HELP! Greek history cruise for 78yr old dad?

[bobnsofi]

Hi all, we post and cruise the Mexican Riviera lots.

 

My 78 year old father, that can't walk to great, wants to do Greece, with the ancient greek history.

 

He thinks that he wants an extensive touring. I think a nice sampling would be great.

 

He envisions a small ship to get to the great spots. Seems he didn't like the ginormous ships in an Amsterdam to Moscow cruise; and all the tendering.

 

1. Is there an advantage to porting in a small ship? (not the case in the mexican riviera)

 

2. he has mentioned that he would like to visit Istanbul and Venice (yeah right, small ship to those distant areas)

 

Anyway. I know that I can find the best tours for him in this forum!

 

Gotta start planning, because spring time may be the call?

 

What are the best cruises/lines this spring?

 

Maybe 2 - 7 day cruises?

 

Best way to get from Los Angeles to there? A great tour company (heard Louis is nice?)

 

What do youall pros think?

 

???

 

Thanks in advance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

pic below taken in Cabo San Lucas last week

[TLCOhio]

It's all great history in that area!!! How can you go wrong with Venice, Athens, Corinth, Turkish Coast, Istanbul, etc., etc.???? You would probably be looking at a seven-day cruise as a minimum. I would fly into one main city and out of another in order to maximize your logistics It depends on your budget and what ALL you want to cover and see. We did a seven-day, Athens to Istanbul cruise in 2006 that was wonderful. We combined added time in Athens and Istanbul before and after the actual cruising portions of the trip. How flexible is your budget? What type of cruise lines have you used in the past? On the smaller, more costly cruise lines, the staff is better able to be helpful to those in need of added aid due to age or health issues.

 

Below is a sample from my photos for some of what can be discovered in these areas. Then, there is Venice and all of Italy. It's history at the best in this region!!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Our first views of Istanbul from our docked ship:

 

 

 

For Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, here is a longer, overall shot of its carpets where people still pray on a daily basis:

 

 

 

At Ephesus, here is the famed outdoor theater that hosted Saint Paul preaching, plus rock stars, etc. At this site in the 1st century AD, the Apostle Paul spent over three years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel. This included a sermon condemning pagan worship in this theater:

 

 

 

Bodrum Castle along the Turkish coast:

 

 

 

Enjoying a bright, sunny day in front of the famed Parthenon:

 

 

 

In Corinth, this is the view of the Temple built by the Romans in this key city on the Peloponnesian Peninsula:

 

[kate52]

Hi- for real history buffs there is a new company called Voyages to Antiquity that use small ships and focus heavily on history lectures. Not cheap, though.

Otherwise, all the major lines do good itineraries in the area. I would avoid June- August, as he might find the heat too much for sightseeing.

kate

[cruisemom42]

As others have said, many cruises are available. Look for Eastern Mediterranean or Greek isles itineraries. If you want to include Venice, Athens, and Istanbul, you'll probably be looking at a week cruise, minimum, more likely 10-12 days.

 

The Louis cruises visit a lot of the Greek isles, but may or may not stop at the ones with a lot of history that he seems to want.

 

Ports to look for in terms of Greek history are:

• Piraeus (the port for Athens)
  
• Nafplion (port for Epidavros, Corinth, Mycenae)
  
• Katakolon (port for Olympia)
  
• Mykonos (to see Delos)
  
• Crete (to see Knossos)
  
• Rhodes (to see Lindos; also of course where the Colossus of Rhodes once was......no traces of course)
  

The problem with a lot of the ancient ruins/sites is that a lot of them require a good deal of walking with many steps, uneven pavement, cobblestones etc that can make footing tricky. Make sure your dad is well aware of this. Is he the sort who will be happy looking at the Acropolis from a vantage point? Or will he want to climb to the top?

[CoralReef]

The problem with a lot of the ancient ruins/sites is that a lot of them require a good deal of walking with many steps, uneven pavement, cobblestones etc that can make footing tricky.

 

What Cynthia said... and add, uphill as well! My grandmother took a Greek cruise when she was 75, and she came home exhausted, plus upset at not having done as much as she wanted.

 

Don't mean to discourage your dad, especially as some of the sites have elevator or donkey options, but a lot of Greek sites are very steeply pitched. Istanbul and Venice should be fine, but otherwise this itinerary would be one of the more strenous cruise options.

 

The larger ships actually might be a better option if, as you say, he can't walk too great. They tend to offer a good selection of less strenous tours, especially Holland America.

 

Love your Cabo pic!