Do you truly get to experience port cities while on a cruise?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on three cruises in Europe the past 4 years. The first was out of Barcelona to the Eastern Mediterranean including Italy, Greece and Turkey. The second was to the Baltic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Norway, etc.). The third, last year, was to the western Mediterranean including Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, and Morocco.

There are some of the port stops where a day's stay was all we wanted and needed. Places like Gibraltar which is very small you can see about all of it in one day. Likewise Florence/Pisa was a one day stop and about all we needed. Naples was one all day stop and we saw all of Pompeii which was what we wanted most to see there. But I guess if you want to wander through the city of Naples you may need more time. Rome was a very tiring all day tour because the port is a good hour by bus from the city of Rome. And the lines in Rome for the main attractions, the Vatican City and Colosseum, are very long. YES, I could have used a second day in Rome to see more and see things that we did not see. In Greece we went to Athens and the Acropolis. Our tour included a brief tour of the city and that's about all of Athens I want to see. Mykonos and Santorini were out other Greece stops and the one day there was plenty enough. We went to Ephesus in Turkey and that was a great all day tour.

Now if you are the type who would like to go sit in a restaurant for the evening in one of these cities and enjoy a leisurely meal and the flavor of the locals, or just want to browse for hours around the city, the port stops are NOT enough time. The main one that I feel is not long enough is Rome. But the problem is distance with Rome being an hour from the port neither you nor the cruise line would want to spend what it would cost for two trips to the city from the port. If Rome is a big interest to you and it does have lots to see, I suggest you find a cruise that starts or ends there. Or, I know that Royal Caribbean cruise line will let you book a cruise that includes Rome and if you want just get off the ship in Rome and find your own way home; its called a partial cruise:
here's a link to it
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000XJNUtTNU67v5JASizf5_ZME:12hdhu93n;jsessionid=0000h1jiCrPrDFaBNPZochR87jr:12hdhu6tq?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Before+You+Purchase&faqId=623&faqSubjectId=322&faqType=faq

Tivogal

mediterranean is on my "must" see list. there are many many nice areas to explore. If i were to do it right, i would explore on my own these cities.
cruisecritic.com
have a good time.

Nena

Pick a great shore excursion - one that allows you to see and do different things. that's the way to experience the ports in such a small time.

Ali

Well, I am 13 and were going on our 4th cruise this summer. I have been on 2 Canada/New England cruises, 1 Eastern Caribbean, and then our one this summer is a Western Caribbean. On the two Canada/New England ones, we went to some of the same ports. I would say for the most part a crusie is kind of like and overview of that particular port. Sometimes you don't get to spend as much time as you like there, so it is a good way to see if you would want to go back there. My family has kind of caught on to the cruising bug. This will be our 4th cruise in a row during the summer. Cruises are often. Whatever you choose, you'll be sure to have a great time. Also, cruises are great way to see different places in a matter of days instead of just staying one place for the whole week.

MomSezNo

The time in port is very short. And for a port like Rome, you are very far from the city, so that cuts your time even more. You will get a "taste" of each of the ports you stop in, but won't have time to do any extensive sightseeing.

If you are interested in more port time and fewer amenities, you might check out EasyCruise, although I'm guessing they may be sold out. This is not a traditional cruise in any sense - no activities, no meals included, no service staff - it's more like a floating hostel. But they stay in port much longer than the big cruise ships, doing their travel from port to port in the wee hours. Thus, you would have time to have dinner in port, etc. From what I've read, it can be a good way to see ports in the Med, but it's not for everyone.

You might be interested in CruiseCritic.com. Click on "Boards" and go to your favorite topic; or click on "Reviews" at the top of the page and read reviews from pros and from past cruisers [look for "Member Reviews"]. This site has great, reliable info and if you don't find what you want, you can post a question - you have to join to do that, but it's free.

Counsellor

We cruise regularly and have cruised in the Med.
My advice would be this.
1 Research carefully. There are MANY companies offering Med cruises and they will be at varying prices, styles and age groups.

2 Most Med cruises cram many ports into few days. You can have 8 or 9 ports in 10 days, so, if seeing the ports is what you want to do, be prepared to work at it.
You cannot have late nights in the bar and full days in the port. You'll die of exhaustion!

3 Now that you have picked a company who cater to your age group and you have decided on where you want to go; get into research mode.
Search the web, read guide books; get to know what there is to see and do in the port and the surrounding areas. Research local guiding companies, as they will be WAY cheaper than the cruise comapnies; BUT bear in mind that if you go off on a day trip with Joe Bloggs' and don't get back by departure time the ship WILL sail without you. If you are with the cruise ship companies tours they will wait.

Visit CruiseCritic.com; it is FULL of useful info.

4. Preparation is the the most important part of a Med cruise. They can be grueling, if you really want to see and do as much as you can; but if you are prepared you will have a wonderful time.

We regularly do this. We research, narrow down what we want to do, to what we realistically can do; pack light and avoid all the shows, bars etc so we can get a good nights sleep. We are then up and ready to be one of the first off each day and go hard all day with the sight seeing. Remember that Europeans are NOT North Americans and do not have the same attitudes. Check on local manners and adapt. As a European myself I can understand why Americans can upset the locals and yet so easily; with a little planning and forethough; avoid doing so.

Have a wonderful time.

Time travler

I cruised the Mediterranean with Princess cruises and saw so much in like 10 days, it is unreal. It went to Rome and Athens and several other places too. The only problem with doing sightseeing on a cruise is you always want to stay in a port longer and see more, but nowhere can you see a lot of places in a short period of time as on a cruise.

myraxellenxamos

I have only cruised in the Caribbean and sometimes I felt I did not get to "see" enough.. that might be in part that I always choose the fun and exciting beach tours instead of the more educational ones. I would suggest a land cruise. You get to cruise but also spend more time on land at ports. Royal Caribbean has them.

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