !

We did Princess and the entertainment was not culturally reflective. It was the standard "Broadway" type shows.

[winewanderer]

We did a 12 day Med. cruise May 2006.

 

Yes, it was rushed. But I agree to a certain extent with chasetf that you could make it as rushed or not as you want.

 

Of course you want to see as much as you can but it makes for a very exhausting vacation.

 

Jetlag hits me on the way over. I felt as though I didn't recover the whole cruise. We had full day excursions in each port. We were really tired. By the time we got to Cannes, France (second to the last port) I didn't want to get off the ship. We had a tour booked with 6 other people so we were obligated.

 

Glad we went but the whole I kept looking at my watch, I just wanted to go back to the ship and sleep.

 

2007 we're doing a Transatlantic cruise. Spend a week in Tuscany then board the ship, a few port stops then we have 7 days at sea to rest!

 

Barcelona is an easy 30 min. walk to Las Ramblas, did it. Rome and Florence 1.5 hours from the port.

 

 

 

My advice? Maybe do full day excursions in a couple places, do a couple ports on your own, maybe stay close to the ship etc.

[kdowneymd]

In 2003 our family of 6 (4 kids who were 16, 15, 12 and 9) took the 12 nite cruise from Barcelona on Brilliance of the Seas and I would highly recommend this to your family. Neither my children nor husband had been to any of the ports visited and I specifically chose this route so everyone could get a flavor of different areas and we could return other years to further explore, which we have done. It eliminated packing and unpacking every several days and being able to relax while travelling between cities. The next year we returned and did trains through France and Northern Italy which was enjoyable but a different experiencence. We had been on a previous cruise in the Caribbean so I knew my family enjoyed the experience. Yes some ports are each about a one hour drive (Rome and Florence), but they are so interesting the drive provided some rest time as well as a good look at very interesting scenery. We used private drivers for the six of us rather than the ship's tours in some ports and the price was significantly less and in others, Venice, Dubrovnik, Nice and Barcelona did our own and again it was great. We often had lunch in whatever port to experience the cuisine which was a good experience. I found with good pre-planning we were able to see the highlights but certainly not everything. The days at sea were a welcome rest and the wonderful part about the cruise was that many European famillies are on it with their children and my kids made many new friends and had a great time. Everyone had something to do when they wanted to and we were comfortable just relaxing at the pool. Knowing we had a set dinner time that all the kids knew they were expected to show up at, provided some structure and gave us a chance to talk that we often don't have. My now 13 year old still keeps in touch with 2 boys he met from Denmark. The entertainment and food was not especially port reflective but still more of a Mediterranean/European flavor than Caribbean cruises. I would highly recommend this as a great family vacation.

[RichYak]

Most of your questions have been answered, but here's my 2 cents. We did the Med with 3 kids, 6, 10 and 12 this past August. "Rushed" isn't the word I'd use, but it's definitely not relaxing. We only felt rushed when we wanted to, in order to squeeze in, say, one more site. It was truly a spectacular whirlwind (sounds better than "rushed" doesn't it?). While we have absolutely no experience with cruiseline excursions (this was our first cruise as well), private tours were key to setting our own pace. That's something I can't stress enough.

[Joanne G.]

My suggestion to get the most out of your trip is to pace yourselves. Look for an itinerary with a few sea days to relax. I guarantee you will appreciate them! If at all possible, arrive a day or two before the cruise in order to adjust to the time change before boarding. Whether you use private guides, the ship's excursions, or go off on your own, alternate long days with shorter days, active days with lazy days. You can't see everything, so don't try. Read up on the ports in advance, and plan carefully so that you can see what interests you the most without being too exhausted to appreciate what you see. If you can swing it, take an extra day at home before going to back to work. That time change can be brutal.

 

Have an outstanding time. We loved every minute of our Med cruise.

[Queenk2]

Having been to the med many times, both by ship and land,I like both experiences. At this time, when the dollar is so weak you get more bang for the buck with a cruise. As another poster suggested, and I highly second,using a private tour guide in place of a ship excursion will be much more meaningful for your children and you. Before you leave, you will be able to chose the sights you want to see and tailor an itinerary that suits all of you!Another point is that when you use a private tour guide you can experience some of the local restaurants for l;unch and get a taste of the local cuisine. As for entertainment, if your ship docks overnight in a port you can include an evenings entertainment as part of your experience.

Karen

[Wendy-Europe]

Hi,

 

it depends on what you expect.

