european cruise

[Belfast Castle]

hi folks - anyone cruised Europe in February or March - just wonderin about weather and sea conditions?

[NAS-KARR]

Man. . . .You live over there...You tell me what the weather is like ! Check the latitude and then ck your latitude and you'll get a good idea as to the answer to your query.

 

 

CIAO, :rolleyes:

[Belfast Castle]

silly me i meant a mediterranean cruise

[Susan-M]

silly me i meant a mediterranean cruise

Not silly at all. Since you posted on the Med forum, I think most would know that you meant a Med cruise.:)

 

One site that I find helpful when determining what time of year to do a cruise is: weatherunderground.com. It provides historical data for the past 10 years in the History & Almanac section.

 

Another site that I refer to is sunrisesunset.com to check on the length of daylight hours .... they can be pretty short in winter months, so with the combination of cooler temps and shorter days, it will be quite a different experience than the Med in spring/summer/early fall. And then there's the snow that Athens received this week!

 

But prices are probably pretty attractive in the off-season, and fewer crowds to contend with.

[rebeccalouise]

i can't speak from Experience but my son was in Italy in January and he didn't really like it as much as previous trips.

 

If you are going to do Europe- I think late March is fine. The first time I went to Italy was in late March 2002 and it was fantastic. But we had to do Easter time because of my son's school break. It would be best not to book the week before or the week after Easter (crowds).

 

I have also been to Europe in September and October. I liked September better- fewer crowds and more daylight.

 

So- no I don't think February is a good time to go but late March would be (assuming Easter doesn't fall around then).

[lovetodream]

By no means, I am not an expert on cruising because DH & I are taking our FIRST CRUISE EVER on Carnival's Freedom, Grand Mediterranean Cruise, 10.01.08. So, I cannot speak about the water or the sea during Feb/March but I know a little about the temps!

 

The Carnival cruise will be my 4th trip to Italy, the other 3 being in mid-March, April and October. I LOVE Italy in March, April and October. For DH & I, we love Italy in these months 'cause the weather is usually beautiful & sunny, the temps are a bit more moderate, the crowds are down and because we've only done lots of land travel (on our own), the prices are usually "off-season" (less expensive)...ditto for the cruises (esp March & October, I think).

 

Remember, depending on where you cruise, the weather in Italy will vary. Sicily will always be much warmer than Torino (Turin), Bergamo or Milan!

 

When DH & I were in Rome x 3 in March '05, April '06 and October '05, the weather was in the high-60's-to low-70's F. When we were a bit further south x 1 in Naples & the Amalfi Coast in October '05, the weather upper 70's-to-low 80's F...people were swimming in the sea! But we were told that this was a "warm spell" even for Positano & Campania!

 

My sister just got back from Rome last Friday (Feb 15, '08) after spending 1 week there and the weather was spectacular...early 40's F in the mornings but warming to mid-to-upper 50's F by noontime with sunny, clear and bright blue skies every day! But I think sis and her family got a bit lucky and hit a warm spell, too, 'cause February can be damp and cool in Rome.

 

Italy can be BRUTALLY hot in June, July & AUGUST! The crowds are generally thick because many folks, especially Americans, travel during these months.

 

Rome, the center of Florence and Venice can be in the 90's F in August! Many Italians take time off in August, partly due to the extreme heat, thus closing "shop" and leaving town for their own holidays. The Italians head to Le Marche, Cinque Terre, Bari or the Amalfi Coast during August to cool off, if they can :)

 

November, December, January and February can bring some short, cold, wet and even some snowy days (esp in Tuscany and Umbria). I have a friend who lived in Rome for 4 years and she recalls having some snow in January, although it is rare.

 

Of course, the northern part of Italy (alps), etc will bring snow throughout the winter months :D

 

Oh well...hope this has been helpful to you!