00;00;00;01 - 00;00;20;09
Unknown Sailing into the dazzling blue waters of the
Mediterranean Sea on my first ever Mediterranean cruise was such a memorable bucket list experience. My name is Antoinette and on my channel I
help you plan well, have fun and travel the world. In today's video, I'm sharing with you what
you need to know before a mediterranean cruise. based on my experience as a first timer. 00;00;20;14 - 00;00;40;25
Unknown I had a lot of questions about the weather. So let me answer a few of them right up front. Mediterranean cruises are typically from late
April all the way through October, the warmest months of the year in Europe. The temperature can reach 80, 90, even 100
degrees Fahrenheit. So expect it to be hot. Okay. We'll talk about what to wear later in the
video. 00;00;40;25 - 00;01;00;25
Unknown But another question that I had was, is it
cold at night on a mediterranean cruise? And the answer to that is yes. It is cold! As hot as it may be during the day, at night
it can be much cooler reaching 50 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So bring a light jacket for evening activities. Is the Mediterranean Sea rough for cruising? Is the Mediterranean cruise is pretty calm? 00;01;00;26 - 00;01;19;12
Unknown And what I found is that generally, sailing
on the Mediterranean is pretty calm, But with a temperature change and possibly strong winds
at night, you may experience a night or two of choppy seas. That's what happened to us on our last night. We were on a large cruise ship, so we didn't
feel the chop. But looking out on our balcony, we saw the
chop and going to the spa 00;01;19;12 - 00;01;49;09
Unknown we heard the chop. Overall, it wasn't really anything to be concerned
about. But if you're sailing on a smaller vessel,
definitely bring some Dramamine or drink some ginger ale or whatever it is you need to do,
wear a patch to avoid getting seasick. Now, let’s talk about planning. Arrive 1 to 3 days before your cruise to avoid
stress in case of any transportation or flight issues like baggage delays or transportation
strike and leave 1 to 2 days after the cruise for the exact same reasons. Mediterranean Cruises are during peak travel
season. 00;01;49;10 - 00;02;08;22
Unknown Just for reference, I planned our Mediterranean
cruise for May, but we actually booked our hotel in November. And guess what? My Hun and I got the last room in the hotel,
literally. Our cruise was based in Barcelona, Spain,
so we booked our hotel and our activities as early as possible. We did a cooking tour to make Paella, We did
a bike tour. 00;02;08;22 - 00;02;31;06
Unknown We went to La Sagrada Familia, just like you
saw in my “We waited three years to get to Barcelona” vlog. And because it's peak season, yes, it will
be crowded, but a little less so if you book during the best time of the year to visit
the Mediterranean Sea, which is the shoulder season from either April to May or from September
to October. There are multiple itineraries to choose from,
ranging from two nights to two weeks. 00;02;31;14 - 00;02;47;03
Unknown You can visit two countries or seven, one
city or ten. Choose the ports that you're most interested
in seeing and the length of time you would like to stay in each city. Book eight months to a year in advance for
the best deals if possible. That brings me to the next thing you need
to know for a mediterranean cruise. 00;02;47;04 - 00;03;07;12
Unknown If you want more activities on board, then
book a larger ship. If not, then book a smaller one. Also, remember to look at what city the cruise
starts at and what city it ends at, because every cruise doesn't start and end at the
same location. And I'd hate for you to book a round trip
transportation to, say, to and from Rome, Italy, for example. 00;03;07;12 - 00;03;22;21
Unknown And then you end up in Greece at the end of
your cruise wondering, how do I get back? What's going on? We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the
Seas, which is one of the largest cruise ships in the world. So we had plenty of activities and plenty
of fun. But choose the ship that's right for you. Now, let's talk about cash. 00;03;23;01 - 00;03;44;22
Unknown How much money should you bring on a mediterranean
cruise? I recommend always having small denominations
of euros. Some places only accept cash for tips and
transportation and souvenirs. So I recommend at least maybe about €100
per person in smaller bills. Try not to get 50 or €100 notes because
most places can't break the change. And so you're stuck there with all this money
and nowhere to use it. 00;03;44;25 - 00;04;01;28
Unknown There may be an ATM onboard the ship and most
places take credit cards and some even have a minimum spend on it. But I would pick up euros at an ATM at the
airport or a local bank for the best exchange rate. And when prompted, never accept the conversion
to the United States dollars because you'll pay more for the exchange. 00;04;02;02 - 00;04;24;05
Unknown My next tip is don't be a pier runner. Pier runners are late passengers who have
to literally sprint down the gangways to their cruise ship in order to avoid being left behind...