 

If you expect to receive an inside view of a country - what do you think, what you get on a half day excursion?

 

And there is no difference between a carribean cruise or a mediterrean cruise. You get a snap and this could give you an impression and you know, what to see on an extended trip in the future. Think about Rome and the nearly 3000 years of history ... Barcelona was founded 2000 years before today...

 

The entertainment at the cruise depends from the cruiseline you chose. If you opt for an "american" cruiseline like NCL or RCCL, you will have a more american orientated programme and also the food options were more for the international market.

 

If you chose a cruiseline like Costa or MSC , some of the livestyle is more italian-international orientated (with an eye to the german market - because the cruises of these companies are promoted a lot in Germany)

 

If you chose the well known ship MS Europa (5 star plus - Hapag Lloyd Cruises), you get a "german-international" cruise.

 

And if you board the MS Deutschland (Deilmann) - you get what you see - more german than international guests, german is spoken onboard. The ship is very well known in Germany because the MS Deutschland is the actual ship in a TV-Series like the "Loveboat" (Traumschiff).

 

So: What do you want?

 

Wendy

[the2006Junket]

CDN,

 

Thought I'd toss in my two cents. We cruised on the Millenium in Aug. '06 with my boys, ages 17, 13 and 7 from Venice to Barcelona. We were part of a group of 5 families (best friends since high school!) -- 10 adults and 11 children ranging from 7 to 17.

 

I think all but 2 of the adults had been to Europe, though certainly not to every city. I point that out because, for me, though I know that it is ideal to spend alot more than 8 hours in Rome...I had been there before and the objectives of this trip was to 1) Expose the kids to Europe and it's history and major sights, but leave them wanting to go back 2) Travel in a manner that was not stressful 3) Have fun being together.

 

The Millie cruise met all those objective and then some. Perfect? No, but we all had the trip of a lifetime. We had seriously considered a land-based trip to Italy and France or Spain and Portugal, but the reality of trying to move 21 people from place to place, worrying about finding kid-friendly food etc etc made cruising seem really attractive. In 2 weeks, we saw 5 countries and saw and did so much, there's no way we could've gotten around to so much traveling independently. Plus, we unpacked on the ship and didn't have to see our suitcases for 12 days (nice!), knew that the kids would have food they find recognizable for breakfast and dinner every day and it was nice to sleep in the same bed, yet see so many different places.

 

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? No...your port days can be as rushed or as leisurely as you want. It's like going to Disney World...some people have a "list" of attractions they MUST see and they rush through the day getting from ride to ride. AND some others just relax and see what they can see and don't stress out about it. We took time for gelato (often) and long lunches with wine almost everywhere, since we thought that relaxing in a cafe was part of the learning about another place. Was their enough time to see the highlights? Absolutely....highlights only tho, lots more for the kids to return and see when they have their semester abroad etc.

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona? Others have commented here, but all the cruise lines do a nice job of providing excursions to get you to the major places with a minimum of hassle. We arranged for private van service in almost all ports which worked really well for our group.

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports? The Mille menus sometimes reflected the location (greek buffet the night in Santorini for example), but not the entertainment. The Millie did offer lectures about art or history done by university professors which were very well done and enhanced by enjoyment of places like Florence quite a bit.

The adults in our group who had traveled in Europe before kept saying to each other..."why are we enjoying Europe so much more on this trip"(than when we traveled with backpacks as college students)? Obvious answers were that we didn't have the hassle of looking at maps and navigating where the hotel is, where to eat, where is the museum etc. That and...we could afford private car service to literally pull up to the door of a major site and pick us back up, better restaurants and a beautiful ship with excellent food and wine waiting for us each night. It's just such a low-hassle, stress-free way to travel in Europe.

Good luck with your decision making!

Lynne

 

 

[ehogan]

While we have not sailed the Med. with kids, we did do a sort of back to back cruise in 2005 with 7 days in Rome between.

 

I agree with most on this board, that you will only be able to scratch the surface in Europe and you are further challenged because you will need to focus on sightseeing that will be of some interest to your kids. I pretty much guarantee that if you can afford it, you will be back.

 

Rome is beyond wonderful, for 7 days we walked Rome, saw most of the major sights and had countless capuccinos. We loved it so much we will be returning in March for 4 days pre cruise. I don't think you can do Rome any justice if you are in port only one day and are facing the 1.5 hour trip each way to Rome. I would choose a cruise that begins or ends in Rome and extend your trip by at least 3 days. Your children would love the Catacombs (kind of creepy), the Coliseum (see it with a guide - Through Eternity is a company with EXCELLENT tours) maybe the Roman Fora, Gelato anywhere (MacDonalds at the Spanish Steps has excellent gelato for cheaper than anywhere, also try Gioletto's).

