Help !Which itinerary to pick???

[dimiegirl]

Hello everyone,

I have an itinerary debacle...Celebrity is offering 2 7 day cruises which both work for our schedule.. both are leaving from Venice..

 

itinerary 1- santorini, Greece, athens, Greece, olympia Greece, kotor, montenegro,

 

intinerary 2- mykanos, dubrovnik croata , Ephesus, Turkey, Corfu, Greece

 

The prices are similar... for those experienced cruisers who have visited these destinations, I would GREATLY appreciate your feedback to help us make a decision. Thank you so much!:)

[rubydoobydoo]

Hello everyone,

I have an itinerary debacle...Celebrity is offering 2 7 day cruises which both work for our schedule.. both are leaving from Venice..

 

itinerary 1- santorini, Greece, athens, Greece, olympia Greece, kotor, montenegro,

 

intinerary 2- mykanos, dubrovnik croata , Ephesus, Turkey, Corfu, Greece

 

The prices are similar... for those experienced cruisers who have visited these destinations, I would GREATLY appreciate your feedback to help us make a decision. Thank you so much!:)

 

What a dilemma, I have been to Dubrovnik and Kotor, both lovely places but in my opinion Kotor, after Venice was the most lovely place I had been

 

In Dubrovnik we had to pay for a shuttle to the town, where as Kotor was a tender and everything is there.

 

I think I would prefer Athens and Olympia for the history too although I have never been

 

Whatever you choose it will be wonderful as you are seeing Venice :)

[jerseygirl3]

Hello everyone,

 

I have an itinerary debacle...Celebrity is offering 2 7 day cruises which both work for our schedule.. both are leaving from Venice..

 

 

 

itinerary 1- santorini, Greece, athens, Greece, olympia Greece, kotor, montenegro,

 

 

 

intinerary 2- mykanos, dubrovnik croata , Ephesus, Turkey, Corfu, Greece

 

 

 

The prices are similar... for those experienced cruisers who have visited these destinations, I would GREATLY appreciate your feedback to help us make a decision. Thank you so much!:)

 

 

I've always heard santorini is not to be missed. Just sayin'

 

 

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[cruisingsince94]

For us its #1. Santorini is beautiful and Athens has so much history and beauty as well as the greek culture. Of #2 Ephesus is popular because of its biblical history but the other stops did nothing for us.

[Phxazzcruisers]

We have been to all places, and honestly, I could not chose one itinerary over the other. Each has places you cannot miss. You will not be disappointed with either. Just make sure you are able to do the other at a later date !!!

[ghstudio]

Personally, I'd pick itinerary 2 which gives you more differences between ports and I think seeing the terrace houses at Ephesus and a bit of Turkey is far more interesting than the scenery of santorini...or olympic greece which might be interesting if they were running an olympics, but isn't all that interesting (my view) now. Honestly, Santorini really is missable....long lines, long tendering waits, over-rated...I wouldn't go back, yet I've enjoyed walking around Mykonos twice.

[DebbieMacG]

I would pick number 2 :)

[cruzers j&n]

We've been to many of these destinations previously but not all, and based on our experience would say that both itineraries really do look great. What I would add, however, is that the time of year you're considering is important. For example, when we visited Ephesus, it was in early June and it was so incredibly HOT!! I can't imagine going in August. However, the Greek isles were pleasant in June for sightseeing but the water was quite cold and not great for swimming. So if you're thinking of tagging on a trip pre or post cruise, you'll want to go at least in July/Aug/Sept if you intend to swim on the isles. We spent nearly 2 weeks in mid June between Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes, and Patmos and the weather was nice & sunny and perfect for strolling around. Also, the Greek isles each have a very different personality so don't think that if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Enjoy your cruise with whichever itinerary you chose!

[Gracie115]

Personally, I'd pick itinerary 2 which gives you more differences between ports and I think seeing the terrace houses at Ephesus and a bit of Turkey is far more interesting than the scenery of santorini...or olympic greece which might be interesting if they were running an olympics, but isn't all that interesting (my view) now. Honestly, Santorini really is missable....long lines, long tendering waits, over-rated...I wouldn't go back, yet I've enjoyed walking around Mykonos twice.

 

Agree with you on all points. Ephesus is amazing....I would pick #2 also

[macaroni]

I would not miss Santorini if I had never been....yes, there are lines...get off the ship ASAP and head to Oia.....

[TLCOhio]

both are leaving from Venice..

itinerary 1- santorini, Greece, athens, Greece, olympia Greece, kotor, montenegro,

intinerary 2- mykanos, dubrovnik croata , Ephesus, Turkey, Corfu, Greece

 

BOTH are great cruise options, especially since you depart from Venice, another world-class location. We have been to all of these, except for Santorini, Olympia and Corfu. Much depends on your personal interests and past Europe travels. Tell us more on that background, what you seek, love, etc. How much of your priorities are for history, culture, beaches, shopping, food, etc.

