Looking to book a Mediterranean Cruise - HELP!!!

[nycglitter]

We are looking to book a 10 - 12 day Mediterranean cruise that begins and ends in Italy. There are so many choices that we could use some from help from folks who have done this.

 

We typically like larger ships, but would consider a smaller ship if the ports were interesting. We are thinking Western Med. in terms of ports.

 

What line? We are looking to go in July of '08.

[Keith1010]

As you say there are so many cruise lines to choose from and which one you pick can come down to budget and itinerary and what type of line you like most.

 

A couple to look at are Celebrity and Princess. Celebrity is considered a premium cruise line and Princess a mass market line. But as I say there are many others, but these might be a couple to start with.

 

Keith

[agabbymama]

It's kind of a tough question without knowing you or your likes and dislikes. All the lines have cruises in the Med. I started by making a graph chart. I put the cruiselines across the top, and what I wanted to see and do down the side (Rome, Italy, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens as ports of call), budget, balcony cabin, etc. In my research if a line/ship did what I wanted to do, I put an "X" in the adjoining box. When you finish, one should have more "X"s than the the others.

 

I only found one that did all the ports I wanted to do, starting in Rome or Venice, and ending in Rome or Venice. Lots did one or the other, but Princess was the only one I found that did both, for a price I wanted to pay. Then I went to *****.com and received about 6 different bids on the cruise. Made my selection and now just have to wait until Oct '08 to do the cruise.

 

There isn't an easy way to do it, you have to put in the time to do your own research, as I don't know what's important to you. Someone will post what they think was a great cruise and we can all make recommendations, but the bottom line is "you know you" and what you want out of a cruise.

 

Grand Princess is 12 nights, leaving Civitavecchia, to Monte Carlo, to Livorno (Florence/Pisa), to Naples, to Santorini, to Kusadasi Turkey, to Mykonos, to Athens, to Olympia, to Corfu and ending in Venice. I thought it was the best itinerary including both Italy and Rome. I started wanting to do a land tour of Italy but then found the cruise could do both therefore giving me the most bang for my bucks. It's what appealed most to me.

 

Good luck and have a great cruise, whatever you decide!

[IceWarrior]

I agree with previous poster, you are on the right track, the most important thing is to find an itinerary that starts/ends in the city you want to spend the most time in (if you do a pre/post cruise stay) and visits the most cities you want to see.

We chose Carnival, b/c it was round-trip from Rome, where we wanted to spend a few extra days and it had an overnight stop in Venice. Those 2 reasons and the price sold us. We also LOVED all of the other stops, and would visit them all again in a second - Naples, Dubrovnik, Messina (Sicily), Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

 

Also look carefully at how long your are in port at each city, some lines, seems to have shorter days that others.

[IceWarrior]

Also look at the number of sea days, Our Carnival cruise had 3 - whereas I see the Princess cruise only has 1.

I actually prefer the least amount of sea days - but for some people it's the opposite. That can help narrow it down.

[nycglitter]

Thanks to everyone for the help. I am will make the chart, that seems like the easiest way to weigh the pros and the cons.

 

It looks as if the average price with air for a 12 night cruise is going to be around $10,000. Yikes. We want to travel in July and apparently so does everyone else! LOL

[agabbymama]

Thanks to everyone for the help. I am will make the chart, that seems like the easiest way to weigh the pros and the cons.

 

It looks as if the average price with air for a 12 night cruise is going to be around $10,000. Yikes. We want to travel in July and apparently so does everyone else! LOL

 

That appears to be a good figure at this time. If the dollar gets much weaker, that figure could raise even higher.

 

I was astounded when I started looking at hotel prices, for a 3 *** hotel in Rome and Venice, they are wanting upwards of $250 on up to $500. I'm not willing to pay that, so I just kept searching. Thought I had found it, after hours and hours on the Internet (Atahotel Villa Pamphili) in Rome about 3 km from the Vatican (they offer a courtesy shuttle to/from the airport and to/from the Vatican). When I started looking it was at about $165, now it's $216. So I started looking again and found a B&B in the port town of Civitavecchia for $97 per night. I've decided to do that and take the train into Rome (without schlepping the luggage) for $15 then the HoHo bus in Rome for $25.

