The Best 10 Cruises in the Mediterranean and Western Europe for 2019

By Fred Mawer Jan 29, 2019 4:23pm

by Fred Mawer, The Telegraph, January 29, 2019

The most popular destination for the UK's first-time cruisers, the Mediterranean has so much to offer. Add Western Europe, too, and there's a voyage for every taste. Here we round-up 10 of the best sailings for 2019 to 2020, from giant ships featuring exclusive stage shows to a history-focused trip.

High tech and high wires

Launching in March, the enormous MSC Bellissima will accommodate up to 5,700 guests, have 10 restaurants, 20 bars and entertainment galore, including Cirque du Soleil shows. It also promises cabins equipped with voice-enabled artificial intelligence devices to answer questions. From spring, it will sail a western Mediterranean circuit: Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta, Barcelona.

Departing April 5 2019, the seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona costs from £1,069 per person (020 3426 3010; msccruises.co.uk ).

Mickey in the Med

Avoid expensive flights to Florida and treat the family to a fun-filled Disney cruise closer to home this summer on a Mediterranean voyage on the Disney Magic. Expect Disney characters to meet, themed dining, high-quality shows and excursions tailored to families.

Departing May 25 2019 (half term), a seven-night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Villefranche (Monte Carlo/Nice), costs from £1,674 per person based on a family of four sharing (0800 169 0742; disneycruise.com ).

A harmonious holiday

Luxury small-ship cruise line Silversea is offering a couple of new opera-enriched sailings in the Mediterranean this year, with singers from Milan’s Accademia Teatro alla Scala performing on-board in the evenings. The Barcelona to Rome sailing stops at several enticing, less-visited ports, among them Mahon (Menorca), Alghero (Sardinia) and Trapani (Sicily).

Departing April 25 2019, the seven-night Barcelona to Rome cruise on Silver Spirit costs from £3,500 per person, excluding flights (0844 251 0837; silversea.com ).

Croatia uncovered

Azamara Club Cruises is more destination-focused than many rival lines, particularly on its “country-intensive voyages”. A trip along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast on Azamara’s newest ship, Azamara Pursuit, docks late into the evening at Rijeka, Dubrovnik and Hvar, and overnights at Split, whose splendid old town is largely set within the Roman walls of Diocletian’s Palace.

Departing June 29 2019, the seven-night Croatia Intensive Voyage from Venice costs from £1,939 per person, excluding flights (0844 493 4016; azamaraclubcruises.co.uk ).

Where west meets east med

Viking Ocean Cruises offers a winning combination of culturally-enriching voyages on tasteful ships inspired by Scandinavian decor. A tour starting at Athens and ending in Rome calls at ports near major historic sights, such as Heraklion in Crete (for Knossos); Ashdod and Haifa in Israel (for Jerusalem and Nazareth); and Naples (for Pompeii). There’s a free excursion in each port.

Departing Nov 20 2019, the 15-day Cities of Antiquities & the Holy Land cruise on Viking Sky costs from £4,040 per person (0800 298 9700; vikingcruises.co.uk ).

To the Holy Land and beyond

Oceania’s newly refurbished ships Nautica, Sirena and Riviera take to the seas in 2020, with cruises that include three sailings to the Holy Land and beyond. The Wonders of the Ancients cruise aboard the 684-passenger Nautica sails from Dubai to Rome, taking in Aqaba (for Petra), Safaga (for Luxor) and Haifa (for Jerusalem), as well as Heraklion, the Amalfi Coast (Italy) and Salalah (Oman). Similar cruises are available in 2019, including the 23-day Empires of Antiquity, which adds Athens, Rhodes, Santorini, Cyprus and Messina (Sicily) to that itinerary.

Departing Dubai on May 19 2020, the 20-day Wonders of the Ancients cruise costs from £4,089 per person, cruise-only, with Oceania Cruises (0345 505 1920; oceaniacruises.com ).

Small ship history hits

Voyages to Antiquity has a new, largely off-the-beaten-track itinerary from Athens on its small ship Aegean Odyssey. Highlights include the remarkable Byzantine monasteries at Meteora (from Volos), and, having passed through the Bosphorus, the historic Black Sea ports of Odessa (Ukraine), Constanza (Romania) and Varna (Bulgaria). Learned guest speakers enrich the cruise.

Departing May 2 2019, the 14-day Black Sea & Greek Islands trip costs from £2,850 per person, including two hotel nights in Athens pre-cruise and some shore excursions (01865 565880; voyagestoantiquity.com ).

Istanbul revisited

Istanbul fell off the cruise map after terrorist attacks there in 2016, but is starting to reappear on itineraries. Celestyal Cruises has an overnight stay in the Turkish city on its new Eclectic Aegean itinerary, which also visits Canakkale (for Troy and Gallipoli), Mykonos (leaving port at 2am so passengers can enjoy the nightlife), Heraklion and Santorini. Greek dishes and Hellenic entertainment feature on the few-frills Celestyal Crystal ship.

Available mid-October to late November 2019, the seven-Day Eclectic Aegean cruise from Athens costs from £929 per person, excluding flights (0800 411 8038; celestyalcruises.uk ).

Atlantic island hopping

On a no-fly voyage on P&O Cruises’ Aurora, in just over a fortnight you’ll visit six dramatic Atlantic outposts: Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and La Palma in the Canary Islands; Madeira; then Sao Miguel and Terceira in the Azores, where you can view volcanic crater lakes or go on a whale-watching adventure.

Departing April 8 2019 from Southampton, the 16-night Portugal, Canary Islands and Azores cruise also stops at Lisbon, and costs from £1,249 per person (0344 338 8003; pocruises.com ).

The alternative Mediterranean

An old cruise hand looking for something different? Princess Cruises is offering a no-fly voyage this summer on Sapphire Princess that swaps tried and tested ports and cities such as Barcelona and Nice and heads instead to underrated Malaga, Corsica’s handsome capital of Ajaccio, the Languedoc port of Sète and Spanish/Moroccan Ceuta. The cruise’s Atlantic sections visit Portimao on the Algarve, Cadizand Lisbon .

Departing July 27 2019 from Southampton, the 14-day Mediterranean Explorer costs from £1,649 per person (0344 338 8672; princess.com ).

This article was written by Fred Mawer from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].