European Cruise for Honeymoon?

[yusi1906]

I'm getting married next summer, 08/08/08 to be exact.

My fiance and I want to do 2-3 weeks in Europe and I was thinking the cheapest way was a cruise. I've traveled on Carnival twice before.

I know there are so many choices in European cruises. I wanted to know which would be best to cover Italy and Greece (especially mykonos and santorini)

 

Thanks Everyone :D

[GACRUISER456]

My DH and I did the Celebrity Millenium for our honeymoon and it was AWESOME!!! We left 1 week after we were married and that worked out so well. I can't imagine trying to pack for a 2 week cruise and leave the day after the wedding, so consider that. On some wedding websites, the brides are all about going to the Caribbean and relaxing, drinking and sitting on the beach for a week. That is not our style. Yes, the Med cruises are packed and there isn't much time for relaxing - we had 2nd seating dinner, so we really enjoyed the couple of hours from the time we got back on ship until dinner to use the spa pool, etc. But, the memories are wonderful. We saw and did so much. I have been on Carnival, RCI and now Celebrity. Not sure of your ages, so that might draw you to one cruise line over another. We are mid - late 30's, so we enjoyed Celebrity since there were fewer kids and a very "pampering" staff. There is little nightlife after midnight however, so if you are in the partying mode, I might suggest RCI since you will still get great service, but maybe more choice of evening activites. But, don't forget, the itinerary is so full, you will be up early for the ports. I hope I helped with some direction.

[Bruin Steve]

I'll second that Celebrity Millennium recommendation...an absolutely fabulous cruise...do one that starts in Venice, if you can, and spend at least a couple of nights pre-cruise there--may be the most romantic city in the world...and spend a couple of extra nights winding down in Barcelona at the end of the cruise...

 

Why the Millennium? more spacious space-to-passenger ratios, better food and service, more elegant--really what a Honeymoon cruise should be all about...

 

We did our Honeymoon in this part of the world almost 26 years ago, but not a cruise...Flew into Tel Aviv, visited Israel, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany and flew out of Frankfurt about three weeks later...A fabulous honeymoon, but absolutely exhausting...In hindsight, I really wished we had done it as a cruise instead...but in those days, we really didn't even consider it...just sort of off of our radar...

 

We've been back to Europe several times since, including four cruises, two of them Med cruises...and we really appreciate the experience...

 

You might also look into some of the Oceania itineraries...(I prefer Celebrity, but Oceania has its good points, too)...it's a smaller ship, doesn't quite have the entertainment and activities...but it has open seating and you can always get a table for two (they have lots of them)...a little more expensive though...but some great Eastern Med routes...

 

Congrats...and Good luck...

[Ashlea13vb]

I would definitely recommend it! It is a fantastic way to see the highlights of Europe... especially if you spent some time before and after your cruise in some specific regions of Europe that you're interested in seeing in greater detail. This was the main resaon my boyfriend and I decided to do a cruise last summer - we had a limited amount of time, and we could see lots of places on a cruise (ten different cities/islands to be exact) and could figure out where we wanted to go back!

 

We did the Grand Princess Grand Mediterranean cruise. We stopped in Spain (Barcelona), France (Marseille), Italy (Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice), Greece (Athens, Mykonos), and Turkey (Istanbul, Kusadasi). Awesome, awesome itinerary, ship, and cruise! In fact, we met many couples that were on their honeymoons on this cruise - so you would likely be in good company if you do decide to cruise for your honeymoon! This was our first cruise - and it sure got me hooked. We loved Princess for Europe - I personally loved being able to eat whenever we wanted with anytime dining. You have very long days in port, and sometimes do not depart until 7PM. We wanted to maximize our time in each port, so we wouldn't come back to the ship until the "safest" last minute. Then we could rest, clean-up, and casually stroll to the dining room.

 

Good luck in whatever you choose - and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

[SelectSys]

We did the RCCL cruise on Brilliance of the Seas out of Barcelona. It was great and the version we took stopped in both Mykonos and Santorini. It also stops in the major western ports with access to Naples, Rome, Florence, and Pisa. Barcelona is a great city for either a pre or post cruise visit as well.

 

Princess has a bit more varied itineraries with some that really cover the Greek Islands and Italy well. It may also be a bit less expensive than RCCL.

