Gail K.

I am planning on sending my parents on a Mediterranean cruise as a 50th anniversary gift and I am hoping for some suggestions. Is there a cruise that's reputable but not outrageously expensive? I did see a tour run by Alitalia called ItaliaTours Eastern Mediterranean cruise. Does anyone know of this tour group? <BR> <BR>Thanks!!!

Beryl

I would thoroughly recommend Orient Lines Crown Odyssey. We did Barcelona -Istanbul in August and it was wonderful. I did a lot of research and the price was excellent. Cabins are large, even the inside - most have baths. It is a laid back cruise - no formal nights, designed for people of class we decided! I am sure your parents would just love it.

sandy

Stay away from Alitalia cruises. They use really OLD ships, and there will be a lot of Italians on board. Not that there's anything wrong with Italians. I LOVE the Italians, but that means that there will be lot of announcements in Italian, etc. There are lots of good choices in the Mediterranean. Orient Lines is good, but I have friends that were on the Crown Odyssey in the Med this summer and they didn't like it. Said that the public areas were small and univiting. Take a look at Holland America Line or for a real treat, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. It looks expensive, I know, but you have to remember that the price includes all gratuities, wine with dinner, all soft drinks and bottled water, and liquor in the mini-bar. And the food and service are absolutely fantastic.

Tom

I've been on Med cruises on both Orient and Holland America. Holland America was the superior of the two but Orient (Marco Polo) was great and a better value because it included hotels and tours in both cities (pre & post cruise) I'd highly recommend both of these lines.

jim

How would Princess compare?

Tom

Jim, <BR>As for how Princess compares (to which?) <BR>Princess will have the Golden Princess out this spring. It is a huge ship holding approx. 2700 passengers. If you're looking for lots of activities and choices this should be prefect. If you're looking for a more intimate experience, perhaps you'd want to chose another smaller ship. Also, Princess has some extra charges that other cruise lines don't have such as an automatic 15% gratuity added to ALL beverages (watch out if you order an expensive bottle of wine) and they don't have some small things like comp espresso bars or the ice cream sundae bar like HAL. The ice cream and espresso is only free in the diningroom. I guess what I'm saying is Princess is a great top notch line but unfortunately they are resorting to lots of nickle and diming that you won't find on HAL and certainly not on the all inclusives like Seabourn or Radisson.

Joe

I'm pasting in a message that I posted 10/24/00. I found that it was surprisingly easy to get discounts on Renaissance by going to websites like Cruise Bargains. <BR> <BR> My wife and I returned yesterday from a cruise on the Renaissance 7 <BR> (one of the two remaining small Renaissance ships) from Rome to Athens. <BR> We're independent travelers and this was our 12th trip together to Europe but <BR> our first cruise. I wasn't sure I'd like cruises, and I'd read the criticisms here <BR> about Renaissance, so I started out with some anxiety. I'm glad to report that <BR> the entire time was delightful and we've become convinced Renaissance fans. <BR> Beccause we're used to taking care of ourselves when traveling, we took out trip <BR> insurance and didn't expect to be especially coddled. In fact, the sales staff <BR> was so so, but every thing else was well beyond what we expected. Our cabin <BR> and the ship were great, the emphasis in the restaurant was on quality rather <BR> than excess (no chocaholic buffets), and the staff provided wonderful and <BR> friendly service without being deferential (which makes me edgy). Perhaps most <BR> impressive, Renaissance handled problems in a straightforward and honest way <BR> that made us and the other passengers comfortable. For example, we lost one <BR> and one-half days sailing time because of bad storms on the Mediterranean, but <BR> the staff kept us informed and arranged alternate land tours (and served quite a <BR> bit of champagne). And I didn't feel that we were being gouged for money. The <BR> tours were worth what we paid, and we even followed the tipping guidlines <BR> because of the high quality of service. I can't compare our trip with other cruise <BR> lines, but it was one of the most enjoyable European trips that we've done. <BR>

wendy

Try renaissance cruises. They are very highly rated by travel and leisure magazine. The travel agents hate them because they do not pay hefty commissions like the other cruise lines, however the savings is passed on to the consumer. Also, they don't allow kids which may appeal to older travellers.