All Italy Itinerary

[judib99]

My mom and dad want to go an an itialian cruise with my husband and I finally - I've been working on her for years! The problem is she wants an all italian itinerary, preferably with a stop in Palermo where her grandmother was born. I can only find a few cruise lines that even stop in Palermo and it seems no one has an all (or even mostly) italian itinerary. Am I missing something? :confused:

 

Thanks!

Judi

[BurBunny]

Unfortunately, Palermo isn't favored by the cruise lines, for a lot of reasons. If they stop in Sicily, it's Messina/Taormina. Azamara does have 14-Nt Best of Italy itineraries, which do stop in Taormina, but there's no practical way to get to Palermo.

 

Perhaps suggest visiting Palermo pre- or post-cruise?

[dritan]

There is also the Legend of the Seas which does a 12 day cruise of Italy ( although there is a one day stop in Croatia). It stops at Portofino, Livorno, Messina, Venice, Dubrovnik, Naples and Rome.

[cruisemom42]

There aren't many cruises that are ALL Italy, because most cruisers want to experience several different countries. However, if you look, you can find cruises that are MOSTLY Italy. A stop to see a Greek isle or the south of France wouldn't be so bad, would it?

 

After all, once upon a time almost all of the Mediterranean belonged to the Roman empire...;)

[English_in_Spain]

Unless the ship is Italian registered it has to call at at least one port outside Italy due to international cabotage laws.

[nparmelee]

We did the Venice to Rome cruise on Oceania in May, we did hit a few out of Italy days, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu and Monaco, but all the other days (and we had a port every day of our 12 night cruise) was in Italy. If you add some pre- and post- cruise time in different Italian cities then the other countries are a nice change. Is there some reason your Mom is set on an all Italy cruise? Good luck in your searching!

[CintiPam]

I agree with nparmelee that Oceania has many primarily Italian itineraries, including our Athens to Rome cruise last month.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think Azamara has an Italy-only trip, not sure if it includes Palermo.

[GSPLover]

I think Azamara has an Italy-only trip, not sure if it includes Palermo.

 

I'd go Azamara Quest or Royal Caribbean (Legend of the Seas) for this; unless you want to move up a notch or two in prices. My sig line has a link to the 12 NT Italy/Croatia RCI cruise review. Loved it and would do it again.

[General Max]

My mom and dad want to go an an itialian cruise with my husband and I finally - I've been working on her for years! The problem is she wants an all italian itinerary, preferably with a stop in Palermo where her grandmother was born. I can only find a few cruise lines that even stop in Palermo and it seems no one has an all (or even mostly) italian itinerary. Am I missing something? :confused:

 

Thanks!

Judi

 

Stay away from the European cruise lines. They do not cater to English speaking guests. One of our couple friends was on Costa and there was only One American couple and 2 Canadian couples with them.

[Hlitner]

When I read a post such as the OP's, my inclination is to NOT recommend a cruise. We have taken many Med cruises (several dozen) and been to nearly every Italian port, and while we still think cruising is a great way to travel it is not an ideal way to really see Italy. I should add that one reason not many cruise ships go to Palermo is that it is not a particular popular city :).

 

You might want to explore various Italian land tours that go to Sicily. If you really want to take a cruise you could couple a land tour with a cruise out of Civitavecchia (there are many cruises that begin and end at this port). If you are a bit more adventurous (that is my style) then you could simply fly (or take the ferry) down to Sicily, rent a car, and explore then island.

 

Hank

[TMLAalum]

It always throws me for a loop when I check a thread only to find it's been resurrected from long, long ago. The OP has probably taken numerous cruises since she first posted FOUR & A HALF years ago.

[CathyCruises]

It always throws me for a loop when I check a thread only to find it's been resurrected from long, long ago. The OP has probably taken numerous cruises since she first posted FOUR & A HALF years ago.

 

My thoughts exactly!! That's why I'd like to see Cruise Critic notate the original posting date on the main page.

[General Max]

My response to stay away from European Cruise Lines also applies to current timeframe.

[Hlitner]

Stay away from the European cruise lines. They do not cater to English speaking guests. One of our couple friends was on Costa and there was only One American couple and 2 Canadian couples with them.

 

Guess your post makes me curious. It sounds like you have never personally taken a cruise on a European-oriented cruise line but are simply making a judgment based on heresy from a single source. We could certainly cite many more then 1 source (including our own experience) in saying that there are times when a European-oriented cruise line can be a lot of fun. And certain itineraries are sometimes only available from specific lines.

 

We ourselves once spent a week on a 20 person vessel with 10 Germans (half of whom spoke no English), 8 Dutch, 2 Americans (us) and a 7 person Greek crew of which only 2 spoke English. And it was truly fantastic. So one never knows :).

 

Hank

[buggins0402]

We have cruised MSC in Europe. English speakers were in the minority, but at least on the ship we felt like a bit more like we were in Europe. And, had one of our best cabin stewards ever (he spoke English, as did our waiter).

 

Food was Italian, great pastas and seafood. Overall, a nice experience.

[General Max]

We have cruised MSC in Europe. English speakers were in the minority, but at least on the ship we felt like a bit more like we were in Europe. And, had one of our best cabin stewards ever (he spoke English, as did our waiter).

 

Food was Italian, great pastas and seafood. Overall, a nice experience.

 

It seems to be kind of hit or miss.

[Hlitner]

It seems to be kind of hit or miss.

 

So is baseball! But a lot of people still go to ball parks.

 

Hank

[buggins0402]

So is baseball! But a lot of people still go to ball parks.

 

Hank

 

Good comeback Hank - thanks.

[agabbymama]

Well Hank, that was certainly an "immersion" cruise of sorts. I've only been on one out of Puerto Rico, and I would never do another. Not even in Europe.

 

Everything was in Spanish first, then as an after-thought, English. Music and food was Spanish. Our table mates only spoke Spanish and each family only stayed one night before moving elsewhere, until we ended up just the two of us at an 8 top.

 

While we enjoyed the ship (small "Empress of the Seas"), the cruise wasn't the greatest.

 

Then I flew once from Puerto Vallarta Mexico back to Los Angeles on Mexicana Airlines, where the first language again was Spanish. I prayed all the way home that no emergency arose because we wouldn't know what the heck they were saying. And announcements were sometimes not even made in English.

[General Max]

Well Hank, that was certainly an "immersion" cruise of sorts. I've only been on one out of Puerto Rico, and I would never do another. Not even in Europe.

 

Everything was in Spanish first, then as an after-thought, English. Music and food was Spanish. Our table mates only spoke Spanish and each family only stayed one night before moving elsewhere, until we ended up just the two of us at an 8 top.

 

While we enjoyed the ship (small "Empress of the Seas"), the cruise wasn't the greatest.

 

Then I flew once from Puerto Vallarta Mexico back to Los Angeles on Mexicana Airlines, where the first language again was Spanish. I prayed all the way home that no emergency arose because we wouldn't know what the heck they were saying. And announcements were sometimes not even made in English.

 

Thanks, Eleanor. This is exactly what I mean by "Hit or Miss". You spelled out some of the annoying situations that developed. I will continue going to American baseball parks only.

Edited January 29, 2014 by General Max