Help - Suggestions Itinerary Europe, Greece, Med Italy...

Help - fast.

I want to look at a 2016 itinerary for Europe, Greece, Med, Italy, Turkey...and want to book tomorrow!

I know the 123 is changing and for this itinerary we would book ocean view, and would like to get the 2 perks (bev package and grats or obc).

It will be our first time to Europe, and I dream of a Greek isles cruise. Admit that I have all the greece travel posters in mind of beautiful blue waters.

So please help asap. What ports MUST we visit, and which could we take a pass on. What should we do while in port.

Thanks in advance to all that offer advice :)

payd

First consider booking with a TA who offers pre-paid grats so you can use your 123GO perks for the bev package and OBC....Then look for one that stops in Santorini, Mykonos, Naples, Kusadasi and hopefully Athens and Istanbul. We did that in 2011 and it was amazing. I know a lot of itineraries are dropping Athens now with all of the unrest but maybe it will be back soon?

Venice and Istanbul are stunning. As is Santorini. We did this on Equinox last year plus a few others like Dubrovnik. Ephesus is also good. That would satisfy me.

Thanks for your advice. I wondered about Kusadasi. Santorini and Mykonos are tops on my list. Athens seems like a must also. Again ... THANKS Mr Click

Thanks Pushka. My port list is growing! So much research to do ... so little time.

What do you like to see?

There are a lot of old ruins and fallen down bits of stone!

We don't go for that.

Venice is magic. Hopefully visit Rome. Mykonos was a real postcard experience. Rhodes. Santorini we didn't leave the boat. Malta and Athens stayed on too. Kusadasi we met family. Liked Crete too but there at 8.00. By 10.00 40ºC. We arrived back at the ship just when 'normal' folk were going out for the day. It was like having the ship to ourselves.

We went for the cruise experience. Loved it. This next time we will get off more. Split, Dubrovnik etc. It was, sadly, too hot for me too. Going earlier this year.

Never seen such a beautifully coloured clear sea.

Thanks Morbihan. I can't see your signature so i don't know what time of year you went. I couldn't stand 40C either

We've been to the Med twice in July. Both times the max temp was around 30. Venice and Dubrovnik quite cool.

Kusadasi (Ephesus) whilst an ancient site was amazing. As is Rome. Athens is interesting but main point for us was the Acropolis. But if I missed that I'd be ok with it. As far as scenery goes, Santorini can't be beaten. It is stunningly beautiful.

Santorini is the draw. Making me wonder if I should cruise or just go there. Thanks Pushka for the temp. Of 30. Hot but still manageable. 40 is just hot. Interesting that the Acropolis was maybe meh...

What to do😦

The Acropolis was good but crowded. And if it came to Athens versus say Venice or Santorini or Istanbul then Athens goes.

The photos of Santorini are stunning even when taken by IPhone.

Dubrovnik

Venice sail out (very stormy)

Athens

Ephesus

Istanbul

Actually the only port we haven't liked was Colon - Olympia. Avoid.

These were just on our cruise of 2014.

I was there last June.

Just don't know what the temperature will be. Rome was unbelievable.

The day we arrived in Santorini we just sat on the balcony watching the hoards go onto the island. When the brightness had dimmed a bit we could see the cable car going up and down. Our neighbours at dinner had gone on a trip and drove up the road. Nightmare apparently. They came back exhausted with the heat and looking at things. Still, not worth coming all this way to sit on a balcony sipping a refreshing fruit juice:)

If you have the time, I would strongly advise stopping in either Rome or Venice and sailing from one of them to the other. Last year it was Rome Venice for us. This year Venice Rome. My husband doesn't do flying. We go on the train! We rent apartments so the cost is reasonable. Not struggling with that case for less than a month:D

Venice is for me the most beautiful place in the world. I could sit and watch the boats all day long.

First, you have plenty of time. The promotions will come and go. Print out all of the itineraries available. then, get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports and read up on all of the ports. This should help you to decide which ones are the 'must see' ports. Then go for the itinerary that includes the most. EM

The Acropolis was good but crowded. And if it came to Athens versus say Venice or Santorini or Istanbul then Athens goes.

