Port intensive cruises - hate seadays

[Karin1984]

I would have a look at cruise vloggers who do a lot of European content, like Tips for Travellers or Emma Cruises. They cover a wide range of different cruiselines, both ocean and river, and you can see what would suit your party.

 

[mousefan73]

Believe me if you do a Med cruise, in Summer you will WANT a sea day to recover.. Ports are a distance from sites often, it's hot, crowded and long days. But fun BUT your one or two sea days will go by fast by sleeping in, recovering and chilling a few hours.

 

[mousefan73]

For med, check out Royal, NCL and MSC. Go beginning of June, early september to avoid european school holidays. you do NOT want to be on a cruise then.

 

[PezRuth]

As mentioned definitely consider Med cruise. My suggestion would be to look into Norwegian, Royal or MSC. For MSC maybe try the higher up categories. I actually will not go on a cruise unless there are two sea days. They are my absolute favorite.

 

[ronandannette]

OP here: Thank you for all the great replies. I hadn't considered how exhausted we might be.

I am retiring next year (teacher-yay!) and we are just now thinking of our next big trip. Can't decide yet if we'll do northern Europe or Mediterranean. Plan is to eventually do both.

There's so much of the world that we want to see and figure cruising would give us just a taste of everything.

We haven't been to Europe since the mid 80s.

Any particular cruise line you favor? We've only cruised Disney and Royal.

Cruising is really perfect for that. We went Royal Caribbean, on Freedom of the Seas, which had tons of on-board amenities that all turned out to be wasted on us. Choose based on itinerary and price if you plan to be off the ship all day (which you probably will). Bon voyage!

 

[goofyernmost]

You can get to every location on land without having to take a cruise, so why spend that much money do that. I like both the shore excursions and the time on the sea. That is something that I don't get to do everyday. A few years back I took a relocation Trans-Atlantic cruise from Rome to Fort Lauderdale. It was a 10 day cruise with 5 of it going to Mediterranean ports and then 5 straight days of sailing across. Loved it all but especially those last 5 days.

I was constantly on the lookout for icebergs in the South Atlantic, but didn't spot even one. I did, however, learn the quickest route to the lifeboats.

 

[Pooh2]

Our first cruise was Alaska DCL, two adults in our 50s.
We loved it!
There was a sea day the first and last day, then sailing the inside passage which was like sailing through a serene postcard.
Plenty of photography opportunities without even leaving your veranda!

 

[Moliphino]

You can get to every location on land without having to take a cruise, so why spend that much money do that. I like both the shore excursions and the time on the sea. That is something that I don't get to do everyday. A few years back I took a relocation Trans-Atlantic cruise from Rome to Fort Lauderdale. It was a 10 day cruise with 5 of it going to Mediterranean ports and then 5 straight days of sailing across. Loved it all but especially those last 5 days.

Not for everything. I'm not into cruises, but we're considering one for touring the Greek isles as that seems like the easiest way to do it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ports are a distance from sites often, it's hot, crowded and long days.

This depends on the cruise line, the size of the ship and the actual ports. Of course if the site is very interior of the country you're visiting that's just how it goes but still. And granted if going in the summer like us yes you're likely going to experience high heat.

It also depends on length of time in the port. For instance on our upcoming cruise going to Kotor (which they dock right in it) we don't honestly have a ton of time for the beautiful place (8am-3pm) however that is because of the time it takes to meander through the Bay so on the way out they take more time and do more of a "scenic" cruising on it. Another port Corfu (which they dock right in it) we are there from 8am to 11pm (the longest port on our cruise) which would give someone plenty of time to either do a morning activity or an evening one or go in the morning, get back on the ship to relax and get back out again.

While we are opting not to do the particular excursion I believe the farthest distanced one on our cruise is one that goes to Albania when in Corfu to visit Ancient Butrint and the journey to that site is via hydrofoil to Saranda then a coach bus taking around 90 mins each way total from Corfu. Compare that to when we were in Cancun (not on a cruise just there on vacation) in April and to get to Chichen Itza was something like close to 4 hours each way and it's a big difference.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You can get to every location on land without having to take a cruise, so why spend that much money do that. I like both the shore excursions and the time on the sea. That is something that I don't get to do everyday. A few years back I took a relocation Trans-Atlantic cruise from Rome to Fort Lauderdale. It was a 10 day cruise with 5 of it going to Mediterranean ports and then 5 straight days of sailing across. Loved it all but especially those last 5 days.

