Mediterranean Cruises Recommendations PLEASE

Amy, I am no cruise expert, but I have been on 3 one of which was a Med. I have seen some good deals lately via some alerts that I get. Here is what I would do. Look at RCL's website (Royal Caribbean) under "Hot Deals". Call your local AAA or look at Costco (if you're a member). Check on Expedia. Go to Cruise Critic's website. By looking at all of these, you should see what's available. I know that I saw a good 7 day and 10 day on RCL. Our family favorite is Disney even though our youngest is now 18. We'd still rate them the best, but not the most economical. We used RCL for our Med cruise and were very happy (the price I just saw was below what I got a year in advance). Hard to know if you will have many kids on a Med Cruise, but I am guessing that there will be enough to make the 12 year old feel comfortable. I think a cruise is ideal for a age range mix and it also allows you to cover a wide geography more easily. Good luck!

We are big fans of Holland America. They run a number of 10 days cruises in the Med from Barcelona and Rome. We think they offer the best balance between price and luxury. A lot of your money. Book the least expensive cabin. There is little advantage for paying more. Start with http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/Main.action

Just got an email saying RCL is having a one day Cinco de Mayo sale today. Also, agree with Frank on cabin choice. Go for the least expensive.

Thank you very much. Holland America and RCI seem to be the winners. I will continue to review.

The best search engine I've found for cruises is on vacationstogo.com. They're an online travel agent that does mostly cruises. Their prices are the same as other online agents. I've booked three times through them and never had a problem. When you search you can pick the date range, area, and length of cruise, then check out a large number of cruises in various price ranges (some are really cheap and some are luxury cruises that are really expensive). You can narrow it down by adding a port you want to visit. I pick cruises as much based on the itinerary/stops as price. As a general rule, I think you're better off avoiding ports that require long visits, unless you've been there before and only want a short visit. Rome or Barcelona need more than an eight hour stop to visit. Also consider whether the cruise really stops there or whether land transportation is required once you get off the boat (as in Rome). If you start/end at a big port, you can add extra time to get a better visit before or after the cruise. It's always a good idea to plan to arrive at least a day early. In case a flight is delayed or canceled, or you miss a connection and arrive late. The better stops IMO are the smaller places that can be seen well in a day. I'd probably go with a Dalmation/Greek/Turkey cruise over a Mediterrainean cruise.

One other thought. If you haven't cruised, check out cruisecritic.com. It has reviews of cruise lines, ships, and ports. The site, while sometimes based on different priorities than mine, gives you a lot of good information from various points of view.

Amy,
If the shows and casinos of the large cruise ships are not important to you (and they are to some people), check out Silversea cruises. www.silversea.com We took a fabulous Athens to Istanbul cruise through the Greek Isles a few years ago. They offer small ships (200+ -600 people, depending on the ship) and their cruises are all inclusive (all meals, all liquor, all tips, butler for each suite (all cabins are suites), plus a cabin stewart. They also have some specials running that include airfare, which is really good deal. Shore excursions are extra (but their prices are in line with the mega cruise ships). When we sailed with Silversea, we had their basic vista suite (least expensive) and we were super pleased. With free airfare, the year we went, we wound up paying less than if we had gone on a mass market large ship, and we had a much, much nicer experience. You are right that cruises are a really good deal now. In fact, I got an email from Silversea for some of their 2012 cruises (including the Mediterranean) that are better than I have seen in years, some include airfare plus an addition on-ship credit for each cabin (which can be used for things like spa treatments, the gift shop, or shore excursions)......and the base price was even less than when we went (and we got a great deal that year). Have a blast regardless of which cruise line you use. Try to see Santorini if you can.....it really is special, especially if you take a shore excursion that includes the village of Oia.