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Gary Bembridge author of "The Cruise Traveler's Handbook" provides another 60-Second Cruise Tip. For more visit http://www.60secondcruisetips.com and subscribe free to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and TuneIn Radio

Cruising the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is the second most popular cruise region after the Caribbean. It provides warm weather, generally calm seas and you visit different cultures and countries in a short space of time.

The season is April to October, although some ships remain offering winter sun trips. The key ports where cruises start and end are Barcelona, Venice, Genoa, Civitavecchia and Southampton. Although, some lines allow you to join or leave at other ports on the itinerary making Mediterranean cruises flexible and varied.

Some considerations when planning include:

    •    Sail from ports already within the Mediterranean rather than places like Southampton or Hamburg requiring sea days to get into the region.
    •    Large ships are limited on the ports they can go to and so consider smaller ships that will call on more unusual and smaller ports.