Help me decide between two Greek Isle itineraries

[CCJack]

Help me decide between these two cruises.   They are on the same ship, pricing comparable (with the 10 day a little more due to extra day.)    I don't know much about these ports - there are some different ports between the two.   I am leaning towards 9 day just because with flight days it turns into a fairly long trip for us and I was thinking to limit cruise to 9 days.   Unless the 10 day has better ports.... thank you.

 

 

9-day

 

SUNDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

5:00 PM Embark

MONDAY

Kusadasi, Turkey

6:30 AM - 1:30 PM

TUESDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

9:30 AM

WEDNESDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

4:00 PM

THURSDAY

Volos, Greece

11:30 AM - 7:30 PM

FRIDAY

Mykonos, Greece

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Tender Port)

SATURDAY

Rhodes, Greece

8:00 AM - 7:00 PM

SUNDAY

Heraklion (Crete), Greece

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

MONDAY

Santorini, Greece

8:00 AM - 9:30 PM (Tender Port)

TUESDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

7:00 AM Disembark

 

10-day

 

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

5:00 PM Embark

FRIDAY

Thessaloniki, Greece

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SATURDAY

Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey

7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SUNDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

10:00 AM

MONDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

4:00 PM

TUESDAY

Mykonos, Greece

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Tender Port)

WEDNESDAY

Paros, Greece

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Tender Port)

THURSDAY

Rhodes, Greece

9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

FRIDAY

Heraklion (Crete), Greece

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

SATURDAY

Santorini, Greece

8:00 AM - 9:30 PM (Tender Port)

SUNDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

7:00 AM Disembark

[TouchstoneFeste]

Unless you're severely limited in time or you have already seen what you want of Athens on other trips, you should plan a few days there before or after the cruise. Like most of the ancient capital cities, there's a huge amount to do and see.

[budmeister]

I can only comment on the places that were on our cruise. Turkey Ephesus was probably our favorite stop. We were out from 7:30 am to about 2, and we skipped The Terrace House I think we should have done. I see your longer stoop there is on a Saturday. I do not know is the carpet weaving school is open then. We loved that, and would take the shorter day to be able to go. We liked the Ephesus ruins, but there are ruins at all stops and you could spend less time there than we did.

 

Mykonos was cancelled for us because of weather, and I did not know how often that happens. I do know that as one who likes to do independently book tours, the 11:00 start time is a nuisance. We wanted to go on a boat and delos tour, or beaches by boat tour, and they all started too early for that.

 

Thessaloniki was an interesting 2-3 hour see the little town walk. 

 

You might look and see how many ships are in Santorini when you are. We had a wonderful on a sail and did not go to the town until about 4:00pm. We heard that the town would be almost unwalkable  with crowds during the busy parts of the day. At 4-5:50, is was busy but not too busy.

Edited October 3, 2023 by budmeister

[cruisemom42]

The itineraries are not that different. On the 10 day you get Thessaloniki and Paris instead of Volos on the 9 day. I believe all of the other ports are the same EXCEPT on the 9 day you get Kusadasi (which is the closer stop for Ephesus) rather than Izmir on the 10 day which is a longer drive.

 

I like Thessaloniki but given what you said, I think the 9 day is a nice itinerary with good ports. Overnighting in Istanbul is a plus.
 

(Unlike the previous poster I was not a big fan of the carpet weaving demo. Spend your time at the fabulous and unique Ephesus ruins.)

[CCJack]

thank you all for the input... I am thinking the 9 day plus 2 or 3 nights in Athens pre cruise.   Any thoughts on a good hotel or areas to stay in Athens.

[marazul]

38 minutes ago, CCJack said:

thank you all for the input... I am thinking the 9 day plus 2 or 3 nights in Athens pre cruise.   Any thoughts on a good hotel or areas to stay in Athens.

Good plan.

Check this board for recommendations. There are many good choices. Do stay in central Athens, near or in Plaka.

Edited October 3, 2023 by marazul

[budmeister]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

The itineraries are not that different. On the 10 day you get Thessaloniki and Paris instead of Volos on the 9 day. I believe all of the other ports are the same EXCEPT on the 9 day you get Kusadasi (which is the closer stop for Ephesus) rather than Izmir on the 10 day which is a longer drive.

 

I like Thessaloniki but given what you said, I think the 9 day is a nice itinerary with good ports. Overnighting in Istanbul is a plus.
 

(Unlike the previous poster I was not a big fan of the carpet weaving demo. Spend your time at the fabulous and unique Ephesus ruins.)

