Cruise (not ferry) from Athens to Istanbul?
#1
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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.
#2
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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>
#5
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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.