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Mediterranean Cruise vs. staying in a hotel & traveling?
DH & I have our vacation time set aside for June. We have done several Caribbean cruises and all inclusive resorts, and want to do something different. This will be our last big trip before we start TTC.
We have tossed around several ideas, but can't decide. We need to make a decision soon, because June will be here before we know it!
We have talked about San Francisco/Napa Valley, but I keep going back to the Mediterranean Cruise after seeing some pics on FB of a friend from college.
I think the cruise would be great to see several different places....a few places in Italy, Greece, & Turkey. DH's argument is that if we are going to go, then we should spend time in one place to really be able to experience the culture.
Our experience with cruises has been so easy, that to me, being able to travel on the ship and not worry about the train, moving hotels, etc. seems easiest. Plus, this may be our only opportunity to visit Europe, so I feel like we might as well see as much as we can. I also feel like the cruise may be more economical.
Thoughts? Pros & Cons if you have done one or the other?? I am going to consult with a travel agent to get pricing as hotels, train tickets, etc.
Re: Mediterranean Cruise vs. staying in a hotel & traveling?
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I actually just got back from a two week Carnival Cruise around Europe. We left from Barcelona, and went to France, Italy and Croatia. Here's my take...
PROS
- Didn't have to worry about getting around in each country or choosing hotels to stay in.
- Planning was very easy, and we didn't have to do a lot of research. The shore excursions are already planned out for you and the local folks from the ship gave us the local / insiders tips.
- Relatively inexpensive way to see and do Europe and get a taste of a LOT of places in a relatively short amount of time. There's no way we could've done 4 countries in two weeks and seen everything we did in that amount of time.
CONS
- You only get to spend a limited amount of time in each port. For example, in Rome, we docked at 7am, and had to be back on the boat no later than 8pm.
- You spend a lot of time on the boat (this could be a pro or a con for someone, I suppose, but for me, I'd rather wander around a city than be stuck on a boat for a day where there's nothing to do but gamble and eat... lol)
So, in summary, I guess it depends what you and your DH want to get out of your vacation. The cruise was a very "no fuss" way to see Europe. Most everything is taken care of for you, but the downside is you don't really get to immerse yourself in the flavor of the place that you're at. You get just a little taste. I liked our cruise though - and would probably do it again in a place that I've never visited before, just because you can always go back to that place and spend more time there if you really liked it.
Depending on how much time you have, you could go either way. If you have a very long time, I'd say go country to country. If you're limited on time, cruising is a good option.
Have fun! PM me if you have any specific questions!
i've done both and honestly enjoyed them both for different reasons.
what's the itinerary of the cruise you're thinking of?
This!
I haven't done a Mediterranean cruise, but I recently took a two-week trip around Italy. The major problem I see with a cruise is that you aren't in the towns at night. Every city I went to felt so much more personal at night (probably because all the cruisers weren't there!). It really made me feel like I have no desire to ever do a Mediterranean cruise. Because I wouldn't want to spend any time on the boat! If I just want to hang out on the boat and be spoiled, why would I fly across the ocean? I'm going to go Europe to explore Europe!
That being said, DH and I have a lot of fun deciphering train schedules and maps and signs and all that stuff. Sure, it isn't as easy, but it's part of the adventure.
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ditto Brit & Bridget
DH and I did one that departed from civitavecchia (sp?) which is rome's port. we did that because we wanted to have many days in rome first-and it worked out great. 3 nights in rome and then 2 weeks around the med. there are many cruises that have overnights in cities-venice for example-we had an overnight there and it was great.
Any chance you could do a shorter cruise and arrive a couple days early/stay a couple days after? This might be a nice compromise. It'll give you a taste of a few cities but you can really get to know one (or two if dep/ar ports are different) spots better.
We did this with a 10 day med. cruise. We spent a couple extra days in Venice and got the advantage of seeing more than just the highlights. But we still had the perk you mentioned of low-stress travel by seeing the highlights of Olympia, Athens, Split, etc. through the cruise.
Totally depends on your vacation preference. Two weeks is a great vacation, by land or by sea. In my personal opinion, there's not a massive difference in terms of levels of cultural exchange b/w cruising and vacationing.
That said, you do get a chance to see more place and take things slower with overnights. However, I think cruising is more relaxing b/c you have to do less "work"-- the hotel is set, where you're going to eat is set, you don't have to mess around w/ public xportation (as much). Some people like knowing these things are set and that they'll have a quality experience for the $, others find the adventure of getting lost/hassled/frustrated charming or romantic. So just depends what you like.
I enjoyed taking a Med cruise Rome/GR/Turkey. But I've also enjoyed flying Rome to Greece and just staying and doing things our own pace. My personal opinion would be to do Italy on my own, but do Greece and Turkey by cruise. Because IME, Italy's pretty easy (there are exceptions, but generally speaking). Greece and Turkey were, for me, harder to navigate and/or had more drama, so I liked the in and out of cruise better than when I wandered around on my own trips when I've flown.