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Help first time cruiser with Greek Island Cruise


ssjhook
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Ok guys so I'm the type of person who loves to plan things out as much as possible, planning out a trip to a greek island cruise has proved to be quite an information overload!

 

First things first is I'd really like for your guy's help to pick a cruise line / cruise

 

My mom has been wanting to go to Greece since as long as I can remember she's been blabbing about it for 20 years and I'm finally just going to take her so she can find something new to dream about lol

 

Here's what I know, my mom is absolutely in love with Greece and Italy, so I would either like the cruise to include a Italy take off or an Italy port along the way.

 

The other thing I know is her favorite island is Santorini (shocker)

 

I would like this cruise to be around 7 days, I think a 14 day cruise would be too much for the both of us. The cruises I've found in my parameters seem like they range anywhere from 600-1100 bucks, I would like to keep it more towards the 700$ range

 

One of the cruises I've found so far that seem to fit the bill is the princess emerald greek island cruise, it leaves from Greece and stops in naples and rome as well as santorini and some other greek islands

 

I tried to find a cruise that left from venice and hit up a good amount of greek islands but the ones I found went to other places like turkey and Croatia and they usually took 14 days

 

Do you guys have any other suggestions? Also any idea how much more expensive it is to fly to Greece as opposed to venice?

 

I am 30 and my mom is in her late 50s, we love to eat (especially sea food) and my mom loves to play slots, we're not really into spa treatments and will probably do our own adventuring out at the ports (for the most part), I think the biggest things we are mostly looking for is a cruise where we can eat good food without having to pay extra and an onboard casino if possible, also any good entertainment is a bonus

 

thanks for the help!

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When are you planning to go? Time of year will make a difference in price. Also in comfort. The eastern Med. will be very hot in July/August, more expensive then, too. If you can go in May or Sept/Oct, prices will be more reasonable. Type of cabin affects price, too. If you simply 'must' have a balcony, you will pay for it. As regards to cabin type, have a look at time in port when selecting itinerary. You may be so exhausted after a long day in port, all you want to do is shower eat, and crash.

Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and from the list of destination ports, choose some you would like to visit. Santorini comes to mind...Then choose when you want to cruise. It will tell you who is calling there, and the itinerary. Ignore the prices listed...

Happy researching! EM

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Check out Windstar. The ships are smail (under 250 pax) so they have just a few slot machines but their Italian and Greek itineraries make the shore experiences a whole lot nicer with so few fellow passengers competing for the available shops and restaurants. In contrast the Emerald Princess has a capacity of over 3,000 pax.

 

Here's one itinerary (similar to one we took several years ago)

Enchanting_Greece_ROM_ATH_2015.jpg

 

And another:

Venetian_Pass_VEN-ATH_2016.jpg

Edited by Host Walt
Inserting itineraries
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Hopefully want to leave in october or november, if not probably around march, definetly don't want to be in the off season but also don't want to go when its not pretty

 

I like that port map however I think santorini is a deal breaker for me my mom wants to go there so badly

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Viking Ocean (Part of Viking River Cruises) has 10 day cruises from Venice to Istanbul (and vice versa) that includes Santorini.

 

MAP-LRG_EmpMediterranean_2015_956x690_tcm13-15570.jpg

 

Here's a link to their website:

Viking Sea cruises

They show space available in Nov. 2015 and several dates in 2016.

Edited by Host Walt
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the ncl jade looks like a good choice but we may have to wait until may for that one!

 

I looked at the emerald and it appears to be sold out in september, does anyone know when it goes back to the greek isles? and are there anymore ships you guys would reccomend?

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Lots of good advice - the only thing I'd add concerns Santorini. There are three ways to get up/down between the landing and the town: walking, inclined rail, and donkey. If you want to try the donkey, do NOT do it on the way down. The path is steep, the donkeys walk down with their heads lowered, and you have to expend a great deal of effort to not slide along his neck and wind up on the path in front of him.

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I would not go later than early Oct. I remember being in Greece later in Oct. Many shops and restaurants closed down for season.It was rather gloomy. Also many ships doing Transatlantic at this time. Look up cruise ship Greek schedules on various discount cruise agencies. No donkeys, rather gross.

Edited by zoncom
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Jade is going out of biz soon. You need more than 7N to do both Greece and Italy. Here are some cheapies from a large online discount cruise agency. Inside quotes. Oct3 7N VENICE RT $794/ $100 OBC. Oct 12 9N RomeRT $699. Oct14 Holland America 7N $699. Oct 21 Rhapsody Seas9N Rome RT 9N $699. All the above fine values/ itineries. Stay away from any Istanbul cruises. We are not allowed to name agencies. Be sure you can get affordable air from either cruiseline or by yourselves before purchasing cruise; its late.

Edited by zoncom
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... If you want to try the donkey, do NOT do it on the way down. The path is steep, the donkeys walk down with their heads lowered, and you have to expend a great deal of effort to not slide along his neck and wind up on the path in front of him.

Doing the donkey is definitely not for the faint of heart in either direction. We thought about it on arrival and, because of the line, decided to use the inclined tram and consider returning by donkey. When we looked down at the path, it took us between 1 and 5 nanoseconds to select the tram back down.

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Jade is going out of biz soon. You need more than 7N to do both Greece and Italy. Here are some cheapies from a large online discount cruise agency. Inside quotes. Oct3 7N VENICE RT $794/ $100 OBC. Oct 12 9N RomeRT $699. Oct14 Holland America 7N $699. Oct 21 Rhapsody Seas9N Rome RT 9N $699. All the above fine values/ itineries. Stay away from any Istanbul cruises. We are not allowed to name agencies. Be sure you can get affordable air from either cruiseline or by yourselves before purchasing cruise; its late.

 

Not sure why you're saying that the Jade is going out of biz soon unless you're referring to the fact it is making a transatlantic back to US until next April so won't be in Mediterranean for awhile until then.

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