Hi,

 

I am curious, due to all the negative posts about the carpet weaving demo- did you go to the school, only 3 students, 2-3  min talk  info on material and technique at each ,and they brought out a lot of different carpets showing different technique results, and you could walk the main hall and look into all the rooms of finished carpet displayed on the walls? No pressure to buy, just one simple question to ask if you were interested? We saw silk being rolled from the silk worm cocoons and talked about where there colors come from. The results were gallery like in clarity, the horse carpet hung on a wall  could have been a photo, but was a rug.

 

I wonder if my experience was not the norm, or if I just liked it better than most.

Edited October 3, 2023 by budmeister

[budmeister]

2 hours ago, CCJack said:

thank you all for the input... I am thinking the 9 day plus 2 or 3 nights in Athens pre cruise.   Any thoughts on a good hotel or areas to stay in Athens.

Ad Athens luxury suites. Loved it. I talk about it in a recent Greece thread. The least expensive room is very nice, but very small by US standards. I would get a larger room next time.

 

This is my own post, so I copied it.

 

Hotel location small street entrance, very nice, wonderful hostess - so much more than just a checking in  staff.  Room very nice. But the size of a postage stamp.  Well done for size,  but I booked least expensive room and wish I had booked a larger one. Half block from small grocery,  street of kind of like a main street mixed with about 20 restaurants,  chocolate place, art and souvenir, locally made jewelry. Heaven for me. And open at night, as if it was midday. Maybe lots of tourists sleep first day and wake up in evening. Weather was a nice 70s. Perfect for sitting outside along the street with food or drink, and waking in and out of shops. Plenty of people. Just like a pleasantly perfect mid day activity, except not over crowded or hot.

 

Tip- if you think you don't need electrical plug adapters because the cruise ship is US plugs , don't forget your night or nights b4 and  after cruise.  Luckily, hotel has a draw of them to lend out.

Edited October 3, 2023 by budmeister

[cruisemom42]

27 minutes ago, budmeister said:

Hi,

 

I am curious, due to all the negative posts about the carpet weaving demo- did you go to the school, only 3 students, 2-3  min talk  info on material and technique at each ,and they brought out a lot of different carpets showing different technique results, and you could walk the main hall and look into all the rooms of finished carpet displayed on the walls? No pressure to buy, just one simple question to ask if you were interested? We saw silk being rolled from the silk worm cocoons and talked about where there colors come from. The results were gallery like in clarity, the horse carpet hung on a wall  could have been a photo, but was a rug.

 

I wonder if my experience was not the norm, or if I just liked it better than most.

 

I can’t answer for everyone, but I am not a fan of any kind of forced shopping “opportunity”. I believe this was your first European cruise, but I can assure you I’ve been dragged to the carpet factory, leather factory, ceramic factory, perfume factory, cameo factory, wooden box factory and more over the years. Whether it’s a hard sell or a soft sell, I’m not interested. I book and pay for a tour and I want to see what I paid for, not an infomercial. If I wanted to buy a carpet I would do it on my own time.

 

Plus not to be too cynical but the pleasant image they provide is a bit white-washed for me. Do a little reading on child labor and you’ll find these girls are often kept at home from a young age to start weaving rather than attending school. Turkey is not the worst offender, at least not in the official factories but many of these rugs are woven at home.

[marazul]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I can’t answer for everyone, but I am not a fan of any kind of forced shopping “opportunity”. I believe this was your first European cruise, but I can assure you I’ve been dragged to the carpet factory, leather factory, ceramic factory, perfume factory, cameo factory, wooden box factory and more over the years. Whether it’s a hard sell or a soft sell, I’m not interested. I book and pay for a tour and I want to see what I paid for, not an infomercial. If I wanted to buy a carpet I would do it on my own time.

 

Plus not to be too cynical but the pleasant image they provide is a bit white-washed for me. Do a little reading on child labor and you’ll find these girls are often kept at home from a young age to start weaving rather than attending school. Turkey is not the worst offender, at least not in the official factories but many of these rugs are woven at home.

I agree 100%.

[budmeister]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I can’t answer for everyone, but I am not a fan of any kind of forced shopping “opportunity”. I believe this was your first European cruise, but I can assure you I’ve been dragged to the carpet factory, leather factory, ceramic factory, perfume factory, cameo factory, wooden box factory and more over the years. Whether it’s a hard sell or a soft sell, I’m not interested. I book and pay for a tour and I want to see what I paid for, not an infomercial. If I wanted to buy a carpet I would do it on my own time.

