Is a cruise a good way to see Greece for the first time?

[Laserjock]

My wife has Greece on her bucket list so we thought a cruise might be a good way to sample the islands to know where we might want to return for a longer stay.

 

We would be going in October for her birthday and would like some opinions on cruisle lines as well.  We have beeen looking at MSC, who we have cruised with before and love their service but we are not seasoned cruisers and have never cruised beyond the carribean.

 

i thank you in adavance for any insights or recommendations!

 

Alan

[Hlitner]

It is certainly a reasonable way to see the parts of Greece visited by your cruise :).  We loved cruising in MSC's Yacht Club although were not overly impressed with what we saw outside the YC.  Also keep in mind that MSC's European cruises are somewhat different as they generally allow embarkation/disembarkation at most of the ports along their itinerary.  Some complain this makes the cruises more like a ferry...and others say they hardly notice.

 

When booking a European cruise make sure to take a very good look at the hours spent in each port (the more the better).  Some cruises (especially on MSC and Norwegian) will have reduced port times so that they can add more ports.  This is a situation where more ports may not be better.  

 

Hank

[dogs4fun]

35 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When booking a European cruise make sure to take a very good look at the hours spent in each port (the more the better).  Some cruises (especially on MSC and Norwegian) will have reduced port times so that they can add more ports.  This is a situation where more ports may not be better.  

Agree - carefully check the time allotted in each port of call. More time in port offers a more comprehensive overview of each destination.

[CruiserBruce]

A cruise almost always an introduction. It can take a fair amount of planning and effort to make it more than an intro. We frequently go back for land tours to places we got interested in via a cruise. 

[cruisemom42]

Because seeing Greece involves visiting some of her islands as well as various parts of the mainland, I feel cruising is a good way to get an introduction to Greece -- perhaps more so than many other places that cruises go. 

 

I would advise looking at itineraries on a variety of cruise lines, don't just stick with MSC.  Itinerary is the most important factor in this kind of cruise. 

[Kate P.C]

Cruise would be the best option to get a preview of which island you love the best, so you can return later. Although most ships on the Mediterranean run visit only few Greek ports, you may want to look into which cruise lines and ships go to  Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos. Most people advise Sea Dream, Seabourn, Wind Star and Star Clippers for an introductory to the Greek islands.

 

June to September is the best weather, but you may get lucky in October too, plus there is less crowd. According to many, and myself included, the best islands to visit are Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Thasos and the Halkidiki Peninsula, to which we take trips every summer. The Peninsula itself is divided into three legs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalkidiki

 

The whole peninsula is a very popular tourist destination, apart from the third leg where Mount Athos is located.

" The number of daily visitors to Mount Athos is restricted, and all are required to obtain a special entrance permit valid for a limited period. Only men are permitted to visit the territory, which is called the "Garden of Virgin Mary" by the monks, with Orthodox Christians taking precedence in permit issuance procedures. Residents on the peninsula must be men aged 18 and over who are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church and also either monks or workers. "

                                                      

 

[Niagarawine]

Oh yeah. We went for the first time five years ago on the Silhouette. Our favourite ports were Rhodes, beautiful gated city, Crete, with the wonderful ocean side dining and Santorini, just wow! In fact we are returning in April as part of another cruise itinerary. Crete was my favourite island because of the markets, the stunning views and the friendliness of the people, just did not feel as touisty and stuff was a lot cheaper.

[Hlitner]

Seeing Crete from a cruise ship is like seeing Pennsylvania from a cruise ship!  Why do I say this?  Crete is a huge island that is about 160 miles in its longest direction and over 35 miles wide at its widest point.  Folks on a cruise will likely be in a teeny part of this large island, which really varies (greatly) on where you go.  If you want to see Crete you need to spend at least a week on the island and have a rental car.  

 

Speaking of the Greek Islands (we love this part of the world) there are an estimated 6000 islands of which over 225 are inhabited.  Many of the most interesting islands are not accessible by large cruise ship.   One of our personal favorite spots is Shipwreck Beach on the island of Zakynthos.   We also love the quiet beauty of Paxos (and nearby anti-Paxos).  My point is that those of us who mostly travel on cruise ships are very limited in what we can see when it comes to the Greek Islands.  We think the ideal solution would be to rent or charter a small sail boat for a few weeks :).  But most cannot do such a think.  Another option is to cruise on a small yacht-like vessel by using small companies such as Variety Cruises. 

