looking for tips on Mediterranean cruise

[zender]

Hi, I'm reposting this from the 'ask a cruise question' forum as it was highly recommended to do so. Thank you! -zender

 

Greetings. I'm going on a two week private cruise on the Norweigian Gem next summer embarking from Barcelona. Ports of call include Rome, Naples, Sicily, Santorini, Ephesus, Istanbul, Athens and Valletta.

 

I'm basically a cruise novice having only sailed once so far to the Caribbean.

 

Looking for pointers - guide books, shore excursions, etc. Thanks!

[texancruzer]

Whew- there is a ton of information around.

 

Guide books - go to your bookstore. Look at the ones they have. Everyone has their favorite. I like Frommers. But Fodors and Rick Steves are popular too.

 

TV - watch the travel channel. Lots of good shows including Rick Steves, Samantha Brown, Anthony Bourdain etc. etc.

 

Videos - your local library or Blockbuster etc. has videos for rent or checkout that will give you lots of info on ports of call.

 

This website also has volumes of information. If you look at the very top of the page (orange bar) there is a link to 'PORTS' which has information on each one.

 

Shore excursions: these will vary from line to line and even from ship to ship so I would suggest you go to the website for your cruiseline. Put in your saildate etc. and see what excursions they will offer. These will usually give you a pretty good idea of what there is to do and see also.

 

Lastly: if you have a question.... just start a new thread and ask (of course you would want to do a search first and see if it has already been covered - sometimes to great lengths ;) ) as everyone here is more than happy to share their info and experiences.

 

You will love your European cruise !!!!

[fmax]

Check out Rick Steves books/videos and website as you'll find lots of info there http://www.ricksteves.com

 

Also, here are some threads specific to your ports

 

Rome

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=283936

 

Athens

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562369

 

Santorini

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562363

 

Katakolon (Ephesus)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562371

 

 

I can't find the one on Naples - but would definitely recommend a tour of the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. I used http://www.seesorrento.com and had a great day.

 

 

1. I'm not sure what you mean by "private cruise" but check to see if there is a roll-call of others that will be on the cruise and you mind be able to join in a private tour. If not, review some of the other roll-calls for the ship doing the same ports and get an idea of what others have done.

 

2. If your cruise doesn't include private tours, only ship's tours or on your own, check these boards for private tour companies to consider. If you can get others to join you it can work out less expensive than ship tours. Once search features is working you'll be able to find thread on ship versus private tours

 

3. Make sure you have comfy walking shoes as you'll find the days in port are long.

 

4. Try and do a few days pre-cruise in your port of call - not only does it help with jetlag but you don't want to risk missing the ship.

 

5. Big difference I found was that in the Caribbean you experience the ship more whereas with the long port days in the Med you spend less time on the ship. I found that I was off the ship by 7-8 a.m. most mornings and not back until 5-6 pm. Freestyle dining on Norwegian will make things easier for you, but with set dining on RCI, I wasn't finished dinner until 10:30 on late-dining.

 

Also, Check out the cruise reviews of luvtotravel

It's from 2005 but is one of the most comprehensive threads on the site and covers everything you need to know.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=130319&highlight=Zona+Universitaria

 

 

Frances

[lambs2]

Our Mediterranean cruise last May was a dream come true for us. A big help in planning for us was the book Cruising the Mediterranean - A Guide to the Ports of Call a Hunter Travel Guide by Larry Ludmer. Inside you will find small port maps for each stop plus good information. There is also a whole section on different cruise ship itineraries and lines. Also there are some handy tips on different options for touring. We chose to go with Holland America and also chose early dining (6 pm) as this is our usual routine and it worked well for us. On the couple nights that we did not make it back to the ship in time for early seating, we ate at the buffet or ordered room service.

 

We did three tours with the ship and did the rest on our own using the great public transportation in Italy. We planned our days, and worked our plan. Always have a "just in case" option for each port so you won't be overly disappointed if something unexpected happens, like a train delay or inclement weather. We were fortunate to never have to use our back-up plans but were glad we made them. Kind of like buying cruise and trip insurance - it gives you peace of mind.

[zender]

Thank you all very much for your thoughtful and informative response. Question, relative to the amazing ports that I'll be visiting, only Istanbul is a 2-day stop, all the others are one day each. Is that common? From the responses so far it seems like folks are able to fit lots of activities into each port and I can't imagine that I'll be able to do that with only one day each. Two of our days are considered 'at sea' as well. Just seems like it's going to be a rush to do everything desired. Thanks again, this is really a great site.

[agabbymama]

I think you will find the 1 day in port is the norm. The 2 days in port are the oddity. I'm doing the 12 day Grand Princess port intensive cruise in Oct '08 with only 1 "at sea" day by preference. I don't care for "at sea" days. I select my cruises for the itinerary and I want to see as much as I can in the 12-14 days I have for a vacation. This time I'm adding a day in Paris, then 3 nights pre-cruise in Rome and another 2 nights post-cruise in Venice with a last night in Paris before the flight home. So we will be gone from home for 18 days, and on the go every day but that 1 "at sea" day.