 

Naples is also a good stop for kids because Pompeii and Herculaneum are pretty cool, again you need a guide.

 

Barcelona is interesting, but no comparison to Rome, if you do go, Parc Guell is a good place for children. Beware of pickpockets here, we did have two bad experiences here.

 

Florence is difficult, because again it is about 1.5 hours in and out. Unless your kids are into museums, I think your time would be better spent in Pisa (maybe with a climb up the tower - requires reservations) and it is a very short train ride from Livorno - doable by yourself.

 

Re the food on board: RCCL did have an item on the dinner menu each day reflective of the port we were in. Can't vouch for any other cruise line. I'll do a review on the Carnival Freedom we are taking to the Med in March.

 

Hope this helps somewhat.

[caviargal]

 

The adults in our group who had traveled in Europe before kept saying to each other..."why are we enjoying Europe so much more on this trip"(than when we traveled with backpacks as college students)? Obvious answers were that we didn't have the hassle of looking at maps and navigating where the hotel is, where to eat, where is the museum etc. That and...we could afford private car service to literally pull up to the door of a major site and pick us back up, better restaurants and a beautiful ship with excellent food and wine waiting for us each night. It's just such a low-hassle, stress-free way to travel in Europe.

 

Good luck with your decision making!

 

Lynne

 

That is where we differ. I prefer to enjoy the cuisine and wines of the region itself to standard cruiseship fare. Navigating from a ship dock or a hotel to ,musuems or sites is no different. You are either on your own, or with a tour.

 

Personally the wandering and the discovery are my favorite aspects of travel and have led to many wonderful discoveries. :)

 

And researching fabulous places to eat and visit are not my idea of a hassle.

 

While I think that a cruise is great for those who prefer to have most of the details taken care of, there is much less of a sense of adventure and discovery when your minimal time in port is focused on making sure you do not miss the highlights, whatever you consider them to be.

 

For me, the highlights are more likely to include watching the sunset over the Colosseum from my terrace or standing on one of the bridges spanning the Arno watching the sun break over Florence.

[travelbugs]

Hello. Our family of 4 (kids 13, 11) is considering a June sailling to the Western Mediteranean. This will be our first time both cruising and in the Med. I have read several reviews thus far and was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports?

Once again, thankyou to all for all your shared insights, and making the trip planning process most enjoyable!

 

As you can see, everyone likes to throw their opinions in (even if it has nothing to do with the original posters question)!

We did The 12 day Barcelona-Barcelona on RCL. We are a family of 4 (kids 11&12). Would highly recommend arriving 2 days prior and try to stay 2 days after (only because you'll hear on the ship everything you missed out on in Barcelona and want to go back anyway).

1) We didn't feel rushed- we went with private drivers at every port except for Santorini and Mykonos. They drop you off right at the sight (a place the ship's buses can't go). They'll take you directly up to the front of the line (and probably already have your tickets for you). They can get to the sights alot quicker than the buses, so your in and out before the ships excursions arrive. The drivers can change plans on a dime and quite often suggest something that perhaps you've never even considered.

2)I never thought about the distance from port to sight. I let the driver know in advance what we wanted to do and see, and I only got laughed at once (in Turkey I wanted to see Pammukale and Ephesus). They knew what time we had to back at the ship and boy do they know the backroads! (if you plan on the Tower of Pisa, it's wise to get your tickets online before you go, they have set times and only allow 8 or 10 ppl at a time).

3) as far as entertainment on the ship? Couldn't tell ya, we were so happy to get a nice bath and rest up for the next day! Really can't help with the food either as we did Chops or windjammer the entire cruise (we would get back later than our assigned dining time).

It was a wonderful trip and we are actually discussing on when we can go back and what we would like to see the next time! (I just might get to Pammukale after all)!! Have a fabulous and safe trip! -Travelbugs

[drwong]

If you think the distance from the port to Rome or Florence is "too far," consider the distance you'd have to travel by bus to get from city to city if you signed up for a land-based tour! And if you think a cruise ship schedule is "too rushed," think about how hectic a land tour would be, packing and unpacking in a new city every night, confined on the same bus for eight hours at a stretch, etc. Compared to a land tour, a cruise with its shore excursions is a luxury. And sometimes more affordable as well, thanks to intense competition.

