- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Has anyone ever cruised a major cruise line out of Europe
Posted on 5/27/26 at 6:21 am
Posted on 5/27/26 at 6:21 am
Looking down the road here to 2028 for my ten year anniversary trip. We kicked around some ideas like Spain, Bali , Thailand , French Riviera etc. I had a thought the other day about possibly a European cruise. Upon doing some research. I noticed MSC has some incredibly interesting and port heavy round trip itineraries out of Barcelona. I thought it would be a cool trip to go a few days early and explore Barcelona and then cruise with stops including Sicily , Marseilles, Malta, Mallorca and I think Naples. The itineraries and ships differ of course and I also saw they’re dropping the MSC world Asia in December of this year. Just curious if any of you fellas have made a trip like this and what are your thoughts. I’d imagine the Viking cruises are better but if one of the main cruise lines like MSC , NCL , or Royal would work that would obviously be a lot easier on the Wallet. Any info or feedback appreciated. Thanks in advance. 
11
Posted on 5/27/26 at 7:42 am to jkylejohnson
I think the average age on those ships is like 70, just FYI
Posted on 5/27/26 at 8:06 am to RonFNSwanson
Sounds perfect. I’d he with my wife. Not looking to make friends. I’d like a quiet ship. More interested in convenience and the stops.
This post was edited on 5/27/26 at 8:33 am
Posted on 5/27/26 at 8:42 am to jkylejohnson
Coworker just left for Europe to do a week long cruise on NCL and spending a week on the front and back ends exploring. I'll update with her experience in a few weeks when she gets back.
Posted on 5/27/26 at 8:48 am to jkylejohnson
Yep and we just booked another one for summer 2027. Greek Isles Cruise from Rome to Naples, Santorini, Ephesus and Mykonos on Odyssey of the Seas.
Posted on 5/27/26 at 8:58 am to jkylejohnson
We've done a half dozen European cruises on Carnival -- always on a brand new ship doing European runs after being built in Italy and before making its way over for U.S. itineraries. Those were great experiences with great crews (as those itineraries were used as something of a crew reward for providing excellent service). 3 round trips from Rome, 1 Barcelona to Athens, and 2 round trips out of Dover.
We have another one booked on RCL's Rhapsody of the Seas next summer -- round trip from Athens going to Cyprus, Egypt and Santorini.
We have another one booked on RCL's Rhapsody of the Seas next summer -- round trip from Athens going to Cyprus, Egypt and Santorini.
Posted on 5/27/26 at 10:09 am to NCTigerFan
Thanks. Sounds like a fun way to travel and that’s coming from a guy that typically hates cruises. I think I may just dislike typical US cruises to the Caribbean. I think a port heavy European cruise would be a completely different animal that I’d enjoy. ESP if it was out of a really cool city like Barcelona that I’ve always wanted to visit anyway.
This post was edited on 5/27/26 at 10:10 am
Posted on 5/27/26 at 10:40 am to jkylejohnson
I think you are better off spending 3 days in a city and bouncing instead of cruising. A cruise stop just doesn’t leave enough time to do much of anything
Posted on 5/27/26 at 11:03 am to jkylejohnson
I have a bunch of times.
Vikings may be a little more expensive but they are worth it.
I just got back from a Viking Empires of the Mediterranean cruise that started in Athens, sailed the Aegean and Adriatic and ended in Venice. It was fantastic.
That was my second favorite cruise of all time. My favorite was the Viking Grand European which we took last year. That is a two week river cruise that sails the Rhine and the Danube.
I enjoy the Western Mediterranean cruises but I do have a couple of complaints about them. For one, they just spend enough time in port to give you a taste of each location. When I visit major cities like Rome, Barcelona, Florence, Naples (or at least the areas south of Naples) I want to spend days there to immerse myself into the culture and enjoy the food scene at night. You are not there long enough to do that.
The other complaint is that the ports are often not within walking distance to where you want to go. Some require a bus ride.
Some places are best experienced on a land trip rather than on a cruise.
The ports on the two cruises I mentioned above don’t fall into that category because you would probably never get to most of them except on a cruise ship or riverboat, and many of the ports are right in the middle of town.
Spending a few days in Barcelona is a great idea.
Vikings may be a little more expensive but they are worth it.
I just got back from a Viking Empires of the Mediterranean cruise that started in Athens, sailed the Aegean and Adriatic and ended in Venice. It was fantastic.
That was my second favorite cruise of all time. My favorite was the Viking Grand European which we took last year. That is a two week river cruise that sails the Rhine and the Danube.
I enjoy the Western Mediterranean cruises but I do have a couple of complaints about them. For one, they just spend enough time in port to give you a taste of each location. When I visit major cities like Rome, Barcelona, Florence, Naples (or at least the areas south of Naples) I want to spend days there to immerse myself into the culture and enjoy the food scene at night. You are not there long enough to do that.
The other complaint is that the ports are often not within walking distance to where you want to go. Some require a bus ride.
Some places are best experienced on a land trip rather than on a cruise.
The ports on the two cruises I mentioned above don’t fall into that category because you would probably never get to most of them except on a cruise ship or riverboat, and many of the ports are right in the middle of town.
