I'd go with #1. Getting to Rome early and spending a few days is great at that age. We did a Princess cruise that started in Rome and ended in Athens. It was a good combination of cities at either end and seeing different spots.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I enjoy cruising but have avoided the Med cruises because of the distance from the ports to the sights you want to see. Obviously it doesn’t bother some people like PPs but make sure you really understand what you are getting into, especially if you haven’t cruised much.

So you haven't done it, but are warning OP against it.

No, just pointing out a very real drawback to these types of cruises that people should be aware of. Clearly other PPs were fine with it. It’s not how I want to see some of these cities, personally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had so much fun on an 11 night Med cruise on Celebrity Constellation last summer that we are taking another one.

Remember: the bigger the ship, the bigger the crowds/lines.

You’ll have a blast!

Join some FB groups specific to the ships you are considering and you’ll get the best info there from people who have recently done the same itinerary or ports.

PP: is this the itinerary you did? It looks fantastic, and we could do pre and post cruise in Venice and Rome, respectively. I've been watching it but not sure if it will be available in 2027.

We did an 11 night from Rome/Civitavecchia to Venice/Ravenna with stops up and down both coasts of Italy plus Kotor, Montenegro and Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia. We only had 2 sea days and were barely on the ship.

Pro tip: always pick a Med cruise by the itinerary and price. You are barely on the ship.

We love celebrity and so do our kids.

Re: a poster who said not to bother with Florence - I disagree. You can absolutely get to and from Florence in one day. It’s no big deal.

And seriously consider the size of the ship: the bigger the ship, the bigger the lines/crowds.

PS - MSC sucks. Don’t be lured in by their cheap prices.

You’re going to have an amazing time!!!

Anonymous wrote:I enjoy cruising but have avoided the Med cruises because of the distance from the ports to the sights you want to see. Obviously it doesn’t bother some people like PPs but make sure you really understand what you are getting into, especially if you haven’t cruised much.

So you haven't done it, but are warning OP against it.

I went on a Costa line cruise as a kid.

And a separate Greek island cruise in high school

I think both had slightly better itineraries.

Costa Cruise
Genoa departure (did not sightsee)
Palma de Mallorca - not great, 1 big castle
Barcelona - cool city. Glad I saw Sagrada Familia.
Tunis - very interesting, only time I've been to Africa
Malta - island and harbor interesting, Valetta not
Sicily somewhere - okay
Naples - Pompeii - very interesting
Genoa return

Local cruise line
Venice - depart - very cool
Dubrovnik - above average walled city
Through the Corinth Canal
Crete - really liked, Knossos, etc
Olympia, Delphi - moderately interesting
Corfu - can't remember anything but buying a ring
Santorini - beautiful view but not fun
Athens - really liked Piraeus and the Acropolis

So...when I grew up, I've gone back to:

Rome
Venice
Barcelona

And I'd like to take my kids to Athens.

I like the 3rd cruise option. Although I agree that land-based touring in Europe allows more flexibility.

If more feedback on the ports is wanted, let me know. I'm basically summarizing the opinions of "child me".

The common threads with the places I liked were that they were historically significant (places from Greek myth like Knossos, Olympia, or Delphi) or unusually attractive cities like Venice. I was glad to see Sagrada Familia being built and to return 20-some years later to see the progress. I like medieval history so it's interesting to experience a cathedral being built on a traditional vs. modern timescale.

You know your kids and their interests best. I would prioritize ports of interest to them.

I would base it all on the itinerary -and compare the itineraries closely

1- I would choose an itinerary that starts/stops at different cities - choose cities that you want to spend the most time in.
Rome is a great option for a start or end, because it is far for a one day port stop, but at the beginning or end of your cruise you will likely add on days and get to enjoy Rome sights.

2 - Looks closely at the number of ports/sea days and the time spend in each port. I personally prefer the most port time possible so I try to choose itineraries with less or no sea days.

I'm not familiar with Celebrity, but we cruised Mediterranean on NCL and Carnival and had a great time on both. For Europe, I think the ports are the most important factor, more important than the specific cruise line. So I would look closely at different cruise lines in case one offers a better itinerary

Anonymous wrote:We had so much fun on an 11 night Med cruise on Celebrity Constellation last summer that we are taking another one.

