I think we are now leaning towards a cruise aroun he greek isles. We are very limited in our planning time, as our vacation begins on this coming Saturday (the 6th). We are looking for input from seasoned travelers about which line might be the best, in regards to itinerary and ship quality. We are an active young couple with no kids and want lots of things to do while onboard. Any tips or past exerience stories are welcome, just looking to get a feel for the right cruise for us..thanks to all

Hi

You certainly can't be faulted for being obssessive about trip planning.

Have you gotten your airline tickets yet? You might not be able to get to Greece. The best I found was $1450 unless you want a 9 hr layover at CDG.

The best Cruise Line is 'ROYAL OLYMPIC'
on one of their brand new ships the
'OLYMPIC EXPLORER'or the 'OLYMPIC VOYAGER'

As i know they have 2 circuits(of 7 days)
-one combining the Aegean sea (Greece and Turkey)
-the other combining some greek islands of the Ionian sea,Italy and south of France .

You can still make last minute bookings and get excellent rates through a local greek travel agent who can arrange for you your airport transfers/hotels etc...

Excellent idea, and, excellent timing(the weather is fine ,no more 'meltemi-wind' and...beautifull LIGHT for mega-sunsets!)

The best Cruise Line is 'ROYAL OLYMPIC'
on one of their brand new ships the
'OLYMPIC EXPLORER'or the 'OLYMPIC VOYAGER'

As i know they have 2 circuits(of 7 days)
-one combining the Aegean sea (Greece and Turkey)
-the other combining some greek islands of the Ionian sea,Italy and south of France .

You can still make last minute bookings and get excellent rates through a local greek travel agent who can arrange for you your airport transfers/hotels etc...

we are going to be in England already and just have to fly to greece from any airport there, and kind of hoping to get a bit of a package deal where a lot of the arrangements will be made by the travel agency. Wondering where the $1450 price quote was flying from?
anybody know a good travel company in greece to help us arrange such a trip and if we can communicate via internet means? at this late in the game that is pretty much all we can do.
thanks again

You should probably post this on the cruise section of this board as you will get more advice. You might want to look at Windstar cruises, as I understand the passengers are younger, and the ship is less formal than other cruise lines.

Personally, if it were me, I would forget a cruise on the Royal Olympic..
I ,too, prefer the Windstar Line for it's open seating dining and 4 masted yachts and younger people..

I had good friend who did Royal Olympic and they felt that they did NOT have enought time in each port, most of the passengers were European and did not speak English, and that the food was just passible..

If you are going for a less expensive experience of the Greek Isles, then Royal Olympic may be fine for you..BUT please do NOT compare this line to any of the normal AMERICAN CRUISE LINES doing the cruise thru the Greek Isles...
Royal Olympic is known for their 3-4 day cruises in the Greek Isles..Just NOT a luxury line, IMHO>>>>>

Here is a website for GREEK CRUISES and discounts:

http://www.iek.gr/greek-islands-cruises-greece.html

And here is another website that does 5-7 day cruise- but I know NOTHING about this cruise line:

http://www.louiscruises.com/cgi-bin/...show-dates.htm

Or you might just want to charter your own sailboat with a skipper and island hop:

http://aegeansailing.simplenet.com/karavaki.html

In any event, Have a blast and report back....

Ah,

You will be in Europe already.
The $1450 was JFK/Athens on AF.

Royal Olympic Cruises are cruising the Carribean,Scandinavia etc...and Greek islands including some mediterranean countries.

Its most recent boats,have been granted the 5 stars diamond award for hospitality from the US AAA...!!!!It is the highest label for quality.

All the tourist indistry in Greece and around Europe (the UK is IN EUROPE) has adopted the english language for the communications and exchanges....

Last but not least....,you choice of cruise line should also take into consideration the Flag of the vessel in order to minimize security risks/threats...

You mention having time restraints so I'm not sure if you could work this out or not but the best value going IMO is through Radisson. They have 2 for 1 cruise prices for the Radisson Diamond. This is a great ship and only holds around 300 passengers. 1st class in every way and there is one itinerary specifically for the Greek islands (I think it may be in May'04 ?) Maybe there are also some for Fall 2003 on the Diamond or another ship. They have many 2 for 1's going. Look at the following website:
http://www.brownandkeenetravel.com

then click Radisson 2004 and you can find it.(or look under 2003 options as well). The 2 for 1 is only for the first 40 cabins booked on each sailing so I wouldn't wait long or the 2 for 1 won't be available. This is the travel agency I use and they always have excellent pricing for Radisson. My TA there is named Ngaire (pronounced Ny-ree). Good luck

I took the Royal Olympic Cruise and I find your "friend's" Statements a little strange.

Food was very good. It was Greek food.

Guests were European. Did you friend notice she/he was in EUROPE?

You don't have a LOT of time in the ports and I refer to it as a working cruise. They dock early and you are off sightseeing. Lunch on the ship and on to the next stop. The only place I felt really shorted on was Santorini. I would recommend them again.

The other lines mentioned tend to be MUCH more expensive. (I did a lot of research before I did my cruise) or spend more time at sea. If I in Europe I don't want time at sea. I can do days at sea on cruises from Florida for a lot less money and the ocean looks about the same!

Not sure if you decided to cruise the Greek Islands or not. I have done this twice and I highly recommend it.

I have cruised on Olympia Explorer as well as RSSC Diamond. The Explorer cruised roundtrip from Athens and the Diamond cruised from Athens to Venice (or the reverse). They were both enjoyable though quite different. Olympia is more of a no frills, very friendly staff, clean, small cabins probably a 2-3 star cruise line. The RSSC Diamond on the other hand is an outstanding, double hull ship with top notch food and accommodations, certainly a 5 star ship. If they are offering 2 for 1 pricing (as they often do) your cruise will cost you approximately $1,500 per person for 7 nights Venice to Athens or the reverse. This fare includes all tips and liquor. They often have free air specials as well so you might consider this. The Diamond would be the Mercedez and the Explorer would be like a Ford. Both will get you where you want to go but one will get you there in luxury. You mention that you want lots of things to do on board. I don't think you will necessarily get this on any Greek Island itinerary as You are in port every day. If you want more activities, you are better off on an itinerary that offers you days at sea. We did so much during the days on our cruises that at night, a good dinner, maybe a little dancing, some after dinner drinks or casino play and we were ready to call it a day and prepare for the next day. We met wonderful people on both cruises who we remain friends with still today.

I caution you about going in the summer because it is extremely hot. I have found that the Spring is the ideal time to cruise the Greek Islands and I'd highly recommend it.