7 day vs 8 day Med Trip - Questions on Ports

[MarriedAtDisney]

7 Day trip (Rome, Naples/Pompeii, Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Genoa (Milan), Cannes (MonteCarlo, Nice), Toulon (Provence) ends in Barcelona.

8 Day trip (Rome, Salerno, La Sepezia (Florence/Pisa), Villefranche (MonteCarlo, Nice), Barcelona, back to Rome)

Both seem similar. The 8 day has an extra day at sea. Some of the ports are different but they reference similar locations.

Any thoughts based on ports, excursions that should tilt us one way or the other?

Assume the costs are the same - just evaluating the differences in the trips.

Thanks!

 

[SleepyV]

Both itineraries are port intensive as are most of the Med Cruises. The sea day might be a day to recharge the batteries, especially as I see you have 2 children.

The 7 day is similar to the cruise we did.
Rome is a stunning city and there are plenty of historical things to see. The Coliseum for the children is cool. St Peter's Basilica is stunning.

Naples- We went on one of the first Med cruises with our daughter who was about 9. We did the Sorrento and Pompeii tour. Sorrento is beautiful (We just spent a week there last September). Lots of tiny streets and the views are stunning. Pompeii is hot and dusty especially as the Disney tours hit there in the afternoon. There is very little shade. Last September we went to Herculaneum which is not as famous but in someways is more spectacular as the buildings are 2 and 3 stories in height. You get a real feel for Roman life. It is a smaller area and they are still working in areas of the site.

Genoa-have not visited here.

Florence/Pisa- Livorno is a closer port and will knock about 20 mins off any transfer time to either Pisa or Florence. This is a long day if you are rising either. Pisa is mainly the bell tower and not much else. Florence is stunning. We took the Disney transfer and we were glad we did as our coach was delayed bu a passenger getting on another coach by mistake. The mix up cost us 45-60 mins and they held the boat because it was a Disney tour. We booked tickets to see the David statue and walked almost straight into the museum. We passed an organised Disney Tour waiting for their guide to sort tickets. Florence is on our 'must go back to' list.

Villefranche- A quaint little town with lots of tiny streets. You could easily just spend the morning here and get back on board to enjoy the boat without the crowds. Or there is Monte Carlo. The yachts are amazing. We did a walking tour and a little motorised train which took in all of the sights. Think this was a half day tour because we wandered the town and relaxed on board.

Toulon seems a curious choice. We had Marseille.

Barcelona- A stunning city. Lots to see. We've stayed a couple of times before or after cruises. There is a red bus tour that covers most of the city.

With regards to the 8 day cruise I presume they are using Salerno as an alternative port to Naples. That would make a longer transfer time to Pompeii as it is to the south. However it would be good for the Amalfi coast. As you say the other ports are much the same. One plus with this is that you are flying into and out of the same airport so airfare might be cheaper than two single flights.

Cannes- Gives you the option of just wandering the town and the option of walking to a beach. It is much further away from Monte Carlo.

When I started to write this I thought the 7 day itinerary was better but on reflection I am leaning to the 8 days because it gives more options for a couple of relaxing days for you. Hope any of this helps!

Sleepy V

 

[stacieberry]

My husband and I debated a similar situation, except that for us the 7 night cruise we were considering was about $2,000 less than the 8 night cruise due to timing and use of placeholders.

However for your situation, assuming the cruise costs are the same, I would prefer the 8 night Mediterranean cruise for the following reasons:

• one extra sea day - although it's not an extra port stop, an extra sea day will allow you to relax, enjoy the ship, and participate in activities like character breakfast/meets, Palo brunches, etc. that are only available on sea days.
• round-trip cruise - I personally prefer round-trip cruises because finding airfare is much less stressful. I have found that airfare for different one way trips can be more expensive than round-trip airfare, and if you do book round-trip airfare, finding a separate means of transportation from your debarkation port to your embarkation port adds to the stress of planning.
• preference of ports - I have no experience with these Mediterranean ports, but depending on what you want to see at each port, it may be less expensive to do the port adventure from one port rather than another. For example, I was comparing the port adventures for Naples and Salerno, and although they offer similar port adventures, some of the port adventures from Salerno were less expensive than the same port adventure from Naples. I also think that some ports may be nicer looking than other ports, if that matters.

I'm sure that your family will have a great time with whichever cruise you choose. Happy cruising!

 

[morgan98]

I actually like the 7 day cruise's ports more. You have one stop in Livorno which will allow you to go to either Pisa, Florence, Lucca, or Tuscany and a separate one in Genoa to get to see the Cinque Terre too instead of having to chooses. Genoa also has a nice waterfront with an aquarium. I also love the South of France so two stops there would be easy for me to fill as well. With the way the train runs through there you have some really good options.

It would also be easy to add a day or two on at the beginning to see some of Rome and an extra day or two at the end to see Barcelona.

**Note I have done one European cruise. However, I have extensive land travel experience in Italy and France due to my mother being born in Italy, my husband having dual Italian citizenship and the fact I have been to Europe regularly since I was four years old. We generally spend 3-4 weeks a year in Italy and or France.

 

[MarriedAtDisney]

Thanks everyone for the amazing insights! We put a deposit down on the 8 day!

 

[fredandkell]

I will say I wish my upcoming Med cruise stopped at Villefranche and not Cannes as the port excursions look a lot better there.