how to choose where to cruise?

[travelingla]

I am posting this same note in all 3 of the areas of the Europe category in hopes of getting some helpful advice.....

 

We are thinking of cruising in Europe -- never had a desire to do a land based trip there - but would feel comfortable on a cruise ship and stopping at various ports.

 

We have NO preferences or ideas of where to go - we are not museum folks - prefer beautiful landscapes and hiking --

 

So -- where should I begin? I have awhile to learn and plan as we are thinking of perhaps 2010 -- and would like to book a year in advance - whenever 'our' itinerary is available.

 

We can't afford a luxury liner but would like a really nice upscale ship experience.

 

What are some opinions of which cruise line 'does Europe best' ?? What are some of your opinions of the area we might focus on first as far as the scenery and hiking -- and not looking into museums and history as a top priority?

 

I appreciate any direction you might point us to and any and all advice is welcomed!

 

thank you very much for your time.......

[TLCOhio]

We are thinking of cruising in Europe -- never had a desire to do a land based trip there - but would feel comfortable on a cruise ship and stopping at various ports. We have NO preferences or ideas of where to go - we are not museum folks - prefer beautiful landscapes and hiking -- What are some opinions of which cruise line 'does Europe best' ?

 

Great question with lots of potential answers that are all correct and could work well. BUT, what fits you best personally and for your budget? We have traveled extensively in 13 of the major Europe countries, including multiple times in Italy, France, England, etc. We are getting ready for our Baltics cruise this summer that will add six more new countries to our list. I'm a resource on AllExperts.com and have done about 1600 questions for France, Italy, etc., on those boards.

 

Timing is very important in answering your question! When are you planning to travel? For how long? A cruise can be great, BUT, many of the stops are more focused on ports that tend in many cases to be larger cities and in port for a fairly short period of time. You can do some things while there in the landscape and hiking areas, but there are limits on how effectively that will allow you to maximize your desired goals. In many cases by the time you get off of the ship, get into the city, get transportation out into the country, do a little there and then you have to turn around fairly quickly and then get back to the boat, re-board, etc. In areas such as the Greek Isles, you will be closer and quicker in reaching the countrysides and most scenic areas. You will probably have to seek more of a city and country balance as you look your various options.

 

I would strongly suggest planning for a number of days BOTH before and after your cruise to allow for more country and hiking time. I would probably look first at options in the Mediterranean, either eastern or western or a combo, or the Baltics-Northern Europe areas. There are also good cruise options around England and Ireland. Lots and lots of wonderful options to consider.

 

On cruise lines, there are now more and more options for Europe. That area is extremely popular and gaining more ships being there in the spring, summer and fall. I would focus first on where and when you can and want to travel. Then you can consider your ship or cruise line options. The size of the ship will be a factor. There are pro/con factors on the large mega ships with 2000-3000 people. Many love the 500-1000 passenger sized boats. There are some smaller ships, tending to be higher in price, that can be wonderful. Tell us more in your reactions and thoughts! That will help us give you better ideas, suggestions and comments.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[eh2zed]

We have done several cruises in Europe including the Baltic, Black Sea, east and west Med. We also are not big museum seekers but its difficult to go on any European cruise and not be exposed to history, museums, etc. Going to St. Petersburg and not going to the Hermitage seems unlikely. Similarly Rome and the Vatican. You, however, can go on more outdoors, scenic tours in most ports. The Baltic is our all time favourite cruise. Just my recommendation.

[FinelyRetired]

travelingla:

 

Do this perhaps? Though you don't think you know exactly where your preference is or where you want to go, you probably do. Just stop and think for an hour...........where have YOU ever heard about that was intriguing to YOU? Pick a few from History class in HS, etc. Which areas ever did interest you? Scenic or History wise? Write a couple of places down that have sounded somewhat interesting to you! Others can tell you where you ought to go from their perspective. But, what places have YOU ever thought about that sounded neat to you specifically? That's where you should go. Where your heart already told you to.

