Hi, DH and I heading to Greece in late July for 15 days. He works horrible hrs in his own business, so we'll chill in Santorini for four days, and then take a quick air hop back to Athens to sail on a small ship/lg yacht (40 folks total) through the Aegean, primarily to several Greek islands with one stop in Turkey (Kusadasi/Ephesus). Then a couple of days in Athens. Has anyone ever done this type of cruise. Line is Variety Cruises, boat is the Harmony G. Mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, but bad ones mainly over one week of bad weather and storms, which curtailed itinerary. I had always wanted to cruise the islands, but found that big ships spend a lot less time on the islands than I wanted, whereas the smaller boat allowed all day and most of the night to wander and explore most locations.

Hi,
Do you know how long does it take between islands? and Do you suffer from sea sickness?

Personally I wouldn't go on a small ship.
If you are sailing in cyclades there is meltemi wind that can be relatively strong in July and august. The waves can be quite big. I suffer from sea sickness however.

If you want more time on the islands, why not taking a big Blue Star Ferry from island to island, then connect with a regular cruise on one of the islands? It is not the most economy option, but you can stay on an island for a few nights then move on. Blue Stars are regular ferries and the crossings are nice, much more stable.

We have taken an excursion with Naxos Star to Delos and Mykonos and there was practically no wind. On the way back we got some waves and I had to take Gravol. It still can be a bit scary.

I've known a few folks who have taken a small ship through the islands and loved it. We cruised on a relatively small ship this fall but it would be larger than what you are looking at. Nonetheless we felt dwarfed next to the large cruise ships in port.

One of the wonderful advantages was that we were able to go to some islands that the larger ships couldn't approach because of the harbour conditions i.e. Patmos.

If you are committed to a cruise I'd go on a small ship in a second.

The seas were relatively calm for the cruise (except for one night) so we weren't bothered by sea sickness. As Anastasia points out - that could be an issue depending upon when you are sailing.

I'm happy to jump into this thread because we had the same questions, around Thanksgiving
time, and I did quite a lot of research to find just what you are seeking. We were seeking a small cruise, no more than 50 people, to see some Greek islands in a casual atmosphere, hopefully with some stops for swimming, and a somewhat comfortable but still affordable cabin. Nothing fancy, just fun. We are NOT cruise people, and we like independent experiences, but we enjoyed a small cruise of 20 people in Croatia in Sept. so we're motivated to do it again.

Anyway, I found what I think suits us, and its booked. In mid September we are going on the ms Galileo. You can book this cruise through several agencies, but we went through Viking Greek Cruises, (also called Greek Islands Cruise Center) http://www.gicc.net/ Their older website is under construction. http://67.15.157.9/~vikings/ If you check other agency's sites you'll see different photos of the same ship, the same cruise. Just search for ms Galileo cruise Greece.

I saw the Harmony G in my search, but I believe it didn't go to the Cyclades, which we kind of wanted to see. I haven't read anything that seems negative about the ms Galileo. I would have prefered something even smaller (it holds 49 passengers) and of course something cheaper, but this was I guess the best choice for us.

We will follow this boat experience with a stay on Skopelos, 10 days in a rental house, arranged through a UK agency called SunIsle Holidays.

One site I found really helpful for Greece planning of all kinds- Matt Barrett's site - http://www.greecetravel.com/ And on this site he links to this page on small cruises- http://www.charterayachtingreece.com/cabincruise.htm
(ms Galileo is featured there as Jewels of the Cyclades)

I have also been very tempted by the wonderful gulet cruise options along the Turkish coast.

I'd be interested in anything you learn about the experience.
Linda

http://www.gicc.net/7DayCycladicPearls/
This is an addition to my post above. Here is the link to the cruise we are taking, on their newer website. Here's hoping it works out well.
Linda

Anastasia makes a good point. The meltemi is a serious wind. I grew up in port city and spent many summers on one boat or another never getting sick, but twice I could not even stand up getting off a boat in the Cyclades.
I esp remember being on a small boat between Delos and Mykonos, and a few waves actually were higher than our boat.
See this on the meltemi.

On my first trip to Greece, I was suppose to be on a smaller ship to go from the mainland to Mykonos. It was cancelled due to the winds in July, so they put us on a larger ship, that made it without any problems.

Hmmmm....the winds. Hadn't considered that. Thanks for the heads up. Oh well, its booked for mid Sept. Let's hope they aren't a problem -and if they are, hopefully we'll manage to have fun anyway, either on another boat or perhaps we'll have to write it off as "an adventure."

Linda

quote:

I had always wanted to cruise the islands, but found that big ships spend a lot less time on the islands than I wanted, whereas the smaller boat allowed all day and most of the night to wander and explore most locations.

Very good point. Instead of risking the meltemi wind, you can simply take the wonderful ferries for some island hopping at your rhythm.
The ferries are medium size, not as big as a liner, and not so small that it could be covered by a wave.
It is very comfortable. With a 1st class ticket, you can get a berth even.

WT has shared with us very good reports on travelling by ferry. The only thread I can find right now is this one , which is on Rome<->Barcelona, not on Greece. But am sure WT ferried around Greece and Turkey and wrote wonderfully and informatively about it.

Thanks for the replies and insights guys. I plan on taking Dramamine with me, as I have been seasick before (and Dramamine works for me). I have read about the winds. On another forum, a former passenger (on the same ship we'll be on) reported that when the winds started to screw up the trip, the company offered to refund part of the fees or continue to the Ionian islands where the seas were calm and easy. Most people picked the second option and had a lovely time. So I am willing to take a chance here. BTW, the MS Galileo is owned by the same folks (Variety Cruises) as our ship, the Harmony G. Variety Cruises are booked with several companies and agents. I selected the Harmony G because I wanted the stops in Kusadasi (for Ephesus) and Patmos, in addition to Santorini, Delos, Folegandros, Mykonos and others. I did not elect to island hop with the ferries (although I considered it) because I know after 30 years that my husband would not enjoy lots of packing and unpacking with time spent on ferries and then going another hotel, etc. When he's on vacation he likes lack of complications mixed with a little luxury and adventure. I'm OK with that, plus my agent provided me with several references from people who'd taken a cruise on the MS Galileo with a small group she'd organized the year before. They all loved the small ship concept, and the flexibility of it.

This is the cruise we're going on in August:

http://www.gicc.net/7DayAegean/

Oh, I am so glad to hear good things that bode well for our Sept. booking on the small cruise on the ms Galileo. We are greatly looking forward to it, even if it doesn't go perfectly.

I will certainly write a trip report.
Linda