New Cruiser needs help!

[AmyM303]

My husband and I recently returned from our first cruise (Carnival Imagination--Western Caribbean) and are ready to plan a European Cruise next summer. We've never been to Europe so this is all new! Any suggestions on good cruise lines or itineraries in that area would be greatly appreciated--I'm just not sure where to start!

Thanks!

[LisaP]

Hi Amy, and welcome to cruise-chat.com.

Europe is so vast that we'll need some more information to help you narrow down your choices. How long a cruise can you take? Are there any particular countries you are interested in visiting? Any you don't care to visit? I'm sure others will come up with more questions to help guide you.

In the meantime, here's a link to a great place to start: http://www.europeportreviews.com/. There's general information on the main page, and links on many of the ports along the left margin. Let us know if anything appeals to you. We have several European experts on the board who can answer your questions.

[geordie]

I assume from your content that you are American?
There are many excellent cruises to be had in Europe
These start from various ports in the UK as well as Barcelona ,Rome Venice etc
The American lines all cruise in Europe -Celebrity,RCI and Princess for example as well as British lines such as P&O Fred Olsen as well as some downmarket companies such as Thomson or Ocean Village
I have used the American lines as well as the British companies
The British lines may not suit all Americans tastes -they tend to be a bit more formal (but not excessively so) but this said you will be welcomed by British passengers
There are also a German line Aida and Costa from Italy
I have no personal experience of these but they are aimed at their nationals and English may not be used much
A good place to start is to decide what you actually want to see!
The choices are many and the main ones are

A journey around the British Isles taking in Ireland Scotland and England -usually starting in Southampton England
The Baltic taking in Scandinavia and Russia-from various British ports
The Western Mediterranean usually taking in France Portugal Spain Italy etc as well as some of the smaller island such as Malta-from England,Barcelona Rome Venice etc
The Eastern Med taking in Greece Croatia Italy etc from Rome or Venice
So lots of choice
Can I advise

1) Choose your company
2)Decide which area sounds the best

You will then be able to narrow down your options and get fares etc

Whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy visiting Europe

[Cruise Fanatic]

There are also river cruises which will bring you up close to the ports and include excursions.

[drlivingston]

Welcome to cruise chat, Amy. My advice would be to not book anything too hastily. Take time to do some research on the different itineraries and options. You should figure out the main points of Europe that you are interested in seeing and then plan your vacation accordingly. Are you more interested in the Baltic states or are you leaning towards the Mediterranean? There are so many options when it comes to European cruises.

[AmyM303]

This is a good start...thanks all!

Narrowing it down--we are looking to travel for about 2 weeks, probably part land, part sea. We want to see Ireland, England, France, and as much of Italy, Spain, and Greece as possible. What I'm thinking is see the Northern region by rail and cruise through Italy, etc. Maybe a week in each? It is probably ambitious, but we kind of feel like this is our one shot at Europe.
I will keep surfing the boards, but if you have any suggestions on this adventure, I would surely welcome them!

Thanks!