I was constantly on the lookout for icebergs in the South Atlantic, but didn't spot even one. I did, however, learn the quickest route to the lifeboats.

This I would pin down to what cruise a person is booking.

For example our Med cruise is hitting mostly Greece and we've been wanting to go there for several years now. We toyed with the idea of just doing an island hopping thing on our own but opted to do a cruise instead although it's not going to Santorini, Crete, etc

However, next May we're doing a Europe train vacation (we just use the rail systems to get around) where we hit London, Ghent, Luxembourg City, Cochem and Trier, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Malmo and Gothenburg. Some of those are frequent cruising ports others not. And we chose this so we can see cities that a cruise is not going to hit.

Then in October we are going to Japan to do another train vacation and while we could do a cruise there (the cruise line we're going with this weekend just released Japan cruises and they look great) it also doesn't get into the interior of the country and we decided we'd like to do more hopping around. However, a plus with a cruise is actually being able to realistically get to and explore the southern islands of Japan that are tropical which we are missing with our train trip.

Repositioning cruises like the one you did can be used for someone's transit to or from a place, in your case it got you back to the U.S. without worrying about flights to get there. It also is often priced lower because of the sheer amount of sea days and for someone like the OP where they get bored on those sea days you really have to watch how far you're going. I wouldn't mind a few sea days but I would too get bored with 5 straight days of them. Getting to Hawaii and then onto the South Pacific often has more sea days there but I would find that far more interesting than going from Rome to FL because of the location and ports awaiting.

 

[EllieJedi]

If you want to do a Mediterranean cruise and avoid some of the heat and crowds, look for the shoulder season months from April to May or September to October. Some lines are starting to offer offseason Med cruises as well including Viking, MSC and I believe Celebrity will have a few on the Infinity. NCL, Holland America and Princess often has cruises into November. I am going to be doing a 10 day Med cruise on Princess in February. I like going in the offseason as there are fewer crowds and I enjoy the slower pace. It’s not for everyone I understand.

 

[Moliphino]

However, next May we're doing a Europe train vacation (we just use the rail systems to get around) where we hit London, Ghent, Luxembourg City, Cochem and Trier, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Malmo and Gothenburg. Some of those are frequent cruising ports others not. And we chose this so we can see cities that a cruise is not going to hit.

A little OT, but Ghent is lovely. I just did 5 days there last fall.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

A little OT, but Ghent is lovely. I just did 5 days there last fall.

I'm really excited about it. We haven't selected our hotel yet but we'll be there 2 nights (getting there in the evening of the first as we'll be traveling from London) and leaving mid-day or so on the 3rd day. It looks so charming

 

[Moliphino]

I'm really excited about it. We haven't selected our hotel yet but we'll be there 2 nights (getting there in the evening of the first as we'll be traveling from London) and leaving mid-day or so on the 3rd day. It looks so charming

It's just as nice in person as it is in pictures. It's not super touristy, either, which is really nice and why I enjoyed it a lot more than Bruges. We stayed at Hotel Carlton, which is near the train station, but an easy walk or tram ride into the historical center. Their City Pass is also worth the cost and includes transportation.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's just as nice in person as it is in pictures. It's not super touristy, either, which is really nice and why I enjoyed it a lot more than Bruges. We stayed at Hotel Carlton, which is near the train station, but an easy walk or tram ride into the historical center. Their City Pass is also worth the cost and includes transportation.

We had considered Bruges but would take even longer from London and Ghent looked just as cute but you're right less touristy which is a plus this time around honestly.

Thanks for the hotel recommendation and the city pass, I think I saw that (or it was another city I had IDK lost track lol).

 

[goofyernmost]

This I would pin down to what cruise a person is booking.

For example our Med cruise is hitting mostly Greece and we've been wanting to go there for several years now. We toyed with the idea of just doing an island hopping thing on our own but opted to do a cruise instead although it's not going to Santorini, Crete, etc

However, next May we're doing a Europe train vacation (we just use the rail systems to get around) where we hit London, Ghent, Luxembourg City, Cochem and Trier, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Malmo and Gothenburg. Some of those are frequent cruising ports others not. And we chose this so we can see cities that a cruise is not going to hit.

