So you are looking into (or maybe already booked?!) a cruise to the Mediterranean- exciting!!! But if you haven’t gone to the mediterranean before and/or cruised before you probably aren’t really sure what to expect. Which is totally normal and exactly how I felt before going! I had been to the Mediterranean before as well as cruised a bunch in the Caribbean but combining the two very different experiences was still a pretty uncertain picture for me.
So today we are going to get real and honest about everything I wish I had known before going on a mediterranean cruise.
The actual things you need to bring, what the vibes are like, the reality of dining, getting on and off the boat, excursions and soooo much more. Seriously I hope that you leave this article feeling totally prepared and ready for your adventure on a Mediterranean cruise!
Alright friends let’s get into it so you can start preparing and feeling totally ready-
*** This article may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission off of. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I always appreciate any support to keep this site running! Thank you!***
Everything I Wish I Knew Before A Mediterranean Cruise
The full 101 on cruising in the Mediterranean:
The real vibe of mediterranean cruises:
I was REALLY uncertain as to what the vibe was going to be like before heading on my first mediterranean cruise. I’ve cruised in the Caribbean I believe 7 times and been to the mediterranean not via a cruise twice but I had a hard time combining those very different experiences.
And to be honest it was more like a Caribbean cruise in a lot of ways. The entertainment style, food, guests on board etc. the overall vibe was a “typical” cruise and didn’t feel much like when you are exploring the mediterranean on foot.
That major vibe difference may be a pro for some and a con for others but either way that’s the general vibe.
Of course when you are getting off the boat you get to experience the mediterranean somewhat! If you are wanting to experience the culture it’ll be a little harder than if you were doing the trip not on a cruise and staying in hotels. You are only in ports for 4-10 hours and a lot of that time is spent getting on and off the boat- we will talk about that more in a second!
But if you are wanting to see the sites primarily and get to see as many as possible than the cruise vibe is going to be perfect for you!!
Getting on and off the cruise:
The part of the mediterranean cruise that shocked me the most was the amount of time spent getting on and off.
Most ports don’t have the capacity to directly dock a cruise ship (which makes sense! Unlike a lot of Caribbean ports these are historic and were intended for fishing boats not GIANT ships filled with thousands of passengers excited to explore the town). Which means that you will need to tender at most ports. If you haven’t experienced that before it means that the cruise guests line up on the ship and are ferried on much smaller boats to the actual dock to get off and start exploring.
Unfortunately that process can add a lot of time spent in line rather than out exploring. Especially at certain ports like Santorini- we spent almost 2 hours in line waiting to get off the cruise ship (ugh) due to the limited capacity on the dock because you have to take a cable car up. Or a donkey ride but unfortunately the donkey/huge walking path was closed during our visits.
That’s a small tip btw to check if Santorini is on your cruise itinerary- look into the path as well as options to take a ferry to another part of the island!
(though the views from the cable car were quite stunning! but if you or anyone in your group is afraid of heights make sure to have them face AWAY from the water as it’s less scary that way.)
Anyway- there is also wait times to ferry back to the cruise ship. Not too long anywhere but Santorini but it was still an extra 30-ish minutes plus boat time which really can add up over a 7-14 day cruise.
A few other points to note:
- As long as you are in the EU zone you won’t need to bring your passport on and off with you. Just your card from the cruise ship and I always bring a government issued photo ID (drivers license) just to be on the safe side.
- Look into transportation for when you get to land if you don’t have a booked excursion in advance. Some ports don’t have great options right by where you get off and you don’t want that stressful experience day of.
- That being said- embrace public transit! There’s a good chance you live in the states if you are reading it and we are slackers compared to Europe in terms of public transit. It’s how everyone gets around major destinations in Europe and is the easiest and most affordable way!!!
What to expect at ports:
Of course there is some major variance in what you can and should expect depending on what ports you are going to. But there are some major things to know beforehand and some directions I want to point you in to help with planning!
- Be prepared for longer walks to the actual town/attractions compared to Caribbean cruises. Remember these ports were designed for fishing and trade not tourism! Wear comfy shoes and ideally figure out your phone plan or get an international card for your phone so you can have signal to navigate around. Hint: if you are on T-Mobile like me all of the European countries are included for data but you should get a text when you arrive at each one confirming that!
- Make a list of the sites you want to see at each port in advance- especially if you aren’t booking an excursion. Most of the ports have a TON to see and it won’t be possible to see absolutely everything in the time frame you can get off the ship. So make a prioritized bucket list so you can make sure you hit the things that you are the most excited about.
- Go one street off the main for more authentic food and cheaper shopping. The Main Street right from the dock is going to have the highest rent by a LOT which means you are going to get less ma and pa type restaurants and stores and more that are owned by corporations and larger entities. So to get the true authentic experience venture around to side streets and just not that main bustling road that is filled to the brim with tourists.
