2 Itineraries - Can't Decide

[vacationhappy]

Hi -

 

We are currently booked on two Med cruises in 2008 and we can't decide which one to go on. Each has its pluses and minuses. This will be our second Med trip. The first was a RT out of Rome, Princess Greek Isle itinerary - we stayed 3 nights pre-cruise in Rome and 2 nights post-cruise in Venice. We didn’t have a chance to check out the outer islands in Venice. It was a trip of a lifetime. We are considering the following cruises -

 

On RCCL Legend of the Seas - older, smaller ship but was able to reserve an aft Jr Suite, starboard side. We like this itinerary because it gives us two days in Florence and two days in Venice. We did not visit Florence the first time around, we chose to spend the day in Tuscany. I like this because we can have leisurely days in Florence and Venice that include dinner - time to sit in a café and relax. Each port day is a full day. The cruise starts on a Tuesday and ends on a Monday, it gives us time over the weekend to travel so we are keeping our out-of-office days at 11.

 

Rome

Portifino

2 days in Livorno

Sea Day

Messina

Sea day

Split, Croatia

2 days in Venice

Dubrovnik

Sea Day

Naples

Rome

 

The second cruise is on the Emerald Princess - new ship, was able to reserve a balcony room on the Caribe deck, starboard. What I don’t like is the half day in Kusadasi and Mykonos. Mykonos doesn’t even wake up until 10:00AM so we are not in port enough to really do anything other than walk around Mykonos town. Also, half day in Kusadasi doesn’t seem like enough time. Is it me or do these half-days seem like a waste? What I really like is Istanbul and Barcelona however this cruise starts on a Fri and ends on Wed. We would be out of work for close to three weeks which just becomes more of a juggling act - not impossible.

 

Barcelona

Marseille

Florence

Rome

Naples

At Sea

Mykonos (7:00Am -2:00PM)

Istanbul

Kusadasi (12-7)

Athens

At Sea

Overnight in Venice

 

So, I would be interested in hearing your opinions. We are traveling with two teens.

[Jade13]

Hi -

 

We are currently booked on two Med cruises in 2008 and we can't decide which one to go on. Each has its pluses and minuses. This will be our second Med trip. The first was a RT out of Rome, Princess Greek Isle itinerary - we stayed 3 nights pre-cruise in Rome and 2 nights post-cruise in Venice. We didn’t have a chance to check out the outer islands in Venice. It was a trip of a lifetime. We are considering the following cruises -

 

On RCCL Legend of the Seas - older, smaller ship but was able to reserve an aft Jr Suite, starboard side. We like this itinerary because it gives us two days in Florence and two days in Venice. We did not visit Florence the first time around, we chose to spend the day in Tuscany. I like this because we can have leisurely days in Florence and Venice that include dinner - time to sit in a café and relax. Each port day is a full day. The cruise starts on a Tuesday and ends on a Monday, it gives us time over the weekend to travel so we are keeping our out-of-office days at 11.

 

Rome

Portifino

2 days in Livorno

Sea Day

Messina

Sea day

Split, Croatia

2 days in Venice

Dubrovnik

Sea Day

Naples

Rome

 

The second cruise is on the Emerald Princess - new ship, was able to reserve a balcony room on the Caribe deck, starboard. What I don’t like is the half day in Kusadasi and Mykonos. Mykonos doesn’t even wake up until 10:00AM so we are not in port enough to really do anything other than walk around Mykonos town. Also, half day in Kusadasi doesn’t seem like enough time. Is it me or do these half-days seem like a waste? What I really like is Istanbul and Barcelona however this cruise starts on a Fri and ends on Wed. We would be out of work for close to three weeks which just becomes more of a juggling act - not impossible.

 

Barcelona

Marseille

Florence

Rome

Naples

At Sea

Mykonos (7:00Am -2:00PM)

Istanbul

Kusadasi (12-7)

Athens

At Sea

Overnight in Venice

 

So, I would be interested in hearing your opinions. We are traveling with two teens.

 

I have not been on either ship but I would go on the new Emerald Princess vs, RCCL.

 

As far as Kusadasi, well you have a full day in Istanbul. I think you really want to g on the Emerald for the itinerary, but the deciding factor is work. Have you looked at Holland America Lines Med cruises next year on the Noordam? They are 10 days, which can be done as two back to backs, but the itnerarys are great. One includes Barcelona and Tunesia (Africa) and the other a full day in Turkey, Malta and Croatia. They also have 12 days which include Barcelona and Venice.

[cberge]

Go for the first one...you sound more inclined anyway and the teens will enjoy.You can always do the second one some other year:D .My thought is always when in doubt don't and you have excuses for the second one already...jusy MHO.

[mountainmare]

I agree with cberge. Go with the first one--the ship will be fine, as you already know, a Med cruise is all about the ports--not the ship. It sounds like you already made up your mind, go with your first instinct.