[Travel 4 Ever]

Congrats on your pending marriage. The Emerald Princess is about to start her Mediterranean Cruises in less than a month. It is a brand new ship. I am sure you will be able to find numerous posts both here, on the Princess pages and on the Emerald Princess Roll Calls. What I like about the cruise is the number of Greek ports/island. I am sure whatever you choose you will have a fabulous time

[Niwel]

We're taking the Splendour of the in May as a pre-HM from Barcelona to Venice. We can't wait -- so romantic and I've never been to that part of Europe. If you get on the cruise's -email list, they will inform you when there are deals (our cruise was $700 pp for 6 nights)

[enfuego06]

Congrats, we did the same thing for our honeymoon. We did Carnival's Grand Mediterranean itinerary and loved it. However it does not include Greece.

 

This year we did the new Carnival itinerary that does include Greece and Turkey - but the Greek stops are Athens, Rhodes and Katakolon.

 

If you really want to see Mykonos and Santorni (which I want to see too!), definitely go with a different cruiseilne than Carnival.

 

But I can assure that whatever you choose will be a very memorable honeymoon!

[Jade13]

Holland America Line does two back to back 10 days from Rome that cover both East & West Mediteranian. Many book these together and it covers Livorno (Florence), Naples, Tunesia, Malta, Turkey, Santorini, Sicily, several Islands in Greece, Monaco, Barcelona Malorca, & Croatia.

[jwolf2006]

We just booked an eight day Greek Isles/Turkey cruise on Splendour of the Seas (RCI) for 7/11/08. Here's the itinerary:

 

11-Jul Venice, Italy 5:00 PM

 

12-Jul Dubrovnik, Croatia 10:00 AM 6:00 PM Tendered

 

13-Jul Cruising Cruising

 

14-Jul Iraklion (Heraklion), Crete 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

15-Jul Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

 

16-Jul Santorini, Greece 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Tendered

 

17-Jul Corfu, Greece 12:30 PM 8:00 PM Docked

 

18-Jul Cruising Cruising

 

19-Jul Venice, Italy 7:00 AM

 

Already counting the days!

[dulcineahong]

First of congrats!!! And love the date! So easy to remember. :D

 

DH and I did extensive research on our honeymoon cruise to the medi this coming May and we found one of the PCL ships actually goes to Mykonos AND Santorini. I think it was the Emerald in early May... next year would be different so I recommend checking PCL out. And do try to avoid the summer because it will be sizzling HOT and there will be KIDS!

 

I recommend waiting until September to start your cruise if you can. DH and I got married last October and were so glad we waited because we had so much to take care of with gifts and such. There would be no time to relax if you had to plan your honeymoon on top of a vacation!

 

Anyway, we chose PCL for many reasons, after debating over Celebrity or PCL or RCCL (We didn't even consider NCL, Carnival, or other cruise lines because after alot of research we found those 3 to be the best value and offer the best experience):

 

PCL won 'cus:

1. balcony cabins were cheaper than the OV of the other lines

2. fresh water pools

3. MUTS - movies under the stars

4. self service laundry - much needed on long cruises so you'll pack less!

5. anytime dining - great for excursion heavy cruises

6. less announcements over the speaker = more relaxation

7. and alot more! just visit the PCL thread if you want more info

 

Good luck in your choice and best wishes on your upcoming wedding!

[SelectSys]

We just booked an eight day Greek Isles/Turkey cruise on Splendour of the Seas (RCI) for 7/11/08. Here's the itinerary:

 

11-Jul Venice, Italy 5:00 PM

 

12-Jul Dubrovnik, Croatia 10:00 AM 6:00 PM Tendered

 

13-Jul Cruising Cruising

 

14-Jul Iraklion (Heraklion), Crete 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

15-Jul Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

 

16-Jul Santorini, Greece 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Tendered

 

17-Jul Corfu, Greece 12:30 PM 8:00 PM Docked

 

18-Jul Cruising Cruising

 

19-Jul Venice, Italy 7:00 AM

 

Already counting the days!

 

I like this itinerary. Venice is great for a pre or post cruise visit and I don't really miss the stop in Athens. I would also recommend a visit to the Italian lake district and the Dolomites as part of this trip.