Anybody not like their Europe cruise?

[LeslieG]

I've booked the 7nt Europe cruise for next year, but as I've been doing research, I'm having second thoughts. Anyone out there cruised Europe and found it wasn't for them?

 

[meajuly5]

I have cruised to Europe once and have travelled to Europe many times. Whole I would never turn down a cruise to Europe, I prefer to do land based European trips bc I love exploring the countries and doing more in depth touring than a day in port allows. I would cruise the greek isles and nearby ports. It is just a different experience but both are great.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

The only thing I would encourage you to do is look at longer cruises. Long way to go for a week.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've booked the 7nt Europe cruise for next year, but as I've been doing research, I'm having second thoughts. Anyone out there cruised Europe and found it wasn't for them?

Not us.

I don't know about the 7 night cruises, ours was a 10 night in 2010, but it was VERY port intensive (only 2 sea days). Generally, the ports are not really close to the "big" towns that you might be interested in. For example, our Civiteveccia (Rome) and La Spezia (Florence) ports were an hour to and hour and a half from the respective city. So long bus/train rides to get there for excursions.

 

[LeslieG]

We'll do some pre-cruise days in Barcelona I think, but I really have never liked big cities. And Rome sounds almost like a big city tourist trap, but I hope I'm wrong. I prefer more looking at beautiful scenery and quaint little towns. I don't particularly enjoy museums either. Have I made the wrong choice?

 

[Sur]

A strong factor may be how much "touring" you can handle. Running all about in a bus/cab would be difficult for some.

I'd suggest reading through some trip reports to see if you can relate (or cringe).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We'll do some pre-cruise days in Barcelona I think, but I really have never liked big cities. And Rome sounds almost like a big city tourist trap, but I hope I'm wrong. I prefer more looking at beautiful scenery and quaint little towns. I don't particularly enjoy museums either. Have I made the wrong choice?

There are lots of other excursions available that don't go into the big cities, if that's what you want. In fact there were a few on our Rome day that I would have taken except I wanted to go to Rome. I've been there several times in the past, and it's very interesting to me.

 

[sayhello]

We'll do some pre-cruise days in Barcelona I think, but I really have never liked big cities. And Rome sounds almost like a big city tourist trap, but I hope I'm wrong. I prefer more looking at beautiful scenery and quaint little towns. I don't particularly enjoy museums either. Have I made the wrong choice?

Sounds like you should go to Alaska!

Sayhello

 

[LeslieG]

Sounds like you should go to Alaska!

Sayhello

We did that last year. Loved it.

 

[meajuly5]

We'll do some pre-cruise days in Barcelona I think, but I really have never liked big cities. And Rome sounds almost like a big city tourist trap, but I hope I'm wrong. I prefer more looking at beautiful scenery and quaint little towns. I don't particularly enjoy museums either. Have I made the wrong choice?

The med ports are more laid back and you can enjoy more scenic type adventures or just wander and get a flavor of the area. I happen to love the European cities. You might wZnt to skip the 8 hr bus tours if you don't like cities and museums but there is so much to see! You can have a lively afternoon sitting in a piazza people watching, wandering around shops and looking at the very different architecture and hitting a few "must sees" the the coliseum etc.

 

[bahacca]

My question is what do you want out of your cruise to Europe? If the idea is to say "Yeah, I went to Europe", fine. If you've researched the countries the itinerary has planned and the port stops are really the only area of the country that interest you, fine. The other poster has a good point about the Greek Isles-I'd do that cruise. I just feel like if I went, I would leave thinking "I should have just spent 1 week in one country and really SEEN more!" If you want time on the ship, I'd PERSONALLY choose a cheaper itinerary closer to home.
I've been to France twice-1x with my family when I was about 10 and another time when I was 16. With my family, we stayed in France ONLY for about 2 weeks. When I was in France when I was 16, I stayed for 5 weeks with a family. I can tell you those visits barely scratched the surface of France. To me, 1 day in the Med of France is NOT "seeing France". It would be like docking in Port Canaveral or Los Angeles, being there for a day on one excursion and saying "I've seen the United States."

