Hello all.

We are a group of ladies that want to do Italy but with the USD/Euro it is way to expensive so we are looking at a cruise to include Italy - Greece or just one or??

Would love to hear feedback on HAL - Princess or Celebrity for this itineary.

Thanks!!

We are just back from two weeks in Italy and I disagree that it is too expensive. Lots of research and savvy shopping for deals pays off and Italy is at its very best when seen on a land trip (my opinion after 5 Med cruises and 18 land trips there).

Being on a cruise means you will likely take most of your meals on the ship which means you will miss one of the very best reasons to travel to Italy, the food and wine. Cruise ship cuisine (luxury lines not included) are banquet type food, though some lines are better than others.

I prefer HAL over the other mass market lines these days. I enjoyed MSC in the MED but it is not an Americanized cruising experience. Food was excellent, ship immaculate and a good size and the choice of itineraries very good.

I have to disagree with the above respose. We spent time in Rome last fall and found it very pricey. If you plan on going soon book a hotel now. I spent several months trying to find a reasonable room and failed. Every one I tried to book or my travel agent tried to book was full and I started looking 7 months in advance. We finely settled on the Beverly Hills Grand Hotel which was beautiful but $415 a night. We had been a week in London and a week in Paris first and had much better luck in rates than Rome. We then took a cruise with HAL through the Medd. and across the Atlantic to NewYork. Love the cruise which was our third. Great ship and staff. Not so for the food which was the worst we've encountered cruising. Cruising takes the stress out of decision making and could make your trip more enjoyable for a group of ladies travelling alone. Maybe other parts of Italy were more reasonable. Loved the history in Rome and the sites but found the city run down and weary looking, lots of grafity everywhere. Not like London and especially Paris which shows so much civic pride in it's monuments and city. Enjoyed our trip immensely. Looking forward to going back to Paris. Next we are doing a Princess Baltic transatlantic cruise from Stockholm, baltic capitals, Iceland , Greenland, Canada to Montreal. Can't wait. Enjoy your trip, whatever you decide.

I never have a problem staying in Rome at a 3 star or B&B for under 250 night and we eat very well for about 150 a day, including wine.

As for the food on HAL, I have cruised with them 3 x in 28 months and found the food to be excellent.

Just goes to show you, one man's floor is another's ceiling

I actually just saw a great cruise deal for next year that goes through Italy and the Mediterranean posted on TravelTeeth.com. It's this week's "dazzling deal."

We spent a month in Europe this spring with 10 days of it on HAL. We felt that our time on HAL was a good decision for at least part of our month and that was before the euro value was raised like this fall. I found the ship to be delightful. My sister in law went on Celebrity this fall and was very disappointed with the ship - worn accomodations , so so food, smaller rooms for the price. We are doing a Celebrity this spring. According to what I have seen on the message boards - those who travel in Concierge class seem content with Celebrity - I will be curious to compare it with HAL which I totally enjoy. When we were not on the ship we stayed in B&B's and apartments - both were less expensive and the most I spent per night was $160 and that was in Venice- wanted a room on the canal and found the wonderufl little Boutique hotel which was well worth the additional expense. Enjoy your trip!