Have you done a Med cruise??

[jules815]

My husband and I were talking about this tonight, and I'm pretty excited, because it was his idea for me to even post here about it. :D

 

We have a daughter going away to college in the fall, and a daughter entering high school. We're kicking around the idea of a 7-10 day Med cruise for 2009 (summer). My husband was in the Navy in the 70's, and did several Med cruises (although nothing like a "cruise" cruise!), and for the past 25 years I've heard him say how cool Barcelona is, and all the other places he's visited.

 

Now that our girls are getting older, we're thinking of doing something really special. We might not even tell them about it until Christmas, and we might consider booking something when we're sailing on Mariner in June. We're by no means extravagant people, but we love traveling together as a family, and who knows how many more "family vacations' we'll have together now that our oldest is getting older.

 

I was looking at some of the itineraries, and they're really not that much more than what we pay for a 7-nite Caribbean. I know we'll take a hit on the air fare.

 

Any suggestions, your thoughts, etc.?? Are we crazy??:eek:

[songster2]

No, you're definately not crazy. Go and enjoy!;)

[petel]

My husband and I were talking about this tonight, and I'm pretty excited, because it was his idea for me to even post here about it. :D

 

We have a daughter going away to college in the fall, and a daughter entering high school. We're kicking around the idea of a 7-10 day Med cruise for 2009 (summer). My husband was in the Navy in the 70's, and did several Med cruises (although nothing like a "cruise" cruise!), and for the past 25 years I've heard him say how cool Barcelona is, and all the other places he's visited.

 

Now that our girls are getting older, we're thinking of doing something really special. We might not even tell them about it until Christmas, and we might consider booking something when we're sailing on Mariner in June. We're by no means extravagant people, but we love traveling together as a family, and who knows how many more "family vacations' we'll have together now that our oldest is getting older.

 

I was looking at some of the itineraries, and they're really not that much more than what we pay for a 7-nite Caribbean. I know we'll take a hit on the air fare.

 

Any suggestions, your thoughts, etc.?? Are we crazy??:eek:

 

You are NOT crazy! Barcelona, Venic, Rome, Athens just to name a few and all are in easy reach of your hotel! :) IMHO you would be crazy not to go and your girls will love it. You are so right about "family vacations" slipping away before you know it. Do it! We've been and we're going agian but only one of our five children ever go with us. Sad, but the others just aren't interested. Of course they are adults and have their own lives but they have missed Europe. There are so many memories out there all you have to do is go make them. Enjoy :)

[GMoney]

I spent 24 nights in the Med on Brilliance last summer and it was my 2nd best cruise ever - only Alaska surpassed it. It's a great way to get a taste of the area - like a Med sampler, if you will.

 

These cruises are generally very port intensive, so you may find you need a vacation from your vacation.

 

As you know, you'll take a hit due to the dollar. Also keep in mind if you go in the summer, the area can be warm and filled with tourists. Plan wisely.

[DALSAL]

Wow! 24 nights! I wish....I went out of Venice July 06, and it was awesome! Only a 7 day cruise, from Vencie, Dubrovnik Crotia, Athen Greece, Ephesus Turkey..we loved it all! I would go back in a flash! I want to do one next time that includes Rome and Barcelona. Cant wait! Dot

[cruisinisforme]

I am booked on the voyager this september I cant wait. I think with the value of the dollar right now in europe cruising is such a value, its definitely a great way to see all those places.

 

For me I picked a 7 day. I know how port intensive these places are, I just dont think I could do it for 14 days...Id be exhausted. So I picked the 7 day and we are going in a few days early to enjoy barcelona. But I do know several people who love the longer itineraries

 

Book far in advance! The prices go up. We have such a great price on our upcoming cruise, I just paid it off, so now I am waiting for september until I can go. Have a great time.

[Happy ks]

We have our first Med cruise planned for this October and we are so excited. Except, we're leaving the kids at home!

 

We chose October over summer for a few different reasons. Summer costs a lot more, is far more crowded and it's hot then.

 

We chose a lesser ship than many might have chosed, Legend of the Seas, purely for the itinerary. We are considering the ship to be a mode of transport and secondary to the vacation. That we have our breakfast included and some of the lunches and dinners is a plus.

 

After checking hotels for cost, we really think we've made the right choice over a land trip this time. The biggest plus? No driving!

 

So, do your homework before you put any money down, make sure you are going where you really want to go :)

[jules815]

If we decide to do this, we've already talked about spending a few days in Barcelona before we sail. If we've paid to fly there, a few more nights at a hotel would be worth it, and it's one of the places my husband talks about going back to all the time.

[jules815]

Do you think we'd be safe waiting until our cruise this June to book a Med for around July/early August 2009?? We were considering booking on board.

