Greek Isles Cruise

[tintin2k2]

Hi All, 

 

Hello from Calgary. Thanks for this wonderful knowledge base and forum on cruising - I was amazed by the content and discussions in the forums. Saying that I would like to ask for 2 directed questions if anyone can help. We did a RC cruise last year in the Caribbean for 7 days last year and we were simply blown away by the things one can do on a cruise. So many mental blocks and myths were dispelled from the day 1 of cruising. We want to do our next few holidays on cruises and see how it goes. 

- We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids (less than 14 years)) and are planning for two cruises one in 2024 and maybe one in 2025 or 2026.

- We are looking for a Greek Isles Cruise (Budget and also good in terms of ship, dining and onshore excursions). What would be a few options for us to look at ?

- Also, for a Alaska cruise in 2025 or 2026 - we are considering Holland American Line seeing the reviews and reading the details and experiences of cruisers on the forums. What would be the best time to book this trip? please help. 

 

[leaveitallbehind]

Along with the responses you will receive here, I would suggest also talking with a travel agent who specializes in cruises as they would be best equipped to offer alternatives that would fit your cruising preferences and budget.  

[navybankerteacher]

9 minutes ago, tintin2k2 said:

Hi All, 

 

Hello from Calgary. Thanks for this wonderful knowledge base and forum on cruising - I was amazed by the content and discussions in the forums. Saying that I would like to ask for 2 directed questions if anyone can help. We did a RC cruise last year in the Caribbean for 7 days last year and we were simply blown away by the things one can do on a cruise. So many mental blocks and myths were dispelled from the day 1 of cruising. We want to do our next few holidays on cruises and see how it goes. 

- We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids (less than 14 years)) and are planning for two cruises one in 2024 and maybe one in 2025 or 2026.

- We are looking for a Greek Isles Cruise (Budget and also good in terms of ship, dining and onshore excursions). What would be a few options for us to look at ?

- Also, for a Alaska cruise in 2025 or 2026 - we are considering Holland American Line seeing the reviews and reading the details and experiences of cruisers on the forums. What would be the best time to book this trip? please help. 

 

Re: Greek Islands - I would suggest you scan the itineraries offered in your time frame - and try to pick the itinerary which has the fewest ships in the ports you are most interested in on the days your ship will call.  For example - Santorini becomes an unmanageable zoo when a couple of large ships are in,.

 

For Alaska, mid June gives you the closest to “midnight sun” experience, but early August is likely to give better weather.  It is worth doing a lot of research - beyond just superficial price comparisons.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

For Alaska, mid June gives you the closest to “midnight sun” experience, but early August is likely to give better weather.  It is worth doing a lot of research - beyond just superficial price comparisons.

@tintin2k2 This is good advice. Note that the salmon run sometime in August. We really wanted to see this in 2018, but most of the state had a poor run that year! We did see a small stream FULL of chum (smaller) salmon in Sitka, but not the big run of larger salmon (and the bears fishing for them) at Ketchikan. Had a good private tour with Sourdough Tours there, though!

 

ETA: Holland America does Alaska very well; all three of our AK cruises were with HAL. Be sure to look at times in port (short? early or late?) when you are doing comparisons.

 

Edited January 8 by crystalspin

[Essiesmom]

For the Greek Isles, I would go to cruisetimetables.com and either choose Cruise from…and maybe Piraeus, as it is the port for Athens…or Cruises to…and select some locations from the list of Greek ports.  This will show you who sails from there, and their itineraries, and/or who calls there and their itineraries.  July and August are going to be very hot in that part of the Mediterranean, so I would go before or after.  
  I recommend getting a copy of Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports to see what there is to do and how much you can do in the time available.  Also visit the Ports of Call boards here for ideas and advice.  EM

[George C]

Most of Rick Steves videos are on YouTube 

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, tintin2k2 said:

Hello from Calgary. Thanks for this wonderful knowledge base and forum on cruising - I was amazed by the content and discussions in the forums.

Forgot to say, Welcome to Cruise Critic! It is all you said and more. Have you found the Ports-of-Call boards?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

 

[Aquahound]

4 hours ago, tintin2k2 said:

Hi All, 

 

Hello from Calgary. Thanks for this wonderful knowledge base and forum on cruising - I was amazed by the content and discussions in the forums. Saying that I would like to ask for 2 directed questions if anyone can help. We did a RC cruise last year in the Caribbean for 7 days last year and we were simply blown away by the things one can do on a cruise. So many mental blocks and myths were dispelled from the day 1 of cruising. We want to do our next few holidays on cruises and see how it goes. 

- We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids (less than 14 years)) and are planning for two cruises one in 2024 and maybe one in 2025 or 2026.

