My fiancée and I are getting married in July 2025, and we’re thinking of doing a Greece and Italy cruise for our honeymoon. We’ve only been on a Carnival cruise with my family about 5 years ago.
So far, we’ve found some options that seem to fit what we’re looking for, like a 10-day cruise on the Norwegian Epic, a 7-night cruise on Voyager of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), and a 7-night cruise on Celebrity Infinity. If we choose Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, we’re thinking of spending a few extra days in Italy to explore the areas not covered in the cruise.
We’re non-drinkers, okay with families/kids (we’re both school teachers), and we prefer more food choices over fancy meals. Clean spaces and good service matter a lot to us. For activities on the ship, we’re into things like ping pong, running, swimming, and mini golf, but not so much shows or socializing.
NCL is the most expensive, but it stops at more ports. I’ve also heard great things about Royal Caribbean, and I just found out about Celebrity Cruises.
Anyone here have thoughts or experiences that could help us decide?
The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written.
u/pricklyholidayplant
Hey everyone!
My fiancée and I are getting married in July 2025, and we’re thinking of doing a Greece and Italy cruise for our honeymoon. We’ve only been on a Carnival cruise with my family about 5 years ago.
So far, we’ve found some options that seem to fit what we’re looking for, like a 10-day cruise on the Norwegian Epic, a 7-night cruise on Voyager of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), and a 7-night cruise on Celebrity Infinity. If we choose Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, we’re thinking of spending a few extra days in Italy to explore the areas not covered in the cruise.
We’re non-drinkers, okay with families/kids (we’re both school teachers), and we prefer more food choices over fancy meals. Clean spaces and good service matter a lot to us. For activities on the ship, we’re into things like ping pong, running, swimming, and mini golf, but not so much shows or socializing.
NCL is the most expensive, but it stops at more ports. I’ve also heard great things about Royal Caribbean, and I just found out about Celebrity Cruises.
Anyone here have thoughts or experiences that could help us decide?
Andi said:
FYI: Europe is really hot and super crowded in the summer. We did that NCL cruise in 2019, and the ports were great, but the crowds were overwhelming.
Yeah, July is the peak season for Americans visiting Europe. It’s super hot, and most places don’t have A/C or ice in their drinks. I’d say May or September are better times to visit Europe. I went during the 4th of July week as a kid, and it was brutal, especially in Venice.
@Storm
I’ve been hearing this a lot, especially for Greece. We’d love to go during a less busy time, but since we’re both teachers and coaches, July is the only month we can go. We’re teaching through June and back before the kids in August . We spent last July in Japan, and although it was hot and crowded, we made the best of it, so hopefully, we can handle it again .
@Ira
I just got back from Peru this past July (not a cruise, but still!). It was amazing! I met a lot of teachers there on vacation. Just something to think about .
Celebrity Cruises is like a step up from Royal Caribbean. The crowd tends to be a bit older, and while they do allow kids, they don’t really focus on family-friendly activities. The overall vibe is more classic, and the food is usually better. Entertainment on Celebrity is a bit more laid-back.
Are you more interested in exploring more ports or would you prefer some days to just relax on the ship?
We’ve never done NCL, but we have two Celebrity cruises booked for next year.
If I were to choose, I’d go with Celebrity over NCL on almost every point. However, the Constellation ship is older, so that might be a downside. The Ascent, though, is a newer ship with similar itineraries.
If you’re planning to see Europe, a cruise in July might not be the best idea unless you’re really into the cruise experience. It’s going to be hot and crowded. And by crowded, I mean crazy crowded.
On top of that, many of the bigger cities are pushing the cruise ships further away from the city centers. So places like La Spezia (Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome), Venice, and Le Havre (Paris) require long drives just to get to the tourist spots.
We’ve done a Mediterranean cruise on X and I’d recommend that line, but just know there aren’t as many activities on deck. The Edge class ship has a nice walking/running track and a pickleball court that gets a lot of use. The pools are nice too. But the vibe is a bit more upscale and reserved compared to something like Carnival.
I’m not saying don’t go for the cruise, just make sure your expectations are set right.
. We spent last July in Japan, and although it was hot and crowded, we made the best of it, so hopefully, we can handle it again 
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