Has anyone taken a mediterranean cruise? If so, which lines and how would you rate them. We're considering a Med. cruise in the fall and am lookng for suggestions. Thanks

Did the West Med on the Grandeur in June. Some of my thoughts: <BR> - pick the cruise for the itinerary and not necessarily the ship. Your awake time on the ship is probably less than six hours a day (except for the sea days, which we only had one) <BR> - do the excursions on your own; most of our ship excursions were in the $100 to $200 per person range with the highest being $340. By taking the trains and preplanning our walking tours of Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome and Capri we probably saved enough for another cruise. <BR> - arrive in Europe at least a day early. I didn't and was very stressed about pilot strikes, delays, cancelations, etc. <BR> - if your itinerary was as busy as ours, plan one port day as an easy one. We did that in Capri and it really recharged our batteries. We simply shopped and ate and enjoyed the hydrofoil ride to and from Naples. <BR> - if you have the time, plan a post cruise sidetrip for some R&R before the long flight home. We did that out of Barcelona - took a flight to Mallorca for three days. You'll have already spent a fortune on airfare for the cruise - take advantage of already being there to see something else. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps - email me if you have any specific questions.

Have done 2 Med cruises--One on Princess about 8 years ago--12 days-3 formal nites--Lisbon to Venice--Terrific and VERY ROMANTIC <BR> <BR>Just did the Windsurf this past May-Rome to Nice--LOVED IT LOVED IT--upscale casual,300 passengers,open seating dining,no need for coat and tie for hubs,terrific SMALL ports that the large ships can't even get in to==TO PUT IT INTO WORDS: AWESOME!!! <BR> <BR>We will definitely go back on Windsurf (part of Windstar Cruises) next Spring and try a different itinerary--ABOSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! It's a 5 masted sail boat and can't say enough about it.. DO most excursions on your own-- <BR>Ports are to die for!

We have taken one Renaissance Cruise and leave in 1 month for our second, a 15 day Barcelona-Lisbon itinerary. Small intimate ship, elegant yet not extravegant, less than 700 passengers. Over 1/2 the cabins have balconies. County Club Casusal dress, open seating for dining 6:30-9PM. Choice of 4 restaurants, one buffet, the others elegant dining. Staff is friendly, Eastern European, Pricing is very reasonable, itineraries are great. This small ship can make it into ports not accessible to the larger cruise ships. Hope this helps & enjoy. Sharon

Sharon: <BR> <BR>We're taking the same Ren cruise next March. If you have time when you return I would appreciate any suggestions you might have, especially regarding ship's tours or private guides or doing it on your own. <BR> <BR>Thanks. Have a great time. We took a Ren cruise in the Baltic this past June and just loved it. <BR> <BR>Marilyn <BR>