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Sailing the Greek Isles... But NOT on a giant cruise ship

Posted by on

Are there alternatives to the mammoth cruise ships?
We would like to visit a few of the Green isles, with perhaps stops in Puglia Italy, Istanbul, Crete, or whatever?

Are there smaller ships, without all the fanfare, but with reasonable prices?

We are just beginning to scope out a trip to this party of the world. We watched "Travel skills: Cruising", and that is absolutely NOT the kind of experience we want

Ideally, we want transportation and a comfortable room, and logistically, will likely need the option for meals on board occasionally.

Or maybe, we just use ferries to move between the islands, and find BandBs at each stop? More work for us, but maybe worth it?

(We're in our late 60s, but still think we can travel like we're in our early 20s!!)

Thanks in advance.

Posted by
2349 posts

If you want to visit the islands, and since you are young people, visit them by yourself by taking ferries.
If you travel on a cruise you will spend most of your time on the boat.

That being said, there are companies that offer more or less "high-end" cruises in the Mediterranean Sea on Sailboats, Yachts, catamarans with 6 to 10 cabins.

You should expect at least 1500€ / person for a week without counting possible visits, transfers or food / drinks not necessarily included in the program. I do not know if this is what you consider a reasonable price.

But if you are prone to seasickness forget what I have just suggested. :))

Posted by
100 posts

Contact VarietyCruises.com--that's what they do. It has about 20+ cabins and visits some of the major sights along with islands or ports the big ones can't access-You are contacting a GREEK Line direct so you will probably be surprised by the rate.
We sailed with them pre-covid.

Posted by
18 posts

My wife and I don’t normally ever take cruises on big ships but we did a 4-night cruise on what’s now Celestyal Cruise Line and it was great. We visited 5 islands plus Kusadesi, Turkey. The ship was really just for transport and a place to sleep and grab a bite between stops. It enabled us to see a lot more places in the time that we had than using ferries would have. Check out their website!

Posted by
263 posts

Just within Greece, Intrepid Travel offers 8 to 10 day cruises with group size up to 11 people for around $2000. I haven't done this, but I used their tour of Cuba and it was great; very much like a RS tour.
EDITED to add: These are sail boats with probably cramped quarters.

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