 

Almost the same for Venice. To stay in Venice proper, they want $285, $350, $500 and I'm not willing to pay that. I found a hotel across the street from the train station in Venice Mestre (on the mainland) called Golen Tulip Hotel Tritone and right now it's $143, so that's where I plan to stay and take the train to Venice (10 minutes 1 EUR) and bus (3 EUR) to the airport.

 

You just have to keep searching and don't give up. There are bargains out there, we just have to be patient and keep searching for them.

It's too soon to book yet for my Oct '08 cruise anyway, but I want to be prepared for January when I can book and know just where I want to be.

 

Have fun planning (that is half the fun) and then a great trip!

[nycglitter]

That appears to be a good figure at this time. If the dollar gets much weaker, that figure could raise even higher.

 

I was astounded when I started looking at hotel prices, for a 3 *** hotel in Rome and Venice, they are wanting upwards of $250 on up to $500. I'm not willing to pay that, so I just kept searching. Thought I had found it, after hours and hours on the Internet (Atahotel Villa Pamphili) in Rome about 3 km from the Vatican (they offer a courtesy shuttle to/from the airport and to/from the Vatican). When I started looking it was at about $165, now it's $216. So I started looking again and found a B&B in the port town of Civitavecchia for $97 per night. I've decided to do that and take the train into Rome (without schlepping the luggage) for $15 then the HoHo bus in Rome for $25.

 

Almost the same for Venice. To stay in Venice proper, they want $285, $350, $500 and I'm not willing to pay that. I found a hotel across the street from the train station in Venice Mestre (on the mainland) called Golen Tulip Hotel Tritone and right now it's $143, so that's where I plan to stay and take the train to Venice (10 minutes 1 EUR) and bus (3 EUR) to the airport.

 

You just have to keep searching and don't give up. There are bargains out there, we just have to be patient and keep searching for them.

It's too soon to book yet for my Oct '08 cruise anyway, but I want to be prepared for January when I can book and know just where I want to be.

 

Have fun planning (that is half the fun) and then a great trip!

 

Thanks for the tips! The $10,000 includes flights, transfer fees, cruise and all taxes both for the cruise and airfare. I hadn't even considered the cost of the hotels in these area's, you make a very good point. I shall begin the search. Planning is part of the fun! You are 100% right!

[trudle]

We just booked a Med Cruise for June of 08. DH wanted to see Turkey again. We are booking air on our own, most times cheaper than doing it through the cruise line. Happy Cruising.

Trudy

[Capsu78]

I started at Expedia so I could compare and contrast itineries and prices during the month of July 2008.

 

PS Now looking at land tours...

[jstducky]

Thanks for the tips! The $10,000 includes flights, transfer fees, cruise and all taxes both for the cruise and airfare. I hadn't even considered the cost of the hotels in these area's, you make a very good point. I shall begin the search. Planning is part of the fun! You are 100% right!

 

Wow, that sounds expensive!

 

I did a 12 night Med cruise on Royal Caribbean last year - and it was in July as well, peak of the holiday season. There were 3 of us, we flew from LAX and with the cruise, airfare, all taxes, transfers to pier, and 2 nights at a hotel pre-cruise, we still only spent less than $9,000. We had an oceanview cabin too.

 

If you're flying from CT or even driving down to NYC, your air should be much cheaper than I got mine for.

 

Keep shopping, you should be able to get something cheaper than $10,000 for 2 if I was able to get $9,000 for 3 of us.

[nycglitter]

Wow, that sounds expensive!

 

I did a 12 night Med cruise on Royal Caribbean last year - and it was in July as well, peak of the holiday season. There were 3 of us, we flew from LAX and with the cruise, airfare, all taxes, transfers to pier, and 2 nights at a hotel pre-cruise, we still only spent less than $9,000. We had an oceanview cabin too.

