Aroxen Posted November 9, 2009 #1 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hello Everyone, I'm a first-time cruiser and am considering a May Azamara cruise from Athens to Rome. My main desire is to see Greece on a budget, and cruising seems like a good way to do this. (As opposed to flying in and around Athens. As someone said, a cruise can be like a hotel on the water.) Azamara seems promising because of the length of time in each port and the lack of cattle-call feeling to it. We typically travel independently throughout Europe. Our one escorted tour was with Perillo Tours. We loved it, but keep in mind that Perillo is a class above Trafalgar and other budget lines. As you can imagine, I'm overwhelmed by the choice of cruise lines out there. I'd appreciate any help you can offer in helping us determine if Azamara is right for us. Thank you in advance! A little about us: In our 30s-40s. No children. College-educated professionals. Enjoy history, museums, landmarks, architecture, etc. We like to eat well at meal time, but don't need to eat around-the-clock. We like the water and splashing in the pool, but are not beach people. Don't spend much time in hotel rooms, other than to sleep. Like music, jazz, theatre productions. Spas are occasional treats, not something we indulge in on vacations. And finally, as someone else on this board said, we truly have Cristal taste and a Korbel budget! :) Thank you again for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phxazzcruisers Posted November 9, 2009 #2 Share Posted November 9, 2009 IT is hard to know how each person will react to a cruise. Like you, we would travel to Europe at least twice yearly seeing all we could, traveling mainly from City to City by train. We loved traveling that way because we were able to fully immerse ourselves in the local culture. Once we discovered cruising and the benefit of packing and unpacking once but able to see several Cities and eat great food, we were hooked. We still feel the need to return to our favorite Cities more than once, as the brief stays on the cruises is just not enough. I think you should give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted November 9, 2009 #3 Share Posted November 9, 2009 When I was younger I cruised ( 5-7 days max)in the Caribbean or Mexico because they were cheap. I never took a European cruise until I was much older and slower. I always liked traveling in Europe at my own pace without waiting for a group. I still do land when I realy want to see the sights. I love cruising....it's so relaxing. However, keep in mind, the longer the cruise and the more costly the cruise, the older the people. If you are young, you may feel out of place on cruises longer than a week. Stay with the short Azamara cruises or do 2 one week cruises back-to-back. On my last 14 day cruise, the average age was 70+...several people were extremely limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroxen Posted November 9, 2009 Author #4 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Thank you for your quick responses! I agree that we should try a cruise, if for no other reason than to see how we like it. Also, the cruise we're looking at is only 7 days. I agree that the longer ones would be too pricey for our budget. If anyone else has other thoughts, feel free to share! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan-M Posted November 9, 2009 #5 Share Posted November 9, 2009 You would probably really enjoy Azamara, but the extra costs involved in cruising might throw your budget off. Some of the extras: Touring in ports (if you do most or all of the ports on your own, instead of doing guided tours either with the ship or on private excursions, you'll save a lot of money.) Alcoholic beverages (prices on board are about the same as at a nice restaurant.) Gratuities ... $12-15 pp/day. Hotels for pre and/or post cruise stays. Travel to/from the cruise port ... inexpensive if you use public transportation - e.g. the train from Civitavecchia to Rome and the metro or bus to the port in Athens (Piraeus.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredr Posted November 9, 2009 #6 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Thank you for your quick responses! I agree that we should try a cruise, if for no other reason than to see how we like it. Also, the cruise we're looking at is only 7 days. I agree that the longer ones would be too pricey for our budget. If anyone else has other thoughts, feel free to share! :) Hello, I am a big fan of Azamara. And I am sure that you will have a great time on Azamara. Remember though that Azamara is for travelers, that is, people who want to travel by sea to see countries/ports. You will among the younger people on an Azamara ship but age is really irrelevant. This is based on 30 cruises on most of the major cruise lines.though we have not been to Greece. If you want to, give an approximate budget for the cruise, and maybe we can make some suggestions that will save you some money. For example, you are experienced travelers so most likely you can see ports on your own rather than take tours. In several ports we visited on our Azamara cruise, there was a shuttle bus to the center of the city for a nominal fee. From there you can go on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan-M Posted November 9, 2009 #7 Share Posted November 9, 2009 If anyone else has other thoughts, feel free to share! :) Another consideration that hasn't been mentioned is that choosing a cruise that includes destinations that may not be priorities for you is a compromise if your trip is short, or if you won't have a chance to return to this area for some time. If you are trying to get good value on your trip, I feel that spending time in ports that aren't important to you, or spending a day at sea if you would prefer to be on land, diminishes what originally looked like a great deal...and since you mentioned that your main desire was to see Greece and that you are on a budget, I wonder if your money wouldn't be better spent on land travel for this trip? As much as we enjoyed our Azamara Rome-Athens 14 day cruise, I'm reluctant to recommend it too highly to you based on what you've mentioned about yourselves and your interests. If you do choose this cruise, would you have time for a pre-cruise stay in Athens (and/or post cruise in Rome if you haven't been there before?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted November 9, 2009 #8 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hello Everyone, A little about us: In our 30s-40s. No children. College-educated professionals. Enjoy history, museums, landmarks, architecture, etc. We like to eat well at meal time, but don't need to eat around-the-clock. We like the water and splashing in the pool, but are not beach people. Don't spend much time in hotel rooms, other than to sleep. Like music, jazz, theatre productions. Spas are occasional treats, not something we indulge in on vacations. And finally, as someone else on this board said, we truly have Cristal taste and a Korbel budget! :) Thank you again for your help! Although we love cruising this may not be the best way for you to accomplish what you really want. Our children did a Greece trip at about your age and spent very little money staying in beautiful small hotels on all of the island they visited as well as in Athens. Transportation was by ferries which are cheap and run frequently. You can also eat very well and really enjoy the Greek food and spirits for little money. You would probably have a far better time and see much more on land than on sea and be able to experience the Greek people which you will not do from a cruise. