Cruising in Europe?

[mikekama1]

Would like help/suggestions regarding a European cruise....maybe Greek Islands? Thx.

[rocon]

Cruising in Europe is really on canals. They wind their way through all of central Europe. After a week of locks, you will soon become an old hand. There are all sorts of accommodations from very expensive to bare boat. It really is a way of seeing the countryside. Going through the Greek Islands is fun, seas can become very rough at times..and it is quite a trip between islands. Better to pick your islands, and take the large ferry boat between.

[mikekama1]

Thanks for the info. If I did want to go the cruise route, is there a cruise line that you'd recommend?

[lhbrown]

Depends where you want to cruise in Europe. You can go from Amsterdam down the Rhine River then into the Donau-Main Canal and follow the Danube all the way to Vienna or Bratislava. For this try the Viking River Cruises. If you wanted to do a Canal barge tour in France, try the Canal du Midi. Luxury Link offers some nice luxury cruises down the Canal du Midi and the Canal de Bourgonne. If you wanted to go to the Greek Isles, you can take some of the large cruise liners that go from Venice, Italy to the Greek Isles. All the large cruise lines take their boats to the Mediterranean in the Summer and bring them back to the Caribbean in the winter. There is a great choice of cruises in the Mediterranean. Costa and Carnaval lines are just a couple I can think of.

[mary-j]

Hi mikeama,. Princess Cruises do cruises around the Greek islands. They do a 12-day cruise which sails from Venice to Rome-featuring the best of Greece and the Greek Islands. It takes in Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini and Naples. I don't know if this is the type of thing you are looking for or when you would like to go, but Princess ships are very nice. This cruise sails in May. Hope this helps.

[disneygal]

Hi mikekama1. You didn't mention whether this was for adults or a family. If it's adults only I would check out Windstar cruises. These motorized sailboats visit many small ports that the larger cruise ships cannot. There are some great itineraries, including the Greek Islands. We love the small size of these boats, and the food is excellent!

[mikekama1]

Thanks for the responses. disneygal, I think you've got the right idea. Looking for an adult cruise with not too many families. Looking for a small ship, great food and nicer accomodations....

[lhbrown]

Windstar cruises are fabulous and a great choice. They are a bit pricey though.

[disneygal]

Hi mikekama1 - that's pretty much the same thing we were looking for. In addition to Windstar, you might look at Star Clippers which is a little less pricey. For a real splurge, SeaDream is awesome. Windstar has a bit younger crowd (in our 40s were were about in the middle). The Regent Seven Seas (formerly Radisson) and Oceania have a little older crowd. The Regent is also a bit more formal, dress-up for dinner, etc. My parents have done various European itineraries, including Greek Islands with both of these and love them. I'm sure you'll find just what you're looking for.

[claassenam]

Disneygal, it sounds like you know quite a bit about cruising. What do you recommend for younger people (20s-30s) who want a smaller, high-end cruise ship? Is Windstar the best choice? I keep hearing about Seabourn and Silversea, which sound very nice but I would imagine cater to an older crowd?

Mike, I recently did a Holland America Mediterranean cruise that hit 8 or so different cities and was wonderful. It focused mainly on historic sites like Pompeii, Ephesus, Athens, Olympia, etc. so a cruise was great especially for those more remote locations that we probably wouldn't take the time to visit normally. Although I wish I'd had more time in some of the bigger ports of call it is great to see so much and not have to pack and unpack every day, deal with trains or flights, etc. Plus you wear yourself out walking around all day and it is so nice to have a great 5 course meal waiting for you at the end of the day! Although the Holland American ship we took was great next time we'd like to sail a much smaller ship because with over 1000 passengers you start to feel like part of a herd of cattle being moved on and off each day!