Part 1 - Planning Tips for Your Mediterranean Cruise

Is this your first time for a Mediterranean cruise? If yes I will give you nine important checklists to help you make a good preparation before you for a Mediterranean cruise vacation. Please note that this checklist is essential before you decided to contact the travel agency or a Mediterranean cruise line. Because this is a long article I will divide it into three articles. This is the first one. Please enjoy it.

1. How long is your travel?

If you live in America and you have less than a week for travel, you are probably restricted to the Mexico, Bahamas, or parts of Caribbean. Your “less than a week cruise” allow you to cruise for a long weekend out of port into the ocean and then return. No ports of call are made by the ship, but you can get a feel for what a cruise is like.

A week's vacation will open up the Caribbean to you, and depending on where you live you can even get to Europe, Hawaii, Alaska, or the South Pacific.
If you can squeeze out ten days to two weeks, you will have many more options, including all seven of the continents.

2. When do you want to go?

Mediterranean cruise lines are usually a little cheaper in the fall or spring. This is entirely due to supply and demand. Why? Because kids are in school and weather can sometimes be uncertain. Winter used to be considered the only "high" season for tropical locations like the Caribbean. However, summertime costs are not far behind due to the large numbers of families with children, college students, and others who have "forced summer vacations".

Some people are fearful of fall hurricanes, but cruise ships can deal with those by altering their itinerary, although you may see different destinations than what you planned.

Some locations have short cruising seasons. For example, if you are going to Alaska or northern Europe, you will have to cruise between May and September.

If you are going for a Mediterranean cruise, summer is the high season, but some ships cruise there year-round.

If you are going to Antarctica, November through February is the season.
Going to the tropics is a little easier. The temperature will not vary much with the seasons. What does vary is the rainfall. The dry season for most tropical locations like the Caribbean and Hawaii is in the summer, and the rainy season is in the winter. This does not mean it will rain all of the time. You just need to be prepared for more rain. Afternoon showers are more common. Of course, if you are coming from Canada or the northern U.S., some warm rainfall is not a problem if you have left piles of snow at home!

3. How will you transport to your Mediterranean cruise ship?

Driving or flying to get to your Mediterranean cruise ship is the two most popular modes of transportation to the ship's embarkation point.

Most cruise lines will sell you a combination "fly-cruise" package. Usually it is much easier, but you should compare the cruise line airfare price to booking your flight independently for a better price comparison.

The "fly-cruise" price will usually include transfers between the ship and the airport, which can sometimes add quite a bit to the cost if you fly on your own. In addition, the cruise line will usually transfer your luggage directly to your cabin. For cruisers who over-pack (you know who you are!), this can be a big help. The other reason it is a good idea to let the cruise line take care of your flight is that sometimes the ship will be held up for late arriving flights.

If you are on a cruise line-booked flight, there will probably be other cruisers on your plane. The more of you who are "in the same boat", the more likely the ship's departure will be delayed if your flight is late arriving.

If you do choose to use frequent-flyer miles for a flight or want to book independently, you might want to get to the departure city a day early to avoid the stress of worrying about flight problems, whether they be weather or mechanical.

Driving is under your control, but might not be reasonable unless you live within a day's drive of an embarkation point. So I suggest you better take a booked flight. Believe me, from my experience you will feel more comfortable and not rushed to reach your Mediterranean cruise embarkation point.

Ok, I am going to continue the article in the next part. Hope this series of article could help you prepare better for your Mediterranean cruise.