 

Beware of the cruise lines that cater to Americans. You'll get a real watered-down cultural experience (think Olive Garden), and one even hires all-Asian staff members. If you really want a European experience, (e.g., menus, lectures, movies, musical selections, crew members, etc.), try booking a European cruise line like MSC or Costa instead of a boring Americanized cruise line.

[suezcruise]

Hi cdliving:

 

Our family cruised the Med. this past June '06. We are an extended family of six, two grandparents, two parents, and two teens. We all loved it, and it was the trip of a lifetime that we are still talking about and reliving daily!

 

The reason we picked a cruise vs. land tour, was number one value, and number two, ease of travel. Only unpacking once, never having to worry about meals, etc.

 

On to your questions:

 

1. Did we feel rushed? Sometimes, because we wanted to save money where we could, we booked a lot of our excursions on our own. When you are on your own and not a ship's excursion, if you miss the boat - they will not wait for you. We booked all of our excursions by researching on these boards. The tour operators are very professional and their business depends on your satisfaction (which includes delivering you back in time).

 

2. Distance from dock to town. We did the Western Med., and most of the time you needed transportation to get to that particular port of call's main highlight. The only time we could just get off the ship and walk into town was in Barcelona and Cannes.

 

3. Entertainment/food representing the local culture. We sailed with Carnival's Liberty. They did have theme evenings with a few dishes representing where we had just been or were headed. We made a point to purchase a local wine at each port, then bring it on board to have with that night's dinner, a very nice farewell and memory of each town.

 

All in all, since we were representing ages 80 - 16, this was the best way for us to travel as a group. My 18 year old son would like to go back on his own, with only a back pack. I on the other hand would like to go back to the Tuscany countryside and rent a villa. Our trip was just a taste of the area, and it did give us reason to come back for more extensive travels!

 

We love to cruise, and I would highly recommend it for families!

 

For a detailed review of our particular cruise, look mine up on this site, go to reviews for Carnival Liberty, 06/06 Med., by suezcruise.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Sue Z.

[Cruising Retired Army SGM]

Hello. Our family of 4 (kids 13, 11) is considering a June sailling to the Western Mediteranean. This will be our first time both cruising and in the Med. I have read several reviews thus far and was hoping some of you could share your experiences regarding the following:

1. Did you find the overall experience rushed? Was their enough time to see the highlights?

2. How lengthy is the distance between where the boat docks and the

main attractions in Rome/Cvitavecchia, Florence, Nice, Barcelona?

3. Does the entertainment and menus aboard the ship culturally reflect the ports?

Once again, thankyou to all for all your shared insights, and making the trip planning process most enjoyable!

 

Last June my sister and I took my 13 year old grandson and her 13 year old grand daughter on the Carnival Liberty. I read all the replies that you received for you questions and I feel everything was covered in detail but one thing.

 

You have to be real careful with the kids and not try to see too much too fast. Our first port of call was Naples and we made it Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii all in one day. After we did two days in Venice my grandson was burned out and did not even want to get off the ship at the rest of the ports. Make sure that on the three Fun Days at Sea that you let the little ones sleep in as long as they can to build up their strength. You did not say which cruise line you will be traveling on, but with Carnival after your last Fun Day at Sea you will have three straight ports which can be hard of little ones.

[cdnliving]

I have to appologize, that today was the first time in a long time that I was able to return to my post, and my...what a wonderful surprise...... I truly was taken aback by the WONDERFUL,THOUGHTFUL, replies that ensued. Cruisecritics/posters, I can't thank you enough for the wealth of information that you all provided. It's one thing to read about itineraries, destinations etc..... and completely another to read about your actual experiences/recommendations based on such. I must say, you have made us even more excited about experiencing the Mediterranean by sea.

We are excited by the opportunity to cover a fair distance by sea in the Med. but also wanted to experience some areas by land. Given all your input we have decided to spend 3/4 days in Rome, 1/2 in Venice and hopefully another 3/4 in Tuscany prior to our cruise. We hope to experience Rome prior to our cruise, so as not to get off the ship at this port (since it sounds like Rome is quite a distance and culturally intensive).....& we thought we'd spend this day aboard relaxing (maybe just go off the ship for lunch/dinner). Anyhow, again I can't thankyou enough for your posts...they were clearly all very well thought out, informative, and made all the difference in our trip planning. Thankyou so much, and happy cruising to you all!!

If anyone wishes to add anything further please do....