[luvdasea]

I actually was looking at the Legend itinerary too. We decided on the Freedom however. But I like the fact of the 2 days in Livorno and Florence. Personally, I would rather go for the itinerary I like, rather than the ship. You'll be spending alot of time in port! Junior suite sounds nice too.:)

[Jfultz81]

I'd say the first one as well. The ports are great, and it will be nice to have some time to really enjoy Florence and Venice, which isn't usually possible on Med trips. And an aft junior suite sounds yummy! The second one you won't even get to really enjoy the new ship since there are so many ports. Let us know what you choose!

[Ashlea13vb]

While I cannot speak to the first itinerary, we did the second itinerary last summer (on the Grand Princess), and it was amazing! Having such a diverse itinerary was very appealing to us - five different countries, including both Turkey and Greece. I would say, out of all the stops, the Mykonos port time seemed the shortest. Many things were not open when we docked, and we didn't have much beach time. Having said that, we felt like we had plenty of time in Kusadasi - and it ended up being one of our favorites! We got right off the ship and met our private guide - he took us to Ephesus, where we had a leisurely tour of the ruins and Terrace Houses. We then went to the Temple of Artemis and headed back to Kusadasi. We had plenty of time - even stopped off for a photo-op and headed out to Pigeon Island with our guide for a drink. He then dropped us off in the bazaar, where we walked around for a while before heading back to the ship. Never felt rushed at all!

 

That being said, the Med is so full of wonderful locations. Whichever you decide will be outstanding! Do one itinerary now, and plan for the other for a future cruise!

[winewanderer]

I would do the first one as well. The 2nd one is a bit more port intensive.

 

Last year on the Liberty Mediterranean we had only 3 sea days, we were exhausted. We did overnight in Venice which was great. For me, the first itinerary would more enjoyable.

[Juliadlf]

You can't go wrong with either of the itineraries. We've done a Rome RT and this time are starting and ending the cruise in different ports with pre/post cruise stay.

 

Only thing I would closely look at is the dates of your planned trip and what holidays/museum closings might occur during each of the port stops for each sailing.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Julia

[doctrd]

EMERALD PRINCESS! 11 ports in 12 days!!! One day at sea vs 3 days at sea.

 

Newer ship

More diverse sites

Princess is great!

 

 

Maybe it depends on what you are looking for, but we did the same itinerary last summer on the Grand Princess. It was fantastic, and we have booked the Emerald, same itinerary, for next year.

After looking at many different cruises, and cruise lines, we picked the same one again.

Your worries about half day, unfounded. Plenty of time to see the sites, and better than a day at sea!

 

Mykonos: plenty of time to see the town, then get to one of the beaches. Water crystal clear. Be adventureous and rent a scooter!

 

Kusadasi: Plenty of time to see the ruins, don't worry about half day.

 

Much to see at all the rest of the ports:Istanbul is fantastic, Florence, Pisa, Amalfi, Sorrento, Pompeii, Rome, Marseille area has many options...and spend a few days in Venice and Barcelona. We loved our overnite stays in Venice and Barcelona, much to see at each of these stops.

[doctrd]

Tried to edit my post above, but time expired.

 

Emerald:

10 ports in 12 days

2 days at sea

 

Think of those 2 half days in 2 different ports as a trade for a full day at sea. Which would you rather have?

 

Mykonos, your time is different from our cruise. We were there 12-7.

I would head to beach in morning, then back to town for shopping/siteseeing.

[recker]

We are actually sailing on that exact Emerald itinerary, leaving May 29.

 

I don't think there is a clear answer, it just depends on your preferences.

 

For us, seeing Barcelona and Istanbul were important, as well as only two full sea days (we're more interested in the ports). On your Legend itinerary, Portofino and Messina don't hold much interest for me.

 

I, too, was concerned about only a half day in Kusadasi, until I read trip reports from other folks that made it clear that a long half-day was long enough to see the main sites. Looking at a map, a half-day stop at Kusadasi is kind of unavoidable if you go to Istanbul, due to the sailing distance.

 

Finally, we really wanted Anytime dining for a European trip, considering the long days in port.

 

I'm sympathetic to the calendar issue regarding missed work. Since May 28 is a U.S. holiday, we can fly to Barcelona early to see the sites and still only miss nine days of work (sailing is Tue-Sun); this sealed the deal for us.

 

But I have to admit, the overnight in Livorno would be pretty nice, as well as the stops in Croatia.

[itsjb1]

With 2 days in Livorno, do you look plan to look for a hotel in Florence overnight or do the back and forth each day?

[vacationhappy]

Hi everyone- great feedback!

 

We are considering staying in Florence. One thought was to stay in Florence and then head to Sienna the next day if we were up to it.