Table Of Content
- best Mediterranean cruises for a great seagoing getaway
- Holland America Line’s Greece & Adriatic Antiquities cruise
- Mykonos, Greece
- Mediterranean Cruises
- Mediterranean Cruise Ports in Malta
- Do you need a passport to take a cruise to the Western Mediterranean?
- Best Mediterranean Cruise Overall: Princess Cruises, Sun Princess
Walk the cobblestone streets on the Greek Islands, see the colorful coastline in Marmaris, admire the glittering lights from the homes that snake their way up Lovćen Mountain, and more. Onboard, dine in one of the ship’s eight restaurants, take a dip in the top deck pool, or lounge in a common space to regale your fellow guests about the day’s adventure. From seeing historical monuments to experiencing local cuisine, shopping in some of the most luxurious places on Earth, and visiting awe-inspiring beaches, cruising provides stellar connections to Mediterranean countries. These cruises also cater to every type of traveler — from multigenerational families to solo travelers with options for adults only and all ages.
best Mediterranean cruises for a great seagoing getaway
THE 25 BEST Celebrity Cruises to the Mediterranean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic
THE 25 BEST Celebrity Cruises to the Mediterranean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.
Posted: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 06:25:00 GMT [source]
Take into account your personal preferences for temperature and weather conditions. If you enjoy warmer climates and don’t mind crowds, summer might be your ideal choice. Additionally, the holiday season brings a festive spirit to the Mediterranean cities, with charming Christmas markets and captivating decorations.
Holland America Line’s Greece & Adriatic Antiquities cruise
Mediterranean cruise is a catchall phrase for the general region, but there are many different areas within this 2,500-mile stretch of intercontinental water—and each one offers a unique set of ports of call. There’s the Western Mediterranean, with popular sailings between Barcelona and Rome and stops all along Italy’s boot (including Rome and Florence). Your jaw might drop as your ship navigates the sunken caldera that leads to Santorini, where whitewashed villages dot the tops of steep cliffs. In Mykonos, you can head to one of the island's famous beaches or catch a ferry to explore the ancient ruins of Delos, known as the birthplace of Apollo. Budget-conscious travelers can skip the tours and stroll the narrow streets and city walls of the Old Town of Rhodes.
Best cruise routes to book from someone who's done 50 + what to skip - Business Insider
Best cruise routes to book from someone who's done 50 + what to skip.
Posted: Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Mykonos, Greece
Browse our articles and videos for inspiration, or dive right in with preplanned AAA Road Trips, cruises and vacation tours. The onboard atmosphere is relaxed yet elegant with Viking’s minimalist, but beautiful, Scandinavian design throughout. The price you see includes free Wi-Fi, beer, wine, and soft drinks with meals, dining at any restaurant, and access to Viking’s unique Nordic Spa, with its exhilarating Snow Grotto, while onboard. Now that we’ve covered the choices, let’s take a quick peek at the potential cost of a luxury Mediterranean cruise across some of the cruise lines. What follows are my favorite cruises, based on my personal experience and expertise as a travel writer who has been on 18 cruises (and counting), as well as on user reviews and ratings. Celebrity's ships are known for their foodie culture, with multiple specialty restaurants, as well as a happening bar scene.
Mediterranean Cruises
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Mediterranean Cruise Ports in Malta
It’s relatively easy to find suites onboard most of the mainstream lines that come with all-inclusive packages and are tucked away in suite-class areas of the ship priced under $500 per person per night. Don’t forget port fees, excursions and airfare, which are rarely included on mainstream lines, even at the luxury level. Celebrity Cruises, a popular premium line, rates highly for Mediterranean cruises. The Retreat for suites provides access to a suite-passenger-only lounge and a dedicated restaurant. Also included in this higher-tier subsection are specialty dining, beverage packages, Wi-Fi, concierge services and a free mini-bar setup, depending on the type of suite. There are also mainstream, big ship cruise lines that offer a luxury Mediterranean cruise experience, thanks to their lavish suites and exclusive, suite-access-only amenities.
Tips for Summer Cruising:
Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Holland America Line makes the jewels of the Mediterranean accessible to every budget, all while delivering comfortable accommodations, myriad onboard activities to enjoy during sea days and plenty of dining options. Those cuisine offerings highlight fresh, regional dishes, including new dishes from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, the cruise line’s Global Fresh Fish Ambassador.
Do you need a passport to take a cruise to the Western Mediterranean?
