Pauli

I'm planning a trip to Greece this MAy 2008. My friend and I have narrowed the choices to 2 tours-(a) Splendors of Greece and Turkey-12 days (Globus) and (b) Best of Greece and 4-day Aegean Cruise –14 days (Trafalgar).

The Globus tour travels to the following cities: ATHENS, Crete, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini, and Istanbul.

The Trafalgar tour includes: Athens, Delphi, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Nauplia, Olympia, Patmos, Rhodes, and Santorini.

Which sounds like a better tour?? I'm thinking if we chose the Globus tour we may decide to arrive a day earlier and travel to Delphi on our own (via Chat Tours). I doubt we'll have enough time to visit Nauplia/Olympia.

travelerjan

YOu might consider posting your query on the Cruise forum, as most of the posters here do independent travel to Greece -- or else a hybrid called "independent packages" or something like that.

You DO know, I hope that those tours are not really much exposure to the places involved -- they are mainly sea voyages with brief port stops ... from 4-8 hours (not including the time lining up to get on/off ship or the launches). Some tours do no even give you the opportunity to have dinner on shore.

The compromise might be to contact a well-regarded agency in Greece -- 2 of them that have been praised on these forums are Dolphin-Hellas and Fantasy Travel, Athens-based. They do all the bookings for you -- hotels, ferry, flights, guided site tours -- and have someone transfer you to/from port on islands.

Takes away all that hassle, yet gives you more time at maybe 4 destinations rather than a "glancing blow" at 6 or 7. Also, you don't get stuck having dinner evry night with other tour people, on board.

just a thought.

cheryllj

I think the OP is referring to land-based coach tours, not cruises, although the Trafalgar 14-day tour does include a 4-day cruise to the islands (and obviously ferries must be part of the other tour at some point).

Pauli: you might want to repost your question and include Trafalgar vs. Globus tours in the title. Most people here are DIY types who plan their own trips, so you will want input from people who have experience with those particular tour companies.

Imho, both of the tours sound like too many places crammed into too short a time: If-it's-Tuesday-this-must-be-Patmos. I would plan my own trip spending more time in fewer locations.

Weadles

I agree with the other posters, but if you absolutely must pick one or the other, I'd go with Globus, since Crete, Rhodes, and Istanbul are amazing destinations.

iris1745

Hi Pauli; I would go to 'Pavlus Travel' and find the trips you are looking at with GLOBUS and TRAFALGAR. This company sells trips on Globus, Trafalgar and many more tour companies, including Tauck. They give a nice discount. ENJOY Iris

thursdaysd

I wouldn't travel with either Globus or Trafalgar - if I'm going to do a tour I like to go with smaller groups. Only you can decide if you want more islands or more time on land - although if that's the itinerary for the Trafalgar tour the sequence seems odd. But if I had to pick one or the other I'd probably go for the Globus tour since it includes Crete, Rhodes and Istanbul.

Suggest that you spend some time on Matt Barrett's wonderfully comprehensive site: www.greektravel.com. Then consider doing it yourself, using ferries, and spending more time in fewer places so you can really enjoy them. I've seen the cruise passengers on Rhodes - just rushing around in big groups taking pictures and shopping - a totally different experience from sleeping in the old town.