- We are looking for a Greek Isles Cruise (Budget and also good in terms of ship, dining and onshore excursions). What would be a few options for us to look at ?

- Also, for a Alaska cruise in 2025 or 2026 - we are considering Holland American Line seeing the reviews and reading the details and experiences of cruisers on the forums. What would be the best time to book this trip? please help. 

 

 

Based on how much you loved your RCI cruise, it sounds like onboard activities are something that is high on your wants list.  While Mediterranean and Alaska cruises certainly should be about the itinerary first, I think the second priority is being on a line/ship that you enjoy.  

 

For your Alaskan cruise, consider Princess or NCL.  Both lines hit Glacier Bay and both lines are more family friendly and offer more activities and better entertainment than Holland America.  HAL is a very nice cruise line but with the youngsters, I recommend the other 2.  

 

For the Greek Isles, I recommend either sticking with RCI or giving Celebrity a try.  Princess also isn't a terrible choice.  

[jsn55]

Just want to be sure you're aware that a cruise-expert travel advisor is paid by the cruiseline.  The benefit to a good TA is the answers you'll get to questions you don't even know you should be asking.  You don't necessarily need someone in your own town, it can all be done remotely ... but don't use just any online TA, they're usually nothing but order-takers.  I've booked independent travel for 40 years, but once I used the services of a (good friend) TA to book a cruise, I was hooked.  She is able to put the 'best deal' together based on what she knows about our wants and needs.

Edited January 9 by jsn55

[tintin2k2]

On 1/8/2024 at 3:54 PM, crystalspin said:

Forgot to say, Welcome to Cruise Critic! It is all you said and more. Have you found the Ports-of-Call boards?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

 

Thank you for the boards, I am such a noob in this forum and was unable to find the right boards. 

[tintin2k2]

Thank you everyone for your inputs, while I juggle between the daily work, harsh winter and kids. I will read through them and will let you folks know how it goes. 

 

Much much appreciated. !!

[Host Kat]

On 1/11/2024 at 5:29 PM, tintin2k2 said:

Thank you everyone for your inputs, while I juggle between the daily work, harsh winter and kids. I will read through them and will let you folks know how it goes. 

 

Much much appreciated. !!

 

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[Hlitner]

We love cruising (and also visiting) the Greek Islands and have done it on many different cruise lines, using inter-island ferries, etc.  The OP talks about a "budget" cruise which I will assume means money is a major issue.  One needs to keep in mind that air fares have increased, in recent years, so the idea of a tight budget becomes somewhat challenging.  I would also suggest that while onboard activities are a major factor in the Caribbean, cruises in Europe (and the Greek Islands) tend to involve lots of long port days (many call this port intensive) which makes onboard activities less of a factor for most folks.   The OP might want to consider that since airfare is such a major cost factor, it makes sense to try and extend your time in Europe...to the maximum extent possible (i.e. getting the most out of the airfare).

 

When looking at Greece cruises, we think that the itinerary is king.  One should not only look at the various ports, but also give lots of consideration to the times in ports.  Ideally, you want longer port times and we suggest avoiding cruises that seem to cut those port times a bit short.  

 

Since the OP enjoyed RCI, they might want to focus on Celebrity (kind of an upscale RCI) and perhaps Princess.  If budget is the overriding concern, one could also look at MSC, although keep in mind that MSC will be heavily booked by Europeans and it is a line where some might say you get what you pay for.  So, for example, while MSC's Yacht Club is an amazing high-end experience, their lower categories (they call them experiences) get you a lot less.

 

Hank

[clo]

Someone above mentioned Santorini and the crowds! Since your kids are school age you may want to avoid Greece over Easter. It's a huge holiday and crowded of course. Have fun.

[navybankerteacher]

It is worth spending a few minutes checking on ships calling - at Santorini, for example, (population about 17,000) will on one day in this coming August have Costa Fascinosa (3012 pax), MSC Divina (3502 pax), Royal Caribbean Odyssey OTS (4198 pax), and Oceania Riviera (1250 pax) - in addition to perhaps a thousand or so folks visiting for a day of more by ferry or plane.  
 

On other days there might be just  a thousand or so.

 

 

[jsn55]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:19 PM, navybankerteacher said:

It is worth spending a few minutes checking on ships calling - at Santorini, for example, (population about 17,000) will on one day in this coming August have Costa Fascinosa (3012 pax), MSC Divina (3502 pax), Royal Caribbean Odyssey OTS (4198 pax), and Oceania Riviera (1250 pax) - in addition to perhaps a thousand or so folks visiting for a day of more by ferry or plane.  
 

On other days there might be just  a thousand or so.

