A recommendation for a Greek Isle cruise

[LHP]

A friend just emailed me and said they have decided they want to do a cruise in the Greek Isles....May/June 2011.

 

They have never cruised, but want to visit a friend that lives in Athens and thought a cruise along with the visit would be wonderful.

 

They are looking for a mass market budget line.

 

I have NO experience with this. (all our trips to Europe, Israel etc have been land tours).

 

I mainly want to help steer her to a safe cruise line for the dollars she has to spend.

 

Thanks so much....

[texancruzer]

We have done two cruises in the Mediterranean.......one with Royal Caribbean and one with Celebrity. There are a ton of them that go just about anywhere you want to go. But few that do JUST Greek Isles. And most of those are the smaller lines with smaller ships = higher cost.

 

I would suggest she visit a local travel agent/agency and ask about just Greek Isles cruises. Or perhaps consider other ports too. The other alternative is to check either each website for the cruiselines or use a booking site like Expedia or Cheaptickets etc...... research and compare.

[cruisemom42]

Princess has a Greek Isles cruise -- we are booked on it this June. It goes from Venice to Rome (or vice versa) and visits several Greek isles, including Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, and Rhodes. It also stops in Athens, but that is not the final destination or starting point, so I'm not sure if it would work for your friend.

[jocap]

We're having a week with NCL Gem in Oct, which is doing 2 btob cruises in this area starting from Venice.-

jocap.

[TLCOhio]

A friend just emailed me and said they have decided they want to do a cruise in the Greek Isles....May/June 2011.

They have never cruised, but want to visit a friend that lives in Athens and thought a cruise along with the visit would be wonderful.

They are looking for a mass market budget line.

I have NO experience with this. (all our trips to Europe, Israel etc have been land tours).

I mainly want to help steer her to a safe cruise line for the dollars she has to spend.

Thanks so much....

 

Cynthia and the other two posters have made good points and suggestions. It would be very, very wise for your friend to go see a good travel agent who is experienced from traveling in the Greek Isles and booking their customers there. The great news is that there are many, many options in that area. The bad news is that it can get a little confusing. Your friends need to think seriously and put down a ranking on paper about their personal priorities, needs and exact budget range, etc. There are trade-offs to consider on cruise ship size, types/size of islands visited, etc. There are "class" versus "mass" questions to consider on what type of "experience" your friends seek and can afford. Some cruise lines will depart Venice and arrive in Athens (or the reverse). OR, they might do a flow from Athens to Istanbul (or the reverse). Lots of super potentials!!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Wendy The Wanderer]

If you're really budget conscious you might consider just island-hopping instead of cruising. The mass market ships are generally very large and only give you part of a day per island. On your own, you could take ferries or fly from island to island, and spend a few days on each.

[LHP]

Thanks so much for the info.....

 

I think I will direct her to a TA.

 

She knows we cruise a lot....but as I told her....we have never cruised the area she is looking at.

 

And a TA will to able to steer her to the cruise line that is safe and will fit her budget....

 

I also directed her to Cruise Critic.... :)