 

[sayhello]

We did that last year. Loved it.

The thing about the longer Med cruises is, they visit a lot more of the European places that aren't large cities like Rome & Florence. If you took a longer cruise, you could do excursions in those more intimate places, and then do things like stay in Civitavecchia instead of cruising Rome, and do the Cinque Terre instead of Florence

When I did the 11-night Med in 2010, my favorite port was Corsica. We went out in the country, to a tiny town overlooking a pastoral valley. Malta was also wonderful; we went to the tiny island of Gozo nearby, and did a jeep tour of this beautiful island, including a stop at the Azure Window, an amazing natural arch.

If it was me, I'd look into the 9 night, which goes to a lot of places that aren't Rome. I'm not familiar with them, so I can't say if the ports are comparable with Corsica & Malta, but you should check it out!

Sayhello

 

[mkmommy]

I have done a 7 day and 8 day DCL Med cruise and they are by far my favorite cruises. Have not been to one museum either, but been to lots of beautiful little villages.

Cinque Terre from La Spezia has hikes and amazing views.

Eze from Villefrance is another medevial village with to die for views.

Yes Rome is a big city, but turning that corner and seeing the Colisseum for the first time is something you will never forget.

Ferry ride from the port in Naples to the isle of Capri is another day spent with amazing views, and I found it easy to escape the crowds.

Europe is so different from Caribbean cruises, but if you want to cover lots of ground in a little time a cruise is a great way to do it.

 

[tajz90]

I personally loved our European cruises. It's only a day, but you get to go "home" each night and it's a great way to find out which places you really would like to visit for longer periods.

If you plan out your days and hire a private guide or do it on your own, you're way better off IMO.

 

[eyenerd]

We did a 12 day for our honeymoon (much like the DCL one). We loved it. Our favorite ports were Venice, Athens, and Turkey. We loved seeing things in the bigger cities (and wished we had more time). They were quite a few smaller islands, that were more leisurely and scenic, but we got a little bored with them (we are probably the opposite of you).

We are booking the 7 night Barcelona one (and doing a few days ahead of time). I just watched a Rick Steve's video online and it really got me excited about Barcelona.

I look at the cruises this way: Yes there is a lot to see in Europe. Yes, a cruise is only giving you a taste of it. However, if you like the taste, you can always go back for a longer time. I only have so much time that i can take off to go on these vacations, so i like the sampler pack (plus we have kids, and this just is an easier alternative). I think with Europe you can see great scenery. I also agree that seeing Rome, while daunting, might be something you enjoy.

Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[bahacca]

I like eyenerd's "sample pack" analogy. DO you want a "sample pack" vacation or a "whole bottle" vacation?

 

[linkandclover]

We did an 11 night med in 2010. It was a lot of but really hectic at the same time. Pros: saw lots of places and had amazing experiences. Cons: exhausted by the end and 1 day in rome is not enough. We stayed 5 extra days in Barcelona and that really gave us a chance to see and experience the place. I would cruise Europe again but I want to do a land trip and travel by train more.

 

[sayhello]

We are booking the 7 night Barcelona one (and doing a few days ahead of time). I just watched a Rick Steve's video online and it really got me excited about Barcelona.

You will love Barcelona! It's an amazing city. I didn't have nearly enough time there, and must go back some day!

Sayhello

 

[woody73]

We'll do some pre-cruise days in Barcelona I think, but I really have never liked big cities. And Rome sounds almost like a big city tourist trap, but I hope I'm wrong. I prefer more looking at beautiful scenery and quaint little towns. I don't particularly enjoy museums either. Have I made the wrong choice?

You might enjoy a European river cruise better than a Med cruise.

Woody

 

[eyenerd]

You will love Barcelona! It's an amazing city. I didn't have nearly enough time there, and must go back some day!

Sayhello

I definitely have to reread your trip report not that we are actually planning on going!!!!