Greek Islands Cruising ...recommendations please :)

[LHC1962]

Hello! 

Apologies if this has been asked before.

 

We usually cruise with RC and are D+. Greek Islands on RC are not worth it as the ships are too big for the ports, and we want to do as many islands without paying over the odds for tenders etc.

 

Can anyone please recommend a great cruise line or ship?  

 

Many thanks 

Edited January 26, 2019 by LHC1962

[LHT28]

what is  your budget?

I would look at small ships  that do the Greek Islands  but then they are probably not  a inexpensive  as the larger main stream lines

Go to the FIND A CRUISE  link at the top of the page  & see what ships are going to the islands you want  then decide

Or you could use the ferry system & spend as much time as you want on each island

[Flatbush Flyer]

27 minutes ago, LHC1962 said:

Hello! 

Apologies if this has been asked before.

 

We usually cruise with RC and are D+. Greek Islands on RC are not worth it as the ships are too big for the ports, and we want to do as many islands without paying over the odds for tenders etc.

 

Can anyone please recommend a great cruise line or ship?  

 

Many thanks 

Why not trade that "D+" experience for an "A+" experience (food, service, included amenities like airfare, beverages, internet, etc) on an Oceania O ship (1100 passengers) or R ship (670 passengers).

[LHT28]

12 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 on an Oceania O ship (1100 passengers) or R ship (670 passengers).

Oceania O class ships  have 1250 pax  

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Oceania O class ships  have 1250 pax  

Mea Culpa. Can't remember where I got 1100. In any case, not big.

[LHC1962]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

what is  your budget?

I would look at small ships  that do the Greek Islands  but then they are probably not  a inexpensive  as the larger main stream lines

Go to the FIND A CRUISE  link at the top of the page  & see what ships are going to the islands you want  then decide

Or you could use the ferry system & spend as much time as you want on each island

Thanks for your reply.  V helpful. No top line budget.  Just don’t want to pay for the extras in the luxury cruise this time when we are interested in the destination for once, but want the flexibility of the ship

Edited January 26, 2019 by LHC1962

[LHC1962]

38 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Why not trade that "D+" experience for an "A+" experience (food, service, included amenities like airfare, beverages, internet, etc) on an Oceania O ship (1100 passengers) or R ship (670 passengers).

Do their ships get into the Greek ports? 

[LHC1962]

43 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Why not trade that "D+" experience for an "A+" experience (food, service, included amenities like airfare, beverages, internet, etc) on an Oceania O ship (1100 passengers) or R ship (670 passengers).

Hard to trade when you get free booze 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, LHC1962 said:

Hard to trade when you get free booze 

 

1 hour ago, LHC1962 said:

Hard to trade when you get free booze 

On Oceania, you can pick free wine/beer at meals as your O Life perk. For $20/person extra (includes gratuities), you get unlimited premium booze anywhere all day. Plenty of free booze/ happy hours too. AND, you can bring as much wine and spirits onboard as you can manage. (Spirits limited to your cabin. Wine can go to dinner for $25 corkage).

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, LHC1962 said:

Do their ships get into the Greek ports? 

Do realize that some Islands really have no "port." All cruise ships will tender then. However, the smaller is the ship and passenger load, the shorter will be the wait (hundreds vs thousands of passengers 👀)

[LHC1962]

15 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

On Oceania, you can pick free wine/beer at meals as your O Life perk. For $20/person extra (includes gratuities), you get unlimited premium booze anywhere all day. Plenty of free booze/ happy hours too. AND, you can bring as much wine and spirits onboard as you can manage. (Spirits limited to your cabin. Wine can go to dinner for $25 corkage).

Thanks for the info.  We are not alcoholics , but enjoy free club membership.  IE  Happy hour, not available on P&O without years of loyalty 

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, LHC1962 said:

Thanks for the info.  We are not alcoholics , but enjoy free club membership.  IE  Happy hour, not available on P&O without years of loyalty 

there  are probably other lines  that go there besides P & O  unless you prefer them

like  I said  have look at the Find  a cruise link

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, LHC1962 said:

Thanks for the info.  We are not alcoholics , but enjoy free club membership.  IE  Happy hour, not available on P&O without years of loyalty 

Not sure how P&O entered the discussion.

[jocap]

Because you mention P&O, I wondered whether you're in the UK, and if so, whether you saw the cruise programme on Channel 5 last night? ... Jane MacDonald was cruising the Greek Isles on Celestyal, and explained that this was a destination cruise, not a holiday on a ship with a few ports which you might visit or else remain on board just to enjoy the ship.

It's the 2nd time Jane has had a programme from the ship, as it spends the winter in Cuba. We sailed with them years ago, when the company was called Louis Cruise, and it's still one of our very best cruises because of the destinations, although the ship is old without the facilities provided by the vast ships.

[Aquahound]

6 hours ago, LHC1962 said:

We usually cruise with RC and are D+. Greek Islands on RC are not worth it as the ships are too big for the ports, and we want to do as many islands without paying over the odds for tenders etc.

