Mediterranean Cruise

she18 · February 2012

Hello All,
I am looking into booking a 7 day Mediterranean Cruise in September. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions in the way of price and the best way to enjoy the ship and stops? This is my first cruise so I am looking for any suggestions.

Also, does anyone know if Inside cabin room are all that bad? Everyone says they would rather have a window, but I figure we will hardly be in the room, is it just too cramped?

alithebride · February 2012

i've been on 5 cruises, one a 12 night medit. imo get the balcony room if you can. the inside rooms are fine, i find the window rooms to basically be just a tease as they dont open. you will spend time in the room in the AM (it's great to have breakfast room serviced and eat on the balcony before you head out for the day while you dress), at night while dh is showering/getting ready and jsut to relax. it doesnt mean youll spend more time in the room but it will make the time that you do spend in there far far far more enjoyable. i love to have a glass of wine at night or to sit out there for a bit of down time after a busy day.

as for how to enjoy the ship and ports-which ship and which ports?

MissOwl · February 2012

we're looking at a med cruise. i went on one 3 years ago and the inner cabin was awesome. i loved it. definitely glad i didn't spend more on the balcony although that would be nice if you can afford it. personally, i'd rather go on more cool excursions instead. many people advocate flying in a day before you cruise but i think you could also fly in overnight and arrive in the morning and go straight to pier. you'd be tired for sure but the first day on the ship is realy chill anyway. i've found great deals on expedia for ncl cruises in the med. i'm also working with a TA though and she has given me very similar pricing so i'll probably go with her so i have a human to help me if something goes wrong. hope this helps!

SuMmErKuTiE · February 2012

I've been on 3 cruises. The 1st one was an inside room and the other two were in balcony rooms and hands down I say go for the balcony room! It's worth every extra penny. The inside rooms are so small and dark, that it makes you not want to be in there for more than just sleeping and showering. In the balcony rooms, we enjoy relaxing in the morning and eating breakfast out on our balcony. It also makes getting ready time before dinner more enjoyable and we enjoy a glass of wine out on the balcony as a night cap. I also enjoy being able to watch as we pull up to or away from an island without all the crowds on the upperdecks.

A window room is not worth it in my opinion, as they are about the same size as a regular inside room and are located at the bottom of the ship. It's just a small porthole that doesn't open, so really all you're getting extra is natural sunlight. You're not getting extra room, a private outdoor area, and to top it off you're at the bottom of the ship whereas the balcony rooms are on the upper decks.

MrsGandthebeag · February 2012

We did a Med. cruise for our hm last July. We had a room with a balcony and it was so nice in the morning watching the ship pull into port from our room. I thought I'd be seasick, but not at all which was great. I would recommend getting a wine package. We didn't and barely drank on the ship since it was so expensive. We booked all our tours from home before we left. The tours were the best part. We didn't like the days at sea as we felt there was nothing to do for our age group except sun bathe and it was hard to get two seats together anywhere close to the pools.

saritak · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_mediterranean-cruise-6?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:4a13db03-a9ac-4f1d-a728-aaf2055dbdc0Post:59e8fffe-320f-4cdb-8f09-1b2baa9a1644">Re: Mediterranean Cruise</a>:
[QUOTE]A window room is not worth it in my opinion, as they are about the same size as a regular inside room and <strong>are located at the bottom of the ship. It's just a small porthole </strong>that doesn't open, so really all you're getting extra is natural sunlight. You're not getting extra room, a private outdoor area, and to top it off you're at the bottom of the ship whereas the balcony rooms are on the upper decks.
Posted by SuMmErKuTiE[/QUOTE]

<div>Not true for all ships. We had a window room on our Mediterranean cruise and we were on the 8th deck (middle of the ship). The window did not open, but it was a full-sized picture window, not just a porthole.</div><div>
</div><div>OP, as far as prices go, the best deal we found was directly through the cruise line. For a lot of them, if you sign up on their website, they will offer you a better fare when you are logged in. At most of the ports we stopped at, we just walked in to town on our own or bought a pass for the hop-on, hop-off tour buses. Not sure where you're stopping but, we did pay for excursions in Rome and Pompeii. We did this mostly because both of these places were an hour so bus ride in from the actual port and we didn't want to risk missing the boat (if you are on an excursion booked directly through the cruise the ship, they will wait for you; if you are exploring on your own and don't make it back in time, the boat will leave without you!). Also, there is so much to see in Rome, we felt that an excursion was the best way to maximize our time. Our Med. HM cruise was my first cruise and it was wonderful and I'm sure yours will be too!</div>

MerAndTrick · February 2012

OK... I've been on 50+ cruises, and 3 med cruises.

LOL... I guess that makes me an "expert". We are ALSO doing a med cruise, in September for the honeymoon, so I've done TONS of shopping around. Here's my two cents...

