People Still Fall For These 5 Mediterranean Cruise Traps!

I explore the 6 Mediterranean cruise traps and blunders that cruise passengers fall into when thinking of cruising in the Mediterranean. Inspired by when a friend of mine wanted to cruise the Mediterranean for the first time and I saw all the mistakes she was about to make.

ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 92 cruises I have done to date.

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00:00 Start
00:31 Itinerary Traps
03:10 Length Traps
05:33 Timing Traps
07:57 Ship Size Traps
10:50 Cabin Traps

[MelvisVelour]

I grew up in Lebanon and trust me, NO ONE, unless they absolutely don't have a choice, wants to be on the water in July/August. It's hot, humid, crawling with tourists and generally very unpleasant. September/October are fantastic times and in some ports, the fall colors are amazing. What did Winnie wind up doing? We're all now emotionally vested in this...

[DavidWilliams-qryj]

You hit a home run on this one Gary. By including the story of Winnie, Your personalized your post making everyone feel like you were talking about them. See why you’re number one in the Cruise vlog category. Kudos

[butalina]

I just got off the Celebrity Edge 2 weeks ago..Embarked in Civitavecchia Italy with a pre night stay in Rome...cruised to Santorini, Rhodes, Mykonos, Athens and Naples. Hardly any crowds, Temp in the 70's with no rain. The ship holds 3, 000 but there were only 1, 300 on board. The food, Entertainment and service was remarkable. We had a standard Veranda and loved it. at night we left the veranda door open and all you heard was the ocean, so relaxing. I have been on 24 cruises, This was possibly the best cruise I was ever on. Celebrity did a GREAT JOB.

[AugustoLugo]

Inside cabins for us, 99% of the time, we are hardly ever in the room, only to sleep and shower, when we have leisure time we go to like the serenity deck and have a 180 degrees field of views, and I can move around to the left or right side, something you can't do in your balcony, most ports are not attractive and beautiful and you travel at night when it is so dark.

[lane]

Over the years I’ve done five Med cruises. They have different beginning and ending ports and loads of different ports for excursions. I’ve done extended stays at Rome, Barcelona, Nice, Athens and Istanbul. It’s very important to pay attention to what you want to see. And realize that you can’t see it all in one cruise. Additionally, it’s incredibly hot in July and August. Walking excursions will exhaust you unless you are fit and in good shape simply due to the heat. I took a hike up a dormant volcano, near Santorini as I remember, and our guide passed out from the heat. I wouldn’t recommend the Med in July or August unless you are acclimated to high temperatures as well as being very fit. I rarely see this issue addressed but it’s an important consideration for us senior travelers.

[miltongee]

I got very lucky. This is my first time in Europe. I just got back from my 2 Europe cruises. The weather was perfect and no more than 2 ships in a port. I made 2 mistakes. First I should have walk everyday before my trip. You will walk alot. Second I should have left 2 or 3 days earlier. Coming from California it was a very long flight and jet lag.
I got home safe. I had a great time. Lots of pictures and memory. My friends I met on the ship is amazing.

[happycruiser]

Just came back from Barcelona, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia (2 weeks) and you are right, with only 2 sea days, it was exhausting.

[calumshaw]

I've never objected to the bus trip from ports into the cities as it gives you a great perspective about rural/semi-rural housing. Most cruise ships ensure there's a guide on each bus, so you also get great info about the next stop as we rarely, if ever go on organised excursions preferring to explore cities on our own. And finally, a balcony is a must - we love our sundowner(s) seated on the balcony watching the ocean glide by. I appreciate you can do the same from the bar and deck topside, but truly it's special when you and your partner watch the sun disappear over the evening horizon sipping your favourite drink in your own outdoor space!!

[pamelas]

I always feel "cruise smart" after watching your content. Funny thing is, I've still not been on a cruise. But I can guarantee this your videos are definitely on my syllabus! I will watch until and even after I actually book a cruise! Thank you for always sharing the knowledge.