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip.:)[/size][/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted November 9, 2009 #9 Share Posted November 9, 2009 If you do choose this cruise, would you have time for a pre-cruise stay in Athens (and/or post cruise in Rome if you haven't been there before?) I think these are excellent suggestions,as both these cities warrant more time than just one day (IMO). For other places, like Mykonos or Santorini, a day's visit is enough to explore the place and return for an extended stay if you like it enough. In addition, I think it's a shame to travel that far for just 7 days - if you can afford to add a couple of days pre and poist cruise, I would highly recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroxen Posted November 9, 2009 Author #10 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hello Everyone, A few more things about the cruise we'e considering: *It's 7-days *Ports visited included Athens, Ephesus (Turkey), Bodrum (Turkey), Rhodes, Mykonos, Kathakolon and Rome. *We will have a pre-cruise day in Athens and a post-day in Rome. (We've been to Rome before, so it's really just a bonus to return.) *While we'd love to do a longer cruise, our vacation time and budget do not permit it. Originally, we were going to spend four nights in Athens (with a day trip to Delphi) and then two nights on an island. (Possibily Santorini.) But when I did the math, it would cost the same as the above mentioned 7-day cruise with pre- and post-night stays, but food would have been extra. Also, I've budgeted a $1,000 for total tour excusions for both of us. What do you think of this figure? It's OK if it's a big high. I just didn't want to under budget for it. I see us checking out various museums, ruins, etc at each port, rather than checking out each ports' shops and villages. We like to shop a little, but we don't do bars or beaches. Thanks for all your great advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottish Cruiser Posted November 10, 2009 #11 Share Posted November 10, 2009 We have not been on Azamara, so cannot comment, but we have visited some of teh ports. At Ephesus you want a tour. Ours was comped by our TA, so not sure what it will cost. Athens you can see on your own. I gatehr that is your starting point, so I am not sure how muh tme you will have there, but it is weel worth going to the Acropolis and the plaka and see the changing of the Guard at the old palace, now thae parliament building. There are interesting ruins at almost every corner. Rhodes you can walk into teh town and explore on your own. At Kathakolon, you can browse the waterfront tourist stores, but if you want to see the Olympic ruins you will need a tour. I assume Azamara has their tours listed in there web site and you can see how much they cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted November 10, 2009 #12 Share Posted November 10, 2009 It might be a good time to give cruising a try and a good itinerary to do it. We just did a 15 day Southern Med cruise and there were a lot of passengers under the age of 50 on it. Look at the website to price out any ship excursions you might want to do for budget purposes - you can decide if you want to do them on your own or not, but it works for budgeting. One thing not mentioned in any of the above when it comes to land travel is the current exchange rate between the US$ (assuming you are Americans) and the Euro and I can't see that changing, except maybe up, any time soon. It is a consideration for travel in Greece. Greece was definitely more expensive in October than when we were there 2 years ago. Turkey is wonderful and I am sure you will enjoy those ports. Agree that you can do the Greek Island ports on your own. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan-M Posted November 10, 2009 #13 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Also, I've budgeted a $1,000 for total tour excusions for both of us. What do you think of this figure? I think you'll be able to stay within that amount since you'll be able to do many of the ports on your own. If you haven't already been over to the Europe/Mediterranean forums, it's a great place to gather info on do-it-yourself travel. We've done Athens, Mykonos, Bodrum and Rome on our own ... and from what I've read, Rhodes, and Katakolon are easy to do on your own. (There's a great thread currently running on the Greece forum re taking the train from Katakolon to Olympia.) Would also recommend joining the roll call for your cruise to meet others who will be sailing with you, and to share ideas on what to do in ports: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=430 Good luck with your plans.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted November 10, 2009 #14 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Although I look forward to trying Azamara at some point, at your age, with your budget, I would think doing Greece independently would be lots more fun and cheaper. You could spend 2 weeks in and around the Greek islands, taking ferries in between and stay in pleasant inexpensive hotels. I highly recommend the Peloponnese for an authentic Greek experience. You do not get that on a cruise ship. You can drive there, or take a ferry to a nearby island and then on. Great sights, wonderful tavernas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommui987 Posted November 10, 2009 #15 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Originally, we were going to spend four nights in Athens (with a day trip to Delphi) and then two nights on an island. (Possibly Santorini.) I have never been on an Azamara cruise which I will remedy in February 2010! However, if your intentions was to spend time in Greece - Athens in particular, a day trip or two in Athens is not (in my opinion) the way to do it. A day-trip in Delphi would occupy one day which is worth it. A half or even a full day in the museum is more than worthwhile. Will you be a typical tourist and do the Acropolis in 30-60 minutes? The Plaka is worth at least half a day and certainly the changing of the guard at Constitution Square should be seen - one or so hours there. Santorini is a lovely island - two days probably could do it or Mykonos is also worthwhile. We have taken exploratory cruises in the Med before and a stop here and a stop there doesn't cover much territory. It is restful if not too many ports were involved. But if your intent was to see Athens, Delphi and a Greek island, I would just confine yourself to a land adventure. A good guide book to Athens and Santorini would allow you to do it without a guide though you probably need a bus/tour for Delphi. Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosport11 Posted November 11, 2009 #16 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi this is going to sound an off the wall suggestion,Easy cruise do 7 islands in 7 days and very cheap as well,they are party boats but you will see a lot of places,off the wall as i said :):):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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