For those that have taken a Mediterranean cruise...

[Little Mermaid 35]

Did you feel like you got to enjoy the ship at all? Did this cruise completely wear you out? If you could do it again with DCL would you?

Looking for honest opinions on Mediterranean cruises

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Did you feel like you got to enjoy the ship at all? Did this cruise completely wear you out? If you could do it again with DCL would you?

Looking for honest opinions on Mediterranean cruises

We did a 10 night Med cruise in 2010. 8 port days, and 2 sea days. My preference is generally more sea days , while my husband's is more port days than sea days. Our Med cruise was quite tiring. excursions every day, and, generally, all day (some upwards of 8 hours in length).

Since we did that cruise B2B with a transatlantic, we didn't worry about missing anything on the ship, as we figured we'd be able to do it on the following 14 night cruise.

Yes, I'd do it again.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

We did a 10 night Med cruise in 2010. 8 port days, and 2 sea days. My preference is generally more sea days , while my husband's is more port days than sea days. Our Med cruise was quite tiring. excursions every day, and, generally, all day (some upwards of 8 hours in length).

Since we did that cruise B2B with a transatlantic, we didn't worry about missing anything on the ship, as we figured we'd be able to do it on the following 14 night cruise.

Yes, I'd do it again.

Considering this cruise but worried about not being able to enjoy the ship at all...especially for my son who absolutely loves Disney ships!

 

[o&smom]

Our first Disney cruise was a 10 day Med with 2 sea days. We went with our then 3 month old DD and just turned 7 DS. YES! It was crazy, overwhelming and so much fun! We cannot wait until this Spring when we can book our 9th for summer 2019. We have also done a 12 day Med that had 4 sea days. We just did the WBPC this past Spring with 10 sea days. Our conclusion is that there are never enough. Each cruise is different and so much has to do with what you make of it. We try to break up long, full days of touring with shorter days to keep our sanity and allow for more play time for the kids. We also try to choose at least some of our excursions based on things our children would like. On our first cruise, our son chose for us to go to Pisa. Thanks Little Einsteins! Make plans that fit in a little of everyone and realize that there really is never enough time to do all you want to. Enjoy Europe, enjoy your cruise and enjoy time with your family.

 

[aggiedog]

Depends on the age of your son and what your expectations are. Med cruises typically are very port intensive, both because there is so much to see and many of the main sights to see are frequently a long drive from the port. For instance, Rome is 60-90 minutes from the port. Our cruise this summer (on MSC), we were off the ship at 8:00 or so and returned around 5:00. That gave us just enough time to change, take a small breather, go to dinner, pass out, and do it again the next day.

That said, you can do whatever you want. Skip a port and enjoy the ship. Do half day excursions, etc. The question is, for what it will cost you to get to Europe, and what it costs to sail DCL in Europe (our MSC cruise, in concierge, was less than half what DCL would have cost non-concierge), and everything there is to see there, is it worth it to you to go and not do everything you can? Some would say yes, others no. IMHO, if you want to enjoy the ship, do a EBTA, then add a land vacation somewhere in Europe. That would probably cost the same as just a med cruise.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We did the 7-night Med cruise in 2014. It was our second cruise after doing a 3-night in 2004, so we didn’t know what to expect. After full-day tours to Monte Carlo (Villefranche), Pisa (La Spezia) and Rome (Civitavecchia), we baled out of our booked and paid-for Naples tour to Vesuvio. It was a learning experience for us. Now we know to book half-day tours or alternate full-day and half-day tours, lest out 70+ year old bodies complain. We have done another 10 cruises since, following this rule and really enjoy longer cruises that include more sea days.

That said, the Med cruise was great, and we might do it again sometime, perhaps b2b with a repositioning cruise. We’re booked on the Magic EBTA next May.

 

[kiford]

We did a 10-day Med cruise in 2010. Seven ports back-to-back. It was exhausting. We did spend some time on the ship but it wasn't our first cruise on the Magic so we didn't feel like we missed anything.