[fishandfloral]

I totally agree with pre and post stays. With length of our flights when going to Europe we like to stay as long as we can, so a 7 day cruise is usually 12-13 days for us.

[punstress]

What a great friend you were! You covered the little subtleties that few people think of. I couldn't agree more with your advice, after my years and years of cruising the Mediterranean. I wish. I actually only went once, Barcelona to Civitavecchia, and in my first inside stateroom after always balconies. Would spring for at least an oceanview; I did not like needing to get dressed just to see where the heck we were. The unrelenting succession of port days was indeed quite tiring, no matter how much I enjoyed the cities. I was not thrilled with the thought of a 3 hour drive both ways to see a tourist spot for an hour, so I spent the days in the "gateway" cities. I loved the little walk+boat tour in Livorno, a city that the cruise line categorizes as not worth visiting.

[loricameron]

On our 12 day Mediterranean cruise we had a balcony cabin and loved using it. We went in July so it was hot and crowded so when we returned from our excursions it was nice to sit on the balcony and enjoy a drink away from the crowds. On a sea day after hanging around the ship (and all the people) it was nice to return to the cabin and sit watch the water while sailing to our next port. Having a balcony is a respite from the crowds and I would never sail in any other type of cabin. We sailed with a friend who had an inside cabin and she enjoyed our balcony as well.

[lindacurtis]

I went to the Western Mediterranean cruise and stayed before and 5 days after. Took a few tours and got to see all of Rome! Great info for those that do their due diligence!

[leksivogel]

My first cruise was a Med cruise, from Marseilles on a loop, touching Tunisia, Malta and a number of stops in Italy with MSC. It was AMAZING! The first day was a sea day which was perfect for exploring the ship before calling into a new port every day. Thanks to your advice, Gary, I booked my first SOLO cruise in a studio cabin with Norwegian and will do 10 days around the Greek Isles! Thank you for the advice and inspiration!

[karenjensen]

We went on a 11 day med cruise in October and it was fantastic!!! The weather was absolutely perfect! Crowds were not bad and we got a fantastic deal also we were on NCL and only 2, 500 people, wasn’t full and about 10 kids on the entire ship.

[trinity]

If you haven't cruised before, this is incredible advice . 100 % on point

[Ariadne]

I’m so very glad I found your videos on Mediterranean cruises. I’ve booked one for October of 2024 and was expecting all the ports to be gorgeous. It’s best to have a reality check ahead of time to plan. My cruise sails out f Barcelona and I plan at least five days there prior to the cruise. Most of the ports are in Spain in cities you’ve said are beautiful. But you’ve given me a heads up to do my research. In the future I’d like to see Greece and Italy. Thank you!

[janeshiota]

I had nightmare experience in Greece 10 yrs ago. Was booked on a luxury yacht islands cruise from Piraeus. Instead of advertised yacht was brought to a 1970s college party barge looking boat. The Tugboat instead of the Love Boat. Was a Sunday holiday in Greece so everything booked/busy. Like rats leaving a ship we jumped off w luggage after captain claiming original boat broke down. Ran into road and flagged down a taxi. Found one night at luxury hotel in athens. Travel agent in California woken up and working like crazy found us a suite on resort on Crete, flights, hydrofoil to Santorini, tours. So we missed all the cruise and ports, but had wonderful time on Crete. She also got every dollar refunded. Must be flexible and have a good TA!

[PaulK]

Great tips. I've made plenty of those mistakes! The Med is very hot & crowded in July/August, and the distances from the ports to the attractions can make it a very tiring experience. Sometimes you have to accept that seeing those bucket list sites (Rome, Florence) comes at a cost.

[effkay]

When cruise ships used to dock at Venice city it was no benefit to the city. None of the passengers spent any money on local eateries or bars. It was just mass sightseeing crowds then back to their ship buffet. That’s why so many ports got rid of them or dock them in the shipyards. These cruise ships use wonderful old cities like a Disney prop.