 

Also involved is your "luck" for weather when you are planning this trip, etc. In some ports, such as Dubrovnik, it can get crowded and congested if four, five or six ships are all in port on your day of visiting there. Kotor, generally, is less crowded. See more with some of my notes and tips shared below for four of these ports. Plus, a few of my visuals are shown to get you more excited about either of these wonderful options and ideas for what to see while visiting.

 

For those who have not yet visited Athens, Greece, the good news is that the wonderful Plaka is right handy and next door to the famed Acropolis area. That makes things so much easier. On going up the hill, be careful as the stone steps can be slick in areas. And you will be looking up and forgetting to watch where and how you are stepping. It's well worth the effort getting there to the top. It is amazing history and architecture!! Also, we had a private guide to help us on this spectacular site. It's not cheap, but it was well worth it to know more on what you are seeing and why it is so important. Below are a few of my visual sample to get people excited about their upcoming visit and/or re-live those wonderful memories from this historic city.

 

Added questions??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 21,651 views on this posting.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 19,205 views on this posting:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

 

Venice is one of our great favorites. You might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting is now at 37,334 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

For Athens, Greece, check out this posting with many ideas, tips and exciting visuals. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

There are over 9,200 views on this posting.

 

KEY VISUAL SAMPLING:

 

On Athens’ Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide we lined up at the site, she helped us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there at this famed site going back 700 years before Christ.:

 

 

 

Looking downhill towards the library and other ruins from when Ephesus, along the Turkish Coast, was Rome's capital of Asia Minor. The history here is real and totally amazing! This Library of Celsus was built in honor of a Roman Senator and completed in 135 AD by his son, a Roman Consul and powerful official. The library was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a tomb for his father. The interior of the library and all its books were destroyed by fire in an earthquake in 262 AD. Only the facade survived, but was later destroyed by another earthquake. In a restoration during the 1960's and 1970's, the front was restored and serves as a key example of Roman public architecture.:

 

 

 

At Ephesus along the Turkish Coast, here is the famed outdoor theater that hosted Saint Paul preaching, plus rock stars, etc. At this site in the 1st century AD, the Apostle Paul spent over three years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel. This included a sermon condemning pagan worship in this theater:

 

 

 

Here’s a sampling of the narrow, flowered street in Mykonos in the Greek Isles with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

 

 

 

This is a view of the historic Dubrovnik wall at an upward and outward point built on top of the rocks and where it overlooks the Adriatic Sea. Walking this wall is a wonderful and unique way to sample and see up close and personal what makes this city so special.:

 

 

 

Here’s our bus driver going to up, back and forth, through twenty-seven serpentine twists and turns to rise up the 4000’ high mountain above Kotor as we headed to the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. You can see our cruise ship down below tendered in the scenic harbor.:

 

[dimiegirl]

Thanks everyone for your input. It seems that about 50% choose 1 and 50% choose 2.. I think after reading all of the posts I thing I am leaning towards #1 but I would definitely want to do another cruise which includes Ephesus. A special thanks to TLC Ohio for all of the excellent information and wonderful links. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and wonderful photos!:)

 

TLL Ohio, in response to your question of our interests...While when in a historically enriching port, such as Athens, of course we want to see all of the highlights, however, we absolutely love the Venice, Prague type cities..the ones where you can just stroll for hours taking in the quaint authentic shops and picturesque views.. which is why kotor seems right up our alley... In looking at pictures it seems santorini is more quaint and picturesque than mykonos...is this an accurate assumption? Thanks so much again for taking the time out to help us with the extensive information and pictures. It is much appreciated:)

[scdreamer]

Have been to many of these lovely ports, and Kotor is one that has remained my favorite over the years. Sailing into port at sunrise through the fjords was just amazing (and we had a double rainbow on the way out in the late afternoon).

 

Depending on your level of fitness, climbing the old steps up the side of the mountain and all the way to the old fortress is something I am so glad we did. The subsequent views were spectacular, and the climb itself was enchanting.

 

I would return to Kotor in a heartbeat.

[welshfamily]

We would choose Ephesus as one of the best places we have ever been.

We have been twice in 5 years admittedly because the terrace houses had opened and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time,5 years previously, both in August.

We love Santorini,

Because everyone gets off the boat and squeezes themselves into very small spaces and we get to have the ship almost to ourselves and enjoy the incredible views.

Santorini is beautiful, but Fira is just full of shops.

We last did a tour, again beautiful but all very similar.

The queue down for the cable car was over 2 hours long last summer.

 

Dubrovnik is better than kotor, but the sail away from kotor is spectacular.

 

Athens is wonderful.

 

Mykonos, shops with a beach.

 

However I would just toss a coin and let fate choose.