Mediterranean Cruise - Anyone Been?

opinions4u

Just got back!

Tremendous (P&O, Oceana, Southampton, Gibralter, Cartagena, Civitavechia - Rome, Livorno - Florence / Pisa, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Cadiz - Seville).

I did trips to Rome and Florence in consecutive days that took it out of me a bit, but were great.

This was full board. Basic tea, coffee, water and breakfast fruit juice also included. Soft drinks around £1.60 each, alcohol typically around £2.50-£3.00 a go. Perhaps taking a bottle of squash or a few cans of coke / beer on board for your cabin can cut the bill a little bit and also some bottles of water for day trips - better than paying £1 to take a small bottle off the ship with you. The ship's tapwater is drinkable but appears to have a high chlorine level.

Service is excellent and you should set aside an amount for tips at the end of the cruise, typically £20 per person for the cabin steward and £20 per person for your dinner waiter. This is discretionary, but I think those guys (who apparently earn around £1.90 an hour) stand out compared to the Brits and the Spanish when it comes to service.

Payment for purchases on board (drinks, shops etc) are by account, to be settled up against a bank card at the end of the trip. You can get an itemised statement from reception any time. Probably a good idea to do this so that the final score doesn't come as a shock.

200 cigarettes were £35 on board or £13.50 in Gibralter but most on board purchases (with the exceptions of shampoo) were competitive against buying in port.

This cruise had 4 formal evenings (tux or suit / cocktail dress) but was smart casual for the other evenings.

I'd do it again!

gabyjane

Well ours was finally booked yesterday afternoon..all done in minutes as had held the cabin so just some name details etc and all done..now to wait for a year:(..very excited as it is a new ship to us (RC) so something different to look forward to.

Op you will love it..let us know how you get on x

doelani

gabyjane wrote: »

Well ours was finally booked yesterday afternoon..all done in minutes as had held the cabin so just some name details etc and all done..now to wait for a year:(..very excited as it is a new ship to us (RC) so something different to look forward to.

Op you will love it..let us know how you get on x

Gabyjane which ship you going on ? I have been on Voyager of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and going on Independence of the Seas next year

bee-ess

Have done 20+ cruise including the Med a few times.

Best place to cruise is Caribbean IMHO as the weather is very good mostly and you tend to dock very close to town which is great for casual shopping and drinking!!

The Med is culturally much better as there are major cities on most itineraries, although you have to take into account that alot of them are not near to the ports - Rome and Florence for example are both at least 1 hour away from the port. At most ports you may be berthed quite away from the town when you dock and you may need shuttles/taxis.

The other choice to take into account is whether to Fly or cruise from Southampton. There are pros and cons to both options - if you Fly it enables you get to the other side of Italy (Venice, Dubrovnik, Split, Corfu) etc in a standard 2 week cruise and you miss out the worst of the weather/sea conditions in the Atlantic as you will start in the Med. The Cons are basically all the hassles of the airport and luggage allowance that is dictated by the flight, whereas you can take as much luggage as you like from Southampton.

We have cruised the Med with both Celebrity and P&O and slightly prefer Celebrity although it is an American company, although P&O are very good and there is no reason to put you off of them.

I would say that if you are doing a Med Cruise you are typically going to be looking at major cities and you need to be aware that places like Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice etc are very tiring and they typically crop up one day after the other with no rest in between (Rome, Florence, Naples is a typical 3 day run), If are wanting a really relaxing cruise with less tiring sightseeing I would recommend the Caribbean as it is no more expensive than the Med.

As someone said earlier once you have a cruise holiday it spoils you for other holidays as the facilities and value for money are far better than a land based holiday.

Any more questions - please ask away.

ellay864

We've been toying with a cruise for our honeymoon next year...think you lot have just sold it to me:T

doelani

ellay864 wrote: »

We've been toying with a cruise for our honeymoon next year...think you lot have just sold it to me:T

Definetly , on 3 cruise's we have been to

Rome x 3
Naples x 2
Barcelona x2
Nice
MonteCarlo and Monocco
Athens
Kusadasi
Florence
Pisa
Cairo
and I am sure I have forgot some lol

What other holiday would you get it ?

gabyjane

doelani wrote: »

Gabyjane which ship you going on ? I have been on Voyager of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and going on Independence of the Seas next year

Hi we are going on the Independence of the Seas..can't wait!!:)

gabyjane

ellay864 wrote: »

We've been toying with a cruise for our honeymoon next year...think you lot have just sold it to me:T

Lol every time i hear the word cruise i try and sell them..they are fab!

doelani

gabyjane wrote: »

Hi we are going on the Independence of the Seas..can't wait!!:)

Me too , what date ? we are 14th March

gabyjane

doelani wrote: »

Me too , what date ? we are 14th March

Ah much later, the 3rd of Sept! Hope you have a fab time.if you remember let me know how you got on! Where are you going?