We are looking at a Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon. One idea we are considering is staying in the country of departure/arrival for a few days in addition to the cruise. I am curious if anyone has any recommendations on which country to stay in based on our options. I am not sure which countries are better cost-wise or romance-wise.
We are interested in Italy, Greece, and Spain, but I don't think we would get all 3 on a cruise for the length of time we can travel. We were originally just going to go to Italy but we both liked the idea of doing a cruise for at least part of the trip and the idea that we could see more countries without a lot of travel time is very appealing.
I went to Europe on a cruise a few years ago and loved all 3 countries (I was in each country for a day) so I am excited about going back so I can spend more time and visit more cities and places in each country.
In looking at Norwegian cruises (which seem to have a nice variety/price of cruises in the area), it looks like we have 4 options.
Leave/arrive from Barcelona, Spain and cruise to France and Italy.
Leave/arrive from Venice, Italy and cruise to Croatia and Greece.
Leave from Rome, Italy and cruise to Italy and Spain and arrive in Spain.
Leave/Arrive from Rome and cruise to Italy and the Greek Islands.
While I'm sure we will be happy with any of these options, I was curious what cities are better cost-wise to stay before/after the cruise in or if anyone has any suggestions for making the most out of our time in Europe since we are planning to stay for a little extra time on land.