Mediterranean Cruise Questions

[cruise scientist]

Need help deciding on ports, cruise lines, best time to go and if its worth the price:D Would like to sail summer of 2008 to celebrate birthdays and HS graduation for my son;) Any suggestions are welcome-this will be our 3rd cruise as a family as we have sailed on Princess and Holland America.

 

Thanks, PP

 

[kitty9]

Best time to go would be in May or late September through October. Any other time would be terribly hot and very crowded. But, if you must go exactly in summer, then June would be the best. August is probably the poorest time because most Europeans are on vacation so it's very crowded everywhere and it's the most hot and humid time.

 

As for itinerary, that's really up to you. It all depends on what you want to see. For someone who's never been to the Med, I feel the Western Med gives a really great taste of what Europe is all about. You'll probably see Spain, France and Italy, which are the big three in the area.

[eh2zed]

Definitely agree with darcie that best months are May or september or else as early in June as possible. Hundreds of itineraries to choose from. Assuming your previous 2 family cruises were in the Caribbean, a med cruise is well worth the extra cost to get there. its a whole new experience. I would suggest something with a Barcelona or Rome embarkation/disembarkation with some pre or post time particularly in Rome.

[Keith1010]

First off you might want to go to the Mediterranean cruise board that is part of the Europe board. Lots of great information there.

 

There are so many nice places to see in the Med. When you investigate consider the ease of getting to the ports of embarkation and disembarkation by airplane.

 

We enjoy so many of the ports. I would try to pick out several that involve Italy from the port that service Rome to Venice. Some ships have overnights in Venice which are really nice. Livorno is good not for the port but because you can take a bus about 1 hour and go to Florence or you could go see the Tower of Pisa which is in the town of Pisa and a slightly shorter drive. Sorrento is another nice place. From several ports you can also get to Pompeii to see the ruins of Pompeii. We also thought that Turkey was very nice with two really good ports Istanbul and Kudisashi (sp). Another nice port is Monte Carlo.

 

I would start by looking at the cruise lines and the Itineraries. The first time we went there we did a Princess Cruise and enjoyed it and then the last several times we sailed on Crystal and Seabourn. See what itineraries the cruise lines offer and then start narrowing it down based on interests, etc. With kids I would take a hard look at Princess.

 

One other thing. It can be quite hot and humid in the summer and it is the peak of tourist season. If you can at least go as early as you can in the summer that would be good.

 

Finally, fly in a couple of days before. This will get you over jet lag, give you time to explore the port of embarkation and should your flight be canceled or delayed it will ensure you do not miss the ship.

 

And, try to find something like a 12 day cruise. There is so much to see and you will only see a small piece of it.

 

Keith