I got a message from a friend of mine, Winnie,
saying she was looking for a Mediterranean cruise for a week in July, on a mid-sized
ship, in a balcony cabin. Could I help. In that one simple request I realised
she was about to fall headlong into five traps that many cruise
passengers make in the Mediterranean. Here’s what they are and what I told
Winnie. I am Gary Bembridge. Welcome Aboard. The first mistake she made was thinking that there is such a thing as
a “Mediterranean cruise”. There’s many. I told Winnie she first needs to ask herself why
she is going and what she wants to see and do, to avoid going on the wrong itinerary. There are three main Mediterranean itineraries. The one that I recommend for first timers
like Winnie, is the Western Mediterranean. These tend to call on Spain,
France, and Italy. They depart usually from Barcelona, Civitavecchia near Rome,
and Genoa, and call on ports like Marseilles, the French Riviera (San Tropez, Monte Carlo,
or Cannes), Livorno for Florence and Nice, La Spezia for Cinque Terre, and some go
down to Naples to visit Pompeii or Capri. Some include historical
islands with grand architecture like Valletta in Malta and Palma de Mallorca. It is perfect for first timers like Winnie
as she will see many of the most famous Mediterranean cities and
sites to in just one trip. The itinerary and excursions focus
heavily on exploring local culture, historical sites, museums,
architecture, culinary and wineries. I suggested to Winnie that if she
enjoyed the Western Mediterranean cruise, her next should be an Eastern Mediterranean
one. This is probably my personal favourite. Departing mostly from ports around Venice
and Piraeus near Athens, these visit Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and sometimes Turkey. The most popular ports include
Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu, and Greek Islands like Katakolon,
Santorini, and Mykonos. While the itinerary and excursions also
focus on culture, historical sites, museums, architecture, they
tend to be more active. If she wanted to return to the Mediterranean after
that, I recommended a Greek islands itinerary, especially if she wanted more of a beach
mixed with ancient sites experience. Mostly sailing out of Piraeus
near Athens, the islands visited vary based on the size of ship with
smaller ships calling on more out of the way ones as well as the large and best-known
ones like Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonos. While those three Mediterranean cruise
options tend to be 7-nights long, and meet her request for week-long cruise, there
is a trap in here there I wanted her to consider. First, whatever week-long itinerary she books will include one or two must-see cities
she thinks she will see – but won’t. For example, I showed her the 7-night Western
Mediterranean cruise I was about to go on. The advertised itinerary prominently includes Barcelona and Rome as two ports. But
they are where I embark and disembark. If I hadn’t booked a pre-stay in Barcelona and a
post-stay in Rome, I would see nothing of those cities – other than from the bus or taxi window
while transferring between airport and ship. To see the cities where
Winnie embarks or disembarks, I encouraged her to add stays there
or she will not see anything of them. Second, a week-long Mediterranean cruise can be tiring. Few have sea days for
her relax as they call into ports daily. She’ll be out exploring most of the
days and enjoying the dining and entertainment into the evenings. She’ll be flying in, so likely tired and jet-lagged, another good
reason for having pre-stay and post-stays. And thirdly, this is all magnified as quite
a few Mediterranean ports are far from the advertised city or sights, which means
many excursions will be 8 to 10 hours long. Look at my Azamara cruise as an example.