to the amusement of the onlookers who are comfortably onboard. Don’t be them. People will cheer, They'll yell at you. They will laugh at you. It's like a public shaming event that you
don't want to take part of. Research beforehand 00;04;24;06 - 00;04;40;29
Unknown how to get to city centers as ports of call
may be far away, and most ports don't even allow you to walk from the cruise ship on
the port. You have to take a bus or a taxi or some other
transportation. If you don't return on time, you will be left
behind at your own expense per the cruise contract. For example: 00;04;41;00 - 00;05;04;16
Unknown Rome Italy's Civitavecchia. cruise port is almost an hour away by car,
assuming there's no traffic like no traffic in Rome (that that's not going to happen!) Taking the local train or bus to the city
center is usually much cheaper than buying a huge city transfer from the cruise line
or taking a taxi. When we were in Rome, we took a port bus for
€3 and rode the train into the city for less than €5. 00;05;04;18 - 00;05;27;27
Unknown So about €8 one way or €16 for a round
trip. If we were to take the cruise line's transportation,
they were charging between 50 and €70 per person. So you can save a lot of money if you just
take the public transportation available. But I would have reserved transport for those
able bodied and adventurous travelers and those who know how to comfortably navigate
public transportation in Europe. 00;05;28;09 - 00;05;45;26
Unknown I've been to Rome three times, and while I
almost didn't make it on the way back, I almost didn't make it. So know the time you need to return to the
ship, set an alarm, and then add 30 minutes on top of that. Take your cruise ID, your license and copies
of your passport and your credit cards with you just in case something happens. 00;05;46;00 - 00;06;01;26
Unknown I forgot to mention if you have questions
about any of the tips I'm giving, feel free to write in the comments down below. Or if you've been on a mediterranean cruise
and you have some tips, please share them in the comments below so we can all learn
from each other. The next thing you need to know for a mediterranean
cruise is that you need endurance. 00;06;02;00 - 00;06;21;18
Unknown Mediterranean cruises have an intense schedule
with a new country in a new city and a new language just about every single day. The benefit is that you get to experience
a sampler platter of destinations. Just like at a restaurant, a sampler platter
gives you a little taste of the different items on the main Mediterranean. Cruises are just like that. 00;06;21;23 - 00;06;41;15
Unknown You get a sample of the culture and the cuisine
and the architecture and the major attractions of a number of different Mediterranean cities
and ports in Europe. You get to sample each location to determine
whether or not you want to spend a longer amount of time there at a later date. The downside, however, is that it can just
be exhausting. 00;06;41;20 - 00;07;07;03
Unknown Let me be honest. It can be a little exhausting going to a new
country and a new city with a new language every single day. So if it sounds a little bit exhausting to
you, I would suggest looking for an itinerary with longer stays in a port. If you prefer a slower pace. While English is widely spoken, consider it
the exception rather than the rule and expect to communicate the basics in different languages
like Hello, please. 00;07;07;03 - 00;07;34;09
Unknown Thank you. Your number is 029 and questions like Where's
the bathroom? Can you help me, please? I always download the offline versions of
different languages using Google Translate, which is an app that will translate speech
into text in many different languages. Also don't forget to enable international
calling through your cell phone provider and get international data coverage through your
provider or by a local eSIM/SIM and know that you know to have endurance for your trip. 00;07;34;18 - 00;07;57;01
Unknown Let's talk about the vibe onboard. Mediterranean Cruises have a more international
vibe than your typical Caribbean cruises, which are mostly based out of the United States. That shows up in different ways throughout
your trip. One of the ways it could show up in the type
of cruisers who are boarding the ship. Since it's based in Europe, you'll see a lot
of Europeans, folks from the Middle East, Asian folks, North African folks. 00;07;57;03 - 00;08;24;06
Unknown The passengers may be a little bit more reserved
during shows if they like something that might give it a good, respectable clap as opposed
to a loud “YEAH! that was the most awesome thing to see the flip of the flip!” whistles and cheers! You'll also see the passengers dressed in
what I like to call that “Euro chic,” that European chic dressing where, you know,
the guys just roll out of bed with like a suit coat and like leather shoes just because
that's how they roll. 00;08;24;07 - 00;08;40;14
