Tips to Enjoy a Beautiful Mediterranean Cruise

Posted by in Travel Planning on May 21st, 2018 | Comments Off on Tips to Enjoy a Beautiful Mediterranean Cruise

When you cruise the Mediterranean, it allows you to visit different countries and soak in different cultures in a short period of time.

The core season is April through October, though some ships still offer winter sun trips for visitors. Prices are super high in July and August when European schools are on vacation and cruises get extremely busy during this period. The major ports where cruises begin and end are Genoa, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, and Southampton though some lines give passengers room to join and leave at any other port on the route, thereby making Mediterranean cruises diverse and flexible.

Types of Mediterranean Cruise

Cruising in the Mediterranean offers many choices and the following are the main ones for travelers:

7-night Central Mediterranean cruises

These are usually circular routes calling on similar ports over the summer. The itinerary usually calls on different places in Southern France, Balearic Islands, Italy, Sicily, Malta or Tunisia. These routes enable passengers to join and leave at ports closest to their destination. Lines like MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises often offer these itineraries.

7-night Eastern Mediterranean cruises

These operate mostly to and from Venice and visit places in Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Turkey, and Crete, although some will follow the base of Italy and go to destinations in Sicily and Italy. A lot of cruise lines including Cunard, P&O Cruises, Princess and MSC Cruises offer this option.

7-night Greek islands and Turkey

These cruises sail out of ports like Athens and seek exploration in a number of Greek islands as well as different ports in Turkey. These are popular itineraries for some of the smaller lines such as Seabourn and Silversea.

12 to 14-night Mediterranean cruises from the United Kingdom or Northern Europe

These trips are often longer due to the fact that it takes a number of sea days to get into the Mediterranean and this usually includes stops in France, Portugal, and Gibraltar. Certain lines like Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Fred Olsen, Princess, and Celebrity offer this type of cruise.

14-night (or more) cruises from ports in the United States

At the beginning and end of the Mediterranean season, most cruise lines usually move their ships to places with warmer climates such as the Caribbean and South America. These lines combine the Atlantic crossing with time in the Mediterranean region – this means travelers coming from those regions have just one long-haul flight when cruising in this region.

Tips on Cruising the Mediterranean Region

These are my few major tips when you cruise the Mediterranean region:

  1. Carefully choose the right cruise line
  2. Choose the right size of ship
  3. Do not over schedule
  4. Carefully pick your excursion destinations
  5. Check the currency they use in the country you are going to

Best Places to visit

The following are the best ten ports we recommend you visit in the Mediterranean region:

  1. Barcelona
  2. Genoa
  3. Florence
  4. Monte Carlo
  5. Greek Islands
  6. Naples
  7. Tunis
  8. Rome
  9. Venice
  10. Malta

 

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