You'd be hard-pressed to sample Spain, France, Italy and Greece on one land tour without transportation nightmares. A Mediterranean cruise, however, is the perfect way to get a taste of many coastal countries with ease as you transit between destinations while you sleep aboard your ship. Here are seven perfect Mediterranean cruises for different types of travelers, whether it’s romance, family fun, cuisine, antiquities, or simply some R&R that you’re after. A wide variety of large, small and luxury lines cruise the romantic ports of the Mediterranean. These include Viking Ocean Cruises, Norwegian, MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America, Crystal and Azamara.
Best Mediterranean Cruise Overall: Princess Cruises, Sun Princess
The line's newest ship, Norwegian Viva, sails the Med in the spring, summer and fall of 2024 and 2025. Cruise lines offer a variety of options, making it possible for culture vultures, beach lovers, history buffs and family travelers to prioritize different ports of call and onboard amenities. Through 2023, Viking has three of its ships—the 930-passenger Viking Sky, Viking Mars, Viking Saturn, or Viking Venus—on the popular seven-night “Journey to Antiquities” voyages, on history-rich routes between European capitals of antiquity Rome and Athens. En route, stop off at Naples, Messina (Sicily), Crete, and Kuşadasi, with an overnight in Athens, for excursions that run to spots such as ancient Ephesus, the Minoan Palace of Knossos, Herculaneum and Pompeii, and the Acropolis. Perhaps you’re eager to hop between big-city, blockbuster Mediterranean metropolises at ports like Barcelona, Athens, or Rome on a seamless cruise-based itinerary. Maybe you’re yearning for a beach escape on a storied strip along the French Riviera or a Greek island idyll.
Even Carnival Cruise Line, known for its affordable cruises out of U.S. home ports, offers some Mediterranean sailings, as does Disney Cruise Line, which typically bases its ships near its theme parks. Some bring travelers to the French and Italian rivieras for food, wine and cultural pursuits. Others head east to the Greek Islands, where passengers alternate days sipping ouzo at a beachfront taverna with trips to ancient sites. The nine-night trip takes guests to seven ports through Italy and Croatia, providing varied terrain and plentiful shore excursion options. Visit beautiful seaside towns like Portofino, explore the Venetian canals, and enjoy the ship's amenities during days at sea.
A four-night cruise packs a lot into a short sailing with visits to Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Heraklion and Santorini, as well as Kusadasi, Turkey. It's a good idea to book your Mediterranean cruise early, even nine to 12 months in advance. You can take advantage of early booking discounts and promotions and have the widest selection of available cabins and suites and dining times (if applicable). An early booking is ideal if you're planning on using miles to book your flights or points for a pre-cruise hotel. Some so-called Mediterranean cruises actually spend most of their time on the Adriatic Sea, sailing from Venice and visiting ports in Croatia and Greece, and sometimes Montenegro and Albania. You may also find an Adriatic sailing wrapped into longer Western or Eastern Mediterranean cruises.
In 2024, Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its offering of seasonal European sailings on its 2,200-guest Carnival Legend. You’ll visit the wonderfully underrated Greek island of Corfu along the way, and you’ll have enough time in Athens to see the Panathenaic Stadium, Temple of Zeus and Acropolis. Family favorite Royal Caribbean has a variety of ships and itineraries sailing around Europe, but a top option is a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas.
This leisurely sailing features overnights in Sorrento and Taranto and two sea days with ample ways to enjoy onboard pampering. The ship's spacious suites are designed with a contemporary residential feel and range in size from 300 square feet with an 81-square-foot terrace to 1,091 square feet with a 635-square-foot terrace. This voyage is aboard the 684-passenger Azamara Onward, one of the cruise line's four virtually identical ships. The two-week trip stops in 10 different ports in Italy, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus.
Standard beer, wine and select spirits by the glass are included in the cruise fare. Seabourn Cruise Line visits the Greek Isles, sailing the Adriatic and the Aegean, and offers longer itineraries (seven to 30 days) cruising Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Croatia. On a luxury Mediterranean cruise, port calls tend to be longer or even offer overnight stays, making it possible to sightsee all day and into the evening. This flexibility is a luxury in itself -- most mainstream lines provide only a few hours in each port of call, with tight turnaround times for tours and rarely a chance to experience dinner or nightlife on shore.
Spend three perfect days sailing from Haifa, Israel to Limassol, Cyprus, and back again. The quick cruise is the perfect way to get on the water if you just want to spend a weekend at sea on an otherwise land-bound trip. Check out a few shore excursions, or go it alone, knowing you have the perfect place to call home, even for a few days, each night. Silversea is tailor-made for those who like to cruise with fewer passengers onboard. The line offers ships with between 51 to 364 suites, meaning they max out at far fewer passengers than its larger counterparts, which enables more personalized service and higher-end amenities.