 

If you're flying from CT or even driving down to NYC, your air should be much cheaper than I got mine for.

 

Keep shopping, you should be able to get something cheaper than $10,000 for 2 if I was able to get $9,000 for 3 of us.

 

Good to know! I will definitely keep checking, I have just begun my search. Did you enjoy the cruise?

[Maryutah]

We can highly recommend Carnival Freedom, but alas can't compare to other cruislines

 

We loved the itinerary that included Greece, so that how we were sold, we also liked the prices.

 

In my link is some pictures of what we saw.

 

Some websites will allow you to compare from line to line on price etc., as well

[nycglitter]

Carnival does have some really nice itineraries!

[jstducky]

Good to know! I will definitely keep checking, I have just begun my search. Did you enjoy the cruise?

 

TREMENDOUSLY. The sights were AMAZING! The history blows your mind away. I took over 2,500 pictures in just 12 days. It was absolutely breathtaking and so very different from our own country.

 

You can read my review and see my pictures by following the links in my signature.

 

You'll love it regardless of what itinerary you do.

[nycglitter]

TREMENDOUSLY. The sights were AMAZING! The history blows your mind away. I took over 2,500 pictures in just 12 days. It was absolutely breathtaking and so very different from our own country.

 

You can read my review and see my pictures by following the links in my signature.

 

You'll love it regardless of what itinerary you do.

 

We just booked for July 22 on the Celebrity Summit, Barcelona to Venice. We are so excited. I guess I will need a few more memory sticks for my digital!!!

[PanamaCanal07]

It's kind of a tough question without knowing you or your likes and dislikes. All the lines have cruises in the Med. I started by making a graph chart. I put the cruiselines across the top, and what I wanted to see and do down the side (Rome, Italy, Mykonos, Santorini, Athens as ports of call), budget, balcony cabin, etc. In my research if a line/ship did what I wanted to do, I put an "X" in the adjoining box. When you finish, one should have more "X"s than the the others.

 

I only found one that did all the ports I wanted to do, starting in Rome or Venice, and ending in Rome or Venice. Lots did one or the other, but Princess was the only one I found that did both, for a price I wanted to pay. Then I went to *************.com and received about 6 different bids on the cruise. Made my selection and now just have to wait until Oct '08 to do the cruise.

 

There isn't an easy way to do it, you have to put in the time to do your own research, as I don't know what's important to you. Someone will post what they think was a great cruise and we can all make recommendations, but the bottom line is "you know you" and what you want out of a cruise.

 

Grand Princess is 12 nights, leaving Civitavecchia, to Monte Carlo, to Livorno (Florence/Pisa), to Naples, to Santorini, to Kusadasi Turkey, to Mykonos, to Athens, to Olympia, to Corfu and ending in Venice. I thought it was the best itinerary including both Italy and Rome. I started wanting to do a land tour of Italy but then found the cruise could do both therefore giving me the most bang for my bucks. It's what appealed most to me.

 

Good luck and have a great cruise, whatever you decide!

 

You sound organized. Could you send me specifics on the dates you picked who you used etc. Thanks

 

cruisecritic@hotmail.com

[jstducky]

We just booked for July 22 on the Celebrity Summit, Barcelona to Venice. We are so excited. I guess I will need a few more memory sticks for my digital!!!

 

Congrats! I know you will love your cruise.

 

Enjoy the planning and research for your cruise, half the fun of the cruise is in the planning!

[windycitymom]

I'd recommend the Carnival Freedom (Rome, Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Messina/Siciliy, Barcelona, Cannes, Florence/Pisa, Rome/Civitavecchia).

[Bruin Steve]

We just booked for July 22 on the Celebrity Summit, Barcelona to Venice. We are so excited. I guess I will need a few more memory sticks for my digital!!!

 

I found this thread a little too late...

