ANyone sailed Wonders of Aegean on Mariner?

[beachbooles]

I'm hoping someone can give me a little firsthand knowledge:

We are both 38 and have two kids we will leave behind while we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We are strongly considering sailing on the Mariner for the occasion on the Wonders of Aegean Sailing. Believe it or not, we've NEVER been to Europe! We travel...but US, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean. We absolutely can not decide what to do, but think that this trip will give us a taste of the Mediterranean. We've never sailed Regent, either. Only Mass Market or our small private boat in local waters!

 

Any and all input is appreciated, especially about this particular itinerary.

It leaves from Athens (Piraeus), Greece to Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey to Santorini, Greece to Olympia (Katakolon), Greece to Corfu, Greece to Dubrovnik, Croatia to Venice, Italy for two days...and then back home or onto a little more somewhere!

 

Thank you in advance. I love these boards...they have helped us with other trips and we've enjoyed helping others as well..

 

:)

Sandy

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It sounds like a wonderful adventure. Try to arrive in Athens a day or two before the cruise, and consider a day in Venice as well.

 

Just remember that a cruise just gives you a taste of the ports, but it's a wonderful way of getting a taste!

[Emdee]

Its a really nice itinerary and you will love it.

 

Like Wendy said its a good idea to arrive in Athens a day or two early so you can enjoy the Parthenon and the Museum. Also my last Regent med cruise was itinerary driven and can get very tiring so you will need the extra day in the beginning to get rid of jet lag after the long flight.

 

Just outside the port at Katakolon are some nice shops especially jewellery ones. There was one shop where the owner was born in an Olympian family so he gets invited to a number of the Olympics! His jewellery was spectacular in that he copied pieces from the Greek museum or from greek sculpture. There were a couple of other shops with less expensive pieces but nevertheless very interesting ones.

 

The only port I didnt care for was Corfu ... I guess I expected more and was disappointed. An extra day in Venice would be nice as well.

[south seas sue]

Beachbooles, you have reminded me of the itinerary for the best cruise ever. We took the Silversea Whisper a few years ago on almost this same itinerary. In no particular order, we loved going to the Greek mainland to view the ruins of the first Olympic games - saw the chariot track, and other sports areas - just magical to think of that time. We did NOT get to Ephesus, which of course is a regret.

 

Loved Corfu - took a tour to the top of the island - round and round lovely mountain road, with olive groves and georgeous yellow Broome everywhere - the views were just extraordinary.

 

Dubrovnik was fantastic! What a beautiful old walled city - climbed the outside wall, and enjoyed the views. Inside the walls shops with lovely jewelry, linens, and other goods and a farmer's market with lots of fresh food. One of our favorite stops.

 

What can I say about the Greek Islands! Our itinerary did not include Santorini, so at the end in Athens, we took a small plane back to the island and spent a couple of days. You are fortunate to have it included. BTW, on Santorini, and the other islands as well as the mainland, gold jewelry, linens, ceramics, are the things to buy! And of course Venice! Our ship overnighted there, and we tried to make the most of our time by visiting the Peggy Gugenheim museum, of course St. Marks and the ducal palace, and the church where Vivaldi was the house conductor/composer...........plus several lovely linen and glass shops.

 

I envy you. We went in May, and it was our most memorable trip. Terrific anniversary celebration. Congrats to you.:D:D

[south seas sue]

Sandy, what a treat! You have reminded me of our favorite cruise. We took almost the same itinerary a few years go, on Silversea Whisper. We loved the Greek mainland, it was wonderful seeing the place where the Olympics began - the chariot ring, and other sports areas - Greece is the place to buy jewelry (especially gold!), ceramics, and linens. We adored Corfu - took a bus to the top of the mountain - surrounded by olive groves and lovely yellow Broome everywhere - spectacular views. Enjoyed talking on the fortified wall in Dubrovnk - inside the wall were lovely shops, and a terrific farmers market with food from all over.

 

You are lucky the cruise includes Santorini - what a beautiful spot! You must get a table for lunch at a restaurant overlooking the caldera - you will never forget the view. Terrific shopping on that island as well. Jewelry shops galore. I believe there are some archeological excavations going on in one part of the island - you might want to check that out.

 

We did not get to Ephesus unfortunately - but Venice! Our ship overnighted there, and of course we saw as much as we could. The Peggy Gugenheim Museum, the churches, and especially the church where Vivaldi was the resident composer/conductor........

 

Again, this cruise is a beautiful memory for us, as I am sure it will be for you. Congrats!

[beachbooles]

Wow, you all almost made us cry! If we were excited before...we are jumping out of our skin, now. I guess it's the way to go...

 

Thank you so much for all the detailed feedback about the ports and what is there...and the advice on the extra nights. Priceless.

 

I checked out Silversea and Crystal, due to reviews on CC from members and the itineraries just don't work as well.

 

So, the Mariner it is....

 

Those of you that have sailed these ports or Regent, did you use the ships excursions? Or did you make your own arrangements?

 

Thank you,

Sandy

[RachelG]

I have been to most of these ports, and it is a lovely itinerary. I agree that you really need to fly into Athens at least one if not two days early both the recover from jet lag and to be able to see the city. The Acropolis is not to be missed. The Archeological Museum was undergoing renovation when we were there, but the parts we saw were fantastic.

I definitely rec taking a ship's tour to Olympia. It is a ways from the port, so you have to have some sort of transportation to get there anyway. Once there, the guide gives you the tickets, and you can stick close to her or wander on your own. We did a little of both as she really had a lot of good information. Then you can go to the museum there (paid for with the tour) and look around a bit. And there is plenty of time at the end to explore the small town which is mostly tourist shops, but very nice ones, and cafes. I bought a bunch of Greek seasonings, some really good olives, and olive oil. We sat at an outdoor cafe and had a glass of wine along with some dolmas. Definitely one of my favorite ship tours.

In Santorini, we have done our own thing once for all day, and went on the ship tour for 1/2 a day and explored on our own for the remainder. We were in the last cable car down to the tender last time. There is a nice hiking path that goes all along the coast, through some residential and hotel areas, and has great views. Just turn left at the top of the cable car. Lots of good restaurants. It was ironic that our tour guide the 2nd time we were there recommended the very restaurant that we had found on our own (and loved) on our first visit. Our tour was to the volcano (excellent), a hot spring (so-so--I didn't get in the water as I was afraid it would ruin my bathing suit. It is very sulfuric.), and winery (crowded, as a group from a huge ship arrived at the same time as us).

We have been to Ephesus twice. Another favorite. Highly recommend the Ephesus with an Expert tour if you can get on it. We couldn't, but everyone who did it raved. We hired our own guide and driver for Ephesus as we were a group of 6. Outstanding! We did the Priene, Didymus and Miletus tour this last time with the ship. Very good tour and an amazing lunch.

Venice is great--we did a precruise last year on our own. Easy to get around and really no need for a ship tour.

You will have a great time.

[beachbooles]

Thank you, Rachel!

 

That is all great information!

 

Sandy