I am interested in the European cruise from Barcelona, Spain to Nice, France to Florence, Italy to Rome, Italy. I would like to know what ships are best and what cruise line everyone thinks is best.

We did a 12 day Mediterranean cruise in October two years ago. It was a fabulous cruise. We cruised on the Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas. The ship is outstanding, my favorite of all of the Royal Caribbean ships.

The crowd of people on the ship was mixed, mostly folks 30's to 60's and not many kids. The time of year pretty much keeps families with kids from going.

In the first port stop of Villefranche we did the tour that went to the Medieval city of Eze and then to Monaco and the Monte Carlo casino. The Eze part was OK and so was the Monaco part, but don't pay the $10 per person to go inside the casino. Its not worth it, plus you cannot take pictures inside.

In Florence we did the walking tour of the city and also a stop at Pisa. That was a good tour. In Rome we toured the Vatican City and Sistene Chapel and the went to the Coliseum. All of that was good but the tours take all day because the port is an hour from Rome. I do not recommend trying to do Rome on your own, you may get caught in traffic and miss the ship's departure.

In Naples we toured Pompeii and that as good. In Athens we took a tour to the Acropolis and then through the city of Athens. The Acropolis part I liked best. In Kusudasi we went to the Biblical city of Ephesus and that was aweing and outstanding. In Santorini we went on a tour of the island and then to a winery. On Mykonos we did not do a tour , just walked around the town.

First, because of all of the historical sites to see the cruise can be very tiring. Many tours last all day and depending on the arrangement of ports stops you can be off the ship all day on consecutive days. But, if you go that far you do not want to miss the historical sights. If you decide to skips ships tours and go on your own its best to do that in Mykonos and Santorini. The other places involve a bus ride to the attractions, or a tour or taxi.

In Barcelona and the cities in Italy you have to watch out for pickpockets and Gypsies. Keep your money and valuables inside your clothes, not just in your pocket. If you give money to one Gypsie, others will show up with their hands out. So even though they look so sad, its an act and just ignore them.
Sometimes the pickpockets will disguise themselves (with a camera hanging around their neck) as tourists. So don't let people who are not in your tour group get close to you.

All of the port stops that this cruise makes, except Turkey right now, use the Euro. So it would be a good idea to buy some Euros before you leave for the trip. You will need some as soon as you get to Barcelona to pay a taxi to the ship. Unless you plan to make some big purchases in Turkey, no need to buy that currency. If you decide you want some you can get it on the ship at the purser's desk. The owners of the markets in Kusudasi will come out of their shops to invite you in; very pushy. If you do not plan on spending but a few dollars there you can probably use US dollars or Euros.

I have done almost 20 cruises and Royal Caribbean is my favorite line and I highly recommend it. The Mediterranean cruise is tops on my list of all of the cruises we have been on. You will enjoy it and the ship.

Well, strictly speaking the answer to a question that begins, "Does anyone know . . . " must be "Yes, several people know."

Now your mission will be to find such a person.

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Is there enough time to disembark, get to the airport and make an 11:00 flight. We are using disney transportation.

You could make it if everything goes perfectly. The time the ship enters port is not the time that passengers will be able to debark. The ship has to clear customs and if there are any snags you may not get off the ship for hours. (Someone on the cruise right before us decided to buy some illegal drugs. They brought the dogs on board and didn't clear until after 12 noon. We couldn't get on til after 2:00.) Also traffic can be a concern or getting through security at the airport. I wouldn't chance it.

I'm trying to plan a cruise vacation with my boyfriend for march 2009 and we want to try to get the best deal we can. i heard going about a travel agent is cheaper in the long run, is it true? how do they event help you? I just dont want to have to pay a lot for one…

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Not that far. Fuel's expensive, so they don't want to waste it.

I think it's a minimum of 24 miles so they can open the casino and sell alcohol and such with no tax. But otherwise, unless there's a navigational reason (avoiding shipping lanes, fast currents), after that I believe they just run the engines enough to keep the ship moving smoothly.

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Never used them, I use vacationstogo.com and have had excellent service.

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