Spending a few days in Barcelona is a great idea.
Posted on 5/27/26 at 11:25 am to geauxpurple
I’m strongly considering an MSc round trip from Barcelona but I’m torn on the itineraries. I’m really not interested in Rome or Florence bc I visited them both in depth last summer. I will list the itineraries below and if you don’t mind giving me some feedback on them I’d very much appreciate it.
I think Asia and seaview interest me the most bc neither have a place I’ve been before and they’re also amazing ships.
Same for Europa. It has Rome but it also has Mallorca which interests me a ton.
I think Asia and seaview interest me the most bc neither have a place I’ve been before and they’re also amazing ships.
Same for Europa. It has Rome but it also has Mallorca which interests me a ton.
This post was edited on 5/27/26 at 11:31 am
Posted on 5/27/26 at 10:31 pm to jkylejohnson
Ports in the Mediterranean are not picturesque and very industrial. You’re looking at bus rides into the featured city of about 30-60 minutes.
Sail Celebrity.
LINK
Sail Celebrity.
LINK
This post was edited on 5/27/26 at 10:33 pm
Posted on 5/28/26 at 6:26 am to bluestem75
What’s so special about celebrity? Not being rude I’m genuinely curious
Posted on 5/28/26 at 3:29 pm to jkylejohnson
Going on Virgin in August out of Barcelona. Have you cruised MSC before? Its reputation in the cruise community isn’t great.
Posted on 5/28/26 at 3:45 pm to jkylejohnson
Two summers ago we did a Med cruise on the new Princess ship from Barcelona to Rome. We got delayed flying over so didn't get to spend as much time in Barcelona as we would have liked, we did stay 3 extra days at the end in Rome. I'd stay away from MSC and try to stick with Princess, Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean.
Posted on 5/28/26 at 3:49 pm to Shotgun Willie
quote:
Princess, Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean.
I’d add Viking and Virgin to that list. MAYBE NCL.
Posted on 5/28/26 at 4:14 pm to jkylejohnson
quote:
What’s so special about celebrity? Not being rude I’m genuinely curious
Cruising on Celebrity Exel (their newest ship) from Barcelona to Athens in early Sept. I read a lot of great reviews, but it seems Celebrity is nickel and diming us to death. Including fares, drink package, wifi, specialty dinners, renting a cabana for the day, and shore excursions we up to $12k. Staying in a middle tiered room with balcony. No suite. Next time I'll just book Viking where all that is included.
This post was edited on 5/28/26 at 4:17 pm
Posted on 5/28/26 at 6:28 pm to dyslexiateechur
quote:
Going on Virgin in August out of Barcelona. Have you cruised MSC before? Its reputation in the cruise community isn’t great.
Not yet but I love the look of their ships and their round trip itineraries. I am taking my youngest (7) on the msc seascape out of Galveston next summer so I’ll find out. I could end up hating it but I’m pretty easy to please. Their ships can compete with any cruise line based on the countless YouTube videos I’ve watched. I saw they had one ship that had a robot bartender
Posted on 5/28/26 at 6:31 pm to Shotgun Willie
quote:
I'd stay away from MSC
Why ? A good friend of mine that made it big in the YouTube travel video world has literally been on almost every cruise ship ever made and he raved about msc in a recent convo we had.
Posted on 5/28/26 at 10:34 pm to jkylejohnson
We took Seabourn out of Barcelona a few years ago. Stops in Menorca, Sete, Bandol, St Tropez, Malta, Trapani, Taormina, Lipari, Amalfi and Rome. More recently out of Lisbon to Gibraltar, Motril, Cartagena, Portofino, St Tropez, Menorca and Genoa. They also have some great itineraries in Greece and Turkey
Posted on 5/29/26 at 10:33 am to bluestem75
Celebrity seems to hit the sweet spot right now. I don’t like the buffet on cruise ships, but they could not get me out of there when I sailed the Apex. Everything was fresh and tasty. They’re actually pretty creative with what they put on there; they have gourmet items other lines wouldn’t dream of putting on the buffet.
Their main dining rooms are so good you almost don’t need to book a specialty restaurant unless you want to celebrate something special.
The ships have a modern yet relaxed vibe. Everything is very chill and easy going. Older crowd, fewer kids. I always find Celebrity to be a very relaxing experience.
As far as nickle and diming goes, we’ve started booking everything we want to do in advance so it feels less that way when we’re onboard. But every cruise line is doing it. It’s far more noticeable to me on Carnival than Celebrity.
You’re just going to get an overall better quality cruise on Celebrity than MSC. It’s worth the extra money.
Their main dining rooms are so good you almost don’t need to book a specialty restaurant unless you want to celebrate something special.
The ships have a modern yet relaxed vibe. Everything is very chill and easy going. Older crowd, fewer kids. I always find Celebrity to be a very relaxing experience.
As far as nickle and diming goes, we’ve started booking everything we want to do in advance so it feels less that way when we’re onboard. But every cruise line is doing it. It’s far more noticeable to me on Carnival than Celebrity.
You’re just going to get an overall better quality cruise on Celebrity than MSC. It’s worth the extra money.
This post was edited on 5/29/26 at 10:35 am
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News