We then did an 11-day Med cruise in 2013 which had the port days more broken up with the occasional sea days which we much preferred. Most of our time on sea days was spent on deck or in the Cove Cafe or in our room. I know that we did most of the shows and some movies. So we did get to enjoy the ship too.

Also did a 12-day Baltic cruise in 2015. Port days were slightly shorter because the things to see are a bit closer but it's still a port-intensive cruise. We still felt we spent a lot of quality time enjoying the ship, although I never get to do as much as I think (we've done 7 day Caribbean cruises where we barely left the ship and still felt like we didn't do everything we wanted to).

These are the top three out of 10 cruises we've done with DCL. I'd love to do any of them again.

 

[GPaLarry]

We did a 10 night Med cruise in 2010. 8 port days, and 2 sea days. My preference is generally more sea days , while my husband's is more port days than sea days. Our Med cruise was quite tiring. excursions every day, and, generally, all day (some upwards of 8 hours in length).

Since we did that cruise B2B with a transatlantic, we didn't worry about missing anything on the ship, as we figured we'd be able to do it on the following 14 night cruise.

Yes, I'd do it again.

We did this same combination Sept. 2016, but 7 days Med. and 11 WBTA. Agree with PrincessShmoo that it is a grind...however, you make the choices for excursions, so you decide on your level of exhaustion. Doubt we will do this cruise again since there are too many other places we want to see. However, putting the WBTA at the end of the Med. cruise gave us plenty of days to relax. Kinda talked ourselves into believing that the price of the second cruise was almost as much as the plane fare, and it was sooooo worth it.

 

[keaster]

We did the 10-night Med in 2010 as well. Very port intensive. We did all day excursions in Rome and Pisa, and shorter ones in the other ports. It was one of our favourite trips with some interesting ports they don't do anymore (Tunis, Malta).

Prices have gone up substantially on DCL for those European itineraries over the years, so for 2018 we are going to try NCL with a 9-night Northern European cruise. The price difference was just too big to justify doing DCL this time.

 

[cruiser21]

Did you feel like you got to enjoy the ship at all? Did this cruise completely wear you out? If you could do it again with DCL would you?

Looking for honest opinions on Mediterranean cruises

No it didn't wear me out. Yes we enjoyed the ship. It was probably my least favorite cruise. I would not do it again unless the ports were changed.

 

[braysmommy]

We did B2B transatlantic/med 3 years ago and I was thankful we had the transatlantic to relax and enjoy the ship since we were gone from morning till dinner on each port day with my 8 year old. If we did it again I would look at other lines to save money.

 

[eva]

We’ve done 2 Med cruises. They can be pretty intense. The suggestion of mixing half day and full day excursions is a good one. Some ports really need full day excursions to see the best. But there are a few that half day is fine.

 

[JayhawkCruiser]

Just completed our first Med. cruise in September (7 nights). I feel like we were able to enjoy the ship enough, although nothing like a week long in the Caribbean or Bahamas, but still plenty of time to enjoy it all the same.
If you try to fit everything in like “Rome in a Day” at each port, like we did, then you’ll definitely be appreciating your last sea day for recovery when it arrives! No regrets and would totally go just as hard again (and we even did every port on our own, which may have contributed to some additional mental fatigue but we were able to set our own pace).
Lastly, would 100% do this cruise with DCL again. They made our first time in Europe very memorable. In fact, after we concour a Northern Europe cruise with DCL, we’ve decided we’d love to do this cruise with DCL again maybe in the next 5 or 6 years.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

Thanks everyone! Still torn over whether to do this next or do another Caribbean on the Fantasy. I appreciate everyone's input...if we chose the Med I'd definitely plan half day excursions if I could other than Rome of course.

