We're planning on taking the Grand Mediterranean, ( Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece), cruise next year for our 50th. Anyone have any info on tours etc?

I have been on a Princess cruise to those countrys.
What would you like to know????

Sorry, can't compare those ships since i only have been on the Grand Princess and the Golden Princess.
The Grand and the Golden are GREAT ships! The 2 ships are almost identical.
The service is excellent and crewmembers are very friendly.
I especially liked 'Anytime Dining': Just go to diner whenever you want in the 2 big restaurants. There are also speciallity restaurants in with you have to prereserve seatings. Also a 24hours buffetrestaurant and roomservice (p.e. for breakfast!!!!!!)
To be honest: I did'nt think the food was great, Average at the most and defenitly overcooked.. . But that did not hold me back cruising with Princess again.
The entertainment/shows are great and there are most evenings 3 different performances at night. The timing is perfect because you can see all 3 the shows!

Any specific questions? Just ask!

We actually decided to go with Princess. So we're doing the Grand Princess Mediterranean cruise 9/23-10/05/05. This is my first time taking a cruise so I don't know what to expect. I guess my biggest questions are about the excursions. This cruise goes to Rome, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Naples, Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens, Katakoklon, Corfu & Venice. Of all those cities which would you say you can do on your own and which would you need to do the excursions? Both of us only speak English so that might make some of these cities harder to deal with. So if anyone might have any advice I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

We took princess last year doing the Grand Princess in the Baltic. It was WONDERFUL. Both Princess and Celebrity are good cruise lines.. ..you can't loose either way. My wife and I enjoy the Grand Princess so much we're returning next year for the Med cruise in September.. ..going from Barcelona to Venice with stops in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. This is going to be an awesome cruise and the price is right.

Let me give you some feedback on your question with respect to excursions. When my wife and I took the Baltic cruise we pre-purchased excursions for every port - what a mistake! Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed them, but we were so tired afterwards we felt like we needed a vacation after our vacation and we really didn't have time to enjoy the ship itself. Recommendation, do a 50-50 split. Your best ports for excursions and those that have a lot to offer in a short amount of time as opposed to those that are small cities which you can get to and walk around in without any difficulty. Also, break it up. Keep in mind, on the day's you're doing excursions you generally are getting up early and going down to the auditorium to be "staged" with everyone else for departure. Its a process. My wife and I plan on doing excursions for Florence, Pompey, Instanbul, and Ephesus. Do not plan on doing excursions in Nice, Rome, Athens or Venice. Also plan on flying into Barcelona 2 days before departure to have plenty of time to enjoy that city.

[Hi
concat with info@seaspirittravel.com They're great for the excursions

i have been to some (must of these ports of call ) when i cruised several years ago in the med, on another shipping line. You are going to be so thrilled with turkey, and italy. pompeii was great, buy cameos, turkey was such a delightful surprise, people where so friendly, and nice, and the country was beautiful, esp. iphessis. you are going to love it. remember to take alot of bottled water with you everywhere, i went in the fall also. take a lightweight, sprinkle jacket. backpack, ect. the weather is usally starts off a little brisk, 60s but will warm up to upper 80s. not much rain, very little infact, was a great time to travel. miss all the summer tourists, in all ports of call. have a great time.

Princess is probably the worst cruise line that you can find. I shall not recommend it.

[quote="Brad"]We took princess last year doing the Grand Princess in the Baltic. It was WONDERFUL. Both Princess and Celebrity are good cruise lines.. ..you can't loose either way. My wife and I enjoy the Grand Princess so much we're returning next year for the Med cruise in September.. ..going from Barcelona to Venice with stops in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. This is going to be an awesome cruise and the price is right.[/quote][quote


We will be taking the August 29 cruise from Bar. to Venice on the Grand. Will you be there? ggaets@yahoo.com ][ /quote]

I was on the Star Princess last year (2004) in the Med . . It was wonderful.The ship was great, service was great. Get a guide for Ephasis. Its worth it.Princess is great value. Ill be on the Star again this year in the Baltic. My 6th cruise with Princess.

I am also interested in Princess cruises, I am aware of all the official informations and all the touristic points but I still want to hear from real tourists about real experiences on these cruise ships, it helps me decide better. Thanks for all the infos you posted so far.