Cruising Venice to Athens October, 2026

You might get more responses if you post on Cruise Critic site.

Thanks for the suggestion!

hey hey pat.stephenson54
haven't cruised with either cruise line but have others. one con about either and many other cruise ships are it says venice to ???
cruise ships are not allowed to dock in venice proper, so really pay attention to what dock they depart from (chioggia, fusina, marghera, ravenna, trieste). you will need to find transportation to all ports if landing in venice (VCE), would take time to get to places you will have to find the best ways.
it has become an irritant to say the least with many other cruisers to see that. it's been several years that i did sail out of venice a few times.
october is still a busy month, it's wine harvest season along with olive oil season, there really isn't an off season anymore. so many travelers nowdays going here there and anywhere. venice and greece are always busy along with many of the islands they cruise to.
after doing a greek island cruise which was great but santorini was a nightmare with so many crowds packed everywhere, coming down either the steps with donkeys and donkey poo, or the cable cars that fill up with people pushing, pulling, being nasty & rude to get on tender back to ship. mykonos (called the party island very pretty) was another busy island, we liked it but walked the back neighborhoods, ate at small cafe, waved and smiled to the residents, sat beach front for a island beer before ship sailing
don't wanna be deloris downer but these are my opinions.
cruisemapper.com
a site to check how many ships are in port same day as you, click unselect all ships, click ports "your port", oct 2026, scroll down to date and shows how many ships, look at capacity of ship. if there is 4 ships that adds up to almost 10,000 people not counting private tours, people sailing or flying to stay.
hope this helps you out with some info to check upon. good luck & enjoy
aloha

We are booked on a Celebrity cruise from Ravenna to Athens, 11 nights. We leave September 28.
We booked an excursion with the ship for Santorini because of the nightmare of trying to get to the actual city, via either the 600 donkey sharing steps or the 6 passenger cable car ride.
I don’t know if these ships require tenders, but People booked on excursions get on the tenders first. We booked the earliest, shortest, and cheapest one they had. We figure we can not return with the and just walk around town.
One of the reasons we are cruising is because we are traveling with 4 other couples.
Just as an aside, my sister cruised with AMA and loved their cruise, best one she ever took and she worked for Cunard Lines.

Thanks much for helpful info. Both my husband and I dislike crowds, so guess we’ll have to visit Greece in the winter ! The cruisemapper.com was another great suggestion!

pat, Azamara has been on my radar for a while now. Azamara's more relaxed atmosphere while still providing a high level of service sound like a better fit for us than Viking. Windstar, even smaller & more casual than Azamara, is another cruise line we're considering. The Cruise Critic forums are an excellent resource.

Here's a post from a frequent forum contributor that you may find useful.

Azamara Istanbul to Athens Cruise Report

Perhaps Carol now retired will share more information on Azamara when she sees your post.

We recently sailed on the Azamara and Viking cruise ships.

Our first choice is with Viking - included excursions, no up-charge for the two specialty restaurants, immaculate ship, excellent food, included wine & soft drinks with lunch & dinner, great customer service, the wellness area (therapeutic pool, sauna, snow grotto, etc is free & wonderful), we prefer the interior design of the ships - light and airy, all of the rooms have a balcony.

On Azamara (we were on the Sydney to Perth itinerary in 2024) - while it was "refurbished" the ship looked tired, up-charge for specialty restaurant, hard sell for spa & drink packages, we found the excursions to be pricey, has more of the feel of the bigger ship activities, disembarkation was poorly organized , food was very good, variety of staterooms.

You will find devoted customers for each cruise line. I would base my decision on the itinerary and what is in your budget. But be aware of the extra costs on each cruise. They can add up quickly. There are several Facebook pages for each cruise line. Check them out.

Have a wonderful trip.

We just returned from n 11-night Aegean cruise on the Viking Vesta. It was our 3rd ocean cruise with Viking. The Vesta is a beautiful ship, with comfortable cabins and spacious, airy public areas. Entertainment on the ship is focused on the itinerary; while there is evening entertainment in the theatre performed by a small but talented group, it is not the Broadway style of some cruise lines. During the day there are lectures on the history and culture of the destinations, and, as Viking advertises, there is a free tour offered in every port. Some of these are very good.

Regarding October travel I think you are mistaken about crowds and temps. We have decided to stop going to the Mediterranean in late September because shoulder season crowds are ridiculous and the weather, while cooler than July or August, is still pretty warm. Our recent cruise was February 17th-27th, Viking's "Quiet Season," and daily highs averaged around 60 degrees. Athens was even warmer. Check the weather in the visited ports for that period of time and use it as a guide with a grain of salt.

Regarding docking at ports, Viking would anchor offshore and tender us in. The port was usually visible from the ship and we were always dropped off at a good location for independent sightseeing. The tenders usually took 10-15 minutes from ship to shore. The smaller cruise ships are much more versatile than the huge 6000-8000 passengers that many cruise lines are building.

We have not cruised with Azamara, so I hesitate to comment on their cruises. Having sailed with Viking I can say that the #1 complaint most of our fellow passengers had was that there was too little time in the port, usually 8-9 hours. Other passengers complained about the entertainment, but Viking's advertisements have information about that. You can also see what tours are offered for the cruise on the website.