 

Plus not to be too cynical but the pleasant image they provide is a bit white-washed for me. Do a little reading on child labor and you’ll find these girls are often kept at home from a young age to start weaving rather than attending school. Turkey is not the worst offender, at least not in the official factories but many of these rugs are woven at home.

Hi,

 

Thank for the context on the subject. You are right, this was our first European cruise. We were asked if we wanted to see, nothing was forced. The 3 students we saw were adult women. This was an official government school, but I do not know where the rugs that we saw on the walls or rolled out for display were made. 

 

We were told that once the students  ready for commissions, they kept 80% of the sale price, and 20% went to the school because all of the training ,equipment, and supplies were provided by the school. This is not as much money as 80% may sound like because the high prices rugs took a year or so to make.  I will look up the school out of curiosity. It was Heirloom weaving center, village @heirloomturkey.com. I requested a card. I will never be able to afford $2000.00 for an 8X10 foot silk on cotton  rug, but it was  beautiful enough to wish I could. I only asked the price of one. It was 2900.00 until I said my budget was 300.00. That ended the talk of a sale ASAP. No hard sell.

[budmeister]

29 minutes ago, budmeister said:

Hi,

 

Thank for the context on the subject. You are right, this was our first European cruise. We were asked if we wanted to see, nothing was forced. The 3 students we saw were adult women. This was an official government school, but I do not know where the rugs that we saw on the walls or rolled out for display were made. 

 

We were told that once the students  ready for commissions, they kept 80% of the sale price, and 20% went to the school because all of the training ,equipment, and supplies were provided by the school. This is not as much money as 80% may sound like because the high prices rugs took a year or so to make.  I will look up the school out of curiosity. It was Heirloom weaving center, village @heirloomturkey.com. I requested a card. I will never be able to afford $2000.00 for an 8X10 foot silk on cotton  rug, but it was  beautiful enough to wish I could. I only asked the price of one. It was 2900.00 until I said my budget was 300.00. That ended the talk of a sale ASAP. No hard sell.

Correction, I think the rug I wanted that went from 2900.00 to 2000.00 was probably a 6x9 0r 5x8.

Edited October 3, 2023 by budmeister

[bennybear]

My two cents,  we throughly enjoyed Meteora which is possible to get to from Volos.   But Volos area was affected by the terrible recent floods so it may depend on the timing of  your cruise.

 

We also enjoyed Paros  and have spent several days on that island.  It’s nice to see an island that is a little less touristy IMO.

I agree with @cruisemom42    Regarding the factory tours!  Quelle surprise!  Nothing like seeing a Fashion show instead of the sights! 
 

@budmeister if that truly was silk it would have been a great deal.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StCroixCruiser]

On 10/2/2023 at 4:21 PM, CCJack said:

Help me decide between these two cruises.   They are on the same ship, pricing comparable (with the 10 day a little more due to extra day.)    I don't know much about these ports - there are some different ports between the two.   I am leaning towards 9 day just because with flight days it turns into a fairly long trip for us and I was thinking to limit cruise to 9 days.   Unless the 10 day has better ports.... thank you.

 

 

9-day

 

SUNDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

5:00 PM Embark

MONDAY

Kusadasi, Turkey

6:30 AM - 1:30 PM

TUESDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

9:30 AM

WEDNESDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

4:00 PM

THURSDAY

Volos, Greece

11:30 AM - 7:30 PM

FRIDAY

Mykonos, Greece

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Tender Port)

SATURDAY

Rhodes, Greece

8:00 AM - 7:00 PM

SUNDAY

Heraklion (Crete), Greece

7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

MONDAY

Santorini, Greece

8:00 AM - 9:30 PM (Tender Port)

TUESDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

7:00 AM Disembark

 

10-day

 

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

5:00 PM Embark

FRIDAY

Thessaloniki, Greece

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SATURDAY

Izmir (Ephesus), Turkey

7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SUNDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

10:00 AM

MONDAY

Istanbul, Turkey

4:00 PM

TUESDAY

Mykonos, Greece

11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Tender Port)

WEDNESDAY

Paros, Greece

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Tender Port)

THURSDAY

Rhodes, Greece

9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

FRIDAY

Heraklion (Crete), Greece

8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

SATURDAY

Santorini, Greece

8:00 AM - 9:30 PM (Tender Port)

SUNDAY

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

7:00 AM Disembark

Mykonos, Rhodes, and Santorini are some of my favorite ports ever, and I booked my upcoming cruise specifically because it included Santorini (and Mykonos, but unfortunately not Rhodes).  Since all three ports are on both itineraries, I suspect you will enjoy either cruise.

