Greek Cruise
 

My wife and I are considering using Easy Cruise during our May vacation to Greece. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding EASY CRUISE? Should we consider buying their 2 meal per day meal plan? Your help will be greatly appreciated!
James Michael

Few Fodorites would consider Easycruise so you might not get many replies. It is absolutely nothing like the usual kind of cruise taken by tourists. Most of the people on our boat were 'doing their own thing' and few joined in the organised activities. But things may have changed in two years.
However, we went on the Mediterranean cruise in 2005. The accomodation is very basic but so is the price. We used the ship as a floating opportunity to see a lot of places in a short time and spent very little time on the ship itself. We got off as soon as it docked and ate out in the little restaurants in the places we stopped. I think we had breakfast on board once and it was fine...a Cafe Ratazza as I remember.
There are also 2/3 bars serving standard international drinks and a wide variety. Slightly higher prices but not outrageous.
The food on the ship looked very nice, but standard international cuisine rather than local specialities. I would not book any meals.
Ask me any questions you have. We are considering booking the Greek Islands cruise next year but don't know when yet.

Gertie3751:
Thanks for the info. You're probably right about the number of replies I will get to this post. I really appreciate your thoughts. My wife and I are considering the Poros, Mykonos, Paros, and Sifnos cruise. Like you, we are looking at this cruise more as an easy way to get to what we want to do ...explore the islands and not spend an arm & a leg doing it. I will check with my wife and I may have some questions for you. Thanks again!
James Michael
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I have not used easyCruise, nor would consider it, but have been interested in their program.

The advantage in the cruise you mention is, it visits four islands, each of different character, which would be impossible to reach by ferry in such a short time span. It would be ideal for someone who would like to spend each afternoon wandering around the port town and the evenings partying.

Unfortunately you get only a small taste of each island, which would be unsatisfying to me. I would rather spend the four days on one island.

Heimdall:

Thanks for your post. In almost every other case I would totally agree with you. On our previous trips to Europe we have tried to really discover the "backdoors of Europe" (to borrow a phrase from Rick Steves). In regards to the Greek Islands we are only planning one trip in our lifetime. Because of that, we want to sample, instead of diving deep. Thanks again for your post! Have a great day!
James Michael

The Easy Cruise concept is interesting, but the price doesn't exactly knock my socks off. The oft-reviled Louis Cruises are comparably priced, hit most of the same spots AND include food.

I was never ever the slightest bit interested in the cruise lifestyle, but I ended up taking a Louis Cruise as part of an educational tour and I actually enjoyed it for the most part. Not my preferred mode of vacationing in Europe, but you do get a lot for your money. Louis is the Walmart of Med cruise lines, so if you can afford it, you might want to look elsewhere. If you've ever taken an overnight ferry, the accomodations are similar. Definitely not Priness orRoyal Caribbean. I don't mind a slightly older ship, have no need for a pool and couldn't care less about the disco. Lots of food, a comfortable room and ample port time are fine with me.

We took our first cruise with Louis before the infamous Santorini sinking and one a few months after. There was a huge difference in attitude by the ship's staff - they couldn't do enough for us. I got a sore throat from saying "Yassou" to every employee I passed.

I believe the last post, while informative, was not quite accurate. I believe the Louis Cruises go to Mykonos (and Santorini and maybe Rhodes), but do NOT go to Paros and Sifnos. That is because most standard cruise ships can only use deep-water ports (of which there are just 5-6), and Sifnos, Poros and Paros are not in that category.

Another difference is that Easy Cruise apparently arrives in early morning and does not leave until midnight (or sometimes 2 am). This means you have at least 12 hours at the island and can have a leisurely dinner on shore. On standard cruises of 5-6 days, island stops can be far shorter. One schedule showed stops at Patmos 8-1l:30 am. and then Mykonos from 5-9 pm in a single day.
Often I have seen cruise passengers being herded to return to the ship for dinner after just a short time on an island.

Thanks for the info RE: Louis Cruise Lines. I was not aware of this cruise company. I will check into them. Thanks!
James Michael

There are small yacht (50 ft)cruises if that interests you. I looked into them last year and was considering using Gap Adventures. They have 8, 15, and 22 day cruises and put into smaller ports. They only sail in the mornings so you can stay on shore for dinner. They have space for 8-10 people with 2 in each cabin. Meals aren't really included, but they do a kitty ($200 I think)for breakfast and a few other items. The price last year for an 8 day per person was $680. Take a look at their web site - click on Greece and then choose yacht/sailing. www.gapadventures.com

Heartfortheharvest, thank goodness for different tastes! :-) I'm simply not the cruise type, but enjoy the Greek Islands. EasyCruise is an economical way of seeing four islands in four days, and may be just the thing for you.

Actually I'm a bit of an easyGroup fan, having used easyJet several times - that's why I was interested in their cruise program. So if you think easyCruise is right for you, go for it.

THANKS TO ALL:
I'm checking into all the tips folks have given me. So far, I'm leaning toward Easy Cruise because the only Louis cruise that fits out Greek arrival/departure is one that goes to Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos, & Kusadasi. The negative would be the lenght of stay at each port (except for Rhodes, it's only 4 hours each). It would be difficult to get a taste of an island in just 4 hours. I'm not ready to rule out Louis just yet...it's just that I'm leaning toward the EasyCruise concept. Thanks again and I will report back my findings.
Merry Christmas!
James Michael

heartfortheharvest
Could you find any prices for the Louis Cruise Lines? I googled and found information that I like destination wise, but could not find any prices.

Dear CD:
When I did a "dummy buy" on the Louis cruise website I was referred to a travel agent. I checked with a travel agent and the price per person they gave me was just under six hundred per person (including food & onboard entertainment). The price per person on Easycruise is $150 but does not include food or any onboard entertainment. Easycruise is basically a floating hotel while Louis is a more affordable version of a normal curise ship (entertaiment, buffets, game rooms,etc.). Hope this info helps.
James Michael

Thanks James, I love the time spent at each island with EasyCruise but it does not include Santorini (sp?) which is one island I especially wanted to visit. I wish they included it as what I am looking for is just transportation to the destinations we want to visit.

cd: If all you want is transportation to the islands you want to visit, why don't you use the same Greek ferry system that the Greeks use to get around the islands?

I am planning a trip to Greece in May 2008 and I didn't find it that difficult to find information on the ferry routes. The actual schedules aren't published until a month or two ahead of time, but the regular routes are fairly well established. Santorini in particular is well served by the ferry system, so it's not that hard to get to.

Cheryl, I am a little intimidated to think of doing that but I did google Greek ferries and came up with a Greek Travel agency that will get hotels and ferry tickets for me. I'm considerating doing that. Thanks

cd: I understand that the ferry system seems a little daunting, but if you want to go to specific islands, you should go where YOU want and not where the cruise people want to take you, imho. At least that's how I look at it. (Not that I'm bashing cruises! People should travel how they want.)

Booking through an agency sounds like the best way to visit the islands you want, when you want, without worrying too much about figuring out the ferries. I haven't worked with any specific travel agencies, but I know that Fantasy Travel gets a lot of positive comments here.

Thanks again Cheryl, Fantasy Travel is who I've contacted via email. Thanks for the heads up about them!