Greek island cruise which cruise liner do you recommend

[Babydoll2012]

Hi we are first time cruisers and we want to book a cruise in the med that includes Greek islands. We have kids and are in our late 30’s.

Kids will not be coming with us. Are the royal Caribbean cruises full of kids? We want to relax and switch off from kids a little.

can anyone recommend some ships we should look at. We want to book for May/June 2023. Thanks for your help

[travelingman]

Viking Cruise Line requires passengers to be over 18 years old.

You must also realize that most of the passengers would be in the over 50 range.

It is not a "party" cruise line.  Take a look at it and make your own decision.

Pretty much any cruise line is going to have kids on their ships, especially during the summer.

 

[jas283a]

As first time cruisers, first of all congratulations.  My wife and I were about your age when we went on our first cruise (that time we took our kids) and we've kind of been hooked ever since.  As far as to answer your question, all of the bigger, cheaper cruise lines (Royal, Carnival, Norwegian) tend to have more kids because they are cheaper.  But basically, no matter the line, you will find more kids if you go when kids are on vacation, which makes sense.  You will find adult only spaces on almost every cruise line and ship if that's what you are looking for (and spaces catered to family if that is what you are looking for). 

 

My wife and I did Greece last year with NCL (it was adult only because of Covid and vaccine requirements, so I couldn't say how it is normally) and we had an amazing time.  I would say 2 deciding factors if you're looking at Greece.  First, I think the itinerary would be a really big deal, probably even more important than what line you're going on for this type of cruise.  Second, what type of things do you like to do?  Certain ports stops are more amenable than others for, say, cultural activities vs. the beach.  Just things to think about.  

[Babydoll2012]

Thanks so much for the information a lot too take in. I will research the itineraries in more detail and go from there.

[Hlitner]

The answer to the OP's question "are Royal Caribbean cruises full of kids" the answer is generally YES.  RCI heavily markets to families and their excellent kids and teens programs attracts many families with children/teens.   As to "relaxing" on a European cruise, most itineraries are very port intensive so time to relax can be limited.  Many cruisers in the Med quickly wear themselves out in the various ports.  In the Caribbean we are very careful with the ship's we choose.  In Europe the itinerary takes precedence.  

 

Hank

[Chippendale]

I recommend you check out Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. It is one of their smaller ships so it does not have all the bells and whistles that attract families. I agree with the suggestion to avoid months when families are on vacations. I also agree that Mediterranean is not a relaxing cruise.  It is very port intensive and wonderful for seeing many sights in a short amount of time.  My husband and I are booked on Brilliance for 3 weeks starting 9/25/23. We will visit 18 different ports.  I sailed on Brilliance several years ago for Mediterranean and would not hesitate to recommend that class of ship.  As for relaxing, I would recommend a southern Caribbean cruise (with lazy beach days) or an Alaskan Cruise.  Good luck!  

[craig01020]

Take a look at Celestyal Cruises. They're based in Greece.

https://celestyal.com/us/

[Hlitner]

On 6/30/2022 at 2:04 PM, Chippendale said:

I recommend you check out Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. It is one of their smaller ships so it does not have all the bells and whistles that attract families. I agree with the suggestion to avoid months when families are on vacations. I also agree that Mediterranean is not a relaxing cruise.  It is very port intensive and wonderful for seeing many sights in a short amount of time.  My husband and I are booked on Brilliance for 3 weeks starting 9/25/23. We will visit 18 different ports.  I sailed on Brilliance several years ago for Mediterranean and would not hesitate to recommend that class of ship.  As for relaxing, I would recommend a southern Caribbean cruise (with lazy beach days) or an Alaskan Cruise.  Good luck!  

Your post made me smile because in this ole cruiser's world a 2500 passenger ship is not small!  But back in the days when we would often cruise on RCI (we have since given up this line for a half dozen other lines we like better) we did really like those Radiance Class ships.    My advice on cruising the Greek Islands is to look for the smallest possible ship or boat.  

 

If you really want to get small than you might want to look at Variety Cruises which uses what some would call large yachts.  Do not be scared off as it is a very interesting experience being on a boat with fewer than 50 passengers.  Many years ago we cruised the Ionian Islands on a boat (Sea Crown) that was operated by Zeus Cruises (which later became part of Variety Cruises) and it was one of the best short cruises (1 week) we have ever experienced!  Completely different than being on large cruise ships as you quickly get to know everyone and usually will make lots of new friends.

 

Hank

[craig01020]

On 6/30/2022 at 2:04 PM, Chippendale said:

I recommend you check out Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas. It is one of their smaller ships so it does not have all the bells and whistles that attract families. I agree with the suggestion to avoid months when families are on vacations. I also agree that Mediterranean is not a relaxing cruise.  It is very port intensive and wonderful for seeing many sights in a short amount of time.  My husband and I are booked on Brilliance for 3 weeks starting 9/25/23. We will visit 18 different ports.  I sailed on Brilliance several years ago for Mediterranean and would not hesitate to recommend that class of ship.  As for relaxing, I would recommend a southern Caribbean cruise (with lazy beach days) or an Alaskan Cruise.  Good luck!  

I agree completely. My first Mediterranean cruise was on Brilliance in 2019. I've been on a few cruises since then, but none have had the magic of waking up each day in a different port or country from my beautiful aft balcony.