...otherwise I would have recommended EXACTLY the cruise you booked...

 

We've cruised Europe four times in the past 6 years and have another booked for July of 2008...We've cruised Europe on Princess, Celebrity (twice) and Oceania...and we've cruised elsewhere on those plus Premier (Disney forerunner), Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean...

 

Of all the cruises I've ever done, my absolute favorite was the Mediterranean (Venice to Barcelona) on Celebrity Millennium...The Summit is her sister ship (and we cruised on her in Alaska) which has taken over those routes that used to be done by the Millie...

 

Venice and Barcelona as end points allows you to do two great and distinct pre- and post-cruise stays...For an Anniversary cruise, there is no better place, no more romantic city, to start or end in than Venice...We were there on our Honeymoon and returned to start and end cruises on our 23rd and our 25th...

 

Hotels in Venice can be expensive...but July, for some reason, is one of the lower priced months...Just do a little searching and some really nice places are to be found...Last year, we ended up booking the "Anastasia" for a couple of nights post cruise for only 130 euro per night...Small boutique hotel right near Piazza San Marco:

 

http://anastasia.hotelinvenice.com/

 

But prices go up and down...so look around...

 

In Barcelona, just make sure you book a hotel near Placa Catalunya (the main square at the head of Las Ramblas), if not right at the Placa, then North into the Eixample District, but walking distance to the Placa...

 

The ports on your cruise are all incredible and run the gamut from big cities to small islands, modern towns to ancient archaeological sites...Every day will be an adventure...

 

If you want more advice, come back and ask...

 

But, for now, you have picked the right cruise and ship...

(BTW, one great thing about the Summit, aside from superior food and service, is that the ship is 90,000+ gross tons with only 2,000 passengers...big ship amenities and small ship lack of crowds...You'll love it...)...

[nycglitter]

I found this thread a little too late...

...otherwise I would have recommended EXACTLY the cruise you booked...

 

We've cruised Europe four times in the past 6 years and have another booked for July of 2008...We've cruised Europe on Princess, Celebrity (twice) and Oceania...and we've cruised elsewhere on those plus Premier (Disney forerunner), Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean...

 

Of all the cruises I've ever done, my absolute favorite was the Mediterranean (Venice to Barcelona) on Celebrity Millennium...The Summit is her sister ship (and we cruised on her in Alaska) which has taken over those routes that used to be done by the Millie...

 

Venice and Barcelona as end points allows you to do two great and distinct pre- and post-cruise stays...For an Anniversary cruise, there is no better place, no more romantic city, to start or end in than Venice...We were there on our Honeymoon and returned to start and end cruises on our 23rd and our 25th...

 

Hotels in Venice can be expensive...but July, for some reason, is one of the lower priced months...Just do a little searching and some really nice places are to be found...Last year, we ended up booking the "Anastasia" for a couple of nights post cruise for only 130 euro per night...Small boutique hotel right near Piazza San Marco:

 

http://anastasia.hotelinvenice.com/

 

But prices go up and down...so look around...

 

In Barcelona, just make sure you book a hotel near Placa Catalunya (the main square at the head of Las Ramblas), if not right at the Placa, then North into the Eixample District, but walking distance to the Placa...

 

The ports on your cruise are all incredible and run the gamut from big cities to small islands, modern towns to ancient archaeological sites...Every day will be an adventure...

 

If you want more advice, come back and ask...

 

But, for now, you have picked the right cruise and ship...

(BTW, one great thing about the Summit, aside from superior food and service, is that the ship is 90,000+ gross tons with only 2,000 passengers...big ship amenities and small ship lack of crowds...You'll love it...)...

 

 

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words! We were excited already, but you really put us over the top!!! We booked the concierge level, have you done that with Celebrity? We are not sure of all of the amenities....

[Bruin Steve]

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words! We were excited already, but you really put us over the top!!! We booked the concierge level, have you done that with Celebrity? We are not sure of all of the amenities....

