Greek Isles - Cruise Windstar or large ship or take land tour???

[Louisana cruiser]

We are planning our 1st trip to the Greek Isles.

It will be a small group (8-12 people).

Is it better to take a land tour with transportation included to each island, or is it better to cruise?

If the cruise is the best choice, would you recommend Windstar for smaller islands and smaller crowds from the ship or going on a larger ship.

We are leaning toward Windstar if we cruise, but were wondering if the water in the Med. is rough to the point that some may get seasick. (We have 1st time cruisers in our group, so I'm not sure how they would be affected by the seas.)

We have toured other parts of Europe with land tours (and thoroughly enjoyed them) and enjoyed the fact that they spend more time in each city, have dinners in cities we visit, more time enjoying the culture of the locals, etc.

We have also taken a Baltic cruise and thought it was the best way to see so many ports of call.

Also, any "must see" islands/ports in Greece?

We're sooooo confused!!! Please help.

[Guide46]

Hi,

 

If you are going to visit Greek ıslands only, the best way is with a cruise ship. The size or the standart of cruises depends to your will and buget. But if you want to be more flexible during your visit with your friens as a small party, you can arrange private tours at the ports and you can make a special itinerary acording to your interests.

Good luck

N.TEK

[Bruin Steve]

I wouldn't do a "land trip" to the Aegean...There aren't a lot of places you can get to by train, bus or car...You'll spend a lot of time on logistics...

 

I've never cruised with Windstar...But I checked out their site for comparisons with my Oceania Cruise...

 

Here's a sample Windstar itinerary:

ATHENS/ISTANBUL

7 Days

Wind Spirit

 

Saturday 7/8/2006 ATHENS (PIRAEUS)/GREECE -- 5:00 PM

Sunday 7/9/2006 MYKONOS/GREECE 8:00 AM 11:00 PM

Monday 7/10/2006 SANTORINI/GREECE 8:00 AM 4:00 PM

Tuesday 7/11/2006 RHODES/GREECE 8:00 AM 11:00 PM

Wednesday 7/12/2006 BODRUM/TURKEY 8:00 AM 9:00 PM

Thursday 7/13/2006 KUSADASI/TURKEY 8:00 AM 4:00 PM

Friday 7/14/2006 AT SEA -- --

Saturday 7/15/2006 ISTANBUL/TURKEY 7:00 AM --

 

Here's my Oceania itinerary:

Ship: Nautica Sailing Date: July 14, 2006

 

Day Port Arrive Depart

1 Istanbul, Turkey

2 Istanbul, Turkey 11:00PM

3 Cruising the Dardanelles

4 Kusadasi, Turkey 8:00AM 6:00PM

5 Rhodes, Greece 8:00AM 6:00PM

6 Delos, Greece 8:00AM 12:00PM

6 Mykonos, Greece 2:00PM 11:00PM

7 Santorini, Greece 8:00AM 6:00PM

8 Athens (Piraeus), Greece 8:00AM 6:00PM

9 At Sea, International Waters

10 Amalfi/Positano, Italy 8:00AM 6:00PM

11 Taormina (Sicily), Italy 8:00AM 4:00PM

12 Kotor, Serbia and Montenegro 3:00PM 11:00PM

13 Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:00AM 2:00PM

14 Venice, Italy 10:00AM

15 Venice, Italy

 

Windstar seems to go to a lot of the same places...but half the length of cruise...I happen to like longer cruises--I mean as long as I'm traveling half way round the world, I may as well take more in...

 

Oceania sails a slightly larger ship--but there are trade-offs in ship size in the way of amenities...

 

We did the Med a couple of years back on Millennium--a very large ship and actually loved that...

 

As to "don't miss" islands: Santorini gets my vote...

[TedC]

We've been to Greece several times - by land, by ship, and a combination of both.

 

I think a cruise would be most enjoyable and convenient for your group. We've never been on Windstar or Oceania, but have friends, veteran cruisers, who liked Windstar a lot.

 

But the Oceania itinerary is wonderful and would be my choice. Also, seven days is WAY too short!

[Louisana cruiser]

If we were to choose Windstar, we would add a few days pre and post in Istanbul and Athens.

Is this a good choice? Are 2-3 days in each enough?

Also, I considered Oceania, but have read many horror stories of Oceania charging the 3% exchange rate for cruise deposits, final payments, and shipboard charges, even though Oceania charges are showing on credit card statements as having originated from U.S. I hate to get into the same hassle that many others on this site have mentioned they had with Oceania.

[TedC]

I think that's a very good choice. I suggest hiring a private guide-driver for at least one day in each city for convenience and efficiency. Although with a good guidebook and some research you can do it on your own, also.

[traveller333]

We cruised the Greek Islands on Radisson and were very very satisfied. I think the smaller the ship (with the right itinerary) the better. I've heard good things about Oceania but a heads up in case you're a smoker you are not allowed to smoke on your own balcony.

[Riverroad]

You can't go wrong with the Windstar cruise! Your group will love it. We cruised from Istanbul to Athens a few years ago (not Windstar) and would recommend 2-3 days in Istanbul but 1 1/2-2 days in Athens is enough time especially if you're going in the summer.

[Petoonya]

Have done both Windstar and Oceania- as much as I loved Windstar, my vote would be for Oceania in the Aegean.

[Louisana cruiser]

Did you encounter the exchange charges when paying your deposit and final payment with Oceania as others on this site have mentioned?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well, just to be contrarian, I will say that, it depends on how adventurous and active you all are, how much you like to settle down and stay put, how much the group likes to stay together, or go off and do their own things.

 

If you are adventurous, choosing a couple of islands and then just using the public ferries to get there is a breeze. Depending on the islands chosen, you can rent a car or cars, and bop around and explore, or just hang around the wonderful tavernas and people watch, or go to the beach.

 

With a group, the logistics of this might be a bit tough, so I can understand how a cruise ship would be better. But you will never get the real flavour of Greece on a cruise ship, so it'a a bit of a trade-off. "Seeing" lots of ports of call isn't necessarily the best way to experience Greece.

 

It also may be depend somewhat on the time of year--in high summer, the Greek islands around full of tourists, but in the spring and fall, it's a bit quieter.

[Jancruz]

The foreign exchange charge matter has been settled and is not a problem anymore..I have cruised on Windstar..(6 times) and Oceania (10) times and loved them both..but for the longer more interesting cruise I would suggest Oceania..unless you are short on time..this will be a more interesting and in depth itinerary..

 

Jan

*****

[Queenk2]

How about Galaxy 11 day med...mostly Greece and Turkey...Rome to Rome...had a ball this summer!

karen

[golfergal]

We're looking at Windstar for the Greek Isles in 2006. Personally I like a week long cruise with extension on either end, but that is just me. We took our first Windstar cruise in August and LOVED IT. We really enjoyed the size of the ship, making it more intimate and relaxing. Leaving port with the sails up and music playing was magical. I'm sure Oceania is wonderful too, so you can't go wrong with either one. With a group the cruise seems to be a bit easier and with less worries of coordination.