Remember: the bigger the ship, the bigger the crowds/lines.

You’ll have a blast!

Join some FB groups specific to the ships you are considering and you’ll get the best info there from people who have recently done the same itinerary or ports.

PP: is this the itinerary you did? It looks fantastic, and we could do pre and post cruise in Venice and Rome, respectively. I've been watching it but not sure if it will be available in 2027.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats OP - great way to celebrate your 50th! I did one for mine - RCCL's Odyssey of the Seas which was Italy and Greece and I loved it. At the time we were living in Sicily, so we drove to Civitavecchia and parked for the week. My two daughters (11 and 13 at the time) loved Mykonos, thought Santorini was pretty but not much to do, enjoyed Ephesus and of course we are long time fans of Naples. That was in June, and Greece wasn't crazy crowded except Oia at sunset on Santorini (always the case). We still live in Europe and as a family we've done an MSC med cruise from Genoa that was a steal for a last minute booking. It went to Livorno, Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. I"ve also done the Norwegian Viva solo for 12 nights all around the Ionian and Adriatic (Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia) and had a blast. Corfu is so lovely and Malta is gorgeous. As a long time Italy traveler, I don't recommend trying to do Florence on a shore day on a cruise. Way too hectic.

Greece does get crowded, but I would not let that stop me, especially for the islands. Mykonos is a super easy port to visit, as is Corfu. I've been to most Med ports via ship or car, so any questions - I am happy to answer. I think you will have an amazing time no matter which you choose. For me personally, I would choose the third, but I adore the those ports.

Thanks so much for reply and insights! The Florence port is an overnight and I was considering staying in a hotel to make it less hectic.

What did you think of MSC? They also have some intriguing itineraries, but I’ve heard their customer service and food isn’t great.

Oh, I missed that part. Overnight in Florence can definitely work, and I love your hotel idea.

MSC is a great value, and has fairly nice ships, but from what you sound like you want, I think Celebrity sounds better. MSC can get rowdy with the Italians and Spaniards and isn't super chill. I loved the NCL Viva because it was modeled after the Virgin Voyages, and very adult focused with modern food options. But with two younger teens, I think Celebrity is a nice option and will give you the more upscale vibe you want for your birthday. Our RCCL ship didn't have major waterslides, as it's the only one in it's class without them (my kids were bummed!) but they loved the pool, El Loco Fresh poolside and the overall vibe.

Also check out Princess, as they have a new ship the Sun Princess with nice itineraries. But it is bigger and thus larger crowds. The Enchanted Princess is also over here. I do also love the smaller older ships that have been updated - kind of the best of both worlds.

Anonymous wrote:Congrats OP - great way to celebrate your 50th! I did one for mine - RCCL's Odyssey of the Seas which was Italy and Greece and I loved it. At the time we were living in Sicily, so we drove to Civitavecchia and parked for the week. My two daughters (11 and 13 at the time) loved Mykonos, thought Santorini was pretty but not much to do, enjoyed Ephesus and of course we are long time fans of Naples. That was in June, and Greece wasn't crazy crowded except Oia at sunset on Santorini (always the case). We still live in Europe and as a family we've done an MSC med cruise from Genoa that was a steal for a last minute booking. It went to Livorno, Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. I"ve also done the Norwegian Viva solo for 12 nights all around the Ionian and Adriatic (Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia) and had a blast. Corfu is so lovely and Malta is gorgeous. As a long time Italy traveler, I don't recommend trying to do Florence on a shore day on a cruise. Way too hectic.

Greece does get crowded, but I would not let that stop me, especially for the islands. Mykonos is a super easy port to visit, as is Corfu. I've been to most Med ports via ship or car, so any questions - I am happy to answer. I think you will have an amazing time no matter which you choose. For me personally, I would choose the third, but I adore the those ports.

Thanks so much for reply and insights! The Florence port is an overnight and I was considering staying in a hotel to make it less hectic.

