mediterranean cruisetours

[cruising to paradise]

We are thinking of doing the mediterranean in 2011 and are considering cruisetours. Are they worth it or is it better to do you homework and go a few days on your own? Thanks.:rolleyes:

[chipmaster]

We are thinking of doing the mediterranean in 2011 and are considering cruisetours. Are they worth it or is it better to do you homework and go a few days on your own? Thanks.:rolleyes:

 

I'm a total believer now in DIY/Private in Europe so my opinion is a bit skewed.

 

My take on cruise tours is the same as asking should you take a ship sponsored private tour or DIY / Private in port. Most the the princess ones we looked at ( Med ) just give you a few extra days in Rome/Florence/Venice and with very limited dates.

 

No question those are 3 cities that deserve much more then 10-12 hours that we get in the one day stop. I think you'll get more value scheduling a cruise that starts and ends in two different ports and adding one to two days at each end. If you plan far enough ahead getting good hotel rates and DIY is always going to be cheaper then thru the cruise line.

 

In all the major European cities you can still hire a private guide for likely cheaper and with more flexibility then you'll get on a cruisetour. I haven't been on a cruise tour but I suspect they are no different then any of the regular port ship sponsored ones where you get on a bus with 60 of your cruisemates and then go from attraction to attraction. Here a private guide at your own leisure will get you a better experience unless building friendship with your fellow shipmates is one of the higher objectives.

 

In the end if a turnkey with minimal pre planning is a priority there is no better way to bundle this togather and see much more of a few cities for a few more $$$$

[cruise4usnow]

Several of our CC friends, including us, did DIY tours either pre or post cruise. Some even chose to spend longer cruising with B2B cruises to see more of the Med. Both works, it just depends what you wish to see. We have spent extra time in Istanbul, Athens, Rome, and Barcelona as examples. Since overall cost was a factor for us and we enjoy researching what we plan to do, then for us it makes sense to DIY/private.

[agabbymama]

I haven't done a cruisetour in Europe, only Alaska & the Yukon. I have done bus tours in England, Scotland and Wales. I have done land trips on my own throughout Europe. And I did the Med cruise in Oct '08.

 

I love bus tours, as I think the driver knows what is important in the area, and how to get there. You don't miss much. Your time is limited of course because you are on their schedule. But tell me where to be, and when to be there, and I'll sit back and enjoy the scenery. You select the one that goes where you want to go and then let them be your guide. You usually have a guide plus the driver. You are living out of suitcases and usually a different hotel every night. Lots of folks don't like that.

 

On the Med cruise, we did 3 days pre-cruise in Rome and 2 days post-cruise in Venice, and 2 days in Paris before flying home, but we had to do the research ourselves. I had been before (a month on land) so thought I knew what to show my friend. But due to limited mobility (she couldn't walk far or climb stairs) we missed a lot. Our best days were either on a ship's tour, or when we hired taxi drivers. They were both expensive. The ships tours ran $65 to $99 pp, but the taxi in Naples (to go to Sorrento and Pompeii) was 100 EUR pp and in Athens (we shared with another couple from our roll call) was 55 EUR. SO it's expensive to go that route. And of course you only unpack once on the cruise.

 

Another point is the expense, we spent more on the land portion (7 days on land) than the 12 day cruise. Hotels, taxis, food is very high in Europe. I had one sit down lunch in Sorrento that was $40 for just spaghetti and a coke. Another time in Venice we looked at the menu of a pizza place and it looked reasonable. The pizza was 6 EUR, but the coke was also 6 EUR and the sit down fee of 5 EUR, so our lunch cost us 17 EUR or close to $25 pp. We didn't go to sit down restaurants after that. We would buy a sandwich or pizza and find someplace to sit and eat it.

 

It's really whatever your preference is. If you feel you can plan and actually get to everything you want to see or do, then independent gives you a lot more flexibility. But if you have any kind of mobility impairment at all, you could run into trouble, as we did.

 

Have fun planning and taking your trip, whatever you decide to do.

[Susan-M]

We are thinking of doing the mediterranean in 2011 and are considering cruisetours. Are they worth it or is it better to do you homework and go a few days on your own? Thanks.:rolleyes:

 

How do you normally travel ... on your own, or with group tours? Which city or area are you thinking of doing the pre-cruise stay in?

 

If you are independent travelers, enjoy exploring on your own and doing the advance research necessary to organize your pre and/or post cruise stay, then I would recommend doing it on your own. If you want to hire a local guide for some sites, that is easily done...you'll find lots of recommendations on this forum.

 

Doing it on your own usually involves much more walking than with a group tour...as mentioned in posts above, it's definitely something to consider when making a decision between the two types of touring.

 

It's good that you are thinking this far in advance as you'll have time to learn about what is involved in doing it on your own vs. being on an organized tour, as well as being able to compare costs. Good luck with your plans!:)

[cruisemom42]

The biggest issue I have with the cruisetours is the cost. They charge per person, whereas hotels generally charge per room. So you are, in most cases, paying twice as much for a room (and sometimes even more than that) than you'd pay by booking on your own.

 

If you pick a cruise that begins and ends in two different ports, it's worthwhile just to stay for a few days on your own after the cruise ends. That's an easy and relatively stress-free way to see a bit more. Rome, in particular, is worth several days, as is Barcelona or Athens (where it is easy to book day-tours to some other classical sites) or Istanbul.

[cruising to paradise]

Thanks to all for your opinions. We have only cruised in the Caribbean and we usually go for extra days pre or post cruise. We don't have any mobility issues. We sailed from San Juan one year and stayed extra days pre and post cruise. Did lots of exploring and drove to the rain forrest. So I think I will start doing some reserch to do it ourselves.