Sunday, March 31, 2024

8 best Italy cruises for a Mediterranean vacation

best mediterranean cruise companies

Additionally, Celesytal is unique in that it offers year-round Aegean Sea sailings cruising round-trip from Athens and ranging in length from three to 14 nights. On land, Celeystal guests can choose from a selection of the line’s “Authentic Excursions,” which are specially curated, small-group, expert-led experiences designed to take travelers off the beaten path. Options — including walking food tours and pottery-making demos at a local factory — abound, depending on the particular port of call.

Night Eastern MediterraneanDetails

best mediterranean cruise companies

The ships have an exhaustive list of onboard experiences including nightly live entertainment, specialty dining options, areas to play sports like pickleball, pools, and everything from salsa dancing to jewelry-making classes. The larger ships simply come with more to do, for everyone in the family, including waterslides, roller skating, and even bumper cars. It's a shame that the itinerary has no sea days because the ship offers plenty to keep cruisers busy on board. There's a wealth of dining options, from the Italian cuisine-serving Onda by Scarpetta to a trendy food hall, plus a go-kart track, multistory twisty slides and a bar serving sustainable craft cocktails. Viking also offers complimentary shore excursions in every port, so you'll have access to knowledgeable guides who can explain the historical sites you're touring. Enjoy the exemplary service you have come to expect from The Ritz-Carlton Hotels when sailing the Mediterranean with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

More from The Times and The Sunday Times

BEST Royal Caribbean Cruises to the Western Mediterranean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

BEST Royal Caribbean Cruises to the Western Mediterranean (with Prices) 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 04:30:16 GMT [source]

“A new entrant in the luxury travel industry, Explora Journeys offers all the style and comfort of a modern European luxury resort property on its 922-guest yacht-inspired Explora I and, launching later this year, Explora II,” explains Clabbers. The line has taken the industry by storm, doing away with cliche cruise staples like main dining rooms, large buffets, and notoriously small staterooms. Per the pro, it’s worth noting that “Explora Journeys is the first luxury line that offers a dedicated youth activity program and facility year-round;” as such, it’s an excellent option for multi-generational families looking to cruise Greece in style. If you’re not big on visiting historical sites or taking crowded ship-sponsored excursions, you might want to hire a car with guide to take you on a customized tour of places that most interest you. Check Roll Call to make onboard connections for your next cruise.

Vegas hits the seas

Seven-night cruises are best if you're short on time or want to tack on a few days in Barcelona, Rome or Athens before or after your cruise. Longer itineraries are ideal for experiencing a greater variety of destinations and traversing more of the Med. I liked the itinerary and the ship when I saw it in your promotional materials.

[I  most enjoyed the] Ancient theater at Epidaurus, Olympia and Delphi. These are amazing ancient places that I'd heard about for a long time. They were beautiful in the springtime with blossoming trees and wildflowers all about.

best mediterranean cruise companies

Ritz-Carlton, which entered the cruise realm in 2021 with its 298-passenger luxury yacht, Evrima, offers an all-inclusive "yachting lifestyle" experience. 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. According to T+L A-list travel advisor and small ship specialist Mary Curry, this local Greek cruise line offers its own fleet of yachts, most carrying fewer than 50 passengers.

Another popular port of call on Riviera itineraries is Monaco, where you might visit the royal palace of the Grimaldi family and stop by the glamorous Monte Carlo Casino to pretend you are James Bond enjoying a night on the town. 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. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. Highlights of the complimentary shore excursions on this itinerary include a panoramic tour of Corsica, seeing the sights in Rome and Algiers and a walking tour of Málaga, to name a few. This 22-day trip tracks its way through 20 ports via five countries, including Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey.

Evrima also offers nine bars and dining venues featuring menus created to reflect the ports visited. For culinary indulgence, guests can book a table at S.E.A., a specialty dining experience designed by Chef Sven Elverfeld of Aqua, the Michelin three-starred restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in Wolfsburg, Germany. Plus, with a cruise season that runs from early April through late October (and even year-round for a few cruise lines), Italy offers something for everyone. Travel here to find an alluring mix of impeccably preserved historic sites, renowned regional cuisines and natural wonders waiting to be discovered. Our award-winning Mediterranean cruise shore excursions bring you to iconic beaches, landmarks and ancient artifacts.

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. Holland America doesn’t have the wide-ranging options like other cruise lines on this list, however, the sailings it does offer are top-notch. Holland America also offers a varied pricing list to allow people to choose the right price point for them, with rooms ranging from interior staterooms that come with 151 square feet to over-the-top suites with 712 square feet to stretch out in. Rates for the two-week sailing are from $5,498/person; vikingcruises.com. 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.

What are the best cruise lines of 2024 for every traveler? - Cruise Blog

What are the best cruise lines of 2024 for every traveler?.

Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Today, the cruise line hosts Americans, and of course other nationalities, on its ships in the Mediterranean showing off the region’s vibrant and diverse cultures with thousands of unique excursions. A cruise is a great way to explore the Mediterranean’s diverse culture, captivating history, stunning beauty, and of course, delectable cuisine — all while unpacking your suitcase just once. Our readers’ top 10 offers a variety of cruise experiences sure to suit every style. When looking at a cruise with children, you'll want to mix time exploring on land with playtime on the ship, whether in the kids club or with attractions like video arcades and waterslides. Look for an itinerary that includes one or more fun-filled days at sea. The five-masted Wind Surf is as picture-perfect as the ports you'll visit, and the 342-passenger ship can follow all the luxury yachts into smaller harbors and off-the-beaten-track destinations.

(This would probably have been fine, if I'd been prepared with hiking boots and a walking stick, but not knowing what to expect, I wasn't). The small ships we work with mean a more personalized approach to a popular destination. Our travelers enjoy one-on-one correspondence with a dedicated Adventure Specialist.

At these times, departures often have more space and are less popular for family travel; popular ports are also less busy. The Mediterranean has long welcomed travelers, resulting in a never-ending list of ways to go. But with the region’s turquoise waters, spectacular beaches and quaint seaside towns, AdventureSmith believes the best way to see the Mediterranean is by ship—small ship. According to Clabbers, "Celebrity Cruises was launched by a Greek shipping family," so the line has deep ties to — and many officers who hail from — the country.

In port, guests can sign up for special chef-guided market excursions for shopping local markets in locales such as Barcelona and Malaga, Spain, and Livorno and Sorrento, Italy. Finds are later prepared and served by the chef via cooking demos back onboard. Choose from a series of 7- to 11-night Mediterranean Celebrity Edge voyages, running round-trip from Rome or between Rome and Barcelona.

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