Italy on our own vs Cruise vs Tour set up by Trave Agent

FloandMark · February 2012

Need some advice: we know we want to do Italy for honeymoon, but not sure the best (ideally least stressful) way to do the honeymoon. We recently went to London and Paris on our own (no tour guide, travel agent) and had an amazing time. Wondering if anyone has done Italy on their own (I'm main,y concerned about renting a car, getting between cities - we would love to do Venice, Florence, Rome and Capri)?? I have been on lots of cruises with my girlfriends and always had a great time. Just concerned that we won't have as much "alone time" on a cruise if we are eating dinner in a group, group excursions, etc. Has anyone had a good experience on a honeymoon cruise? Same concern if we did all tours for the honeymoon. I imagine this would be the least stressful since everything is planned out, but we would also be with a group the majority of the time... Thanks in advance?

FloandMark · February 2012

Didn't mean to end with a ?

was supposed to be !

ItalyAsh · February 2012

I would recommend spending time in Rome, Florence, Capri and perhaps Venice rather than doing a cruise. I think you have a good point about not having time alone. I would have a travel agent set everything up regarding hotels, transportation etc but have most of your time to explore independently. A good agent will give you suggestions of things to do and see. You could do a 1/2 day tour in each place just to give you the lay of the land and then spend the rest of the time wandering through the streets of the cities and small towns. It really is a special place. Italians are lovely people, many speak English and are very helpful so you should not be intimidated by that. Let me know if you would like some more advice.

dalm0m · February 2012

Cruising is a no brainer vacation. You barely have to make any decisions during the trip. It can be just the ticket after the running around of WP.

However, if you are the truly adventurous types you may find this too boring b/c everything is done for you & you are pampered even in the worst cabins. You probably know this from your past cruises.

Pick a line that has anytime, mytime or freestyle dining -- one with the choice to have a table for two. You will then get all the alone time you want without the bother of sittting with strangers on your HM. If you do want additional company you can always ask ot be seated at a table to share.

Normally I also say a balcony cabin is no big deal & its not a necessity but for a HM & the need for alone time / space it will come in very handy.

Bon Voyage.

girlinchicago · February 2012

I'm not a fan of cruises and there's no way I'd want to see Italy in that short amount of time, so I'd go land-based planned and done on your own.

We are in the midst of planning a 16 night trip to Italy for this summer - 2 nights Venice, 3 Florence, 4 Montepulciano, 4 Positano, and 3 Rome. The most difficult part has been deciding which hotels I liked most.

We are flying into Venice and out of Rome, so I'd recommend looking into that to cut down on travel time.

As for getting between cities, train travel is really easy. If you flew into Venice, you'd take the train from there to Florence, then the train to Naples and take a ferry (I think? We are doing Positano, not Capri) to Capri, then take the train from Naples to Rome. Easy peasy, you wouldn't even need a car. We are renting one for the four days we'll be in Montepulciano so we can visit some of the other nearby cities in Tuscany and Umbria, but otherwise I'd avoid renting a car altogether.

MrsGandthebeag · February 2012

I think you need a lot of time like the pp mentioned to do all of those cities. If you're only planning on going for a week or 10 days I'd stick to a smaller radius like Rome, Naples, Florence. I absolutely love Venice, but it's a hike from the other places. Yes, the train is very easy and convenient but do you want to do that with your luggage and everything? We did a mediterranean cruise for our hm which was cool b/c we flew into Rome, then went to Sicily, Athens, Turkey, and Crete with the ship. I would never have done the other countries all in one trip (or maybe at all). But, the downside was the lack of privacy on the ship, as well as the days at sea that were boring. We did spend 4 nights in Rome afterwards which were fantastic. We did every tourist spot which took the full time we were there. If you want to see everything and relax more, take more time in fewer spots.

monkeysip · February 2012

I'm not a fan of cruises, so my answer will automatically always be no-cruises, but I think in the case of Europe, it's especially no.

You really need time in each city to experience it. Depending on the cruise, you would have 1-2 days at most in each city. This might be okay for places in mexico or the bahamas, but Italy needs to be savored. You need at least 3 days in places like Rome, Capri, or Florence.

You can use a travel agent for things like hotel, train tickets, and flights, but you really don't need them for much else. I would advise against most guided tours. A good guidebook and a spirit of adventure is all you need. Use the trains to travel between cities, and once you're in the city, you can travel by foot or in the case of Rome, subway. I stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of Florence and walked every day into the towncenter. When I was in Rome, it was so easy to navigate by foot or subway. The only time you might need a taxi is to/from the airports/train stations.

