Which cruise line and which port to leave from - Greek Isles

[BILKAT2355]

I'm contemplating a cruise to the Greek Isles in 2024.  I would like to know which cruise line is best to use choosing from Celebrity, Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  I know there are soooo many more, but these are the lines we use often and wanted to stay within them.  Also, which port of departure is best??

 

 

[marazul]

35 minutes ago, BILKAT2355 said:

I'm contemplating a cruise to the Greek Isles in 2024.  I would like to know which cruise line is best to use choosing from Celebrity, Royal Caribbean or Carnival.  I know there are soooo many more, but these are the lines we use often and wanted to stay within them.  Also, which port of departure is best??

 

 

Whichever line has the best itinerary for you.   They all go to the same ports in different combinations at different times. 

They all depart from Athens if you want only Greece.  Some may start or end in Venice if you want to go to Italy too.  Some might start or end in Istanbul if you are interested.

[cruisemom42]

To me, if you want the Greek Isles, the best place to start from is Athens. Cutting down on travel distance from other major departure hubs means more time to visit islands.

[Hlitner]

I agree with Cruisemom that Athens (Pireus) is generally the most adventageous port (for the Greek Islands).  On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of cruise ships go to similar ports (i.e. Rhodes, Crete, Corfu, , Santorini, Mykonos),   It is estimated that there are far more than 1000 Greek Islands of which around 200 are inhabited.  We think that some of the best islands are not visited by any cruise ship.  So, getting back to the OP's question, one might want to consider island hopping via ferry!  It is actually a lot of fun, gives one an opportunity to spend time on various islands never seen by a cruise ship, and one can have fun putting together their own itinerary.  Even a popular island like Santorini, is a difference experience when one arrives by ferry (or plane) and spends a few days.   Islands like Naxos, Paxos, and Hydra are wonderful places to visit but you will not ever do it if you only use cruise ships.

 

Just tossing this out to CC folks to open some minds about the limitations we all face when using cruise ships.

 

Hank

 

 

[pdmlynek]

On 1/5/2023 at 6:29 PM, Hlitner said:

....Islands like Naxos, Paxos, and Hydra are wonderful places to visit but you will not ever do it if you only use cruise ships.

 

Just tossing this out to CC folks to open some minds about the limitations we all face when using cruise ships.

 

 

Well, of course.  I agree. However, since this is a forum for cruising, I think that it makes sense to forcus on islands that are visited by cruise ships.  🙂 

 

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, pdmlynek said:

 

Well, of course.  I agree. However, since this is a forum for cruising, I think that it makes sense to forcus on islands that are visited by cruise ships.  🙂 

 

Yes and no.  The last time we cruised the Greek Islands was on Seabourn in August 2021.  That was a 2 week cruise among quite a few islands.  When we debarked the ship (in Pireaus) we took a taxi about 1/2 mile to a ferry pier on the other side of the harbor and began another 10 days traveling between multiple islands via ferry.  We have often posted ideas, here, about how to combine a cruise with a pre/post land trip.  It all relates to extending a cruise vacation which we have long suggested for fellow cruisers.   Our philosophy is to maximize one's opportunity in Europe (or Asia) to see and do more than a cruise.  Since folks are already paying for their airfare it just makes sense to take advantage of the opportunity (assuming one can spare the time and money).

 

Hank

[Wishing on a star]

Go by the itinerary.  

If there are two or three good itineraries, then pick the ship that you might like best.

Remember to look at port times for each port, in case some port stops have a short time there.

Greece, and Cruise Line are too broad and vague!

Go by Itinerary and Ship.