Cruising the Greek Isles -- Celebrity Cruise Ship Infinity

[vintage_tube]

It's been a few months since our return but in case anyone is interested in a fabulous cruise to the Greek Islands, look no further than Celebrity Cruise lines.

The cruise itinerary was 7 nights & 7 ports of call. A 1 year in advance booking in an Aqua Class Room with basic Wi-Fi, basic drink package and gratitudies included was the package.

Saturday: Depart Athens (Piraeus) at 16:00
Sunday: Arrive Thessaloniki at 10:00 - Depart 18:00 (8 hrs)
Monday: Arrive Mykonos at 09:30 - Depart 20:30 (11 hrs)
Tuesday: Arrive Ephesus (Kusadasi) Turkey at 08:00 - Depart 20:00 (12 hrs)
Wednesday:Arrive Rhodes at 0800 - Depart 18:00 (10 hrs)
Thursday: Arrive Santorini at 07:00 - Depart 22:00 (15 hrs)
Friday: Arrive Hydra at 08:00 - Depart 18:00 (10 hrs)
Saturday: Arrive Athens (Piraeus) at 06:00

Our group which included 2 close friends of my wife's landed in Athens on the Thursday prior to departure & spent the time adjusting and touring with guides to various sites within Athen's area.

A 2 night stay at the Port Square Hotel in Piraeus port area made the shore to ship transfer easy with a short cab ride on Saturday. Next door was a pastry cafe which I enjoyed on numerous occasions during our stay.

The cruise line & stateroom was immaculate & the porter was courteous to all & meticulous in seeing to our room's appearance from sunup to sundown.

The trip was interrupted from the storm Daniel. Mykonos was a tendered port and closed down due to the severity of waves & winds rendering a ship/shore transfer unsafe.

The ship's Captain was a quick thinker in my opinion and coordinated with the Turkish port of Kusadasi for early arrival on Monday afternoon. This allowed once docked, to visit the shops that evening with an overnight docking with the schedule resuming on Tuesday.

When we booked the cruise, I saw Kusadasi (Ephesus) on the itinerary and said okay; what the heck & not thinking too much about the area. I was wrong as could be and was probably one of the highlights of the cruise. So much "BC" and early "AD" history in that area proven with a few different private guided tours. Of course, someone couldn't resist buying an authentic 5X7 silk rug when our guide drove us to a state sponsored Ministry of Education co-op & silk weaving school. The silk rug was certified 100% manually made product by the Ministry of Education and arrived approx. 5 weeks after purchase.

The Santorini tendered island was also a highlight of the trip. So beautiful and difficult to reach if one selected walking the 800+ steps or riding a donkey to the top of the island. We cheated and took the tram up & down. Another guided private tour of the island's highlights of black sand beach's, vineyards, olive harvesting, and churches.

An early Athens to Dulles departure on the day of return to Athens was smoothe as silk and made it home around midnight.

A true vacation w/awesome memories enjoyed by all.

[crwilli]

Sounds like a wonderful trip Bob. We have made it to a few of those ports as well.

I owe you a phone call and haven’t forgotten.

[Formerly YB-2]

Yes. Could not agree more. Med cruises are great. There is so much history to see and ports are usually only 1-day apart. Like having your own luxury hotel moving you from city-to-city.
Our most recent was Sept, 2022. 9-days up & down the coast of Spain & France, including Corsica, Majorca & Ibiza.
Made my 1st Med cruise the summer of 1968 with the USNavy. Accommodations and the experiences were considerably different.............

[tdelahanty]

My wife and I took a Med. Cruise on Princess, some of your pics brought back fond memories. It was a trip of a lifetime. We cruise often and now sail exclusively on Celebrity.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Sounds like a wonderful trip Bob. We have made it to a few of those ports as well. I owe you a phone call and haven’t forgotten.

It was Craig & the call isn’t anything needing immediate attention & can wait until after the holidays.

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Made my 1st Med cruise the summer of 1968 with the US Navy. Accommodations and the experiences were considerably different.............

Thank you for your service and from what I’ve heard, even though US Navy cruises are inexpensive they require a special 3 year or more booking commitment and you’re expected to do things you’d rather not do at odd & long hours of the day & night such as navigation watch, or complying with regulations or a multitude of procedures etc., and they expect you to be comfortable in a rack & to make matters worse, you can actually be punished under the UCMJ with some piece of paper called an Article 15.

Originally Posted by tdelahanty

My wife and I took a Med. Cruise on Princess, some of your pics brought back fond memories. It was a trip of a lifetime. We cruise often and now sail exclusively on Celebrity.

One way to see the sights especially if there is a geographical challenge & a short vacation window. We’ve booked a Celebrity Cruise to Barcelona roundtrip & onto Lisbon & other cities late 2024 on Celebrity.

[vintage_tube]

A few more pics:

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by vintage_tube

Thank you for your service and from what I’ve heard, even though US Navy cruises are inexpensive they require a special 3 year or more booking commitment and you’re expected to do things you’d rather not do at odd & long hours of the day & night such as navigation watch, or complying with regulations or a multitude of procedures etc., and they expect you to be comfortable in a rack & to make matters worse, you can actually be punished under the UCMJ with some piece of paper called an Article 15.

Thank you and yes to all. However, my commitment was considerably longer than 3yr. But, a good place for a young man to 'grow up' and definitely got to "see the world".

Originally Posted by vintage_tube

One way to see the sights especially if there is a geographical challenge & a short vacation window. We’ve booked a Celebrity Cruise to Barcelona roundtrip & onto Lisbon & other cities late 2024 on Celebrity.

There is so much to see in Spain & Portugal, as well. When we have to fly (our preference is a trans-Atlantic cruise at least one-way) we try to go thru Madrid or Barcelona in order to spend a few days on our way to our final destination. Gaudi's works in Barcelona are worth a visit (we stay in the Hotel Gaudi as it is well situated for us) and 'old town' in Madrid is great fun. If you have some time in Barcelona, check out the music scene. We attended a James Taylor concert in the https://www.palaumusica.cat/en Sept 2022. Go early for drinks & food and time to look at the theatre.

We are looking for our "next cruise" and Celebrity on Nov 11, 2024 from Barcelona looks mighty interesting.

[crwilli]

Bob, If short on time in Barcelona, book tickets with the audio tour to the Segrada De Familia.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Bob, If short on time in Barcelona, book tickets with the audio tour to the Segrada De Familia.

I last visited Barcelona 40 plus years ago and the church was still being built -- understand it's completed now (??) -- and is a definite must do visit. We have flights already booked & arriving in Barcelona on a Thursday and boarding on the cruise on Tuesday -- plenty of time to take in the many sites within the area.

Last time we used a walking audio tour from Clio Muse Tours when visiting Thessaloniki, Greece -- it was quite good.

Best to you Sir,

Bob

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Bob, If short on time in Barcelona, book tickets with the audio tour to the Segrada De Familia.

While the Segrada is the 'star of the show', there are a number of other Gaudi designed buildings and Park Guell which are worthy of a visit.
Also, the Joan Miró museum is in a nice setting if you enjoy his art. While the Mercado on La Rambla has become something of a tourist trap during the season, is a fun place for lunch.