Cruising the Mediterranean A Guide to the Ports of Call 2nd Edition HUNTER HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC, 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818 % 732-225-1900; % 800-255-0343; Fax 732-417-1744 www.hunterpublishing.com 4176 Saint-Denis Montréal, Québec, Canada % 514-843-9447 The Boundary, Wheatley Road, Garsington Oxford, OX44 9EJ England % 01865-361122; Fax 01865-361133 ISBN 1-58843-586-5 © 2006 Hunter Publishing, Inc. This and other Hunter travel guides are also available as e-books in a variety of digital formats through our online partners, including Amazon.com and NetLibrary.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other- wise, without the written permission of the publisher. This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities con- tain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, acci- dent or any other cause. Cover photo: Madeira, Portugal © Alamy Interior images courtesy of HAL Maps by Kim André © 2006 Hunter Publishing, Inc. 1234 www.hunterpublishing.com Hunter’s full range of guides to all corners of the globe is fea- tured on our exciting website. You’ll find guidebooks to suit every type of traveler, no matter what their budget, lifestyle, or idea of fun. Adventure Guides – There are now over 40 titles in this series, covering destinations from Costa Rica and the Yucatán to Tampa Bay & Florida’s West Coast, Puerto Rico and the Alaska Highway. They offer complete information on what to do, as well as where to stay and eat. Adventure Guides are tai- lor-made for the active traveler, with a focus on hiking, biking, canoeing, horseback riding, trekking, skiing, watersports, and every other kind of fun. Alive Guides – This ever-popular line of books takes a unique look at the best each destination offers: fine dining, jazz clubs, first-class class hotels and resorts. In-margin icons direct the reader at a glance. Top-sellers include: St. Martin & St. Barts, and Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao. One-of-a-kind travel books available from Hunter include Best Dives of the Caribbean; The Virginia Handbook, A Traveler’s Guide to the Galapagos and many more. Full descriptions are given for each book on our website, along with reviewers’ comments and a cover image. Books may be purchased on-line via our secure transaction facility. Acknowledgments The seemingly simple task of compiling the facts about cruise lines, their ships, and destinations for presentation to the reader has become more and more difficult because of the sheer volume of choices. Any travel writer who wants to do the best for his readers must seek out the assistance of others to help amass this informa- tion. Ship facts and information on which ships have been assigned to cruising Mediterranean routes were provided by the media rela- tions staff of the cruise lines. It is important to note, however, that their role in providing information and/or services to me in no way affects what I have to say about a particular cruise line or ship. Hav- ing said that I am still especially grateful to and would like to acknowledge the special help and consideration that has been pro- vided to me by Karen Tetherow and Susanne Ferrull of Princess Cruises; Michelle McCarthy of Holland America; Jaye Hilton of Royal Caribbean; Elizabeth Jakeway of Celebrity Cruises; Heather Krasnow of Norwegian Cruise Line; Irene Lui of Carnival Cruises, Cheryl Fenske of DMOA Public Relations for MSC Cruises; and Darren Osta of Costa Cruises. All opinions expressed here are based on information gath- ered from a variety of objective sources and, most importantly, by firsthand experience. Contents THE WORLD OF MEDITERRANEAN CRUISING Cruise Popularity ....................................1 A Survey of the Mediterranean .........................2 The Way to See the Mediterranean......................4 CRUISE LINES & THEIR SHIPS Types of Cruises ....................................7 Cruise Lines .......................................11 Ship-by-Ship & Line-By-Line Evaluations ..............12 Setting Priorities ...................................61 Selecting Your Dream Cruise .......................61 Evaluation of Ship Itineraries .........................65 Onboard Activities ...............................68 Options in Port .................................70 PRACTICAL INFORMATION Accommodations on Land.........................77 Climate & When to Go............................78 Costs .........................................79 Dining ........................................86 Disabled Travelers ...............................89 Dress (On & Off Ship).............................90 Driving/Rental Cars ..............................93 Electrical Appliances & Other Technical Tidbits .........95 Financial Matters ................................96 Formalities, Documents & Paperwork ................97 Gaming ......................................100 Home-to-Ship Transportation .....................101 Health & Safety Concerns ........................104 Payments, Cancellations & Refunds .................109 Recreation in Port ..............................110 Shopping .....................................111 Staying in Touch ...............................113 Time Zones ...................................114 Traveling with Children ..........................115 Zo, It’s Your First Time Cruising... ..................116 PORTS OF CALL & CRUISE SIGHTSEEING Gateways to the Cruise .............................119 Onboard Sightseeing ..............................124 Which Ports Are Included? ..........................125 Tourism Information ...............................126 vi l Contents National Tourism Offices in the US .................127 How I Present Port Information ......................129 The Major Ports...................................133 Ajaccio (Corsica), France .........................133 Alexandria, Egypt...............................135 Alicante/Cartagena, Spain ........................138 Antalya, Turkey ................................141 Athens/Piraeus, Greece ..........................143 Barcelona, Spain ...............................149 Bodrum, Turkey ................................155 Cádiz/Seville, Spain .............................157 Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy ..........................159 Cannes, France ................................161 Casablanca, Morocco............................164 Catania/Syracuse (Sicily), Italy .....................166 Corfu (Ionian Islands), Greece .....................169 Dubrovnik, Croatia..............................173 Genoa, Italy ...................................175 Gibraltar .....................................179 Heraklion (Crete), Greece.........................182 Hvar/Korkula, Croatia............................184 Istanbul, Turkey ................................185 Katákalon, Greece ..............................193 Kusadasi/Ephesus, Turkey ........................194 La Goulette/Tunis, Tunisia ........................197 Lisbon, Portugal................................199 Livorno/Pisa/Florence, Italy........................205 Malaga, Spain .................................213 Marseille, France ...............................214 Messina/Taormina (Sicily), Italy ....................218 Monte Carlo, Monaco ...........................222 Mykonos/Delos, Greece ..........................225 Naples/Capri, Italy ..............................228 Návplion, Greece ...............................235 Nessebur, Bulgaria..............................238 Nice/Villefranche, France .........................240 Odesa, Ukraine ................................243 Palermo (Sicily), Italy ............................244 Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Spain ...........247 Portimão/Praia da Rocha, Portugal .................250 Portoferraio (Elba Island), Italy ....................251 Portofino, Italy.................................253 Rhodes, Greece ................................255 Rome/Civitavecchia, Italy .........................259 St-Tropez, France ...............................268 Contents l vii Salerno/Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast, Italy ...........269 Santorini, Greece ...............................272 Sète, France ...................................275 Sevastopol/Yalta, Ukraine ........................276 Valencia, Spain ................................280 Valletta, Malta .................................282 Venice, Italy ...................................285 Vigo, Spain ...................................291 Less Visited Ports..................................292 Agadir, Morocco ...............................293 Aghios Nikolaos (Crete), Greece....................293 Alanya, Turkey .................................294 Alghero (Sardinia), Italy ..........................294 Almeria, Spain .................................295 Amorgos, Greece ...............................295 Ancona, Italy ..................................296 Bari, Italy .....................................296
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