he best time to go is between May and October. This is the “standard” Mediterranean cruise season, but people do go as early as March or as late as November. After November some ships might head south to the Canary Islands. A few ships operate year-round, but if you cruise aboard one of the large resort ships, and you want to swim, make sure your ship has a pool that can be covered by a glass dome if you are sailing during the early or late part of the year. Most ports are used to, and welcome, cruise ships, and have the tourism and shore excursion infrastructure (including English-speaking guides) to support them.