Sailing Around the Mediterranean

While a lot of people vacation to the Mediterranean during the summer, you might not want to jump on that particular bandwagon. A Luxury Mediterranean Cruise is popular in every season except winter, but Fall and Spring cruises tend to be less crowded, cheaper, and significantly more comfortable with regards to temperature. The Mediterranean frequently heats up into the upper 90’s during the summer—and being in the middle of a crowd in 90 degree weather is not fun.

Expect to travel anywhere from Italy to Beirut, depending on your itinerary, with the biggest port cities being Venice, Athens and Istanbul—there is every likelyhood that your cruise will start and end at one of these three cities. Plan on having some of the appropriate currency handy, but don’t worry too much about the exchange rate—cruises catering to US visitors keep things priced USD.

If you’re looking to capture the atmosphere of the Mediterranean, consider cruising with Costa to save yourself a lot of potential trouble. Otherwise, expect your cruise ship to have a good deal of North American and British influence—in other words, social faux pas’s aren’t likely.

Turkish ports of call have recently been added to many cruise liners’ itineraries; keep an eye on the political situation before you get off on a port in Turkey. It isn’t that Turkey is any more or less dangerous than other countries along the eastern Mediterranean, but let’s just say there’s a reason Turkish ports weren’t always on the list. Really, think about it.

A Luxury Mediterranean Cruise has itineraries focused either on the beaches and parties, or on culture and history, though there is almost always a healthy mix. Be aware that some cruise lines are specifically about one or the other.

Luxury European Cruise are an animal all their own, and there really isn’t an industry standard about what one should or should not include. Some focus on specific regions, others focus on specific countries. Some typical itineraries will cover The French Riviera, Norway and the Fjords, The United Kingdoms and Ireland, Russia and Scandinavia, and the Greek Isles. Of course, there are a number of itineraries that cover different areas, or different combinations of places. But ultimately, it is the captain of the liner who determines where you’ll go and when. There is never any accounting for weather or politics: once, I was on a liner en route to Santander, Spain, but at the last minute we were diverted to a small coastal city. The next day, Santander was hit by a coast storm about two notches below hurricane strength. So when you pay for a luxury cruise, try to go with the flow. Plans shatter.

There are also special itineraries that hit a vein of major European cities—though the ship won’t spend a lot of time at any particular port. These are comprehensive trips through Europe, best for getting a tiny taste of various cultures and the scenery, though poor choices if you’ve an intellectual curiosity in any of the areas you’re visiting. These sort of cruises usually hit six or seven different countries, touching the same number of cities and lasting about fourteen days.

European cruises aren’t always coastal: Europe has a great many inland rivers that allow for luxury sized liners. River cruises are a great way to experience a specific country in Europe, especially France and Germany.

When you’re comparing Luxury European Cruise Itineraries, make sure you pay special attention to how much time it says you’ll be at port. You’re probably not going to Europe so you can see the inside of a ship; make sure you’ve got enough time at harbor to do what you want to do. And be aware that being in harbor during the daytime is radically different from being in harbor at night. In the daytime, you’ll have the option to see ancient ruins and museums; at night, you’ll see a lot more wild parties catering to crazy tourists.

How do you find the luxury cruise package that will best suit your travel desires and your budget? You can do it two ways. One is to go to the websites of the different cruise liners and learn all you can about what they have to offer. Once you think you know what you want you can then phone or email a representative of the cruise liner and talk to them about what they are offering. Or you can use a travel agent. Either way you will need to research the packages available and see what suits your dream vacation.

An average cruise package will include the cruise itself, the meals and dinner wine, soft drinks, juices and water. You can also have as part of your package the after meal entertainment. This includes the parties, live entertainment and any onboard activates. It will cost you less, and be less frustrating, if you pick a package that includes everything instead of having to pay as you go.

These packages include your meals, prepared by chefs that have graduated from the finest schools. There is always more than one restaurant to choose from, giving you the chance to dine out at a luxury restaurant one night or enjoy a more relaxed family atmosphere if that is our preference on another night. The activities included will be anything from classes in cooking, dancing, chess or photography to an afternoon at the ship’s spa enjoying the hot tubs, body massage or facials.

The entertainment will also be includes. This may be a live show, like a Broadway musical only on a smaller scale, a concert or a play. Some ships may have a casino, a gym to workout in or a swimming pool to enjoy doing laps. There is often a guest lecture to entertain. This person will be someone who specializes in something who can tell the passengers about an interesting occupation or adventure. The beauty of a luxury cruise package is that it is all included and you never have to worry about paying for anything more unless you want something extra.

Sorting though luxury cruise deals is not really as difficult as so many people think. To begin with the first question that must be answered is where you want to go. The destinations of this boat trips are unlimited and until that part is decided it is hard to shop around for the best prices; although for some that is the way to start. First they hunt down the prices and then they use that information to decide where to go. There are more than three hundred ports that are visited each year on six different continents. What possibilities this leaves open!

The size of the luxury liner also influences the deals available. Some people prefer the small cruisers that carry only a dozen passengers. Each stateroom has a private bathroom with a full sized shower, and comfortable bed. The dining is elegant even for the boats small size. The difference between these small ships and the ones that carry hundreds, or the ones that carry thousands, is that they can get closer in to more places giving their passengers a different look at some of the more remote places. The bigger the boat the bigger the price but there is much more luxury offered.

When you choose a ship that can carry three thousands people you will find more choices for meals, entertainment, swimming on board, games to play and generally more activities to keep you busy while the ship is travelling from one destination to the other. But, there are crowds, more noise and potentially line-ups. Therefore, if you are planning this kind of trip you need to decide what you want to get out of this kind of adventure.

Then you need to learn about the different cruise companies and see which one has what you want. Once you find a cruise line you like make sure that the trips they offer are also to your liking. Finally it will be time to get prices. This can be done directly, either over the internet or over the phone, or by visiting your travel agent. They can find the best luxury cruise deals that will be offered.