Booking excursions 101:
There are definitely two camps when it comes to mediterranean cruises and excursions. Neither is “right” or “wrong” it’s just a matter of how you prefer to travel and experience things.
Camp 1: Planned excursions
Planning and booking an excursion means that you have to do a lot less research and prep besides choosing which excursion! You don’t have to figure out transportation logistics, audio tours etc. Which is a huge plus of them especially if you are uncertain about traveling the Mediterranean or are just too busy to figure out those logistics yourself.
A few tips for booking excursions for your mediterranean cruise-
- Book in advance! The better and more fun excursions do genuinely fill up pretty fast so make an effort to try and book a few months before your trip.
- Cruise line excursions are the most reliable (they won’t leave without you lol) but they are much more expensive. You can find the same excursions usually on Viator for like 50% of the price. So unless the end time is really cutting it close I would say book with Viator.
- I don’t recommend going with less vetted sites to book excursions- you want reliability to ensure that you are both safe and get back to the boat in time!
- Read reviews but be critical. AKA most people tend to only leave reviews with a bad experience so read what the reviews actually say. A common one is complaining that it was too much walking which for me isn’t actually a con so make sure the negatives impact you before writing off an excursion.
Camp 2: “a la carte” experience
This is our (my husband and I) personal preference for travel in general however when traveling with a group/ family booking excursions does make it a lot easier.
But a la carte is what we call figuring out the sites and travel logistics you want to see yourself and not booking an excursion. This does entail a lot more planning but you are able to ensure that you are in control of what you see. And if you are younger it allows you to move at the pace you want rather than the pace of a group of cruisers!!!
On board dining:
Okay I can’t be the only one who was hoping to have a more mediterranean inspired menu when cruising and unfortunately that is not the case! The food was the same dinner menus in main dining as they are anywhere else your cruise line sails to. And during lunch buffet there was a small section dedicated to that days port but honestly they were never accurate or very good…
In general I am kind of a cruise food hater and had hopes for better experiences on a mediterranean cruise compared to the Caribbean ones I have been on before and that just wasn’t the case. So what I’m saying here is be prepared for mediocre food as is normal on cruises BUT be ready to get delicious options when you dock!!! Do a little research and try to get at least one local cuisine item even if it’s just a baked good at every port, trust me it’s worth the effort 🙂
Packing tips:
Alright let’s talk about some packing tips besides the obvious items!
- Shoulder/knee covering for religious sites. Read up on any religious sites you are visiting and make sure to bring along a shawl or button up (I bring a cute white one always) to cover your shoulders. And some sites also require knees to be covered so be prepared for that especially if you are cruising during the warmer months.
- Dinner outfits aren’t as formal as they used to be. Every time I go on a cruise I notice that the formality of dinners is decreasing so don’t worry about bringing ball gowns. Personally I just wore cute like date night dresses or skirts!
- Reusable water bottle! The cups around the water stations are so tiny for some reason. So stay hydrated and bring a reusable water bottle.
- Shampoo and conditioner- unlike hotels cruises don’t usually provide shampoo and conditioner so bring your own.
- Over the counter medicine- I recommend bringing motion sickness medicine, headache medicine, Tums, basic cold medicine, and cough drops. All of those cost so much to purchase on the boat.
- Books- how many you bring probably depends on how much time you will be on excursions vs. on the boat or at a beach. Also, Kindles really are the key to not bringing a ton of heavy books.
- Magnetic hooks for walls- these are so helpful for hanging wet swimsuits, dresses to get wrinkles out, purses/beach bags, and even shoe organizers (we will chat about that next). Check out my favorite ones here.
- European and American plugs- most cruise ships have both so if you bring both then you are doubling the amount of outlets you can use!!!
Oh and I also like to mention….
Things you CAN’T bring on a cruise:
- Steamers- (fire risk!) I recommend bringing wrinkle release spray instead to get those wrinkles out. Also try rolling your clothing when you are packing to minimize wrinkles in the first place!
- Alcohol- beyond the usually 2 bottles of wine allowed you can’t bring any other alcohol. However if you are trying to save money you can bring dry cocktail mixes (these are my fav) and then by shots which is like 40% cheaper for the same amount of alcohol in the cocktails.
- Surge strips- but you can bring adapters!
And that my friends is all for now! I really hope that this gave you some insight and helpful tips for planning and/or preparing for a mediterranean cruise. Feel free to message me on social media (@korrashay on everything) if you have any specific questions. I try my hardest to respond to all DM’s with questions!!!
Korra-Shay
If you enjoyed this article on Everything I Wish I Knew Before A Mediterranean Cruise then you probably (hopefully!) will enjoy and find these articles helpful as well:
You must be logged in to post a comment.