 

[FSU Girl]

If I had a choice of the Caribbean or Europe, I'd pick Europe every time. The Caribbean I'm there for the ship and I could care less about the ports or even getting off the boat. It's about swimming and relaxing. Europe I find fascinating. I love history and seeing all the old world stuff. It's a much more educational vacation. I sailed on a different cruise, but we still had plenty of time at night to enjoy the ship. Went to all the shows and dinner on the boat. Rome would definitely need a full day excursion, I think Florence/Pisa too. But a lot of the other ports you can get away with a half day excursion and not miss out on much.

 

[oufpat]

We are 2 adults who did the 7 night Med cruise last September, we totally enjoyed the ship, the activities, the shows, as well as the port excursions. We alternated long excursion days with shorter ones and have no regrets!

 

[DisneyBelle_x]

Did the last 7 night Med this year and I'd say I got to enjoy the ship and do more onboard than my previous 2 cruises (4 night bahamas & 7 night Caribbean) however, I think a huge part of this is because I'm from London and as Italy is within very easy reach for me, I didn't care about getting off at every port, in fact I only got off in Rome, did plan to get off at Villefranche but due to weather we didn't get to go and it was switched to Marseille.
I imagine you'd not get much time on the ship to enjoy what it has to offer if you were wanting to do excursions at each port and it would be very tiring and feel non stop.

If someone offered me another Med or Caribbean cruise, I'd 100% pick the Caribbean due to better weather and ports being more appealing to me (they're not pretty on Med stops, the main cities and sights are generally about an hour from the ports)

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have done all the Disney med cruises,our last being two years ago where we came in and out of Venice and did the Greek isles. Because we are lucky t9 have been in Europe often, we didn’t feel compelled to do a lot. Somet8mes we got off the ship, sometimes not. A cruise is a great way to get an overview of some ports, knowing you can Always return for more in-depth time at places you like. Unless you believe this is the one and only time you will ever get to some ports, try not to kill yourself. You can always get off on your own, hire a driver to spend a few hours exploring and then go back to ship to enjoy the afternoon. Often being on cruise deck for going in and out of ports, like Venice, is a highlight and very scenic. The one place that I would highly recommend is Capri. Out of Naples or Sorrento there is a hydrofoil you can take, with or without an excursion. Capri is amazing and should not be missed. Personally I would choose Capri over Pompeii. Or if you are really into ruins, take the drive down the Capri coast to Paestum. Amazing.

 

[Figment_Fan]

We did a 12 night in 2013. It was intense for the first 4 days - 4 ports 4 days. Then a day at sea, then an overnight in Venice which was nice. We are hoping to do it again in 2019. Waiting for what will be offered. I hope they will have longer cruises, but I have noticed they don't seem to do the 12 day ones much any more. Maybe 2, 7 day B2B's?? Waiting for the release.

We were exhausted from the excursions but were able to explore the ship a lot. We made every show. We enjoyed several beer/wine/liquor tastings. My DS turned 19 on that overnight to Venice, went out with some of his friends from the ship, got lost, found an Irish pub in the middle of Venice where the bartenders bought him a couple of shots for his birthday and sang him happy birthday. A memory not soon forgotten.

On the Europe cruises, they let parents sign waivers (at least they used to) which allow the European drinking age for your son or daughter. It was a good experience. We were able to judge his ability to handle the issue prior to his going to college. One bartender commented that he'd never seen a 19 y.o. appropriately drink a serving of Johnny Walker Black - with ice and water on the side. He learned that at one of the tastings. We also found out he has expensive taste in drinks. Also, a very good way to model and teach responsible drinking.

I can't recommend Disney enough for Mediterranean cruises. The way they cared for my kids was priceless. We are headed out on the Fantasy this spring then, hopefully, the Med in 2019. We do cruise other lines, but Disney is our preferred cruise provider. I will pay a premium for the Med with Disney, but I believe it is worth it.

 

[Figment_Fan]

Oops, duplicate post. I hate when my computer delays and I think I hit the wrong button.