A few questions on ships/itineraries

[Cour10ay]

Hi - we are giving a honeymoon cruise as a wedding gift to my son and his future wife. They have cruised before but only on mainstream lines. They are both used to the sea in small sailing vessels and their main interests are scuba diving, history and art. They are actually marrying in June and will have a short land honeymoon then, but due to work constraints must wait until Sept. for the long trip. They plan on 3 days pre and post cruise no matter the itinerary.

 

Okay, so we have narrowed it down to Winstar, either Wind Surf, Sept. 7 2008 sailing Rome, Amalfi, Taormina, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Venice

 

OR Wind Spirit Sept 6 2008 sailing Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum, Ephesus, Itanbul.

 

I have been to most of these ports (not Istanbul or Santorini) and think both cruise options look fantastic.

 

They are late 20s, early 30s. Any ideas or suggestions would be most appreciated.

[scottsea]

We have done both itineraries. The first on the Surf, the second on the Spirit. Much preferred the second. It remains one of our favorite experiences. Also, Istanbul is an amazing city. If they are going to spend a few days pre or post, I would pick that one.

[KathyA]

Agree with Scottsea. Did the Athens to Istanbul itinerary a few years ago and it was absolutely fabulous. They should stay in Istanbul for as many days as possible.

 

On the other hand, Dubrovnik is fantastaic as well.

[lovecruisingtoo]

We agree that the Istanbul to Athens cruise is probably better but you can't go wrong with either one.

 

As others have said, have them stay in Istanbul for a few days. We stayed at the Four Seasons and it was in a fantastic hotel and in a great location. Expensive but worth every penny. It is a converted prison (how many people have stayed in an ex-prison before a cruise????) and right next to all the main sites.

[Cour10ay]

Thanks so much for your input. The soon to be honeymooners have decided on the Rome to Venice cruise. I'm sure they would have been happy with either, and if all goes well, may take the other trip on their own the next time around.

 

Thanks again!

[chicagogal]

In response to the soon to be honeymooners Mom...

 

We just did the reverse trip from Venice to Rome on Windsurf a month ago and it was great... I highly recommend time in both cities. They will love it! (We have done the Turkey/Greece trip too on Windsurf...also wonderful)