Greece Travel: Greek Island Cruises

If you are coming to Greece this year and you want to see as much as you can, what better way to see the Greek Islands and the coast of Turkey then to go in style on a cruise ship? But here are some things you should think about.

For those planning to see the Greek islands on the massive cruise lines there are a few things to keep in mind. These ships were not made for the Greek islands. Thousands of people getting on and off a mega-cruise ship can mean long lines, chaos, endless waits for transportation and long journeys on tender boats because the ships are too big to get close to the ports. Cruisers who have their heart set on the beautiful island of Rhodes may be surprised to know that their ship is actually docking in Marmaris, Turkey 12 miles away (cheaper docking fees) and they can only get there by paying for one of the ship's excursions. Other holiday-makers dreaming of the white cliff villages of Santorini may discover their cruise does not even go there!

In March of 2008 I attended the NY Times Travel show and had a conversation with a cruise agent who was complaining about the giant cruise companies jumping into the Greek market. "These ships are on a scale that is totally innapropriate to the Greek islands. They dwarf them. Can you imagine that they are building a cruise ship that will be as big as the empire state building and plan to use it in the Aegean? This is sheer greed. And what will happen to these islands when thousands of people converge on them at once? And the reason they have chosen to extend their seasons from winters in the Carribean to summers in the Greek islands? They need the money. If it were otherwise they would have built ships that were suited to the Aegean Sea with its small harbors and quaint towns. Smaller ships."

For this reason I recommend the Greek Cruise companies. There are those who will complain because the smaller ships don't live up to their idea of what a cruise should be: life on a floating  mall where your every desire is pampered to, even desires you didn't know you had. But the Greek cruise companies know the territory, the boats are not small but not so big that getting on and off them is a problem. You may not be able to hit golf balls off the upper deck into the beautifulblue Aegean but there is plenty to do on board and the Greek ships do most of their traveling while you are asleep. The Greek ships generally carry around 800 passengers compared to the big cruise ships which carry several thousand. If your purpose is to sit back like a pasha and use the Greek islands as a background for all the exciting activities offered on the ship then maybe the big international cruise lines are for you. But if your purpose is to see as many Greek islands, and as much of Turkey and Athens as you can in a short period of time then the Greek cruises are the way to go. If this is your once in a lifetime trip to Greece and the cruise does not include Santorini and Rhodes, find another cruise company.

By booking through a reliable Greek travel agency you can get discounted rates for cruises in the Greek islands and you will also have a coach who will tell you which cruise is best for you and why.

 Greek Island Cruise Information

For more information on the cruises and to see Itineraries and dates for 3, 4, and 7 day cruises to the Greek Islands, Italy, Turkey and Egypt visit the Cruiseship pages of these two respected travel agencies in Athens:
Fantasy Travel at www.fantasytravelofgreece.com or
Dolphin Hellas at www.greecetravel.com/dolphinhellas

Yacht and Sailboat Charters and Smaller Sail-Cruises of the Greek Islands

For Yacht and Sailboat Charters see www.greecetravel.com/sailing where you will find information on chartering boats with or without a skipper as well as cruises on sailing ships with twenty or thirty cabins that go on weekly itineraries to the islands, (like the cruise ships but smaller). You don't have to book the whole boat. You just book by the person.

Santorini Sailing: Greek-American Ted Stathis does charters around the island on his luxury Catamaran which includes gourmet meals, swimming in isolated coves, and a spectacular view of the island. You can take half-day, full day and overnight trips.

The Saronic Islands Cruise

The One-Day Saronic Gulf Cruise goes all year long and is a great introduction to the islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra. This is one of the best daytrips in Greece and is great in combination with a couple days on the islands. See www.greecetravel.com/cruise/saroniccruise

Tours from Cruise Ships

Many cruise companies discourage the use of taxi and limo companies for private tours in destinations like Rhodes, Athens, Crete, Santorini and places in Turkey. Whether this is to 'protect' the passenger or because the cruise ships themselves offer tours I don't know (actually I do know and you can probably figure out why I can't tell you). I do know that you can get excellent service from taxi companies which offer personalized  tours, many of whom charge by the trip and not by the person. These tours are like having a local host show you around the islands, towns and cities that they know. Instead of eating in some giant tourist trap that accommodates the dozens of people who take the bus tours, you can go to small tavernas where the locals eat, on quiet streets or on the sea. These are some drivers I recommend:

In Athens of course there is George the Famous Taxi Driver who is now something of an international hero for his tours of Athens, the mainland and his ability to get customers from the boats to the airport or hotels comfortably and quickly. George, like the other drivers listed here is non-smoking, English-speaking, knowlegable and drives a very comfortable air-conditioned Mercedes. For groups of more than 4 there is his son Dennis, in the photo above, with his beautiful luxury Mercedes limo that seats 7 plus the driver. For even larger groups there is son Billy with their Mercedes Bus able to seat 12 people. You can e-mail them at georgetaxitours@yahoo.com

On the island of Rhodes Nick Axarlis and his brother Mike, two Greeks from Alexandria, speak 6 languages (English, Greek, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish and German) and showed me places on the island that I would never have found on my own. Their company is called Private Tours and they do tours and transfers. Both are friendly, smart and funny and they have great taste in food. I spent much of my time with them and am ready to go back again.

In Santorini I recommend Dimitris at Ocean Wave Tours who has a small bus and can accommodate groups as large as 17 people.

On the island of Crete there is Lefteris Nikoforakis, who I have never met but is recommended by George the Famous Taxi Driver who packs a lot into a day. Obviously as with the other drivers you can see a lot more when you don't have a large group slowing you down.

There are others private tour guides in Turkey, Italy, Egypt and around the Mediterranean listed in Mediterranean Cruises: Private Tours