Hrant

Hello everyone, me and my girlfriend want to take a cruise in Europe in November, we will start from Marseille then Genoa - Civitavecchia - Palermo - Malta (La Valetta) - one day at the sea - Barcelona and end the cruise in Marseille.
The dates are from November 25 to December 2 the ship is a big ship, we want to take the cheapest option (1150 $) inside cabin, and no drinks package and no excursions (we want to go on our own) is this a good idea? or the weather is gonna be bad...
Will we be able to swim in outside pools or Aquapark? ir even go to open sides of the ship? it's our first cruise so we are new to cruising ))))
please help us have a good honeymoon, thank you!

aliced

I expect that the weather will be way too chilly to be up on deck. That being said, I would strongly recommend you not take an inside cabin. Unlikely pools will be open either. Best way is to check weather weekly starting now to gauge temperatures in coming weeks. Going off on your own is easy -- there will be maps available of the ports, but get some books from library on these ports and perhaps copy walking maps of areas you will visit. Happy travels!

P_M

Hello and congrats on your upcoming honeymoon.

I think there's nothing wrong with going into the ports on your own. I recommend researching your ports so you'll have ideas for what to do when you get there. Make absolutely certain you know the boarding time as the ship will not wait for you when you're out on your own.

Be prepared for any kind of weather. Bring waterproof jackets and umbrellas. I'm not saying you'll use them every day, just be prepared. I don't think you'll be doing any outdoor swimming at that time of year unless the pool is heated.

Have a great trip.

Sassafrass

I believe that ship has some heated pools and at least one indoor pool with a retractable roof. It also has hot tubs. Now, whether you will be comfortable using them in weather that will be anywhere from lows of 40 to highs of 60 is another issue. Late November to early December is winter. Personally, I think it is fine for walking and sight seeing, but I would not take a cruise expecting to spend any time in/by a pool. Can’t tell how the inside pool will be. It could be crowded and noisy because if it is too cold to use the outside pools, more people will be inside. You could check to see if there is an indoor, adult only, heated pool. That would be great. IMHO, it will be far too cold to enjoy an aqua park. This is your honeymoon. What is the main thing you want to do, sightsee in Europe or relax by a pool, have entertainment and food, etc. on a ship? I know ships offer cruises in winter and they have pools, but IMHO, expectation of both in winter is really not compatible. I have been on ships when it was chilly and enjoyed it, but did not sit by a pool. Others may have a completely different experience and be less negative, so hope you hear from them. I would take an ocean view cabin and not worry about a balcony. If you are off the ship sightseeing during the day, it will be too cold to enjoy a balcony early morning or evening.

janisj

Congrats.

To be honest I would not plan a late Nov/early Dec Mediterranean cruise (and especially not if I had to book an inside cabin to make the budget work). It will be nothing like a nice late spring or early Autumn cruise. For one thing you will need winter clothes. Plus there could be storms and rough seas.

For the same $$$/€€€ or less you could plan a one or two city land trip. Paris for example. Sure it might be wintry - but I'd much rather walk the streets of Paris in cold weather with some warm roasted chestnuts from a street vendor in my pocket keeping my hands warm and stopping for crepes at a kiosk . . . than shivering on the deck of a ship or retiring to an inside cabin.

I see a couple options . . . either do a city trip . . . OR delay your honeymoon til next Spring/summer when a cruise would actually be enjoyable.

Sassafrass

Janisj, You brought back the best memory of buying hot, roasted chestnuts in Paris! Thank you.
You gave very good advice.
We have also loved Bavaria in winter and Switzerland during Fasnacht in Basel. I think the OP needs to match destinations with the time of year or interests. I love cruises, but not too sure this cruise fits the OP’s expectations.

cdnyul

I have been in storms in the English Channel, skirted hurricane Frederic in the Caribbean, tropical cyclone and one almost in the Roaring Forties (38°S)
but the worst one was the one in the Med. Steep waves with a short period cause fslamming, and pitching making for a very uncomfortable riide.

September to December is peak season for mendicanes, huurcane like winds in the Meddittarenean.

Recently, we took a ferry on the Baltic (Stenna Ebba) and you could not pay me enough to stay in an inside cabin.

Sassafrass

OP, though I responded earlier, I just read other responses and re-read your questions. Some important questions for you.
Are you talking this year, in only a month from now, or next year?
Have you already booked airfare into/out of Marseilles?

If you have already booked flights, and it is for next month, then your choice is go ahead with a cruise or do some kind of vacation on your own in France. I would do it on my own.