What did you think of MSC? They also have some intriguing itineraries, but I’ve heard their customer service and food isn’t great.

Anonymous wrote:We did a Mediterranean cruise with our kids last year, but over spring break. We were on celebrity equinox I think which is an older ship, but the kids loved it. They are dying to go back. I think what made it really great for us, though was that it was spring, and we were the only ship in port in most cases, so it wasn’t very crowded. I would look and see how busy the ports are on the days you’re docking. Celebrity was a great line for our family, with a 9, 12 and 14 year-old.

Thanks so much for this comment. Several people have advised me against celebrity with kids. We’ve done an RC Caribbean cruise with the water slides and they had a blast but don’t really need all that to be entertained. I want this cruise to be more about the ports than the ship, and I want a more upscale environment for me!

We did a Mediterranean cruise with our kids last year, but over spring break. We were on celebrity equinox I think which is an older ship, but the kids loved it. They are dying to go back. I think what made it really great for us, though was that it was spring, and we were the only ship in port in most cases, so it wasn’t very crowded. I would look and see how busy the ports are on the days you’re docking. Celebrity was a great line for our family, with a 9, 12 and 14 year-old.

First of all booking cruises as far in advance as possible is generally the best way to get the best price and cabin, so do not apologize for planning early.

Have you traveled in Europe before? If not, IMHO the 3rd cruise gives you the best cross section of classic locations. Also it bookends Rome and Barcelona, places where extra time can be very valuable. Make sure you go in at least one day early, if not more.

Have a great time?

Anonymous wrote:Congrats OP - great way to celebrate your 50th! I did one for mine - RCCL's Odyssey of the Seas which was Italy and Greece and I loved it. At the time we were living in Sicily, so we drove to Civitavecchia and parked for the week. My two daughters (11 and 13 at the time) loved Mykonos, thought Santorini was pretty but not much to do, enjoyed Ephesus and of course we are long time fans of Naples. That was in June, and Greece wasn't crazy crowded except Oia at sunset on Santorini (always the case). We still live in Europe and as a family we've done an MSC med cruise from Genoa that was a steal for a last minute booking. It went to Livorno, Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. I"ve also done the Norwegian Viva solo for 12 nights all around the Ionian and Adriatic (Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia) and had a blast. Corfu is so lovely and Malta is gorgeous. As a long time Italy traveler, I don't recommend trying to do Florence on a shore day on a cruise. Way too hectic.

Greece does get crowded, but I would not let that stop me, especially for the islands. Mykonos is a super easy port to visit, as is Corfu. I've been to most Med ports via ship or car, so any questions - I am happy to answer. I think you will have an amazing time no matter which you choose. For me personally, I would choose the third, but I adore the those ports.

Whoops - I meant the first one for 10 days. But in any case, they all sound great!

Congrats OP - great way to celebrate your 50th! I did one for mine - RCCL's Odyssey of the Seas which was Italy and Greece and I loved it. At the time we were living in Sicily, so we drove to Civitavecchia and parked for the week. My two daughters (11 and 13 at the time) loved Mykonos, thought Santorini was pretty but not much to do, enjoyed Ephesus and of course we are long time fans of Naples. That was in June, and Greece wasn't crazy crowded except Oia at sunset on Santorini (always the case). We still live in Europe and as a family we've done an MSC med cruise from Genoa that was a steal for a last minute booking. It went to Livorno, Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona. I"ve also done the Norwegian Viva solo for 12 nights all around the Ionian and Adriatic (Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia) and had a blast. Corfu is so lovely and Malta is gorgeous. As a long time Italy traveler, I don't recommend trying to do Florence on a shore day on a cruise. Way too hectic.

Greece does get crowded, but I would not let that stop me, especially for the islands. Mykonos is a super easy port to visit, as is Corfu. I've been to most Med ports via ship or car, so any questions - I am happy to answer. I think you will have an amazing time no matter which you choose. For me personally, I would choose the third, but I adore the those ports.

Thank you for the replies. I did do some research on ports to select these 3 options and omitted any that had Rome as a port stop. I’ll take a look at Facebook groups, thanks for the tip!