 

I'm curious, what Greek ports are you wanting to go to that lines like RCI can't dock?  When I cruised Greece, we hit Argostoli, Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos and Crete.  The only place we tendered was Santorini where you don't have a choice but to tender.  

[Hlitner]

You might Google "Variety Cruises" which is a small boat line that has been around for quite a few years.  We once took a fantastic cruise on a 20 passenger boat operated by Zeus Cruises...who has since become part of Variety.

 

You are right about the regular cruise ships.  They are very limited in where they can go in the Greek Islands although places like Santorini, Crete, Mykonos and Rhodes are all decent places to visit.

 

Hank

[Diver2014]

We've been to the Greek Isles several times on Holland America ships.  We like their brand and their rates are very reasonable.  Their ships are not huge so they can dock almost everywhere. 

[iancal]

We had the same issue.

 

We solved it by packing light and visiting the Greek Islands independently by traveling on local ferries.

 

This gives you the opportunity to go where you want, when you want.

[Hlitner]

Folks need to always keep in mind that we are on Cruise Critic which is a blog primarily dedicated to those who cruise on major cruise lines.  So when some of us talk about tiny boat lines (with boats holding 50 or fewer passengers) or independent travel via ferries to various islands, most will have no clue or choose to totally ignore the fact that there are other options then major cruise lines.  I still remember pulling up to Shipwreck Beach in Zakynos and dropping anchor one gorgeous morning.  Most on our boat then jumped or dove off the bow into the crystal clear waters and swam a few hundred yards into the absolutely amazing deserted beach  (with an observation deck over a thousand feet above).  It was fantastic...and something never experienced by anyone on a large (or even small) cruise ship.  And then there was the day we docked at the tiny island or Paxos and all of us (about 20 passengers plus our young cruise director) hiked to a small village (about 50 souls) where a small restaurant owner ran all over the village gathering enough items to make us all lunch (and it was delicious).

 

Yes, we understand that many cruisers are happy to visit places like Santorini (perhaps on days when there are 8000 other cruisers on that island)  but would not be comfortable on Greek Islands that have fewer then 50 tourists.  We have been fortunate to have experienced both worlds...each of which has their good points.  But I just want to be very clear that there are other options then going to major Greek Islands with thousands of other cruise passengers.

 

Ferries between the islands are  indeed, another option.  This does take some planning but can be quite rewarding.  And one most always have some flexibility in case things go wrong.  DW and her husband once had vacationed on Crete and taken the ferry over to Santorini.  But the seas were so rough that their small ferry had to turn back to Crete.  Before they even got back to Crete, my son-in-law had gotten on his phone and booked air (via Athens) to Santorini.  They were not upset of flustered by having to change their plans, but simply made spur of the moment adjustments :).  Such is the life of many travelers.  Ob the other hand, try finding a ferry to Paxos of even the smaller anti-paxos.

 

Hank

[LHC1962]

Thank you all for taking the time to comment.

[Cruzaholic41]

I recommend flying into Athens and riding ferries to the Isles. I did this once and it was one of the best vacations I ever had. This way, I got to spend at least 1 day and 1 night in each location. Plus, I got to see places cruise ships don’t go. 

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I recommend flying into Athens and riding ferries to the Isles. I did this once and it was one of the best vacations I ever had. This way, I got to spend at least 1 day and 1 night in each location. Plus, I got to see places cruise ships don’t go. 

 

Given the fact that many of the islands are small and many of the ships visiting (sometimes several the same day) bring thousands of cruisers eager to “experience” those islands - going by cruise ship is increasingly unsatisfactory.

 

it is much better to go by ferry - Island to Island- spending the evenings and nights (when the real magic is there).

 

Aegean cruises are a perfect example of the success of of something almost completely destroying the purpose of it.

[Hlitner]

We do agree with Navybankerteacher that the most popular islands (Santorini and Mykonos) are suffering from "Overtourism" brought about because of the huge cruise ships.  Being in Santorini at night, after the cruise ships have departed is quite magical.  And there are some amazing hotels (a few small places in Oia are fantastic...but very expensive).  We now try to avoid going to those island on large ships during the prime summer months.   Even as a long time cruise fanatic, we are forced to admit that the cruise industry has contributed to the ruination of quite a few places.  And it is only going to get worse.  Consider that MSC will have 29 ships within the next few years, and most of them will be running around the Med!  And the old 1200 passenger ships have now been replaced by 4000+ passenger ships!  Argh!

 

Hank

[SRF]

Personally, I would pick a couple of islands and do a "land" vacation.

 

We spend a week on Mykonos, with a day trip to Delos, and would like to go back, as there were things we did not get to.

 

 

[Hlitner]

35 minutes ago, SRF said:

Personally, I would pick a couple of islands and do a "land" vacation.

 

We spend a week on Mykonos, with a day trip to Delos, and would like to go back, as there were things we did not get to.

 

 

DD and her DH did just what you suggest, based on our advice.  The decided to spend a week on Crete and then take the high speed boat over to Santorini for a few days.  Since those islands are completely different, they never had a dull moment :).

 

Hank