Thread: med cruise 2009

I want to take a med cruise next year and am having a hard time deciding on which cruise to pick. Which ports are the best. Venice, Rome and places in italy are high on my list but some cruises that go to these ports also go to greece and turkey and others go to barcelona and france. Looking to go for 10-14 days and since this will prob be a once and a lifetime trip I want to make sure I am picking the best internary. I have cruised on ncl, celebrity and royal car. Liked celebrity and royal hated ncl. Princess and holland am have some really appealling cruises. How are these lines? Thanks so much.

Melissa I do hope more experienced cruisers offer specific suggestions about lines and routes. We've booked our first Mediterranean cruise for Jan. '09, but we've vsitied for a week or so each, the places you've suggested.

Rome and Venice merit some in depth exploration. Should you choose a cruise departing from Rome, plan to arrive a few days early to reallly explore the city.

Of the Greek Islands, Rhodes was my favourite, but a cruise would offer you an opportunity to savour several islands and plan longer stays in the future. Santorini is lovely and seems to be a favourite among cruisers. A full day in port would be ample time to do a bit of basic exploring.

To my very western eyes Istanbul is a magical place meriting at least a couple of days of exploration. And Athans requires a minimum of three days to soak in a bit of history.

If that '75 by your name reflects your year of birth, I'd say venture forth on land and really experience the cultures and peoples of Europe. If you're a fellow senior, dabble the easy way. Cruise tours offer a safe English speaking bubble from which to view ports around the world.

Maybe my comments will raise a few hackles and you'll get lots of advice.

Melissa,

I have cruised in the med on HAL's Oosterdam from Rome to Lisbon. I haven't been to Greece or Turkey yet-but it's on my list.
I would recommend that you do some research on the different ports and each itinerary and see if one or the other piques your interest more.
If you really enjoy antiquities, I would head to the east, not that you won't find some very ancient and interesting spots going west. I don't know your background or where you have traveled, but I would venture to say that the Greece and Turkey will be a bit more exotic than the W. Med itineraries.
Somebody else recommended that you go early to explore the embarkation port. I highly recommend that along with staying a few days at the end of the trip and if you have the time and budget, I would recommend a land tour as well.

Both Princess and HAL are lines that I would recommend, but you need to make the final decision. I wouldn't hesitate sailing with either line or on either itinerary.
If you need any info on the Western ports of call, don't hesitate to ask. I really don't think that you can go wrong.

Good luck.

Ma Cruise

I agree with ma cruise!

The most important thing about a Med cruise is to do your homework ahead of time. Only you can decide which ports you want to visit and which ones you don't. That's the mandatory first step before you do anything else.

Once you have an idea of an itinerary, then you can begin to look at what each of the cruise lines have to offer. I also agree that you'll want to stick with Holland & Celebrity, with RCCL and Princess right behind them.

But, with that said, and I know what you said about NCL, they are one of the very few lines that actually spend the night in Alexandria. This gives you an opportunity to really see Cairo and all it has to offer. Other lines only spend a day in Alexandria and with a 3-hour one-way trip to Cairo, you don't get much time to sightsee. So, if this is something high on your list of options, you might want to consider it. I've had several clients on this itinerary and they have absolutely loved it! It also offers time in the Greek Isles, so it really is a wonderful itinerary.

Bottom line, look at all the itineraries and see if something strikes your fancy - there is something for everyone and no matter what you choose, you'll have a wonderful time! I would also recommend going in late Sept or in Oct. Weather is not as hot, prices are better, and no kids on the ships.

Pete

Milissa:

We did a a 12 day RCCL cruise for our 50th wedding anniversary. Left and returned to Barcelona. Stopped at Monte Carlo, Florence and Pisa, Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik, Coru and Rome. All the ports of call where outstanding. Also did a cruise from Instanbul to Athens. Great! I would take a look at doing two seperate cruises so you get a good look at both the eastern and western Med.

Dick

Lots of itineraries out there but some of the "best" once are:

Celebrity Summit; from Venice (overnight) to Croatia, Athens, Santorini, Naples, Rome, Florence, French Riviera and Barcelona.
This is a 12 days cruise.

From September the Summit does the same cruise but it is a 14 days cruise with overnight in Kusadasi, Turkey and Rome!!

I belive this is as close to seeing everything as you are going to come.
In my opinion this is one of the most complete cruises there is in the Mediterranean!!!!!!!

If you can strech your vacation time to 24 days B2B Royal Caribbean - Brilliance of the seas - does a 12 days cruise from Barcelona to the French Riviera, Italy with overnight in Venice, Coatia and Malta.
Then; from Barcelona to the Eastern Mediterranean with Egypt and Greece.

The prices for each cruise is not alot. This year you can pick up thise cruises from $400-500 pp for each cruise.

The Celebrity Solstice and Equinox does cruises from Rome to Turkey and the Greek Islands with Egypt and Israel.

You can ofcourse start your cruise in Italy -Rome or Venice - and do a land tour of Italy before heading out cruising.

The prices are going down so you will be able to pick up a cruise at a good rate, especially if you can cruise before June and after September-October.

also possibly look at the italian lines such as costa and M.S.C. they do know their own back yards quite well