No matter what transportation you choose, you're going to want to pack light anyways. You DON'T want to rent a car. Driving through Italy can be a nightmare.

Have fun!

FloandMark · February 2012

Thank you ladies! I really appreciate the input.

alithebride · February 2012

i have done a 12 night med cruise (with 3 nights in rome first) in sept 2008 and 2 trips to italy since, one 19 night and one 7 night just last week.
both cruises and plan yourself have pluses and minuses.
also i plan our trips but then have our TA book everything. for the 19 night one it was especially nasty. 5 hotels, 6 flights, numerous transfers, rental cars, day long drivers. i planned, she did the dirty work of booking all and saved me a ton of time.

if those are the cities you want to visit that's great. start in venice and take trains to each. for capri you take a ferry from the mainland. dont bother renting a car imo. trains are much more efficient, cost effective, easier and parking in the cities (nevermind driving) is a disaster.

Elinetrouwt · February 2012

As a European, I don't think cruises and Europe go very well together. I think one of the best things about the mediterranean is hanging out in the cities at night, with a glass of wine on a pavement café...

If you already did Paris and London on your own, and you did enjoy it, you'll definetely have a good time planning your own trip in Italy. Get yourself a good travelling guide, I like the Rough Guides, but there are many good guides. Together with sites like tripadvisor, they can take you a long way in planning. If you take your time planning hotels, transport and major sightseeing trips in advance, you won't have a stressful time.

Renting a car can be easily done through an international company like Hertz or Budget, but Italians are mad drivers. I'd see if you can take a train in between cities, trains in Italy run surprisingly well, and maybe rent a car for just a part of the trip like driving through Tuscany.

I do hope you have enough time to visit all the places you mention. If not, I think it is more rewarding to visit fewer places but take your time there. I don't know when you're going, but Venice, beautiful as it is, can feel very crowded and tourist-trappy in July and August.

newenglandorr · February 2012

We just booked a very similar trip. At first, we were totally thinking cruise for the convenience of having everything done for us. But then, we thought, it's ITALY! Do we really want to be eating cruise ship food and wine and be limited to a day in each city?

SO, we found a fantastic travel agent who specializes in honeymoon travel. He put a trip together for us that starts in Venice (3 days), Florence (4 days), and then Rome (3 days). He booked our airfare, train tickets, and found 3 really unique hotels for us. There were also several upgrades/perks for having booked with them. And, his fee was only $100 built into the trip. The rest, we'll do on our own. We just bought the Rick Steves' walking tour book of Italy and will plan for there.

We're so excited b/c now we can do the day trips we want (Murano, Tuscany, etc) without being held to the schedule of a cruise. And if we love someplace, we can spend a few more hours there and cut back somewhere else. We're so excited!

hcampana · February 2012

Don't do a cruise. Seriously. Italy is too beautiful and you won't see enough of it if you are always rushing to get back to the boat. Plus cruises are nowhere near as romantic. Not to mention one of the top reasons to go to Italy is to eat. You don't want to be eating crapy boat food. That would really be a shame.

How many days are you spending? You have alot on your itinerary. If you are worried about driving you can easily get to Rome or Naples from Venice on the night train. Just make sure you book a sleeper cabin for you 2 only. Don't share one, because of safety. I recommend the Amalfi coast. It's AMAZING. I did a trip with Venice and the Amalfi coast last year and it was one of my best trips ever, and I've been to over half the countries in europe. You can do a day trip to Capri from Amalfi and maybe some other cities on the coast if you don't want to stay there. Ravello is the most beautiful. I also recommend Tuscany. You can stay somewhere in Tuscany and do a day trip to Florence.

jamiegirlag04 · March 2012

We decided to go on the Mediterranean Cruise and we are really looking forward to it. It met our needs as far as we were wanting to do. We are also spending 2 days extra in Rome. I think it depends on what you are looking to do and how much time you have. We are hoping to get a feel of some of the other places we visit and can go back and visit again at a later date. We liked the "stress" free atmosphere of the cruise. We also paid extra to upgrade our room, and we are going with NCL on the EPIC and they promote "freestyle" cruising/dining so we don't have to eat dinner with anyone if we don't want to.

I think whatever you decide will be great, have fun.

Italy on our own vs Cruise vs Tour set up by Trave Agent

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