 

Strange to say, I've never done the "Concierge" category...and I'm an "Elite" Captains Club member!

 

On the Summit, we cruised in a couple of "Sky Suites" (6122 and 6124--one for us, one for the daughters)...Very nice...Butler Service, great amenities...

 

On the Constellation, we've cruised in an "Inside" and in one of the "Secret Sweet 16" Balconies (6035--it's an insiders' secret--the forward eight balcony cabins on either side of Deck 6 have balconies over twice the size of the "standard" balcony--but it's non-concierge level)...

 

So, I guess I've been all over the ship EXCEPT the Concierge Class...There have been plenty of threads on the Celebrity Message Board discussing the Concierge amenities though...

[nycglitter]

Strange to say, I've never done the "Concierge" category...and I'm an "Elite" Captains Club member!

 

On the Summit, we cruised in a couple of "Sky Suites" (6122 and 6124--one for us, one for the daughters)...Very nice...Butler Service, great amenities...

 

On the Constellation, we've cruised in an "Inside" and in one of the "Secret Sweet 16" Balconies (6035--it's an insiders' secret--the forward eight balcony cabins on either side of Deck 6 have balconies over twice the size of the "standard" balcony--but it's non-concierge level)...

 

So, I guess I've been all over the ship EXCEPT the Concierge Class...There have been plenty of threads on the Celebrity Message Board discussing the Concierge amenities though...

 

 

I will check it out! Thanks! We booked 6143 and I just saw a photo of it...the balcony is huge!!! Can't wait!

[agabbymama]

I will check it out! Thanks! We booked 6143 and I just saw a photo of it...the balcony is huge!!! Can't wait!

 

Yes, the balcony is huge. I had 6143 on Constellation for New England/Canada cruise in Sept/Oct '06. You will not be disappointed! It's nestled between a Royal Suite and a Sky Suite, that's why the balcony is so huge, and it is teak wood too. The cabin seemed so much larger than just a balcony cabin. There was ample storage room by the sliding door for our luggage to sit out of the way.

 

Let's see, you will have fresh flowers in a small vase daily, fresh flower in the bathroom daily, a little plusher robes, towels and rug in the bathroom that match, massage shower head, pillow menu(you have to ask to see it), canapes daily (we didn't care for them, so asked for fruit and cheese plate, our room attendant even added a fews grapes, etc), complimentary key card holder, personalized stationary, (we had binoculars and umbrella in the room for use), priority tendering (ha ha ha, that's a joke). I think that's about all I can remember.

 

We absolutely loved the pampering, our cabin attendant also serviced the suites, so he knew how to take care of folks.

 

You'll love the cabin! I just hope the Summit behaves itself and doesn't have any propulsion problems, as she has been known to do in the past.

[nycglitter]

Yes, the balcony is huge. I had 6143 on Constellation for New England/Canada cruise in Sept/Oct '06. You will not be disappointed! It's nestled between a Royal Suite and a Sky Suite, that's why the balcony is so huge, and it is teak wood too. The cabin seemed so much larger than just a balcony cabin. There was ample storage room by the sliding door for our luggage to sit out of the way.

 

Let's see, you will have fresh flowers in a small vase daily, fresh flower in the bathroom daily, a little plusher robes, towels and rug in the bathroom that match, massage shower head, pillow menu(you have to ask to see it), canapes daily (we didn't care for them, so asked for fruit and cheese plate, our room attendant even added a fews grapes, etc), complimentary key card holder, personalized stationary, (we had binoculars and umbrella in the room for use), priority tendering (ha ha ha, that's a joke). I think that's about all I can remember.

 

We absolutely loved the pampering, our cabin attendant also serviced the suites, so he knew how to take care of folks.

 

You'll love the cabin! I just hope the Summit behaves itself and doesn't have any propulsion problems, as she has been known to do in the past.

 

Thanks for the info! I am trying to locate photo's but have only found a couple. As for the propulsion problems...I have my fingers crossed!