 

The photos of Santorini are stunning even when taken by IPhone.

 

 

Dubrovnik

 

 

Venice sail out (very stormy)

 

 

Athens

 

 

Ephesus

 

Istanbul

 

 

Actually the only port we haven't liked was Colon - Olympia. Avoid.

 

These were just on our cruise of 2014.

Stunning photos! Thank you for taking the time to share them. The Santorini photo is the one I need to see in real life. # breathtaking

Don't know what time of the year you are thinking of but we have booked a

12 night Eastern Med cruise which has a great itinerary... Dep 19 May 2016....

ROME -NAPLES- AT SEA -ATHENS-MYKONOS-ISTANBUL (Overnight) KUSADASI-SANTORINI MESSINA AT SEA- BARCELONA

Its on the Equinox - Hope this helps.

Highly recommend Malta if you want to venture in that direction, it was stunning. We have been to Split twice and loved it both times (photo attached). We are even considering a land vacation to Split.

Istanbul is wonderful - fun if you can find an overnight in port there. Recommend Kusadasi as well if you like ruins. We enjoy them and found Ephesus very impressive.

Pushka,

Love your photos. Curious to know which mosque that was in Istanbul. i visited 8 mosques but missed that one.:) i want to get there next visit.

IMO Athens is interesting but mainly for the Acropolis. IMO city itself is disappointing and not comparable at all to Venice or Istanbul, both of which are incredible. Santorini is beautiful of course, but my personal favorite Greek island is Rhodes. Love Lindos and the island is less touristy. But for views you cant beat Santorini. Also highly recommend Malta, It is beautiful, especially the sail in.

Try to get a cruise that departs from Istanbul and plan to spend at least 4-5 days there as there is alot to see and the city is fantastic in every way. You will be extremely sorry if you just stay for the overnight the ship is there.

Reflection is doing some nice itineraries in May 2016. We are booked on the 5/16 cruise R/T Rome to Santorini, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Athens, overnight Istanbul, Naples, back to Rome. This hits some bucket list ports for us. We have been to Kusadasi, which most cruises going to the Greek isles will include, and the tour of Ephesus was one of, or maybe THE, best cruise experiences of our lives. If Athens is dropped due to unrest, it won't bother us at all. Though we have seen the Acropolis on another trip, and were very glad we did. For us, the highlight of the Reflection trip is going to be Istanbul, for sure. If you consider May, the temps may be in a more reasonable range. Although we were in Ephesus in November and it was hot!

Rome is an amazing city, and huge, so exploring it takes more than a day for sure, but it's well worth it. This will be our fourth visit, and we will go in early to see more things we haven't made it to.

Pat

We did the 11 Night Reflection cruise Aug/Sep 2014 RT Rome. We loved it! Spent a few nights in Rome before. We did LOTS of walking every where. We thought nice mixture of ruins, cities, beaches. Never got bored! Can't compare to other ports as this was first time to Europe, but would definitely recommend it. Was still warm/hot in many ports - I think Athens was 90 degrees F. We did Acropolis early - and when leaving it was crowded to get in. Santorini beautiful! We did the donkey stairs - again, another hot day, but wasn't into waiting over an hour for the cable cars each way and wanted to counter all the food/drink calories! Almafi coast drive. Istanbul. Ephesus. So many memories!

All of my suggestions are based on historical/archeological/biblical sites.

So I apologize in advance if they seem too nerdy.

It's best to read up briefly about the history of these places to get the most from your visit.

Even if you are not a Christian, reading up on the Apostle Paul's journeys to Ephesus, Athens, & Rome are worthwhile. Best to search this info on the internet & find the specific details regarding these sites.

Rome: the Forum & Colosseum.

Avoid the "gladiators" as they try to force you to pose with them. Then they demand payment for the favor.

St Peter's Square, Basilica, Sistine Chapel, & Vatican Museum.

Ephesus: The great amphitheatre where Paul preached up until he was arrested. The acoustics are amazing.

All the fantastic ruins of the city.

The Arcadian Way, where Antony & Cleopatra rode into the city in triumph.

Athens: The Acropolis. Do this early in the morning because it gets very warm if you wait until later in the morning.