However, I see the $1150 is for the two of you, inside cabin. You said you are a first time cruiser, so We have no idea what you know and what you don’t about costs. Are you aware of the tips pp? It would be around $100-$110 each so at least another $200 to $220 for the two of you, now up to near $1400 for the two of you. That also does not includes country or state taxes and I have no idea what that is for the countries you will be visiting. For total room and food, you can’t do much better than that, cost wise, but you will likely be eating off the ship for lunch some days. Also, even if you do not do the ships excursions (we never do them) you still have plenty of expenses if you do things on your own. You may have taxis, shuttle to/from the Port, entrance fees to some sights, etc. You also absolutely must arrive at the port city at least a day before the cruise, and in winter, landing in Europe, with probably at least one layover, you should actually plan on arriving two days before the cruise departure. So, you have one or two more nights in a hotel, plus food and transportation.

I don’t want to belabor the point and without more information from you, no one here can give you really good advice to help you have a good honeymoon.
Other helpful information is are you going from the US? Departure city? Total days for travel? Total budget?
What specifically attracted you to a cruise and what to this specific cruise? Is it going on a cruise because you feel it would be a luxurious honeymoon, food and everything done in one package, adventure of seeing Europe or have you been to Europe before, etc.?

RoamsAround

If you want to go swimming while on a cruise during November/December consider a cruise in the Caribbean or one that sails to ports/countries in the southern hemisphere as air and water temperatures will be much warmer than in Europe.

Also, whichever cruise you plan on taking you might want to visit the CruiseCritic website where you'll find a lot of information about the specific cruise as well as reviews written by people who have actually been on cruises with the same or very similar itineraries.

Sassafrass

[QUOTE=RoamsAround;17504248]If you want to go swimming while on a cruise during November/December consider a cruise in the Caribbean or one that sails to ports/countries in the southern hemisphere as air and water temperatures will be much warmer than in Europe.

Also, whichever cruise you plan on taking you might want to visit the CruiseCritic website where you'll find a lot of information about the specific cruise as well as reviews written by people who have actually been on cruises with the same or very similar itineraries.

Excellent reminder to look at cruisecritic, RoamsAround!

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberr...EntryID=700781

Hrant

thank you everyone for help ! i will think about it and make a best possible decision )

Hrant

Okay thank you for your help !

Hrant

thank you for your help !

Sassafrass

Good advice. People here could actually be of much more specific help, but, unfortunately, still do not have much to go on, like your departure city, what is most important to you, if you might be able to delay trip, etc. For me, the Caribbean is easier to do last minute in places I have not been, just take a local taxi to tour or pick a beach. If you have traveled in Europe, then being on your own is also just fine and in some places it is fine even if you have not been there before. However, on a cruise, you have a different issue - getting from the port into the city. One for you to take note of is Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. It is about an hour and twenty minutes by train, so by time you get into Rome, and allow for plenty of time to return to the ship, you do not have a really long day to sightsee. You need to research and plan it carefully. At least, Rome center is fairly compact, but you may need booked reservations for many things to avoid lines. Barcelona, you need reservations because you don’t have time to waste standing in lines and there are things you absolutely do not want to miss inside, like Sagrada Familia. It is one of the reasons to visit Barcelona!

Cruises do give a lot of different options, becoming kind of an all year resort along with offering a sort of cursory culture/history tour, but they can’t make Winter into Summer. Some things are just not compatible with others on the same trip. My family loves cruises, but we pick pretty carefully so our expectations match the specific cruise.

Hrant

Thank you for your help, Yes I planned everything regarding the cruise ports, And will try to make the best of it❤️

Hrant

Unfortunately, I can't cruise the Caribbean because of my country origin. I will be traveling from Armenia. the cruise starts from Marselle and we will be there one day before. I already brought the tickets.I would like to have great food on board.Visit some of the cities. I've been in Barcelona and Marselle. Sorry for not being super specific)))

Sassafrass

Sounds as if you have things well planned. You may be lucky and have warmer than usual weather, but no matter what, the ports will be memorable. At least one of the pools on the ship is heated and there are hot tubs. The MSC cruise we took had really great food, perfect service and some of the best entertainment we have had on any cruise. While a balcony is lovely, we have done inside cabins several times, including MSC, and they were fine.
From pictures of Armenia, it is so beautiful, I don’t think you need the Caribbean. I hope you have an absolutely wonderful honeymoon.

Hrant

Thank you!