Spain on a cruise

maximillian · ‎03-12-2010

My daughter has suggested a cruise to enjoy the sites of Spain. Has anyone done this? Any tips or advice?

Mz iMac · ‎07-26-2014

OMG!!!! That sounds fabulous. I have never heard of a Spain cruise.

Enjoy your fabulous treat!

Last summer the "other" grandparents took all their grands on a cruise around Turkey. They rented a private yatch. The "other" GPs said it was cheaper than going on a cruise ship.

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

I have never cruised around Spain, but I have cruised other European countries. It’s a nice way to sample the country, but you really don’t get to explore much.

the ship will drop you off at each port where you will have maybe 8 hours to explore and then you have to return to the ship. This limits how far you can go to see attractions, because if you are not back in time, the ship will sail without you.

Most people will take an expensive tour sponsored by the ship because it is easy and the ship will wait for you if the tour is late in getting back. There is nothing wrong with this, but there is no way to see anything that is too far away from the ships ports.

i suggest you check the ship’s schedule and see where it goes and what tours are offered at each port. If you like what you see and are not interested in seeing anything not offered, then you will probably have a great time.

If you like to explore more than the cruise line offers, you can tour Spain with a touring company, or take the cruise and stay longer when the cruise is over and explore on your own. We did this in Greece. We explored for 10 days on our own after cruising and it was rather inexpensive. We figured since we paid a fortune for airfare, we might as well take advantage of being there and saw everything we wanted to.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@Mz iMac I wonder if they went on a flotilla. I checked into those and they sound awesome.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

Curious - why a cruise versus a guided group tour? What exactly are you hoping to see in Spain? Obviously, the benefit of a cruise is the ease of unpacking once and you are some place new each day. But the negative is that you are only in a location for a limited amount of time.

I've been on a few cruises that left from Barcelona and really loved the city. So, hoping that you woudld either start or end here, so would recommend spending a few days to really see the city.

I've also only gone on the big mass market cruise lines (Royal and Celebrity in the Med), and am uncertain what cruise lines would do a Spain specific route (I've never looked though!)

One cruise that I was on needed to be rerouted for safety reasons - what was supposed to be stops in Morroco ended up being additional stops in Spain. Since the change was so last minute, we just did cruise excursions (city tours). Went to Valencia, Malaga, and Gibralter. Was unfortuante to be that close to Alhambra but unable to go because it was too late to get the approvals. But, Gibraltor ended being a very nice surprise that my mother and I really enjoyed!

I've only heard wonderful things about Portugal, so hoping your cruise may stop there as well. I've never been.

In general, for any cruise related questions, the cruise critic forums are a wonderful resource, but may also be overwhelming if you don't know what you are looking for. They should have a section for Spain specific questions. What used to be nice was the roll calls, where you could talk to others on your cruise - you could plan private excursions with a small group versus the larger (and possibly more expensive) ship's excursions. However, the roll calls have gotten progressively less active.

Mz iMac · ‎07-26-2014

@Carmie wrote:
@Mz iMac I wonder if they went on a flotilla. I checked into those and they sound awesome.

@Carmie

GS who is staying w/me for New Years doesn't know the name of the yatch. He did tell me the "family" were the only passengers. There were 11 people.....grandparents, an aunt & 7 cousins (all teenagers). Oh, & one child friend of cousins.

"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

CHIP62 · ‎09-06-2014

@maximillian,

Great choice, love Spain, when do you plan to go? Avoid, August, the high season and try to either cruise the Mediterranean+south of France+ Italy or Andalusia.

Bon voyage!

debcakes · ‎03-11-2010

I just got back from Spain and we loved it. I definitely want to return. An ad popped up for me in my email about an Iberian cruise that starts in Lisbon and ends in a Barcelona. It sounded great. Unfortunately, I did not save the info. Maybe you can find it with a search.

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

@Alter Ego wrote:
Curious - why a cruise versus a guided group tour? What exactly are you hoping to see in Spain? Obviously, the benefit of a cruise is the ease of unpacking once and you are some place new each day. But the negative is that you are only in a location for a limited amount of time.

I've been on a few cruises that left from Barcelona and really loved the city. So, hoping that you woudld either start or end here, so would recommend spending a few days to really see the city.

I've also only gone on the big mass market cruise lines (Royal and Celebrity in the Med), and am uncertain what cruise lines would do a Spain specific route (I've never looked though!)

One cruise that I was on needed to be rerouted for safety reasons - what was supposed to be stops in Morroco ended up being additional stops in Spain. Since the change was so last minute, we just did cruise excursions (city tours). Went to Valencia, Malaga, and Gibralter. Was unfortuante to be that close to Alhambra but unable to go because it was too late to get the approvals. But, Gibraltor ended being a very nice surprise that my mother and I really enjoyed!

I've only heard wonderful things about Portugal, so hoping your cruise may stop there as well. I've never been.

In general, for any cruise related questions, the cruise critic forums are a wonderful resource, but may also be overwhelming if you don't know what you are looking for. They should have a section for Spain specific questions. What used to be nice was the roll calls, where you could talk to others on your cruise - you could plan private excursions with a small group versus the larger (and possibly more expensive) ship's excursions. However, the roll calls have gotten progressively less active.

@Alter Ego- ahhhh Barcelona ....I love Spain and my personal feeling is that you would miss so much via cruise. We drove from Barcelona to Figueras to see Dali's museum which was just phenomenal. Spain and Portugal have a rich history; I did get to Alhambra ....wonderful countries