Tell me all about cruises

[Featherfox]

Hi all

Looking to book my first ever med cruise with DH. We are in our thirties. Feel a bit overwhelmed of where to start but I have seen a celebrity cruise that would tick the boxes in terms of ports and length of time however its fly to cruise as opposed to Southampton. Ideally I would prefer to travel from the UK, however we do not like the celebrity ship from the UK as much and the ports aren’t as good as the one I’ve seen.

The particular one I am looking at starts in Barcelona and ends in Rome, which are two ports we are particularly keen to visit and so I’m concerned about missing them due to travelling that day. Have thought about adding a day on at the start and end, or having early / late flights however is that a faff with luggage? Also additional costs to do this etc.

Any guidance would be much appreciated

I've done several, both fly cruises and out of Southampton. I would always advise if finances and time permits to fly the day before departure, makes it so much more relaxing (equally we travel to Southampton to day before for departures from there). Look at the ship's character - what is the entertainment on offer compared to your likes, is there an evening dress code? How much are drinks (or packages) varies dramatically with some charging 3x another! What are the tips/gratuities to be added (for the staff, some include these now in the base price).

Do remember itineraries change due to weather, port issues etc - make sure you are wanting to be on board in case you at sea more than anticipated. Check internet if required.

I've tried 5 companies from Cunard to Marella (TUI) and the food is universally good but some ships have more variations included in the base price eg with Cunard you have one dining room plus buffet, other companies offer far more options though watch for the supplements.

Oh and there's a great website that lists every European port and transport options etc to avoid the expensive tours. Just don't be late back to the ship!!!

The port for Rome is Civitavecchia (no idea of the spelling). It's about 1.5 hrs from Rome/Vatican by coach.

I think we had about 6 hours in Rome, which was fine for us.

If you want to do more, you need to extend your holiday and book a hotel.

Our Med cruises have all been with Thomson/TUI/Marella and we really enjoyed them. The advantage with these mid-sized boats is that they can get into smaller ports without having to use a tender. The shore stays were almost always longer than the giant boats. They also cater to a British audience.

Barcelona & Rome are wonderful places, & frankly you won't see much of either if you're on a cruise, so I'd suggest you add extra days.
Do remember travel insurance - most policies require an extension to cover sea cruises.

We're just back from a Mediterranean cruise with Norwegian. Numbers cruising were down this year so I think there were a fair few bargains to be had (not us sadly, we forked out full price). I'd recommend it, excellent entertainment- we loved the shows. Some downsides: Internet is ridiculously expensive on board. If you book from the UK you must book a drinks package- if you want to avoid this book via a US company. We gave ourselves a few days in Rome first in order to see more.

I'll start with a word of warning. Once you try, you'll be hooked. Celebrity was the first cruise line I sailed with and I've now done about 15!
You absolutely should travel to the departure port at least a day before you sail, in case anything goes wrong with your flight, luggage etc. Barcelona is well worth visiting too. The port is very close to town, so you can just jump in a taxi.
If you want to visit Rome briefly when you return, the cruise line will probably have some kind of day trip/excursion ending at the airport - they keep your luggage for you.
Happy to answer any other questions you may have

Anyone been on a Princess cruise? I've only gone on MSC cruises before covid but I've seen a cruise on the Discovery Princess going from LA and thinking of booking it.