Cruise (not ferry) from Athens to Istanbul?
 

Dreaming of a May vacation that starts in Athens, cruises or sails to perhaps Mykonos or Rhodes, Santorini, Kusadasi-Ephesus and ends in Istanbul. We're in our 60's so the ferries sound a little "rustic" for us; but we're low-key and not looking for an elegant cruise, just clean and safe! Any ideas? Any similar experiences? Thanks.

When planning for our trip to Greece and Turkey in summer 98, we looked into cruise options available at the time. There were two shipping companies (one of which I remember being Royal Olympic) offering cruises out from Athens AND RETURNING to Athens, stopping in Heraklion, Santorini, Rhodes, Patmos, Kusadasi-Ephesus, Istanbul and Mykonos, with 24 hours top in Istanbul. In principle, one could stop in Istanbul for a week and take the next cruise back to the Piraeus, stopping in Mykonos enroute. We didn't ask if there would be a discount if we just cut our cruise short in Istanbul. <BR> <BR>The only "one-way" cruise we found at the time was with Windstar cruises. This is a different kind of cruise, in a much smaller ship. <BR> <BR>We ended up deciding going on our own (a combination of ferry/flight/car rental). <BR> <BR>I just tried my old bookmarks and two of them are still in order. You may wish to give a look: <BR> <BR>http://www.windstarcruises.com/voyag...sles.jsp?ID=63 <BR> <BR>http://www.windstarcruises.com/voyag...sles.jsp?ID=66 <BR> <BR>http://www.RoyalOlympicCruises.com/G...ldenfleece.htm <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

We took a 10 day Renaissance cruise 2 years ago from Athens to Istanbul. Very enjoyable and went to islands you mention in your post.

We enjoy our trips to Turkey and found Istanbul fascinating. We have not gone a cruise nor a ferry. But we will gladly share travel info for first timers to Istanbul. There is a cost, however. You must share your trip with us upon your return!

We took a cruise with Orient Lines several years ago that started in Athens, went to Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos/Delos, Ephesus and Istanbul. We had a wonderful time. Orient Lines has a website at www.orientlines.com, it looks like they still offer a similar trip. <BR> <BR>Although I was more interested in the Greek Islands, I ended up enjoying the stops in Turkey more than the Greek Islands. Ephesus and Istanbul were magnificent. <BR> <BR>The cruise, at the time, struck me as being a bit more casual than Princess or RCL. I think they still had at least one formal night though.

My own recommendation, which we did this northern summer is Orient Lines, Crown Odyssey. Not too "glitzy" at all but absolutely fantastic at a very fair price. Try it, I'm sure you will be delighted.