One style of travel is trending majorly in Europe this summer, and that is cruising.
It’s actually cheaper and easier to explore Europe’s top destinations like Italy, Greece, and Croatia by cruise this summer.
Cruising in the Mediterranean is up 23% this summer compared to 2019 according to the latest State of the Cruise Industry Report.
Here’s why more and more travelers are choosing cruises to explore Mediterranean Europe this summer:
Cheaper Prices
The biggest reason you should take a Mediterranean cruise this summer?
It can be significantly cheaper than staying in hotels and traveling between destinations on your own!
For example, this July I’m taking a cruise on Celebrity Cruises that starts and ends in Athens, Greece, and visits multiple islands in Greece and Turkey, including the hotspots of Mykonos and Santorini.
The total cost for this 7-day cruise is $1,700, or about $243 per night. Here’s what that includes:
- A stateroom with a private balcony (shared with my friend who is paying the same price)
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on the cruise ship every day
- Premium package including additional beverages and free WiFi
- Transportation to all of the islands we are visiting over the course of a week
- A $150 onboard credit which I plan to use towards paying for staff gratuities
Keep in mind that this is the cost for a balcony stateroom and a premium package — you could get an even lower price if you book an interior stateroom and skip all the extras.
Now compare that to the cost of a hotel in Athens, Santorini, or Mykonos — a basic hotel can run you $250 per night while a luxury hotel is easily $500 per night or more.
That’s just accommodation alone — you also have to factor in meals, transportation (ferries and flights between islands in Greece can run $100+ each way), and activities.
In the end, taking a cruise is less expensive than visiting multiple destinations in Europe independently.
Easier To Visit Multiple Destinations
Not only is it cheaper, but it’s also easier to visit more places on a cruise. You can island-hop your way around the Mediterranean in a way that would be difficult to organize on your own.
My cruise goes to the Greek islands plus a couple of stops in Turkey. It would be extremely expensive to visit all these islands independently and you’d have to organize multiple ferries or flights.
Similarly, there are cruises that take you all the way down the coast of Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece, hitting up multiple exciting destinations in just a week.
Other cruises visit destinations in Italy like Portofino, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and Sardinia, or head over to the French Riviera and the Balearic islands of Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza in Spain.
Less Hassle
One of the best reasons to take a Mediterranean cruise is that it’s simply less hassle!
Cruises are becoming increasingly popular because they provide a stress-free vacation.
You only have to unpack your things once and you’re sleeping in the same bed each night rather than having to move hotels every couple of nights as you move destinations.
You don’t have to worry about transportation logistics and organizing trains, ferries, flights, or rental cars.
All your meals are taken care of, too, and you can even book shore excursions through your cruise line (or opt to explore the ports independently if you want to save money, which is what I do!)
Off Season Offerings
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room — summer is a busy and crowded time to travel in Europe’s top destinations like Italy, Greece, and Croatia.
Cruises can be even worse because if you have multiple cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers in port at the same destination on the same day, it can be insanely crowded.
The months of June, July, and August are the most crowded in the Mediterranean.
However, most cruise lines are now extending their Mediterranean cruises into what used to be the off-season.
You can find Mediterranean cruises in May, September, October, and even November.
The fall off season is becoming a more popular time to travel because it’s less crowded and less expensive. If you have the option to take a cruise during this time instead of the summer, I highly recommend it!
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