 

To make your choice, I'd recommend checking into what types of excursions you might want to experience in Istanbul. One cruise is there one day and the other two.  If you find a lot you'd like to do, go with the 2-day in Istanbul option. If the excursions aren't capturing your attention, go with the 1-day in Istanbul option.

[VickyVoo]

Please can you tell me which cruise line offers these itineraries-I am interested in both of the cruises you mention.  Thank you

[CCJack]

20 minutes ago, VickyVoo said:

Please can you tell me which cruise line offers these itineraries-I am interested in both of the cruises you mention.  Thank you

NCL getaway. Sept. 2024.    NCL not my first choice but i really like 0 sea days and overnight in Istanbul. 

[VickyVoo]

Thank you.  Does anyone know which other Cruise lines go to these ports over July and August 2024.  I would ideally like this trip over 14 days too...thank you!

[Hlitner]

I am going to add a somewhat negative comment (sorry in advance).  We are not big fans of going to Santorini on a mega ship with nearly 4000 souls.  Just consider that the cable car (that takes folks up and down from Fira to the tender pier) can only move about 600 souls per hour (in each direction).  That means it would take about 6 hours to get all the ship's folks down (via the cable car) and that assumes there are no other ships (which is rare).

 

Just keep this in mind when planning.  There are ways to deal with the problem (one can walk down...but be careful of the donkey poo).  But Santorini has become a victim of its own popularity, and the government has yet to do enough to deal with the over tourism.

 

Hank

[CCJack]

On 10/18/2023 at 6:58 PM, Hlitner said:

I am going to add a somewhat negative comment (sorry in advance).  We are not big fans of going to Santorini on a mega ship with nearly 4000 souls.  Just consider that the cable car (that takes folks up and down from Fira to the tender pier) can only move about 600 souls per hour (in each direction).  That means it would take about 6 hours to get all the ship's folks down (via the cable car) and that assumes there are no other ships (which is rare).

 

Just keep this in mind when planning.  There are ways to deal with the problem (one can walk down...but be careful of the donkey poo).  But Santorini has become a victim of its own popularity, and the government has yet to do enough to deal with the over tourism.

 

Hank

Thank you Hank,,, somewhat related question...... with 9 days in ports we likely are going to be looking for one or two days to take it "easy" and not have a full day excursion but just an easy walk in port near ship or something similar.   Not sure how Santorini with its crowds fits into this planning....

[Hlitner]

On 10/20/2023 at 7:17 AM, CCJack said:

Thank you Hank,,, somewhat related question...... with 9 days in ports we likely are going to be looking for one or two days to take it "easy" and not have a full day excursion but just an easy walk in port near ship or something similar.   Not sure how Santorini with its crowds fits into this planning....

Santorini is always a challenge, but there are a few ways that can work  Some cruise ships now have excursions (and I dislike excursions) that include round trip tendering from Athinios.  These excursions take you to the ferry port, put you on a bus, and later bring you back to a tender.  This is one way to avoid the cable car hassles.  

 

The other option (which we have done a few times) is to shorten our port day.  We go ashore in the earliest tender (which generally involves going to a lounge to get a tender ticket).  Once ashore, we look for the water taxi to Oia (it is along the same pier).  If it seems like that water taxi (which are privately operated) is going to leave within a reasonable time) we buy their package which includes the water taxi to the small port below Oia, and a return bus to Fira.  Once at Oia, you get a shuttle up the hill to the town which you can explore on foot.  When you are finished, you take their bus back to Fira.  Once at Fira you can explore at your leisure, but consider leaving quite early so you do not have to deal with the long cable car queues that can happen by mid-afternoon.  Alternatively, you can walk down (instead of the cable car) but there are a lot of steps and you do need to use lots of care to avoid donkey poo.  Once down at the tender pier (below Fira) it is not normally a problem getting a tender back to your ship.

 

Lets be clear that Santorini is a charming island (even if overrun with tourists).  There are plenty of other options such as exploring more of the island with a rental car, using public buses, going to a beach, etc.  But most first time visitors are content to enjoy both Oia and Fira (despite the crowds).

 

Hank

[CCJack]

22 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Santorini is always a challenge, but there are a few ways that can work  Some cruise ships now have excursions (and I dislike excursions) that include round trip tendering from Athinios.  These excursions take you to the ferry port, put you on a bus, and later bring you back to a tender.  This is one way to avoid the cable car hassles.  