 

:confused:

[njmomof2]

We have also been considering a Med cruise for August 09. We currently have a cruise booked for April, but our vacation didn't match our friends' vacation, so we're thinking of going to WDW in April and cruising in August (weather is so much better in WDW in April). However, since the prices are not out yet, we can't make any decisions.

 

My children are much younger than yours but I still think it can be an amazing opportunity. Next August, my sons will be 11.5 and 7 so I think we have a good chance of making it work. But the pricing will be the deciding factor. I think summer 09 rates will be out hopefully by April. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

[tomko2]

We loved our Med. cruise last August (Legend of the Seas from Rome) so much that we are anxiously awaiting the 2009 schedule so we can book the 12 night from Barcelona.

If you have a specific date and cabin in mind then I would book it as soon as they come out; you could always go see the Loyalty Ambassador on your cruise in June and sweet talk them into re-booking your cruise (you would need to choose another cabin - have the LA make the booking then cancel your cabin and move you) so you could have the OBC. Pros: Your first choice of cabin & date; Cons: Risk of having the cost of the cruise increase before your June cruise.

Kathy:)

[paradise08]

Do you think we'd be safe waiting until our cruise this June to book a Med for around July/early August 2009?? We were considering booking on board.

 

:confused:

 

We are planning now to book a Med cruise for October 2009. After reading this thread, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=729628, you may want to consider booking it before May 31st. It looks like RCI is going to offer big discounts for early bookings.

[sea-cruise]

Are we crazy??:eek:

You're going to make some beautiful memories! You can't put a pricetag on that. :)

[Atomica]

The Med is one of the most amazing areas I've ever been to (then again, the same can be said about most of Europe). Go and have a fantastic time!

 

One bit of advice: check out your airfare options, and keep checking. The cruise is often very reasonably priced, but flying there can get very expensive very quickly. If you know ahead of time and plan in advance for that, it's usually not an issue. Also - I haven't personally done it myself, but many people here and on the other boards have said that quite often booking air to Europe through the cruise line is cheaper than doing it on your own...

[jamscckmc]

Had two great med tours with my mom. I hesitate to take my 16DD only because she meets lots of new friends, stays out till curfew and is hard to get going in the morning. She begged to go to Hawaii and then slept on the tour bus every day and missed alot of the sites. When my mom and I went we took all day tours with lunch and wine, seeing alot of churches, castles, etc and I think my DD would be bored. If your girls are early to bed, early to rise and love history it would be a great cruise. My DD is more into the cruise experience rather than the ports so for now we will stick to the cheap carribean.

[pcur]

Be prepared to get addicted to cruising in Europe.

 

We took a 7 night out of Barcelona with a b2b Transatlantic. We got Europe AND the Caribbean in one trip! The cost was pretty reasonable, including airfare.

 

Then, we went back and did the Med again on the Brilliance, but this included Venice. Absolutely loved the cruise, in spite of problems at the end in Barcelona.

 

Then, we went on the Millie and did Southampton-Western Europe-Barcelona.

 

I'm eyeing Fall 2009 now!!

[hylasgirl]

We loved our Med. cruise last August (Legend of the Seas from Rome) so much that we are anxiously awaiting the 2009 schedule so we can book the 12 night from Barcelona.

If you have a specific date and cabin in mind then I would book it as soon as they come out; you could always go see the Loyalty Ambassador on your cruise in June and sweet talk them into re-booking your cruise (you would need to choose another cabin - have the LA make the booking then cancel your cabin and move you) so you could have the OBC. Pros: Your first choice of cabin & date; Cons: Risk of having the cost of the cruise increase before your June cruise.

Kathy:)

 

Kathy...TOMKO I am very interested in your Legend cruise. We are ready to book that itinerary as soon as they release the dates. Would you email me and let me know what you thought about everything. The ship, the cabins... and we have done the cruise on the Brilliance out of Barcelona twice, so if you have any questions for me... ask away. Please write me at sburbank35 @ aol.com

 

Thanks so much!

Stephanie

[GranysT]

Do you have to get any vaccinations to take a Med cruise? If so, what kind?

 

and how far in advance?

[cavkc]

We were luckly enough to take 2 med cruises 6 weeks apart, following which I wrote this comparisonon the two ships:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=392725

I also wrote the following review from our Millennium Med cruise:-

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=19487

Just bear in mind that July/August in the Med will be VERY hot. Our first cruise was beginning of June and the weather was perfect, hot enough to sunbath but you could also go on trips without being uncomfortable. On our cruise 6 weeks later the weather was almost unbearable, we went to Pompeii for a 2 hour tour and I was virtually passing out in the heat (and I like hot weather). If the dates work, I still wouldn't let the weather aspect stop you, it's just something to bear in mind if you are planning on lots of sightseeing.

