Find here a review of our just completed Mediterranean Cruise on the Emerald Princess. It was a 12 day 10 port affair starting in Venice, visiting Piraeus / Athens, Kusadasi / Ephesus, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Civitavecchia/Rome, Livorno/Pisa/Florence, Marseilles, and finishing in Barcelona. Forgive the bad composition and poor English as my hope is simply share tidbits about our experience to help others decide if it is for them or what to consider after deciding on such a cruise. .

We aren't big time cruisers, usually finding time and justification to get the whole family together every few years for one. This one was a special one, as it was the highlight event of my sabbatical and we had parents, in-laws and kids all along, a small party of 11! Its base purpose was to give those that hadn't been to Europe a taste of historical Europe as none had been there before. ( My wife and I the exceptions, having been to Europe several times before). In the end it was everything we hoped for and more. It was a whirlwind tour as these must be, with not nearly enough time for all that one would want, but there is never enough time for these wonderful cities.

First some general observations that were big questions for me before my trip. Read more