 

The other option (which we have done a few times) is to shorten our port day.  We go ashore in the earliest tender (which generally involves going to a lounge to get a tender ticket).  Once ashore, we look for the water taxi to Oia (it is along the same pier).  If it seems like that water taxi (which are privately operated) is going to leave within a reasonable time) we buy their package which includes the water taxi to the small port below Oia, and a return bus to Fira.  Once at Oia, you get a shuttle up the hill to the town which you can explore on foot.  When you are finished, you take their bus back to Fira.  Once at Fira you can explore at your leisure, but consider leaving quite early so you do not have to deal with the long cable car queues that can happen by mid-afternoon.  Alternatively, you can walk down (instead of the cable car) but there are a lot of steps and you do need to use lots of care to avoid donkey poo.  Once down at the tender pier (below Fira) it is not normally a problem getting a tender back to your ship.

 

Lets be clear that Santorini is a charming island (even if overrun with tourists).  There are plenty of other options such as exploring more of the island with a rental car, using public buses, going to a beach, etc.  But most first time visitors are content to enjoy both Oia and Fira (despite the crowds).

 

Hank

thanks, this is helpful.  Considering both of these options (ferry/taxi to Oia, or a cruise excursion bus from Athinios.)

 

I have read that the only way they tender you to Athinios is via a ship's excursions, all others tender to old port / Fira.  Is this true?

 

Leaning towards the water taxi to Oia.  We are early risers, and tend to head out early.   Maybe back at Fira to head down to tenders by 2 or 3 pm.    We have 3 ships in port (9/9/24) but one doesn't arrive until 2 pm, we arrive 8 am, all 3 stay late until 9 pm or so.   Maybe cable cars down would be doable at 2 pm.  Walking down would be an option for us too- we are walkers...

[PurpleTraveller]

7 hours ago, CCJack said:

 

I have read that the only way they tender you to Athinios is via a ship's excursions, all others tender to old port / Fira.  Is this true?

 

Yes that is correct. The ship excursions tender to Athinios port where there is road access for the buses. Everyone else gets tendered to the old port where there is no road access.

 

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, CCJack said:

thanks, this is helpful.  Considering both of these options (ferry/taxi to Oia, or a cruise excursion bus from Athinios.)

 

I have read that the only way they tender you to Athinios is via a ship's excursions, all others tender to old port / Fira.  Is this true?

 

Leaning towards the water taxi to Oia.  We are early risers, and tend to head out early.   Maybe back at Fira to head down to tenders by 2 or 3 pm.    We have 3 ships in port (9/9/24) but one doesn't arrive until 2 pm, we arrive 8 am, all 3 stay late until 9 pm or so.   Maybe cable cars down would be doable at 2 pm.  Walking down would be an option for us too- we are walkers...

All sounds good.  If you take the tender into the small port below Fira, and there are no water taxis operating (or leaving within a reasonable time) you can take the cable car up to Fira and walk (about 15 minutes) to the local bus station.  They have regular buses to Oia.  You could also take a taxi (the main taxi area is near the bus station) but that will cost you at least 25 Euros (one way).

 

Walking down, for those who like to walk, is not too bad except for the donkey poo.  Every time you cross the road (donkey trail) you need to be vigilant :).

 

Hank

[CCJack]

On 10/23/2023 at 5:15 PM, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Yes that is correct. The ship excursions tender to Athinios port where there is road access for the buses. Everyone else gets tendered to the old port where there is no road access.

 

thank you...

 

Our itinerary shows 8 am arrival, but ship's excursions list 9 am departure, but that might not be too reliable.  I am thinking maybe the excursion bus leaves at 9, tender for cruise excursions may be before that (8?) , then other (non-excursions) tender to old port even later.     

[PurpleTraveller]

2 minutes ago, CCJack said:

thank you...

 

Our itinerary shows 8 am arrival, but ship's excursions list 9 am departure, but that might not be too reliable.  I am thinking maybe the excursion bus leaves at 9, tender for cruise excursions may be before that (8?) , then other (non-excursions) tender to old port even later.     

 

I haven't done a ship excursion in Santorini but on my two times there on Princess (in 2014 and 2016) there were seperate tenders operating for the ship excursions to Athinios and for independent travellers to the old port at the same time. It could be different now.

 

Also on the only ship excursion at a tender port that I have done in Europe on Celebrity (2022 in Kotor) the excursion time was the time we left the ship.

 

Of course both of these could be different for different cruise lines, ports and circumstances.