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

We like Oceania because they go to some less traveled places, especially on their smaller ships like Sirena.  While I love Santorini, I crave places like Crete (Chania) and Patmos, and don't particularly want to go back to Rhodes (awfully crowded, though I DID have fun last time I went!)  But of course they're not cheap, and they attract a fairly older clientele, so they may not be what you're looking for.  But the number of places they go, with new ports every year, is one of many things that make Oceania our favorite line.  And they do have some mostly Greek cruises, or cruises with Greece combined with Turkey.

[pdmlynek]

If this is your first cruise, to be honest, there is not much of a difference between the cruise lines or cruise ships. Everything will be new to you, different than you are used to, so I really wouldn't stress about picking the perfect ship. 

 

Once you have several cruises under your belt, and you know what you like and don't like, then you will be in a better position to choose more suitable lines and ships.

 

Good luck!

 

[tring]

The big difference between the big ships and the smaller ones is often price.  Whilst we would much prefer those smaller upmarket cruise lines (e.g. Viking and Oceania), if you can afford them, an alternative could be a good balcony cabin and extra cash to spend in port or on a bigger ship.  A case of looking at them all and deciding what is best for you IMO, but some good suggestions here.  It is true the ship will seem less important if there is a lot of port days.

 

[Hlitner]

17 hours ago, tring said:

The big difference between the big ships and the smaller ones is often price.  Whilst we would much prefer those smaller upmarket cruise lines (e.g. Viking and Oceania), if you can afford them, an alternative could be a good balcony cabin and extra cash to spend in port or on a bigger ship.  A case of looking at them all and deciding what is best for you IMO, but some good suggestions here.  It is true the ship will seem less important if there is a lot of port days.

 

There are times when you get what you pay for.  Trying to tender ashore, on a huge ship, in a place like Santorini can mean waiting in a lounge for over an hour, getting crammed onto a packed tender and than waiting another half hour to get on the cable car.  When we were last in Santorini on a smaller 600 passenger ship, DW and I walked down to the tender platform and got on one of the large island tender with 4 other folks and were quickly ashore.  No lines, no waiting, no fuss.  When we returned later in the day there were fewer than 10 on our tender which left the dock as soon as we boarded (pretty typical of Seabourn).

 

While we still do huge ships (our next cruise is on a 5000+ person ship) we truly prefer the smaller luxury vessels.  I like never waiting in line, being able to easily find a deck lounger, not having to listen to constant announcements over the PA, etc.  And being able to go to dinner whenever you please without any queues is another nice benefit.

 

Hank

[tring]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

There are times when you get what you pay for.  Trying to tender ashore, on a huge ship, in a place like Santorini can mean waiting in a lounge for over an hour, getting crammed onto a packed tender and than waiting another half hour to get on the cable car.  When we were last in Santorini on a smaller 600 passenger ship, DW and I walked down to the tender platform and got on one of the large island tender with 4 other folks and were quickly ashore.  No lines, no waiting, no fuss.  When we returned later in the day there were fewer than 10 on our tender which left the dock as soon as we boarded (pretty typical of Seabourn).

 

While we still do huge ships (our next cruise is on a 5000+ person ship) we truly prefer the smaller luxury vessels.  I like never waiting in line, being able to easily find a deck lounger, not having to listen to constant announcements over the PA, etc.  And being able to go to dinner whenever you please without any queues is another nice benefit.

 

Hank

 

I do agree and we do not travel on the really big ships which is not what I had in mind. We usually sail with less than 1,500 pax (often less than that), but we do not normally cruise on the expensive ships either.  I was just thinking of the price differential between some cruise lines which had been mentioned, which is a big consideration, especially for most younger people. 

 

It is sad that a lot of the smaller ships we have sailed on in the past, even just before the pandemic, are now no more.  Some relatively smaller options are still around though, without paying vast amounts.  We would never sail on what we think of as the monster ships, but land holidays are good alternatives for us.  It is all personal choice, which is what I was saying.

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by tring

[marazul]

Let me offer a suggestion for those who want to visit Santorini without dealing with the donkeys or cable car.

 

Option 1:

Go on a cruise that does NOT include Santorini.  

Fly in to Athens three or four days before the cruise and switch to a local flight to Santorini (40 minute flight).

Stay in Santorini for a couple of nights.  Rent a car, or the the bus or taxis to tour.

Really enjoy the island.

Fly to Athens the afternoon before your cruise. Hotel that night. Acropolis (if you haven't before) in the morning.

Cruise in the afternoon.

 

Option 2:

Go on a cruise that does NOT include Santorini.

Go to the airport at the end of the cruise and fly to Santorini.

Spend as long as you like there.

Fly back to Athens and fly home.  You may need an overnight in Athens or by the airport.

 

Aegean airlines has about 6 to 8 flights to Santorini each day. The prices start around $60-70 each way. aegeanair.com

 

Ferries are an option, but the schedules don't really match with ship embarkation and disembarkation times very well.  Plus they take several hours - the fastest is 5 hours.  Way longer than the flight and the ride to or from the airport together.

 

[donaldsc]

Although we have not done it yet we are doing a B2B 14 day Greek Island cruise on the Clipper Cruises Star Flyer.  She is a full rigged sailboat that holds about 180 passengers.  Should be interesting.   We just came back from a small ship AK cruise and one of the couples on the ship did the same cruise that we are doing.  They loved it.

 

DON