Part 2 - Planning Tips for Your Mediterranean Cruise

This is the second part of three series article which help you make a better preparation before you go for a Mediterranean cruise vacation. Planning your first Mediterranean cruise can be a challenge if you have not traveled much or have not taken an organized tour or vacation. This checklist will help you.

1. What Types of Things Do You Like to Do?

One of the best things about a cruise is the wide variety of activities available. You can do everything from sit on the deck and enjoy the view to more strenuous activities like hiking, scuba diving, or other water sports.

European cruises often feature city or museum tours and other cultural opportunities. Ships dock in the major cities of Europe for a day, and passengers go ashore to see the marvelous historical and cultural sites of the city. Some European cruises include outdoor activities such as hiking, but most focus on the great cities of Europe.

Many Mediterranean cruise lines will provide you a list of shore activities offered before you book, either via the Internet or from your travel agent.

You normally do not have to decide on the shore activities before you sail, but you may be asked to book the shore excursions not long after embarkation. Some shore excursions have a limited number of slots, so if you absolutely must have a private tour ask if you can book space in advance.

The activities director will give passenger briefings on the shore excursions available after you get onboard, but I like to have a general idea of what I want to do in each port before I sail.

2. Do You Like to Dress Up?

Mainstream Mediterranean cruise lines used to always have one or two dress-up nights on a seven-day cruise where passengers would wear formal or semi-formal attire.
Along with the general trend towards more relaxed dress, some Mediterranean cruise lines have started to feature "resort casual" or "country club casual" dress every night. On these ships, they probably won't care if you want to be more formal, but you might feel awkward if you showed up without a tie for a semi-formal dinner on a more traditional ship. If you want to eat dinner in jeans, shorts, or very casual attire, you need to look towards small sailing ships like Windjammer of have dinner in your cabin or in one of the casual buffets most mainstream ships have.
Look at the brochure and Web Site pictures and read the brochures/schedules carefully on ships that you are considering.

If all of the pictures of people dining show everyone in semi-formal wear, then you will want to take along your black suit, tux or white dinner jacket. Ladies will need either a silky suit, cocktail dress, or something "glittery." If you want to leave that tie and other semi-formal wear at home, then look for cruise ships with more relaxed dress for dinner.

I love dressing up for dinner, but hate having to pack the extra "stuff". With all the airlines strictly enforcing the suitcase weight guidelines, women should probably only take one or two evening outfits and just wear them more than once or mix and match the pieces.

3. When Do You Like to Eat Dinner?

Dinner time varies with the Mediterranean cruise line or ship. There are three possibilities which are early seating (about 6:00 pm), late seating (about 8:00-8:30 pm) or open seating (anytime within a given time frame like 6:30-9:30). Note that some mega-ships have added a third fixed seating and made early seating earlier and late seating later.

Most Mediterranean cruise ships will give you a choice of seating. There are advantages to both. Early seating might mean you have to get up earlier (although most ships have open seating for breakfast and lunch). It also means that you might have to rush for dinner if you are on a shore excursion that lasts until the late afternoon, or can't tear yourself away from the beach or pool. The advantage to early seating is that you can then go to the shows after dinner and have more time for nightlife before bed.

Late seating allows you to have plenty of time to get ready for dinner. However, if you don't finish dinner until after 10:00 pm, you might either miss the show or part of the night life.

On a Mediterranean cruise ship with assigned seating, you will also be asked what table size you prefer. Most ships have tables for two, four, six, or eight (and sometimes ten). Oftentimes, the numbers of "two-tables" are limited, so if you "want to be alone", be sure to tell your travel agent or cruise line in advance.

Stay tune for the next article. Have great preparation and enjoy your Mediterranean cruise.