 

I did that........made a list of what was most interesting to me. Then I looked for itineraries first (the cruise line, if mainstream, wasn't that important) that covered some of the spots that I'd always thought were of interest that I longed to see.

 

Voila. Done.

[Len3]

We off this summer to Northern Europe/Baltics and have great expectations as this will be our first time to that area. We cruised out of Southampton to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain, in October and that was simply wonderful. As for the Med - we've only done land based trips, so I really can't comment on a cruise there. I don't think that you can lose no matter what your fancy is.

[Spikesgirl]

My advice would be to find yourself a local TA and ask the same questions. We did a British Island cruise with Princess this past summer and had great fun with it - it was very port intensive and the ship offered a large variety of different tours - which could also be found locally at a much more reduced cost.

 

Finelyretired does have a point about making a list of what interests you in what region. We are doing a trip to Egypt next year and after making a list of what I wanted to see (I'm an amateur Egyptologist), it was obvious that the big lines just weren't going to offer what I wanted, so we reserached into smaller land/cruise tours. By making that list, I knew exactly what was on the A and B lists and it made the decision much easier when it came time to choose.

 

If you're completely wide open, a TA might be able to help you decide which line would be your best fit.

 

Charlie

[Bruin Steve]

I am posting this same note in all 3 of the areas of the Europe category in hopes of getting some helpful advice.....

 

We are thinking of cruising in Europe -- never had a desire to do a land based trip there - but would feel comfortable on a cruise ship and stopping at various ports.

 

We have NO preferences or ideas of where to go - we are not museum folks - prefer beautiful landscapes and hiking --

 

So -- where should I begin? I have awhile to learn and plan as we are thinking of perhaps 2010 -- and would like to book a year in advance - whenever 'our' itinerary is available.

 

We can't afford a luxury liner but would like a really nice upscale ship experience.

 

What are some opinions of which cruise line 'does Europe best' ?? What are some of your opinions of the area we might focus on first as far as the scenery and hiking -- and not looking into museums and history as a top priority?

 

I appreciate any direction you might point us to and any and all advice is welcomed!

 

thank you very much for your time.......

 

I'll try to give you some specific advice here...

 

First, for an "upscale" cruise line not priced at luxury prices...look at Celebrity...I think that's the best value...elegant, but large ships and the economy that scale brings...

 

As to where to cruise, if you are not into museums, history, etc., you might want to skip the Baltic for now...ports such as St. Petersburg or Gdansk or Tallinn are not going to offer you much in the way of "scenery and hiking"--the attractions there are the cities themselves...

 

For the most striking scenery and outdoors stuff, look at the Norwegian Fjords cruises--these give you your best "scenery and hiking"...

 

The second option would be an Eastern Mediterranean cruise--something with a lot of Greece...Your hiking may be among ancient ruins, but it is really cool...(try hiking to the top of Ancient Thira on Santorini...quite an uphill but the views are spectacular)...Corfu, Mykonos, Dubrovnik, Kotor also afford some tremendous views and outdoor aspects--aside from all the history and archaeology you're walking through...In Athens, get a private taxi tour to take you through the Pelopenesse--It's great walking through the ancient ruins at Epidaurus and Mycenae (on a mountaintop)...A stop at Naples or Amalfi affords you to choose between wandering the ruins of Pompei or hiking up Mt. Vesuvius...

 

In other words, plenty of opportunity for YOUR kind of travel on this route...

 

Wherever you go, you are likely doinga lot of planning and seeing the ports on your own...

 

Of course, you can throw in a little city activity as well--Venice is just too striking on it's own--a different sort of adventure, but one you may very well learn to appreciate...

 

Good luck...

[travelingla]

This is all very thought provoking - and I see I must read and do quite a bit of homework to narrow the choices. I appreciate the direction you all have provided... I'll be back with more questions when I have an idea of where I want to head!