 

Those on larger cruise ship have to settle for a few places like Crete, Rhodes (very touristy), Santorini (gorgeous but overwhelmed with too many cruise ships and tourists), and Mykonos.   DW and I really  love visiting Santorini, but  ideally we would want to do this on a few days when there are no cruise ships calling at the island.   When we do visit on a cruise we love every moment...even when we have to wait in line for over 1 1/2 hours to get down to the tender pier via the cable car.  On the island of Crete our most interesting day was when we rented a car and drove up into the hills to explore some deserted caves (we found bones).   As to Rhodes, the place has become so overrun with tourists (many from the UK) that we sometimes feel like we are in Florida when at a popular beach.  On one visit they actually had installed a huge crane on a beach that was used for bungee jumping.  Being on a gorgeous beach with a large crane is not exactly what one expects on the Greek Islands.

 

Hank

[Ashland]

We're getting ready to visit Greece for the first time with a Med/Greece itinerary on RCI Vision. We've done the western Med once before but what sold us on this particular cruise were the additions of Athens, Santorini, Mykonos & Malta.

[mskaufman]

"Sample" is the key word in the original post.  We cruised for our first (and only) trip to Greece.  It was a great experience and we loved it.  However, it was a sample.  You will be able to see all the sights on your list but it is in and out.

[bennybear]

I too think a cruise is a good intro to the Greek islands.   But many of the best islands are not on most of the cruise ship itineraries.   We loved Keffallonia, Zakinthos, Skiathos, Paros.    Mykonos and Santorini are very touristy. 

Agree with Hank about Crete,   we have fallen in love with this huge island and three two week trips have just scratched the surface.   

But for ease,  and a first time visit go for it!  

[iancal]

I believe that it really depends on what type of traveler you, whether you have any physical issues,  and how comfortable you are with traveling to other countries.  Amd whether you are fine with a certain amount of spontaneous travel or if you need everything to be planned out prior to departure.

[Hlitner]

On ‎3‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 9:16 PM, Ashland said:

We're getting ready to visit Greece for the first time with a Med/Greece itinerary on RCI Vision. We've done the western Med once before but what sold us on this particular cruise were the additions of Athens, Santorini, Mykonos & Malta.

These are all fantastic ports :).

 

Hank

[iancal]

We have visited by land and on cruises several times.  Our first trip, in the mid nineties, was one of the most enjoyable.  Flew into Istanbul, went south to Marmaris and the coast. Then over to Rhodes, Athens, Santorini, and Crete.  

 

Both countries became favorites of ours and there is so much to see in both.  We have done several cruises, now we are back to island hopping on our own.   There are so many interesting islands that one does not know where to start.  Whatever way you do it first I hope that you enjoy Greece as much as we do.

Edited March 31, 2019 by iancal

[evandbob]

 Cruising the Greek Isles {or Caribbean Islands, or Alaska ports}, as many have posted, is like a scouting expedition, and only gives a sample or preview of the island to the traveler.

 

It is much easier to plan a return land vacation for an in depth immersive experience after "scouting" out an isle when cruising.

 

 

[40yearcruiser]

If your main interest in visiting Greece is to see the islands, a cruise will give you a good overview. However, if you want an in-depth look at the historic areas of Greece (Athens, Delphi, Olympia, etc.) you will be better selecting a land tour. We have done both, and both were wonderful. The ideal would be to combine a land tour and cruise if you have the time (and money) to do so.

[brian1]

You can still see Athens and Olympia via cruise ships.They are fairly close to the ports.Marella do a fairly port intensive Greek cruise,7 days from Corfu.

[8373seth]

Yes. That is the way we saw Greece. If also find one with a stop in Turkey. I don’t know if I’d want to spend a lot of time on my own there but felt perfectly fine one the one day stop. All Greece stops were awesome. 

[iancal]

We have had several cruises and multiple land trips.

 

IF a friend asked, and that friend had no issue in making his or her own arrangement I would definitely say skip the cruise and do land.  OR....do an organized tour that goes to several islands.  A day in tourist overrun Santorini  or Mykonos is not the same as a day or two or three on your own.  Both islands take on a different, much more comfortable vibe, about an hour after the last cruise ship departs.  There are many very nice islands that are easy to reach by ferry on your own and there is lots of accommodation available.   Fly into Athens, island hop down to Crete.  Tour Crete for a week if you have the time.-at the least three days.   Get an inexpensive Aegean Airlines flight to Paris (or simply fly back to Athens).  Spend the weekend in Paris.  Fly home on your open jaw ticket that is Athens in/ Paris, or some other city out.

 

Don't overlook a Peloponnese option if you have time.  A very easy 5-10 day self driving round trip return to Athens.  Roads are fine, driving is easy.

 

This is how we typically do our land tour IF we are not flying in through Istanbul and then heading south.

Edited April 12, 2019 by iancal