 

 

Isn't this just nuts?  There must be a better way to schedule ships into ports like Santorini.  I wouldn't want to miss it, but I wouldn't want to deal with that insane number of visitors.  

[navybankerteacher]

25 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Isn't this just nuts?  There must be a better way to schedule ships into ports like Santorini.  I wouldn't want to miss it, but I wouldn't want to deal with that insane number of visitors.  

I’ve been there three times - once on a ship (the only on in) with about 650 pax,  once on a larger ship, with two others in port ,with a total of about 4,000, and once having come by ferry for two nights, but coping with about 7500 cruise pax one day - so we just sheltered in place with our retsina until they pulled out. 
 

The place is hardly recognizable on heavy cruise days. If true justice existed the cruise line managers would serve time for fraud for trucking in so many pigeons.

[clo]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:19 PM, navybankerteacher said:

It is worth spending a few minutes checking on ships calling - at Santorini, for example, (population about 17,000) will on one day in this coming August have Costa Fascinosa (3012 pax), MSC Divina (3502 pax), Royal Caribbean Odyssey OTS (4198 pax), and Oceania Riviera (1250 pax) - in addition to perhaps a thousand or so folks visiting for a day of more by ferry or plane.  
 

On other days there might be just  a thousand or so.

 

 

Santorini is a MESS! A business owner there told me that Chinese people will come there to get their wedding photos taken. Not to get married, just the pix! We hated it.

 

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, clo said:

Santorini is a MESS! A business owner there told me that Chinese people will come there to get their wedding photos taken. Not to get married, just the pix! We hated it.

 

There is documentary called China Love that is all about the wedding photo industry in China. Couples will spend a small fortune in China to have stylised wedding photos before the wedding so it doesn't surprise me to hear they are now going overseas to do after wedding photos😂. 

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, clo said:

Santorini is a MESS! A business owner there told me that Chinese people will come there to get their wedding photos taken. Not to get married, just the pix! We hated it.

 

My son who travels for Dept. of Commerce, tells me there is a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon) whose awning is a favorite backdrop for Chinese wedding pictures - not necessarily the hotel.

[ldubs]

12 hours ago, clo said:

Santorini is a MESS! A business owner there told me that Chinese people will come there to get their wedding photos taken. Not to get married, just the pix! We hated it.

 

 

I think most people go to Santorini for the pic's.  There seems to be some irresistible urge to get a pic of the white buildings with the blue roofs.  We have been there one time.  Lucky for us, there were no crowds at all.  To be sure,  Oia is very picturesque.  Fira is fun to wander around.  

[clo]

51 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I think most people go to Santorini for the pic's.  There seems to be some irresistible urge to get a pic of the white buildings with the blue roofs.  We have been there one time.  Lucky for us, there were no crowds at all.  To be sure,  Oia is very picturesque.  Fira is fun to wander around.  

Lucky for us ours was a DIY trip. Rented a car, stayed in airbnb's etc. Left Santorini for Paros and Naxos.

 

[jsn55]

On 1/19/2024 at 12:49 AM, ilikeanswers said:

 

There is documentary called China Love that is all about the wedding photo industry in China. Couples will spend a small fortune in China to have stylised wedding photos before the wedding so it doesn't surprise me to hear they are now going overseas to do after wedding photos😂. 

I finally got to tour the Opera Garnier in Paris last spring.  The place was overrun with pairs of young Japanese girls in elaborate costume-y dresses, lots of makeup, ,white anklets and tennies.  They were everywhere, taking photos of each other.  Quite took over the place, and in everybody's way.  Now I realize this must have been some fad like the wedding pictures in Santorini.  Weird.

[navybankerteacher]

This thread shows the likelihood that mass-market cruising will start being shut out of more ports - local authorities are starting to realize that they are risking what makes their places special by letting them get Santorini-ed.

[Hlitner]

On 1/19/2024 at 10:36 AM, clo said:

Lucky for us ours was a DIY trip. Rented a car, stayed in airbnb's etc. Left Santorini for Paros and Naxos.

 

There are over 1000 (some say 6000) Greek Islands of which large cruise ships only visit fewer than a dozen.  Most of the islands are reachable by an excellent ferry system (many of these ferries are like small cruise ships) and some can be reached via air.  Cruisers will say how much they like the Greek Islands, but they continue to limit themselves to a small group (Corfu, Crete, Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes).  We also enjoy Naxos, Paros, Paxos, and many others.  Many cruisers use Piraeus as their embarkation/debarkation port, and that particular port is also the embarkation place of many of the ferries.  Why folks do not take advantage of being in Piraeus, and expand their travels to some of the other islands, continues to be a mystery (to me).

 

Hank