What Is a Mediterranean Cruise?

The Mediterranean Sea is a body of water off the southern coast of Europe that stretches from the southern coast of Spain to the shores of northern Africa and the coastal areas of Israel and Lebanon. Mediterranean Sea cruises explore that region and are generally divided between those that travel to the eastern part of the Mediterranean and those that travel to the western regions.

Eastern Mediterranean Cruises

Eastern Mediterranean cruises generally take passengers to countries such as Greece, Turkey, Croatia, the eastern part of Italy and Egypt or Israel. Travelers may visit Greek islands such as Mykonos, Santorini and Patmos as well as Venice, the Turkish port of Kusadisi, and Dubrovnik in a single trip. Many cruises will sail to destinations at night and allow passengers a day or two to explore each location. Some ports such as Mykonos have facilities that let cruise ships dock directly at the port of call. Other places such as Venice require ships to dock from a distance and then passengers take a small boat to the area.

Western Mediterranean Cruises

Western Mediterranean cruises generally take passengers to countries such as Spain, France, Monaco and Italy. A traveler may visit the western coastline of Italy and explore Sorrento or see the villages of the French Riviera such as Nice and St. Paul de Vence. Western Mediterreanean cruises may also take travelers to islands such as Corsica, Malta and Capri. Very often a cruise will travel along a route that might otherwise take longer to complete on land.

Advantages

Exploring the Mediterranean by cruise has many advantages. Traveling this area via ferry can be cumbersome, difficult to arrange and costly. Cars can be expensive to rent and roads may be clogged at popular destinations during the high season. Lodging and food may not always be nearby or inexpensive. Visitors to the Greek islands can see many different islands on the cruise and the visit other areas such as Turkey or Israel without the bother of cobbling together different methods of transport. Cruise ships can easily arrange tours and shore excursions--tours that might be difficult to arrange.

Disadvantages

Taking a cruise may have disadvantages. A cruise ship may not allow you to explore destinations in depth. You may wish to see inland villages in the seaside French area of Provence, however these inland trips take a prolonged time and require multiple changes of transportation. Inland trips are very difficult to arrange if you only have limited time in an area. Sampling local cuisine might be out of the picture, as prepaid meals are provided on the cruise instead.

Best Time to Cruise

The best time to take a cruise varies. Summer is an extremely popular time to tour the Greek Isles. This means that the water is at its warmest and more points of interest are likely to be open. But areas are crowded and the heat can be sweltering even with air condition. Spring and fall offer cooler temperatures and smaller crowds. Rates fall during these times as well. However, certain itineraries may not be available and flights to starting points such as Athens are harder to come by as well.