The itinerary is advertised as Provence (Marseilles), Florence / Pisa
(Livorno) and Rome (Civitavecchia). On Eastern Mediterranean ones you will
see Venice (Ravenna or Trieste), Olympia (Katakolon) and Piraeus (Athens). The time to get to places advertised like
this on the itinerary can take a long time. Rome can take up to two hours each way
based on traffic from Civitavecchia, Florence one and a half to two
hours each way from Livorno, Venice (which most ships cannot sail into anymore)
use Ravenna or Trieste which are two hours away. Even places like Olympia from Katakolon, Cinque Terre from La Spezia can
take up to hour or more each way. So, with Winnie understanding the
issues around week-long trips, I wanted to tackle her plan to cruise in July. The Mediterranean cruising season runs from April to October, although a handful
of ships will sail year-round. I warned Winnie that going in July /
August time is a mistake for 5 reasons. First, it gets hot and sticky. Second, it’s peak season and busy with
both cruise and land-based travellers. Some Mediterranean countries, including France,
Spain, and Italy, close factories, and businesses in those months and all go on vacation. It's hard
to get into places, there's crowds everywhere. Third, it is THE most expensive
of time of the year to go. Fourth as it's school holidays, families will be cruising, even on
lines that usually do not have kids. I told Winnie this is important as many
ships will be sailing way over capacity. When ships declare occupancy, it is
based on what is called “lower berths”, which means two people per cabin and does not
count sofa beds, pull down beds and so on. For example, when I was on MSC Cruises Meraviglia
they told me their official capacity was 4,500 but in July and August they
often have 6,000 passengers when kids share cabins with their parents. While other ships may not be as
dramatic as that, but all will be at higher capacity when families are on board. Fifth, I warned her, this is the
prime scam and pickpocket season due to the peak and jostling crowds. Each time I have been in Venice, Barcelona,
and Rome in July / August, people off the ship have had wallets stolen, bags snatched,
and backpacks opened, and items taken. I suggested instead Winnie
looks at the shoulder season, June and September are especially great
months. Though May and October work too. Everything's open, it’s great but not stifling weather and since
Winnie doesn’t have to go in school holiday time and is going with a friend of hers, they’ll
have a less costly and less crowded trip. Winnie had said she wanted
to go on a mid-sized ship, but I worried she was falling
into another trap here too. So, I suggested she step back as there are a
few considerations before settling on ship size. There is enormous choice in
the Mediterranean. So first, I suggested we cut the number of lines
she should consider based on her budget. Pretty much every cruise line ranging from
the most inexpensive (like MSC, Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean) through to THE most
expensive cruise lines in the world (like Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea) cruise here – and
basically offer the same itineraries and ports. For example, Winnie could book a 7-night
Western Mediterranean cruise next June for 2 on MSC Seaview in their cheapest balcony cabin
for $1,750 (that’s $125 per person per night). Or she could book a very similar
7-night Regent Seven Seas Voyager cruise in their cheapest balcony, where one night would
cost the same as that entire MSC 7-night cruise. That’s a staggering $12,600 for two people
for a week (or $900 per person per night). And then I asked Winnie to step back and think
about what she wants those remaining lines to add to her trip. As the ports and places
they will take her are largely the same. Does she want a deep immersion into
Mediterranean history and culture? Then maybe Viking with multiple daily lectures by
their on-board resident Historian may be best. Does she want lots of late-night partying, big
glitzy theatre shows, and relaxed dress code? Then maybe MSC, Norwegian Cruise Lines,
Carnival or Royal Caribbean would be best. Does she want a more familiar British experience with dressy formal nights and live orchestra
ballroom dancing? Then perhaps Cunard is the one. To avoid the trap of going on the wrong cruise
line and getting the most from her budget, Winnie agreed to draw up a list what she
really wanted from the ship and line. Ship size is of course a valid consideration. But Winnie said me she though a mid-sized ship
because she heard they would be less busy and have fewer lines, but more because she’d
heard they go to more interesting ports. In the Mediterranean, the size of the ship is less critical in terms of what ports
they call on than some other regions. While usually smaller ships can
go to more out of the way ports, that only really applies in the Greek Islands
than in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. On these most of the cruise ports tend
to be used by all, big and small. So, I suggested she focus on the experience
she wanted rather than the ship size alone. The next trap Winnie almost fell into, but I
think she got it right in some ways by chance, was she was looking at a balcony cabin. Winnie said she had seen online
people recommending a balcony cabin because of the scenery to see
while sailing in the Mediterranean. I don't think that is true. First, you're going
to be sailing at night and then way out at sea, and the only time you will be close
enough to view scenery is at sail in and sail out. Both of which you
may want to be out on deck for. I told her to choose a balcony
over and Inside or Oceanview cabin only if she rated the upside and
experience worth the extra costs. I always chose a balcony when cruising,
in the Mediterranean or pretty much anywhere as I like being able
to step out into the fresh air, sit there in the evenings when sailing and
for the floor-to-wall windows and light. I pointed out that on her cruise she
will likely have no or few sea days, so is not going use the balcony on a sea day to
relax, and as many of the Mediterranean ports, particularly in the Western Mediterranean, are
working ports and not the most attractive ports, the views sitting out on port
days may not be that exciting. Talking to Winnie, she like me, decided
she wouldn’t be getting it for the views, but because she felt an Inside and
Oceanview may feel too claustrophobic. Thinking about the cabin experience that
you will enjoy in the Mediterranean avoids the trap of falling into booking something for
views that may not be there or choosing a cabin that reduces your enjoyment. A cheaper cabin
may not be good value if you find it stifling. If you found these Mediterranean cruise
tips interesting, why not watch this video where I look at the traps that most
people fall into on Caribbean cruises. Starting with the one I did on my first
Caribbean trip. See you over there.
