MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE CONSIDERATIONS
We want to visit Europe and think a cruise may be the "easiest" way to do it?
You might be right! Cruising is a great way to visit a lot of places that you may not have prioritized otherwise.
Who It's For:
Someone who wants to unpack a limited number of times. You aren't looking to relocate hotels with taxis / trains / airplanes every few days & would prefer to have a space that's all your own for a longer amount of time while still seeing a variety of locations.
Someone who enjoys their amenities like a state of the art gym. Many boutique hotels in Europe do not offer these amenities, and on many cruises we can priortizie access to a gym and even kids clubs.
Someone looking for entertainment at their fingertips. Without thinking, you'll be handed a schedule of events that are easy to get to (on the ship) and typically comfortable (in English with great air conditioning).
Someone who enjoys having their cost up front. Cruises can have inclusions of food (buffet or higher end), drinks (soda, tea, alcohol) and so much more. Check out what your "all in" cost would be.
Who It's Not For:
The person who likes to wander around and take their time. They do NOT want to have a schedule, and they prefer to be able to do things on "their own time". They love early morning walks or late night strolls after dinner.
Immersion experiences where you want to be "in destination" with the local culture. You are looking to get away from your American amenities and familiarities - to truly be one with the location you're in
Someone who prefers quiet & seculsion. Being on a ship, you are by nature surrounded by people. You can always escape to your room - but you'll find people just about everywhere.
Someone who MUST be connected at all times. While WiFi and phone service has gotten more widely used on ships, typically it comes at a price.
Itinerary & Ports
For the Mediterranean, most of my clients are coming from the USA. This means we need to get in at least a day or two early. And always have the option to stay a day or two after. We can really "slow down" and enjoy the ports at the front & back end of our itinerary- as we are getting on & off the ship anyways
While in port, you can DOCK or TENDER. Dock means you walk straight off the ship. Tender means you are put onto a smaller boat and taken to the port. This can add time onto the front and back end of each port - and add some frustration.
Timing in each port is crucial. You'll know how many hours you are in a specific city. This can mean even more in Europe; as some cities are quite far from the port. Take Rome for example - it's about a 90 min ride each way to get into the city. If you arrive at 8am, you won't be in Rome until close to 10am. And check what time you leave. The ship WILL leave without you.
Who's Going with You
If we are bringing Kids; we'll probably be looking at Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. or Disney Cruise Line. These are set up for the family with kids club, activities for kiddos - and for the adults too.
If we are adults or a group of friends who want to avoid kids and do a cruise with one another; we'd look more at Virgin Voyages or Amawaterways
If we are wanting an intimate experience and to invest a bit more to have a bigger cabin, smaller crowds and overall higher end experience Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Azamara & Seabourn Cruise Line come to mind.
Planning Your Cruise
So you got to this point, you're ready to book?
Fill out my INQUIRY FORM HERE and we can match YOU with your perfect cruise line and itinerary.
I've done multiple cruises on multiple brands - including Europe. My goal is to make sure YOUR experience matches what you want to experience.
Hopefully you found this helpful!