Part 3 - Planning Tips for Your Mediterranean Cruise

This is last part of three series article which help you make a better preparation before you go for a Mediterranean cruise vacation, especially if you are the first timer. Please note that this checklist is essential before you decided to contact the travel agency or a Mediterranean cruise line. Check it out.

1. Check your budget!

You would not think about minimums for a Mediterranean cruise here. There used to be a "rule of thumb" that you needed to budget about $100/day/person (exclusive of airfare). That rule still seems fairly reasonable, although many Mediterranean cruise ships now charge extra for items that used to be included in the fare. You can decrease your budgeted cost some by shopping around or by:

- be a risk-taker and booking late (less than 2 months in advance).
- being conservative and booking early (more than six months in advance)
- having more than two persons per cabin

It is wise to consider that the minimum price on a mainstream Mediterranean cruise lines average about $500 per week.

2. How do you like your cabin would be?

Cabin selection is normally a function of how much you want to spend. However, many cruisers will book the cheapest room available at the time of booking, preferring to save their money for shopping or shore excursions. Deck plans for most ships are available in hard copy from the cruise line, travel agent, or you can view them online. If you book early enough, you will sometimes get an upgrade to a better cabin. You might also note that on most ships a cabin mid-ship and on a lower deck will "ride better" in rough seas than one near the bow or on a higher deck.

Do you suffer a little claustrophobic? If yes you might better be able to peer out your window in the morning to see the weather. In that case I recommend you book the outside cabin with a window or porthole.

There are also a balconied-cabins, which is very comfortable and you might not want to cruise again without one! Many of the newer ships feature private verandahs or balconies on most cabins, so they are getting less expensive. When determining your Mediterranean cruise budget, be sure to check to see how much more one of these cabins might be. It might be worth your money!

3. Who are you going to take aboard?

All age groups are welcome and planned for on a cruise ship. You will easily find a Mediterranean cruise line that will give any age group from toddler to great grandmother a memorable vacation. If you don't have kids or don't want to be around them while on vacation, there are some cruise ships that are almost adult only or won't have many children. Friends of mine with teenagers often say they have found it to be the best family vacation yet.

Hope this article helps you make good preparation. Enjoy your Mediterranean cruise!

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.

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.