karmeletroyas

Thank you very much for your quick answer!!!🙂 Yes, is a small island, and ferries only depart from Alexandroupoli.

The cruises that stop in Limnos or Kavala (that do Athens-Istambul itinerary) do not offer any excursions to Samothraki.

We were looking for a cruise because would like to travel with 80 year old friends (and it would be much easier for them)

On 4/30/2021 at 8:22 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm going to say that my "dream cruise" is what Voyages to Antiquity provided in the past: small ships (350 pax), great itineraries, great guest lecturers, a number of overnight/overland stays and a mix of interesting passengers.

 

I am still searching for a replacement....

 

Hello! I am new at Cruisecritic. Do you know if there is any "successor" to Voyages of Antiquity? I am looking for a cruise that would stop at Samothraki -Greece-. Thank you

On 5/30/2022 at 8:38 PM, Hlitner said:

I will offer a different perspective.  There are over 1000 Greek Islands of which about 200 are inhabited (these numbers always seem to change).  Large cruise ships only go less than a dozen of these island and tend to focus on even fewer (Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu, Crete, etc).  We have been to all those usual islands (numerous times) and they are certainly terrific places to visit.  But, as you can imagine, they are among the most touristy of the Greek Islands.   With over 50 years of extensive cruising under our belt, and dozens of cruises to the Greek islands on the usual mass market and luxury lines, our favorite Greek Island cruise was on a tiny boat/cruise with a defunct company called Zeus Cruises.  Our week cruise (with Zeus) was on the chartered Sea Crown Yacht which held 20 passengers and a crew of 7.  That cruise was in the Ionian Islands (embarking from Corfu) and none of the islands we visited (other than Corfu) will ever be found on a typical cruise ship.

 

We would pull up to an island in the morning, drop anchor off a beach, jump off the bow and swim into the island.  We would pull up anchor later in the morning and head to a more populated island where we would dock for the afternoon.  It was a truly glorious week with our shipmates (10 Dutch, 8 German, and we 2 Americans).   That company eventually sold-out to Variety Cruises who still operates similar cruises out of Greece, Croatia, etc.

 

So my recommendation now becomes obvious.  Forget all the usual cruise lines, expand your horizons and gin-up your spirit of adventure.  Book a small boat cruise of some of the Greek Islands ).

 

That being said, we have also explored some of the islands by simply using ferries.  In fact, just last August we spent two weeks cruising the Greek Islands on the Seabourn Ovation.  But after we ended that cruise in Pireaus we took a taxi to the otherside of the harbor and boarded a large ferry for the island of Naxos where we spent 4 days.  We then took another short ferry ride over to Paxos where we spent a few more days before catching a third ferry back to Pireaus.  There are numerous ferries (many as large as cruise ships) moving all around various Greek Islands. Your itinerary is only limited by your imagination (and acceptable ferry connections).  While visiting an island on a cruise ship does give you a small snapshot of an island, spending a few days/nights on that same island opens up the real world of Greek Islands.  We are talking decent restaurants (often with fresh seafood truly right out of the sea), decent nightlife, many wonderful outdoor cafes/restaurants, etc.  And before you say "I am too old for this stuff," I would mention that DW and I are in our mid 70s and still love island hopping.  Planned properly a small boat cruise or island hopping should cost no more than a typical cruise.

 

Hank

Dear HLITNER, this is my first "question" in CRUISECRITIC, it seems you know well the Greek islands. I have been travelling to Greece and the Greek islands both on cruises and by myself -island hopping, ferrys, etc...-. I write you in case you can help me: I am looking for a cruise line -it can also be a small Greek company (but please, a reliable one)- that stops at Samothraki island or does excursions to Samothraki. Can you help me?