Mediterranean Explorer Cruise – Reflections

Although I am writing this post almost eight months after the end of our Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing cruise, I’ve dated it to follow the last post for the cruise. I think that makes more sense.

I’ve tried to include a “Reflections” post after each major trip, and that always helps me look back and think about the positives and negatives. In this case, as in most, almost all my thoughts are positive.

This cruise only reconfirmed that Viking is the perfect cruise line for us. That’s certainly a good thing, since we will be starting a six-month world cruise on Viking later this year. The cruise was also a good test for us to see how we would like a long stretch of sea days, since we will have several of those on the world cruise. I had expected to enjoy those days at sea, and I did. I always found something to do, even if it was just relaxing or trying to catch up on blog posts.

Traveling in November and December also worked out well. I love traveling in the off-season, since I always try to avoid travel in the hot and crowded summer months. However, there were more crowds than I would have expected, possibly because of local holidays and Christmas markets. Still, it was nowhere as crowded as in high season.

This was our first experience with a Viking pre-cruise extension, and I thought it was very worthwhile. For me, extensions that only include a hotel and transfer provide no value, but this one included two all-day tours to the Tuscan hills. Without renting a car, this was a perfect way to experience that amazing area. I also enjoyed meeting and getting to know fellow passengers prior to boarding the ship. It was so nice to see a familiar face when we ran into them once on board.

I love Italy and was happy to spend time in Florence before the pre-cruise extension. Arriving five days in advance was an excellent idea, and I would try to spend that amount of time prior to the start of an overseas cruise in the future.

The itinerary for this cruise was perfect, and I was so happy to visit so many amazing destinations. I had always wanted to visit Spain and Portugal and fell in love with those two countries. I hope we can go back.

The Christmas markets we saw in almost every city did not interest me very much, however, and a Christmas market river cruise is now low on my priority list.

Tim and I have accepted the fact that lie-flat, business class airline seats are a necessity for us when we travel overseas. I need to lie down to be comfortable and get some rest, and it makes such a difference for me in how I adjust when I arrive. I’m just too old now to spend more than three hours in economy, or even premium economy. Thank goodness for playing the points and miles game so we can use miles to “pay” for our expensive tickets.

Disembarking in Fort Lauderdale was perfect since I could visit friends in Miami. This meant a lot to me, and I’m glad we had that opportunity. Luckily, Fort Lauderdale is a major port for Viking, and Tim and I now have two upcoming cruises that will either disembark or embark there.

Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing - A Great Cruise