Unknown You'll also find an international vibe when
it comes to the music and the games on board. Instead of the top 40 for the U.S. You'll get the Internet national top 40. We went to a trivia game where you guessed
the name of the artist and you guessed name of this song. And whoever gets the most points, of course,
wins. 00;08;40;15 - 00;09;03;07
Unknown We were killing the game. Okay, I know this song. I know this song. But then there was one song that was played
and everybody in the room roared like, Oh, yeah, they started singing the song. I had no idea with this song. I had never heard of it, but apparently everybody
else on the cruise did. You'll get to listen to some really cool new
international music, and it also shows up in the cuisine. 00;09;03;14 - 00;09;30;19
Unknown Instead of having one international station
like on a Caribbean cruise. Consider the entire buffet an international
station. Let's take breakfast, for example, on our
Mediterranean cruise. We were going there looking for bacon and
eggs and waffles and pancakes in orange juice and fruit or cereal. When we got to the buffet, they had those
items. But there were also things like baked beans,
deli meat, deli cheeses and breads. 00;09;30;19 - 00;09;49;01
Unknown And I remember one lady going in the cruise
ship, like looking at her watch like, “Oh, is my watch off? Cause all I see are deli meats and cheeses. Is it lunchtime or people making sandwiches?” The answer is no. It's a more international vibe, and breakfast
looks different according to the different country and the different cultures. So embrace the vibe and have a great time. 00;09;49;01 - 00;10;12;26
Unknown You'll learn some new things and get to speak
with people from all over the world and it's really an awesome experience. My next tip is to plan your days well. You'll show up to a mediterranean cruise port
all day long, so it's typically from seven or 8 a.m. to five, six or 7 p.m. at night. With so much to see during the day, in the
night, make sure you get enough sleep and stay hydrated and lathered on with sunblock. 00;10;12;27 - 00;10;32;03
Unknown Like I said before, it is hot and you may
become dehydrated a lot faster than you realize. And that can show up in different ways, like
dizziness, unexplained anger, and even fainting all the way up until heat stroke. Pace yourself, carry water with you, carry
a small sunblock in your day bag and chug that water whenever you can. 00;10;32;03 - 00;10;56;12
Unknown It's easy to get exhausted being at a new
port and new city every day, spending all day outside in the hot sun, coming all day
to parties on the ship at night. Plan well and take care of yourself. Another question I had before my first Mediterranean
cruise was “what do you wear on a mediterranean cruise?” Well, I recommend dressing for the activities
you want to participate in and make sure your clothing is light and light colored, breathable
and moisture wicking. 00;10;56;13 - 00;11;15;03
Unknown If you plan to eat in the main dining hall,
bring at least 1 to 2 semi/formal outfits, and we talked about how hot it can be multiple
times. Are you all hearing me? It is hot@ So expect to bring more changes
of clothes and underwear than you typically would. My biggest, most game changing tip of our
Mediterranean cruise.. 00;11;15;04 - 00;11;41;19
Unknown It is this. Take advantage of any laundry specials on
board. On the second to last night of our seven day
Western Mediterranean cruise. There was a laundry special - fill up a bag
for $35. We decided why not? So we paid our $35 and everything was returned
to us, washed, pressed, folded and smelling very, very good. So we were out there sweating out our clothes
every single day. 00;11;41;19 - 00;12;08;19
Unknown And when it came back, smelling so good and
this bag neatly folded, I was just so happy. And one of the worst things about coming home
from vacation is doing the laundry. But to have my laundry already done and folded. So I just put back in my suitcase. That was a game changer. And I will forever look for a laundry special
on a seven night or more cruise just so I don't have to do laundry in the alternative. 00;12;08;20 - 00;12;29;09
Unknown You can also bring a little tide packet or
a little laundry packet and do laundry and hang it up in your room. I highly recommend taking advantage of any
laundry specials if they are onboard. Game changer for sure, and a very valuable
investment. If you want to see what it's like actually
on board a mediterranean cruise and what it's like actually stopping in Spain, France and
Italy, 00;12;29;15 - 00;12;52;00
Unknown you'll definitely want to watch my planning
a mediterranean cruise playlist at the end of this video. If you found any of these tips helpful, please
give this video a thumbs up and remember to plan well, have fun, and travel the world. Thanks for watching and I'll catch you in
the next video bye!
