Thread: Planning a Mediterranean Cruise. Help !

MY DW sprang on me that she would like to take a cruise to/through the Mediterranean in 2007.
I am drawing a blank as to how to research the cruise lines and the iteneraries and even such routine questions as what is a can't miss stop as opposed to one that you can pass up.
I am new to this board and would appreciate any advice as to how to research this.
Thanks and regards,

Ben

Have a look at TexasHorseLadies Med trip report......it's fantastic with great pictures.

By the way, Welcome........heres the link

http://www.cruiselineforums.com/foru...nean-trip.html

Originally Posted by Tide Pride

MY DW sprang on me that she would like to take a cruise to/through the Mediterranean in 2007.
I am drawing a blank as to how to research the cruise lines and the iteneraries and even such routine questions as what is a can't miss stop as opposed to one that you can pass up.
I am new to this board and would appreciate any advice as to how to research this.
Thanks and regards,

Ben

I agree...read trip reports. Figure out if you have a preference for a cruiseline....what itinerary suits your interests...etc.

Check out the cruiseline websites for itinerary information...and ask as many questions as you would like....

Hi Ben,

There are basically two types of Mediterranean Cruises...Western and Eastern.

Western Med. cruises incompass calls in some of these places:
Italy. possibly just the west coast on a Western Med cruise. Calls may include Livorno for shore visits to Florence and Pisa, Civitavecchia for a visit to Rome, and possibly calls to Naples, Sicily, Sardinia among others.
Some cruise may circumnavigate Italy to include both coasts, possibly starting or ending in Venice. Also Genoa, Italy's greatest maritime city, is a great place to begin/end a cruise. Convenient for flights into/from Milan.

Western Med. cruises may also call along the French Riviera at such places and Cannes and Nice. Also Monaco. I once called at Cannes on a cruise during the Cannes Film Festival, which was pretty exciting.
Many Med cruises call at or begin/end in Marseille, France.

The Costa del Sol in Spain is great for Western Med cruises. Barcelona and Malaga are wonderful cities.

Some cruises may stop in Palma de Mallorca, a beautiful Spanish island.

Gibraltar, we can't forget that unforgettable British outpost.
Some cruises also stop in Morocco, Algeria, and Libya on a Western Med cruise.

If you are cruising out of Southampton England then you may stop on the way to or from the Med in Vigo Spain, Bilbao Spain, and Lisbon Portugal, all great places.

An Eastern Med cruise may include the east coast of Italy, the former Yugoslav Republic, Croatia, Greece of course, Turkey, and Alexandria Egypt. Calls at Alexandria are usually overnight for excursions to Cairo and the pyramids.

This is just all off the top of my head, and I hope it's a start for you.
Of course, some cruise will include some western and eastern Med. stops. Cunard will cruise from Southampton to Turkey and back for an epic Med. cruise with many calls along the way.
Don't hesitate to keep asking questions...

Wow ! Ask and you shall receive. Thanks to all for replying and I have my research work cut out for me.
I will be back with questions.
What a nice board !!

Regards,
Ben