Then in October we are going to Japan to do another train vacation and while we could do a cruise there (the cruise line we're going with this weekend just released Japan cruises and they look great) it also doesn't get into the interior of the country and we decided we'd like to do more hopping around. However, a plus with a cruise is actually being able to realistically get to and explore the southern islands of Japan that are tropical which we are missing with our train trip.

Repositioning cruises like the one you did can be used for someone's transit to or from a place, in your case it got you back to the U.S. without worrying about flights to get there. It also is often priced lower because of the sheer amount of sea days and for someone like the OP where they get bored on those sea days you really have to watch how far you're going. I wouldn't mind a few sea days but I would too get bored with 5 straight days of them. Getting to Hawaii and then onto the South Pacific often has more sea days there but I would find that far more interesting than going from Rome to FL because of the location and ports awaiting.

The first two weeks of our trip consisted of Flight to Paris via Iceland, then bus to downtown Paris, where we rented an apartment and from there took a train to Disneyland Paris and subways to other attractions in Paris (i.e. Louvre and Eiffel Tower, etc.) then a quick flight to Venice that required boats and foot power then the train to Rome to another apartment and used subways and foot for most all the other attraction (i.e. Coliseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and others) during that time we took another train to Pompeii and back. Then we took our final train to Civitavecchia (aka Cruise Port of Rome). Then started the cruise. All that was to say that if I am able I would like to do one more European trip that is a train Vacation like you are talking about . I loved the trains in Europe. They are fast, comfortable and just plain fun.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The first two weeks of our trip consisted of Flight to Paris via Iceland, then bus to downtown Paris, where we rented an apartment and from there took a train to Disneyland Paris and subways to other attractions in Paris (i.e. Louvre and Eiffel Tower, etc.) then a quick flight to Venice that required boats and foot power then the train to Rome to another apartment and used subways and foot for most all the other attraction (i.e. Coliseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and others) during that time we took another train to Pompeii and back. Then we took our final train to Civitavecchia (aka Cruise Port of Rome). Then started the cruise. All that was to say that if I am able I would like to do one more European trip that is a train Vacation like you are talking about . I loved the trains in Europe. They are fast, comfortable and just plain fun.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trains was hoping they were good since we'll be relying on them.

Sounds like your other trip was a dream!

 

[Moliphino]

The first two weeks of our trip consisted of Flight to Paris via Iceland, then bus to downtown Paris, where we rented an apartment and from there took a train to Disneyland Paris and subways to other attractions in Paris (i.e. Louvre and Eiffel Tower, etc.) then a quick flight to Venice that required boats and foot power then the train to Rome to another apartment and used subways and foot for most all the other attraction (i.e. Coliseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and others) during that time we took another train to Pompeii and back. Then we took our final train to Civitavecchia (aka Cruise Port of Rome). Then started the cruise. All that was to say that if I am able I would like to do one more European trip that is a train Vacation like you are talking about . I loved the trains in Europe. They are fast, comfortable and just plain fun.

My sister and I try to avoid needing to drive on vacation, so we've made good use of trains.
Paris-Bordeaux-Angouleme-Paris (with day trips by train to Arcachon, St. Emilion, and Cognac)
Granada-Malaga-Cordoba-Seville
Madrid-Granada-Cordoba-Madrid (with a day trip to Seville from Cordoba)
Fly into Brussels and take a train directly from the airport to Ghent. Day trip to Bruges by train. Back to Brussels for a few days.

Next trip we're planning to fly into Zurich, then trains to Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen, and Geneva and fly home from there.

 

[goofyernmost]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trains was hoping they were good since we'll be relying on them.

Sounds like your other trip was a dream!

The best part is you can by passes for a great discount and they work pretty much everywhere in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I love my cars and love to drive, but our obsession with them is what has prevented the US from having a real affective rail transportation system. Now if I can decide between automobile, planes, buses and trains I would go with trains anytime. Unlike Europe, what train system we do have (other than commuter) is from what I can tell, extremely unreliable and almost never on time. Every train I rode on in Europe was on time right to the minute.

 

[Frwinkley]

OP here:

Now you have me considering a train trip! Yes, US train system is pretty much non-existent.

We talk a 4 hour train trip this summer from Seattle to Vancouver. Beautiful! We are in the eastern US.

What I like about cruising is unpacking once. Our trips are always jammed packed with trying to see and do as many things as possible. Lots of hopping to different hotels.