On the climb to the top, you will also be able to see Mars Hill, where Paul met with the men of Athens.

You may also climb it. We didn't, but saw many people walking around on top of it.

Also, please note that the air quality in Athens is very poor due to pollution.

Pushka,

 

 

 

Love your photos. Curious to know which mosque that was in Istanbul. i visited 8 mosques but missed that one.:) i want to get there next visit.

 

 

 

IMO Athens is interesting but mainly for the Acropolis. IMO city itself is disappointing and not comparable at all to Venice or Istanbul, both of which are incredible. Santorini is beautiful of course, but my personal favorite Greek island is Rhodes. Love Lindos and the island is less touristy. But for views you cant beat Santorini. Also highly recommend Malta, It is beautiful, especially the sail in.

 

 

 

Try to get a cruise that departs from Istanbul and plan to spend at least 4-5 days there as there is alot to see and the city is fantastic in every way. You will be extremely sorry if you just stay for the overnight the ship is there.

That photo was actually taken from the hoho bus as it moves towards the large span bridge going to Asian side. The lights were red so you stop just next to it. And the photos were taken on a phone!

I have stacks more Santorini photos - the place is ridiculously beautiful everywhere.

As is Venice. And then Burrano just next to it.

On our July cruise we are also going to Malta (along with a stack of other ports) so good to see we will travel there.

On the Equinox.

And then there was Florence, Rome and Amalfi Coast on the Liberty of the Seas.

Personally, I would avoid any Tender port. It took us 3 hrs to get off in Split (tender ticket 34)

However, now that we are Elite that shouldn't be a problem. We were told that if we had taken a ship's tour, we would have been in the first group off the ship.

Tender ports are indeed a pain. In Santorini we did a short ship's tour to get off early--we arrived at 2pm and the harbor already had 5-6 ships in it--after the tour we had lots of time to explore the Fria, the shops etc. Oia is also very pretty. Once we were back on the ship we were treated to a spectacular view of Fria light with the setting sun. That image now hangs in our bedroom as a reminder of the trip. Yes, we saw lots of ruins but they were facinating because we had good guides who brought them to life. My one wish, Venice is coming some day ....some how.

I think avoiding tender ports means on a med cruise, many times you'll get stuck on a ship. I just treat them as part of the experience of travel. We've had two. At Villefrance and Santorini. We didn't experience any delay getting off at either. Walked straight onto a tender at 9am.

I suppose some people go on cruises to enjoy the ship.

For us it is all about the ports, the history, culture and experience.

I cannot imagine going to places like Santorini, which is magical or Athens, which has the Parthenon (one of the most important structures in the world historically) and staying on the ship.

Still, everyone has their thing.

Santorini is a special place, about 3500 years ago, a volcano blew up and left a huge hole in the island. The main island of Thera is about half of the perimeter of the remaining part of the island. Quaint white buildings greet you atop the top of the slope of the island, which is volcanic.

Athens and Ephesus have a lot of ruins, but lots of history as well.

The Parthenon was a masterpiece of architecture built in the 5th Century BC. There is a fantastic museum nearby called the New Acropolis Museum.

Ephesus has its Terrace Houses which were ancient homes with many of the floors and walls preserved when covered by mud. It is a must see.

Other islands like Corfu and Crete have many great things to see, if you love history. If you are into beaches, there is a lot of that as well.

Over here in Europe we have sights of historical interest everywhere. I suppose that we are just used to them and rather take them for granted. Every school trip seemed to go to somewhere 'interesting'and we admired and took notes. Usually in the rain. It must have influenced me because I am just not interested. If my husband was interested we would visit but, fortunately, he isn't. He is not well enough now to clamber up hills in the scorching sun. We go on a cruise for a rest. Watch the sea and take gentle strolls. Everyone is different. We certainly enjoy ourselves doing nothing.

I would, if I were you and it is possible, leave from the port I wanted to visit the most and spend a few days there and, hopefully do the same at the end of the cruise. We go on the train as I said but when you fly in you can start from Istanbul which would take us an age to get to on the train. Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Marseille. It is a long way to come just for a 12 day cruise. It is a great shame about that thing called work!