Cruiselines recommendations:

LOVE Royal Carribean and Celebrity. Royal is a little more "younger and fun" as the clientelle tends to be younger. It's also less expensive. Celebrity has much better food and service, is a little more expensive, and has a slightly older crowd. Especially in September when most families have kids back at school. For the med, I prefer Celebrity, but I've done both lines there and it's awesome.
DO NOT, under ANY circumstances book with Holland... unless you want to be surrounded by REALLY OLD PEOPLE ALL THE TIME

In terms of itinerary, here's the ones I recommend:

There is a 7 night, out of Bari, Italy on the Splendor that does a nice mixture of Italian, Turkish and ports in Greece. Sailing date of Sept 16th
If you want a "bigger" ship, then the Navigator has two good sailings (Sept 16th and 23rd) out of Civitavecchia (Rome) that ALSO does a nice mix of ports in Italy, Greece, and Turkey

Notice Turkey is up there on the list... if you are going to do a Med cruise... YOU MUST DO TURKEY. It's AWESOME!!!!!! I've been there twise, and our honeymoon we picked specifically because there is an overnight docking in Istanbul.

Suggestions on Price:

The general rule of thumb for Carib cruises is <$100 per person, per night inclusive of taxes, port fees, etc. However, for med this is higher. You should be able to book for <$150 per person though on a Royal Carib ship. Note on price... if you book now, most cruiselines will match better rates if they come along... you just need to call and ask. Also if you book >6months in advance, you can normally negotiate a "cabin credit" for your on board spending.
Remember to also budget app $40 per person per day onboard for spending on drinks, tips for your wait and housekeeping staff, etc
If you have a friend or family member who's a travel agent, I suggest booking through them as sometimes they get unpublished deals. If not, don't worry about it as an agent will charge a booking fee you might not recoup.

Cabins:

UNLESS you want to spring for a balcony or suite, there is, to me, no point to pay for a window. The Outside cabins are normally the same size as inside cabins. Also, inside cabins are DARK... so they are GREAT for sleeping in on your sea days ;-)
What DOES matter in a cabin is selecting which one you want... don't let the agent just pick one. Try and get a cabin on a high floor (closer to ammenities), away from stair wells (less noise at all hours), and NOT nea service areas (again noise)
Another Cabin trick is to try and book one of the handicapped rooms that ARE signifcantly bigger. Now if a genuine need comes along for someone who IS in fact handicapped, they will make you give it up... but you can always try and get it and hope you score it. :-)
NEVER pick a sailing based on the cabins... you're in it to sleep, change, and well... other things. Pick sailings based on itineraries and the ship.

Some other "tricks" for a long-time cruiser:

I recommend going the specialty restaurants on board... they are normally awesome!!
MAKE FRIENDS with your cabin steward... they will make your lifeso easy if you do, and will bring you treats like candies, chocolate covered strawberries, etc
Remember that the staff on board works really hard for not a lot of money, and what they do make they normally send all of it back home to support families they never see. Be nice to them, they will remember it and always give you excellent service.
Pick your one favorite bar in the ship, and go back there everytime you want a drink, the bartenders will get to know you and have your drink ready in a heartbeat.
Get late seating for dinner... otherwise, you'll have to get back on board sonner in order to get ready for dinner and miss time in ports.
Request a dinner table with lots of people (like an 8 or a 10)... you cna make great friends on the ship, and dinner is great having other people to talk to sharing stories of your day.
DON'T buy any pictures until the last day... yes you will wait in line, but you won't have spent money on an ok one when a great one gets taken later.

That's a lot I know... but you can always message me if you've got questions :-)

MerAndTrick · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_mediterranean-cruise-6?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:4a13db03-a9ac-4f1d-a728-aaf2055dbdc0Post:820123e0-7a5b-4bfd-b04f-76b69c3ef256">Re: Mediterranean Cruise</a>:
[QUOTE]That means that you select the minimum cabin you would be satisfied with, and you let the cruise line choose which cabin you get. You pay bottom dollar for a cabin that would be a lot more expensive if you selected it yourself.
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

<div>You can select the actual cabin you want within your purchased cabin class for no additional cost... Trust me, we do it all the time. And doing so doesn't prevent you from buying or recieving an upgrade at a later date.</div><div>
</div><div>Just saying...</div>

jamiegirlag04 · March 2012

We just booked ours. A 7 day Mediterranean on the EPIC with NCL. We paid extra for a balcony and I think it was worth it for the HM. We have both cruised before and we had interior rooms without windows, which was okay because you really don't spend much time in your room anyways, however for the honeymoon maybe you will be....he he....We got our cruise for a reasonable price, the thing that was killer was the airfare. We fortunately had miles to use and that helped us out tremendously.

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