Thoughts on Greek Isles/Adriatic itinerary

[sbaker]

We're looking at booking a Greek isles/Adriatic tour for next year but know very little about the area or ports. For those of you who might be familiar with these areas, could you please share your thoughts and insights about the following itinerary:

 

Day 1- Athens

Day 2- Mykonos, Greece

Day 3- Chania, Crete

Day 4- Zakynthos, Greece

Day 5- At Sea

Day 6- Kotor, Montenegro

Day 7- Split, Croatia

Day 8- Ravenna, Italy

 

Thanks for your help!!!

[MeHeartCruising]

I have not been to all of the ports.  What stuck out to me right away was that it does not include Dubrovnik, which is sort of the crown jewel for Adriatic cruises.

 

Ending in Ravenna, you will ideally want to get transportation into Venice and then spend a few days there before heading home.  

[cruisemom42]

My thoughts:

 

Day 1- Athens -- arrive a couple of days early to see the sights in Athens (Acropolis, etc.)

 

Day 2- Mykonos, Greece -- charming typical Greeek island, you can just wander the small town or take a bus or taxi to one of the island's many beaches. If into history, definitely take a boat to nearby small island of Delos.

 

Day 3- Chania, Crete -- the ships dock at Souda but it's a 15-20 minute bus or shuttle ride to Chania, a harbor town that's very scenic, including a lighthouse, some Ottoman baths that are now an archaeological museum, and small shops/restaurants around the harbor. Easy walking day; have lunch on the terrace looking at the harbor

 

Day 4- Zakynthos, Greece -- mainly about getting around the island and seeing some of the beautiful beaches and coves either by tour or a taxi (or rent a car).

 

Day 5- At Sea

 

Day 6- Kotor, Montenegro -- Set at the end of a long fjord, it has one of the most beautiful sail-in/sail-outs in the Med. Be on deck early to watch it. Kotor is a nice medieval walled city worth exploring; can easily do on your own.

 

Day 7- Split, Croatia -- Some like Dubrovnik but I prefer Split. It is a town built into and out of the remains of the palace of a Roman emperor and the setting is very pretty, including the esplanade along the water. Again, easy to do on your own. Take a local tour of the remains of the palace -- you can see the basements as well as a couple of surviving small buildings from Roman times.

 

Day 8- Ravenna, Italy -- beautiful small town and worth spending an overnight here after disembarking to see the amazing mosaics from the 300s to 500s AD; they are incredibly well-preserved and so colorful!  Then take the train to Venice and spend another couple of days there before returning home.

 

It seems like a very nice itinerary. Which cruiseline/ship?

[sbaker]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

My thoughts:

 

Day 1- Athens -- arrive a couple of days early to see the sights in Athens (Acropolis, etc.)

 

Day 2- Mykonos, Greece -- charming typical Greeek island, you can just wander the small town or take a bus or taxi to one of the island's many beaches. If into history, definitely take a boat to nearby small island of Delos.

 

Day 3- Chania, Crete -- the ships dock at Souda but it's a 15-20 minute bus or shuttle ride to Chania, a harbor town that's very scenic, including a lighthouse, some Ottoman baths that are now an archaeological museum, and small shops/restaurants around the harbor. Easy walking day; have lunch on the terrace looking at the harbor

 

Day 4- Zakynthos, Greece -- mainly about getting around the island and seeing some of the beautiful beaches and coves either by tour or a taxi (or rent a car).

 

Day 5- At Sea

 

Day 6- Kotor, Montenegro -- Set at the end of a long fjord, it has one of the most beautiful sail-in/sail-outs in the Med. Be on deck early to watch it. Kotor is a nice medieval walled city worth exploring; can easily do on your own.

 

Day 7- Split, Croatia -- Some like Dubrovnik but I prefer Split. It is a town built into and out of the remains of the palace of a Roman emperor and the setting is very pretty, including the esplanade along the water. Again, easy to do on your own. Take a local tour of the remains of the palace -- you can see the basements as well as a couple of surviving small buildings from Roman times.

 

Day 8- Ravenna, Italy -- beautiful small town and worth spending an overnight here after disembarking to see the amazing mosaics from the 300s to 500s AD; they are incredibly well-preserved and so colorful!  Then take the train to Venice and spend another couple of days there before returning home.

 

It seems like a very nice itinerary. Which cruiseline/ship?

Thank you so much for your thoughtful summary!  We're looking at Royal Caribbean's "Voyager of the Seas" in May 2024.

[SummmerInKefalonia]

Kotor and Chania are the most beautiful destinations in this cruise.

Least charming are Zakynthos and Split (you can stay onboard).

Mykonos is always 50/50 since it may get cancelled due to strong winds.

Embarkation ports are not the best for this purpose (Piraeus & Ravenna).

[Hlitner]

37 minutes ago, SummmerInKefalonia said:

Kotor and Chania are the most beautiful destinations in this cruise.

Least charming are Zakynthos and Split (you can stay onboard).

Mykonos is always 50/50 since it may get cancelled due to strong winds.

Embarkation ports are not the best for this purpose (Piraeus & Ravenna).

WOW.  Forgive me for disagreeing in many respects.  We enjoy Split and find it a decent cruise port for the day.  We would actually like to return to Split (for a few days) and use it as a base for some day trips.  Many cruisers seem to enjoy browsing the shops/boutiques and there are plenty of cafes/restaurants where one can enjoy a nice lunch. 

 

As to Mykonos, we have been there more than 2 dozen times on cruises (both tendered and docked) and have never missed the port due to weather.  We also think that Pireaus is a fine embarkation/debarkation port with good access to both Athens and ATH.  Since it is so easy to travel between Athens and Pireaus there is no need to spend any pre-post cruise nights in Pireaus.

 

As to Zakynthos, DW and I really enjoyed that island, but we went there on a small yacht (20 passenger) cruise.  I do think it is not a good port for large cruise ships (such as the Voyager of the Seas) and would hope that the Greek government eventually limits that port to only smaller vessels.  But we actually found Zakynthos quite charming, enjoyed swimming into Shipwreck (from our boat) and exploring a few of the caves.  But as a cruise port for large ships....no way!

 

Hank

[bennybear]

I think this is a lovely and somewhat unusual itinerary.  We have enjoyed all those places and particularly like Chania and Zakynthos.  The mosaics in Ravenna are stunning, do not miss them in the church and baptistery. 
Split is a stunning city and we preferred it to overcrowded Dubrovnik.   We have also spent several weeks on Zakynthos and enjoyed it very much,  it is the site of some magnificent beaches.  We went there specifically to see and swim at Shipwreck beach. 
We have missed Mykonos on one occasion and had heavy winds cause some issues another time.  In the summer the Meltemi can cause havoc, but in May you should be fine.
Do enjoy! 

Edited February 21, 2023 by bennybear