[cavkc]

Sorry not sure what happened to the above post with all the rubbish and it wont let me edit !

[marci22]

Do you think we'd be safe waiting until our cruise this June to book a Med for around July/early August 2009?? We were considering booking on board.

 

:confused:

 

If you are booking for that time period, you'll save more money booking when the itineraries first open up. Don't wait; prices for the summer escalate quickly and the choice cabins get taken.

 

If there is still lots of availability in June, you can just cancel your rooms and book something new on board.

[readyforadventure]

Our Med cruise was the best. My son was 16 and had just taken world history. It was the summer after the Athens Olympics. We've had the good fortune to travel extensively both domestically and abroad, by boat and on land. This cruise was by far the best and most memorable trip. We went on Celebrity for 12 nights, but would have happily sailed on Royal Caribbean. Your kids will love it and it will be a family memory that will last forever. My son is heading off to college this year and I wouldn't have missed that cruise for anything. Go and enjoy!

[KillaFee]

Do it! A Mediterannean cruise is amazing. I'm ANXIOUSLY waiting for the 2009 prices/itineraries to be released. The Mediterannean is perfect in the summer....my husband and I are going but he keeps saying he's not done with the caribbean yet and I remind him that the med is warm and sunny, there are palm trees everywhere, the ocean is beautiful, and then you have all of this culture - and history up the wazoo! And not to mention the food and wine in Italy.

 

Sigh....the only thing about the Med that stinks is the airfare. OMG it's ridiculous, so I'd book at least a 10 day. To me, if you're spending around $1000 per person on airfare, 7 days just doesn't do it justice, especially when it takes a day to get there. And Med cruises are pretty port intensive so you want to have a few sea days to recover. Also bring plenty of $$ for excursions because unlike the Caribbean, you can't usually just get off the ship and explore. You don't always port at the "desired" destination and usually have to have some sort of transportation away from where you dock to see anything. The only time where this was an exception for me on our 12 day med cruise was in Cannes France and Venice (but in Venice we still had to walk about a mile and take the Vaporetto). I'm just thinking of things that I keep in the back of my head when planning our Med cruise.

 

Definitely book early to get the best price because they skyrocket within a few weeks. I learned this the hard way. I took my dear sweet time looking and hemming and hawing and by the time I made my decision the prices increased like you wouldn't believe. This is how we ended up doing our Mediterannean cruise on Carnival, which I wouldn't recommend. :o Hehe.

 

Have fun planning your cruise!

Laura

[cruz1234]

Had two great med tours with my mom. I hesitate to take my 16DD only because she meets lots of new friends, stays out till curfew and is hard to get going in the morning. She begged to go to Hawaii and then slept on the tour bus every day and missed alot of the sites. When my mom and I went we took all day tours with lunch and wine, seeing alot of churches, castles, etc and I think my DD would be bored. If your girls are early to bed, early to rise and love history it would be a great cruise. My DD is more into the cruise experience rather than the ports so for now we will stick to the cheap carribean.

 

We took our teen DD on our Med cruise last summer. While yes she did meet new friends, stayed out till curfew and even later some nights..she was tired getting up in the am but she absolutely LOVED the Med and asks how soon we can go back. It was alot of history and alot of sightseeing BUT she enjoyed it all as much as we did. She has never been a real big history buff but it was entirely different and even though she was tired she never once didn't want to get up or miss a tour. She did sleep on the drive from the Port into Rome..I think it was about 1 1/2hrs. so she was refreshed and ready to go.

The whole ambiance in Europe is so different than what she is used to..she's already talking about doing a semester abroad during college.

She was just as enthusiastic about the Vatican, and museums and statues as we were...There are so many interesting sites and fun things..Maybe if your DD looked at some of the excursions she would find the ones that spark her interest..

Most of the teens our DD met were doing tours with their families during the day time so none were really hanging out on the ship..She actually had some of her new friends on excursions with us.

I hope you get to enjoy it with your DD as you enjoyed it with your mom. :)

[CruseKrazy]

We've booked a 14 day Eastern Med cruise on Oceania in September. Can't wait!!!

 

While the price point is higher, I found that RCCL Med cruises were either too short (7 days) or had too many sea days (up to 4 on a 14 day cruise).

 

Quite frankly we are not going to the Med to spend our time at sea. We want a port intensive experience. On Oceania we found this. (only one at sea day in 14).

 

RCCL remains our "go to" cruise line in the Caribbean where the sea days are welcome. For the Med, it's Oceania for us. We'll "sea" if the extra price point is worth it. :D