 

I come home to rest up from the vacation. ha ha ha

[texancruzer]

Most stops are 1 day. This is why we are always on this website planning everything down to the very last detail...... :D :D :D to fit in all the sightseeing we can !!!

[genni]

Zender - one thing to be aware of - all these places (many from land as well as by sea) will be crowded during the summer. I went in January to some of your stops...as mentioned, the usual time in port is one day, there may be decisions to be made - Naples itself or Herculanium or Pompey or Amalfi coast, depending on time in port. Rome - (port probably is Civitavecchia?) the city is at least an hour away - a can do by yourselves, just investigate on Cruisecritic and elsewhere to plan your day, or take a private or ship tour...Ephesus - I love ancient ruins, so what can I say? Loved it. Ours was the only ship in port (Izmir)...During the summer? Other ports serve to visit Ephesus...

If you choose, as is safe/easy at some ports to use local mass-transpotation to get to places, as mentioned, good to have a backup plan (perhaps the funds to get a taxi) back to the port in time.

2 days in Istanbul - never been there, but I'm sure you'll find what to do, remeber to also look into the 'Roll-call' for your cruise, others may be making the same decisions!

[Jade0308]

Here is what we did on the Med. cruise earlier this month on the ports we shared with your itinerary:

 

Rome- we booked with RomeinLimo, along with 6 others. Had a very productive day and recommend it if you want to see as much as possible. Some others did Rome on their own (by train) and reported it was exhausting but rewarding (and much cheaper)

Naples- again with 6 others, we used Sorrento Limo for a tour of the Amalfi Coast and Pompei (the itinerary was our choosing, Sorrento Limo goes elsewhere). We were all very pleased with the service AND the price of Sorrento Limo. I did not love Pompei as much as some, but the sites of the entire day were amazing.

We did not stop at Sicily or Santorini

In Izmir, we used the services of Levent Solmaz, who runs his own tour company. Admittedly, one of the people we met on cruisecritic was extremely organized and managed to gather 24 of us for a tour. This made the tour an incredible value, as the cost included admissions to Ephesus, the terrace houses at Ephesus (which you should not miss if you are at Ephesus), and the museum. We stopped at the Virgin Mary house, which was really surplus for us, but I'm sure enjoyed by some. Of our excellent private tours, I think Levent really blew us away the most, and I can't recommend him highly enough.

Istanbul - We took the cruise excursion. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we had not. If you have 2 days in Istanbul, that's wonderful- I wish we had.

Athens - We did on our own and are very glad we did so. It is a long walk from the port to the subway station, but after that, getting around is easy and admission to the sites is surprisingly low. For an average adult, walking around the historic sites is the optimal way to go, though budget in a little time for sitting.

Hope that helps!

[Moondawgie]

Naples - I second the vote for Sorrento Limo. I have taken the tour with Gennaro (the owner/driver) and it was a wonderful, memorable day. http://www.sorrentolimo.com

[ddoc]

as we have him booked in August for both Izmir and for Istanbul. We are looking forward to these tours very much.

[Jade0308]

as we have him booked in August for both Izmir and for Istanbul. We are looking forward to these tours very much.

 

Great. He was there when we walked off the ship, he had the timing down to a science, and he took any and all questions about Turkey and answered them thoughtfully. Our other guides on our other ports were great, but only Levent was able to take us around the sites themselves so that we did not need a separate guide, for example, at Ephesus, the museum, or anywhere. If I had it to do over again, I would have much preferred his services to the cruise excursion in Istanbul.

[jody]

Be sure to look on the cruise line's website to see the shore excrusions they offer, then check out Cruise Critic's Port of Call -Europe board and read the posts related to the ports you are visiting. You can then compare what people are doing to what the ship offers and decide what is best for you. I've been extremely happy with the private excursions that I have booked on my own in the past.

 

Also, be sure to check out all the Med cruise reviews (from any ships/cruise lines) as many stop in the same ports. The Med is more about the ports than the ships, so you can find a lot of useful info in most any Med review. It's always nice to hear first hand information to supplement the guidebook info. The Cruise Critic folks have always been very helpful, so make use of this website as much as you can.

 

jody

PS If you want to know about missing the ship in Europe (something I don't recommend) :-) I can provide my personal review about that adventure.

[NAS-KARR]

Read the FAQ: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN CRUISING EUROPE.

at the top of the Med. board, lots of info for you

[YoPhilly]

Yes, a one-day visit is enough to cause everyone angst. I try to pick just a few highlights to visit, then spend the rest of the time just experiencing. Remember to stop and smell the roses.

 

You're so lucky to have two days in Istanbul. It was one of my favorite ports.