European vacations

greece - Greece When people think of Greece they think of the islands(Mykonos, Sandorini, Crete..) The times they get to party fro...

Island life - North-Eastern Aegean Islands Last summer I booked a holiday to Myconos. That's one of the Greek Islands. I had only been in Europe for three t...

The Aegean islands are amazing, making up for the spartan accommodations of Royal Olympic cruise ships. In brief the 4 day Royal Olympic cruise we took on the Odysseus was on a ship that can only be described as adequate but where the itinerary, thank goodness, was outstanding.

We were told once onboard by the proud French cruise director that this was a Greek ship and we shouldn’t expect it to be like an American cruise ship. What this meant was:

- Spartan accommodations. Be warned Royal Olympic ships have very few double beds. On our ship their were only 10 double rooms and a lot of disappointed honeymooners. The other cabins have short single beds bolted to the floor on opposite sides of the cabin. There are no TVs in the cabins or in fact on board the ship. Decor takes its inspiration from Motel 6.

- Dubious entertainment. The kind of cheesy entertainment that holiday camps provided to budget tourists. This means getting members of the crew and passengers to dance Greek dances. This was actually quite amusing since only a few of the hastily assembled troupe knew Greek dancing with the others attempting very evident mimickry.

- Average to poor food. Greek food can be good but on this cruise it was quite stodgy at times. It didn’t upset the stomach but the out of doors buffet offered stone cold scrambled egg with a 1/2 inch crust.

- Excellent itinerary. This really was well executed.

- Varying service quality. Greeks are very polite, but some of the crew such as waiting staff was less than experienced which showed. The person in charge of making beds was excellent even providing a turn down service.

- Varying quality of shore excursions - see tips below.

Tips on itinerary:

MYKONOS - our first stop is a quaint island known for it’s windmills, windy alleys and it’s three pelican mascots. We only had a couple of hours there but enjoyed walking through the windy alleys.

PATMOS - Don’t take the organized shore excursion which costs $80 for two. Instead the local taxi drivers have a much better deal - $20 for as many as you can fit in a taxi. They then shuttle you up to the grotto of the apocalypse, disappear for 20 minutes while they grab another fare, then shuttle you onto the monastery which is very impressive which overlooks the island. The chapel in the monastery is amazing with gold painted wooden carvings.

EPHESUS (TURKEY) - The highlight for sure. Turkey is greener and more attractive than I could have imagined. We took the shore excursion - don’t miss it. You cannot get into the ancient city of Ephesus without a guide. This ancient city is better preserved than any spot in Italy. It is very expansive and you can picture it quite easily as some of the buildings are partly reconstructed along with a still used 25,000 seat amphitheatre. We also saw the house of the Virgin Mary which was on a beautiful secluded hillside.

RHODES - an interesting island with a walled medieval city. This is a great town to walk around. We were disappointed with the Palace of the Knights of St John, possibly because we didn’t have a tourguide. However it was nothing compared to English and French chateau’s and palaces.

CRETE, PALACE OF KNOSSOS - A real disappointment. Crete is not a pretty place from what we saw. The palace of Knossos is a waste of money. It is poorly preserved but it is from over 1500BC. That said Egypt has a lot better to offer from that period. The palace was overcrowded with groups with long lines building up to see rooms with a relatively small number of images from the Minoan culture. As opposed to the Egyptian culture there is a great deal still unknown about the Minoan so explanations were still short of detail.

SANTORINI - Santorini is an amazing place. You approach an apparently mountainous rocky snow capped island. As you get closer you realize that the mountains are not snowcapped but covered in white houses and churches.

Don’t take the Royal Olympic shore excursion on Santorini - you miss out on the best bit, the mule ride, and pay more. The Royal Olympic shore excursion docked at a different place and meant that you missed the mule ride up the ever so windy steps to the top of the island. This path is windier and much longer than Lombard Street in SF with the same incline. The mule ride is quite an experience, it feels somewhat dangerous going up on an out of control mule wandering on a path with a low wall and a cliff on one side. I got off the mule shaking but envigorated having done this Santorini experience. At the top you should take a taxi to the town of Oia which is prettier than the main town of Fira where you arrive. We teamed up with another couple and for $20 between us had a much better tour than the $40/pp tour that Royal Olympic offered.

In conclusion we decided that we loved the convenience of cruising, but we would not go with Royal Olympic again. If you are on a tight budget then Royal Olympic is an excellent choice.

If Royal Olympic were to spend a little more on appointments in the cabins, get over their "this is a Greek ship" false pride, then they could get my thumbs up and surely the repeat and referral business that would make them a much bigger success.

We went in mid April when the weather was unusually cold and overcast. I would think May and October would be fantastic.

Best advice - find a cruiseline that appreciates and serves what Americans expect, and make sure you get to see Ephesus and Santorini. Be selective with shore excursions - local taxis often provide a better value and experience.

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