RayColey

Well, it really looks like: 1) there is a lot of interest! and, 2) we still have a lot of research work to do - no problem, since researching a cruise is a major part of the fun!!!

For us, the itinerary is the number one priority. If we were only sailing the Caribe, then the ship would be more important, but there is so much variation in the European ports, we have things that we want to go and see!!

The consensus seems to be that there are only a few "musts" on this cruise (but they are daunting, to some degree). On the western side of Italy, Florence/Rome/Naples are requested quite regularly. On the eastern side, Venice is on just about everybody's list (and I absolutely agree with them!). Most everyone wants Athens plus a Greek island, and quite a few want Turkey (which generally includes a stop at Kusadasi, which I think is a "must" if you're going to Turkey). Although I've seen cruises that do Italy, Greece and Turkey, I haven't seen one that starts in the Mediterranean, goes up the Adriatic and then comes back down to continue in the Mediterranean. A cruise that goes up the Adriatic will normally include a port in Croatia - Spit or Dubrovnik - so all of those ports would result in nine ports. How does everybody feel about nine ports in two weeks? Personally, I think I would opt for two sides of Italy, say from Florence to Athens, and save Turkey for another cruise (that would go from Athens to Istanbul, with stops at Greek islands and Turkish ports along the way)... Comments?

Imagine the black box recorder malfunctioning and Costa didn't get it repaired before sending the ship out again... Looks like there is plenty of blame to go around.

Birgitte, have you ever done any of the river cruises in Europe?

Yes, Jackie, I've been thinking about that and I'm not sure how I would hold up on a two week cruise with ten ports! The one mentioned that covered Spain, both sides of Italy, Greece and Turkey sounds like quite a handful... I'm wondering how my old bones would hold up?

Our last cruise (Lisbon/Gibraltar/Cartegena/Malta/Split/Venice) had six port days and three sea days - and we were happy for those sea days! Of all those ports, the only one that was on flat land was Venice, and of course there you have to go up and down the stairs to the bridges... We were right next to the Rialto Bridge, which had only thirty stairs on our first day but had seventy by day three. Nonetheless, there's generally a vaporetto going to wherever you want to go (except for the Fenice Opera and the little back streets). The dining table we had was the best ever! We're still in touch with the people we met there - four from Ireland, four from the USA and two from Sweden. Late dining is a MUST if you're going to do the ports properly, and 24-hour buffet would be welcome. Our RCI buffet was good up to nine PM but after that the pickings were slim. We had open seating on the previous cruise (Athens/Santorini/Rhodes/Kusadasi/Istanbul) and had zero problems getting back to the ship on time. I would also be very open to Princess - a real solid rep and if the itinerary fits, I'm sure everyone would be happy with them... I'm sure that we could slip the meds into the Med!!

Jackie, I haven't run into that particular itinerary, but it sure sounds like a winner... If possible, I'd love to have Kevin (ColoradoCruiser, not my son) be able to take this cruise, and he's got to adhere to the academic calendar, which means June - August... Let's see what happens over the next year insofar as schedules are concerned... I don't want to chase anybody away this early in the game!

Shari, I may be stuck with 2014 because Kevin's graduation came just a half year after I bought Trixie - about $20K spent between those two plus a few home repairs... by mid-2013 we ought to be whole, but we'll need better than that to go cruising in the Med! Also, Tim requested 2014, and he has things he's dealing with now, so.... I figure a cruise up and down the Bay will suffice for next year - that's priced in the hundreds, not the thousands!

Well, I've never known a civil attorney who didn't believe he knew engineering better than engineers, architecture better than architects, medicine better than doctors and (Lord knows) music better than musicians.

I'll dig deep to see if there are ever any cruises that do the Florence/Pisa/Rome/Naples or combination thereof, plus Venice and go on to Turkey. I've never seen any, but I'll check with my TA to see if she's ever run into any... And I do think we should try for June if possible, for two reasons: 1) to include Kevin, and 2) because June comes before September and I'm going through cruise withdrawal!

Been to Venice, Athens, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Rome and Barcelona. Don't expect any problem whatsoever in Athens. The problem there is people vs. government, not people vs. Americans. Kusadasi is the port from which you visit Ephesus - a MUST. Istanbul is totally fascinating. Take in whatever you can, from the river tours to the bazaar to the mosques and beyond. Rome has too many interesting places to visit, so you won't be able to get more than a smattering. The forum, the colliseum, any of the temples along the Tiber River and The Vatican, to name a few. Barcelona is one of the most cosmopolitan of all Spanish cities. Explore in spanish or in catalan. choose the things you want to make sure you see before you go, then begin to plan out your port visits. Any specific questions about these ports that you have, I'll be happy to help...

People in Greece are experiencing economic difficulties. They have no problem with money coming into the country - that's exactly what they need (well, they need a good economist to explain the economic facts of life to them, too). June, especially early June, is a lovely time of year in the Mediterranean countries. We'll probably have to choose between Venice and Turkey, because I haven't seen a cruise that does both unless it excludes all the western Italian ports.

I can certainly do September (but October is a little difficult). The Europeans tend to go on holiday in July/August, so everyplace is generally pretty crowded.

We would love to have you and Marc on this cruise, Shari - pretty much all of the cruises I have seen feature one or two ports on the western side of Italy (unless the cruise is restricted to Italian ports only), so we will probably wind up with only two ports there, but the ones you have mentioned are definitely on the radar. Similarly, Athens and Santorini are usually included in the Greece/Turkey cruises but the ones that go up the Adriatic usually feature Corfu or another of the Adriatic greek islands. Of course, this is almost two years away, and the lines may offer a wider variety of cruises than they do at present. Celebrity is definitely one of the lines that has these cruises... I'm looking at everyone but Costa!!

For those interested in trying out the Mediterranean ports, check out our "2014 Crazie Mediterranean Cruise" topic under "Let's Talk Cruise". We're looking at cruising the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas (and maybe taking Crazie herself with us)...

I live and die by the comm network, and so any step forward is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned. I hope that some of this filters down to the smaller ships that I prefer...

I'm glad to see that there is a lot of interest in this cruise. I am collecting emailed ads from the various lines (and I think that itineraries will likely stay pretty much the same from year to year) to see what's available at decent rates. Jackie, Prague is right on the Vltava (Moldau) river, and is covered by Uniworld river cruises. We absolutely LOVED Prague, and definitely intend to return there (along with enough other places that to cover them all we would have to live into our 100s!)

John, not many cruises stop at Palermo, but of course they all pass by... Got a telephoto lens on your camera?

Andi, Pompeii (also Amalfi and Isle of Capri) is an excursion from the port of Naples. Dubrovnik is definitely on my list..it's pretty much on the way to Venice; last cruise our ship stopped at Split, Croatia, instead of Dubrovnik, and that was quite interesting, too.

Kevin, bad advice for Tim. You can drive on the East River, but the car will sink when you hit Long Island Sound.

A Group of us have begun to plan a Mediterranean Cruise for 2014. This is just in the planning stages, but so far we have agreed that: The cruise should be right at the beginning of summer - early June. Venice must be among the ports visited. The cruise should be at least 9 or 10 days, and preferably 2 weeks. Most of us would like to visit the Amalfi coast, Rome and Florence. Ideally, the cruise would include a Greek island. Any more thoughts?

Crazie should have a user ID and an avatar...

Have a Fabulous Cruise, Rose and Howie!

Kinda tough to sail to Madrid! I was there many years ago, and it was just a well-manicured European city. Prabably Orbitz or Travelocity can get you pretty good hotel rates. Easy to get around town, so you can be flexible on the location.