Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote is to do it yourself. Yes cruises are easy, but they also mean you only ever see the spots you’re visiting alongside hoards of others. By doing it yourself and staying on Santorini for 3 or 4 days you can avoid the worst of the crowds and really enjoy the island and its beauty. Some friends of ours recently did a Greek islands cruise and never even got off the ship there because the lines/wait to get up the cliffs were so unbelievably long. I found that sad.

PP. It is a bit sad. But honestly, I would not recommend Santorini except on a cruise. It has a dramatic ocean view from a peak and the architecture looks very picturesque. But it doesn't have any food or cultural amenities you can't find elsewhere in other Greek tourist draws. Being fixated on Santorini is like only having one place in the Hawaiian Islands that you'd be willing to go to.

It can be crowded even if you get up on the cliffs. There just is a capacity constraint on the cable car to move people up. I have heard they quit offering the donkey rides up that used to be popular. My mom and sister did that and felt kind of meh about it.

I would research what you want to do in the ports to help make the decision. A Rick Steves guidebook would be sufficient.

I went to Malta as a port call as a child. It was okay. I most remember being tendered in during a big wave period. And going to a pretty generic cathedral.

Ports/sights that were more interesting than I expected:

Venice (our cruise left from Venice)
Dubrovnik
Mykonos
Olympia/Delphi
Corinth Canal
Sailing out of Piraeus
Naples to Pompeii (there are Italy/Greece cruises)

The Acropolis was as awesome as I expected.

Greek-American here who has been all over Greece and to Santorini multiple times, over four decades. I just want to point out that there are, in fact, special cultural sites that you can't find elsewhere. Most visitors to Santorini are so obsessed with the Instragram-worthy views that they cram into the most populated cliffside part of the island and miss out on a lot that IS special about the island. Specifically, it has an archaeological site--Akrotiri--which contains an incredible Bronze Age settlement that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of the settlement, frescoes, and many objects which are now housed in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in town. The settlement contains truly amazing things: three-story homes laid out via principles of urban planning with indoor plumbing (including both hot and cold water piped in) connected to a municipal water supply, flush toilets and bathtubs, a sewage system, and other startling and modern systems and artifacts. There is nothing quite like it in Greece except for maybe Knossos but that is not as well preserved. I'm always dismayed when I meet tourists who have never ventured beyond the tourist-clogged streets to see this amazing site and visit the museum. The tourists have turned the island into a caricature and it is truly disheartening.

Also, PP, the island has vineyards which cultivate the unique Assyrtiko wine, a white grape variety native to the island, known as the "White Burgundy of Greece." That's another thing unique to the island.

Thank you... I did study abroad in Greece and love this site. My DH and I did an excursion here from our cruise ship two summers ago. Akrotiri is relatively empty, and really enjoyable. But, I also lamented what Santorini has become since I was first there in the 1980s.

Anonymous wrote:There’s an 11 night best of Italy and Croatia cruise on celebrity that is awesome!

Cruises are easy and relaxing.

You can avoid the crowds by hiring your own guide/driver/boat as opposed to booking excursions/tours.

Being on the sea is relaxing and the sunsets are amazing. The best views of islands/villages is from a ship.

And if your husband is like mine, he will enjoy not having to take out his wallet on the ship and feel relaxed when he only pulls it out at fabulous restaurants/bars for lunch in port. Honestly, we tend to get off the ship early and head to a local bakery/cafe—which is always amazing.

Island hopping in Greece via ferries during peak tourist season for a land-based trip is miserable. Like, really miserable. Opposite of relaxing.

If your husband is do a cruise, arrive 2 days early.

We're going on this cruise this summer! After 2 years of doing packed and active land vacations, we wanted something more relaxing with less planning. Not to take over this thread, but would love recommendations you have for any of the port stops.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote is to do it yourself. Yes cruises are easy, but they also mean you only ever see the spots you’re visiting alongside hoards of others. By doing it yourself and staying on Santorini for 3 or 4 days you can avoid the worst of the crowds and really enjoy the island and its beauty. Some friends of ours recently did a Greek islands cruise and never even got off the ship there because the lines/wait to get up the cliffs were so unbelievably long. I found that sad.

PP. It is a bit sad. But honestly, I would not recommend Santorini except on a cruise. It has a dramatic ocean view from a peak and the architecture looks very picturesque. But it doesn't have any food or cultural amenities you can't find elsewhere in other Greek tourist draws. Being fixated on Santorini is like only having one place in the Hawaiian Islands that you'd be willing to go to.

It can be crowded even if you get up on the cliffs. There just is a capacity constraint on the cable car to move people up. I have heard they quit offering the donkey rides up that used to be popular. My mom and sister did that and felt kind of meh about it.

I would research what you want to do in the ports to help make the decision. A Rick Steves guidebook would be sufficient.

I went to Malta as a port call as a child. It was okay. I most remember being tendered in during a big wave period. And going to a pretty generic cathedral.

Ports/sights that were more interesting than I expected:

Venice (our cruise left from Venice)
Dubrovnik
Mykonos
Olympia/Delphi
Corinth Canal
Sailing out of Piraeus
Naples to Pompeii (there are Italy/Greece cruises)

The Acropolis was as awesome as I expected.

You didn't think Venice would be interesting? That's...interesting.

PP. I was a high school kid and I was fascinated by it. You don't know what you'll like until you visit it.

Inexpensive guided walking tours were another travel revelation to me.

I spent a week in London in 1999 and went to as many Londonwalks tours as I could. I had a blast. I learned to like walking tours from a visit to downtown Atlanta.

https://www.walks.com/

Another recent outperform for me was Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge. Most people who travel know what Stonehenge looks like. A lot of people who visit feel very "meh" about it. But my whole family liked it.

Back to the other point I made about calendars of days when certain sites have multiple cruise ships. The Venetian locals certainly notice. They are taking a lot of steps to reduce nuisance tourism and not letting the big ships dock near St. Marks anymore.

I was also in Bar Harbor once when the cruise boats were packing up and the tourists left so fast it was like the town got vacuumed. You could see people streaming out of the business district down to the docks.

The reason Santorini gets bad is because you can't easily walk up the cliffs to get to the town. It's like queueing for a high elevator to a skyscraper view.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember: smaller the ship, smaller the crowds.

Unless there are multiple ships in port.

Venice has a port calendar. I think Bar Harbor does too. You could look to see if Santorini has one.

Cruise Mapper is the best site to see which ships are in port. They cover every port around the globe.

And I stand by my comment: smaller the ship, smaller the crowds. Note: you line up to get on and off the ship. And if it’s a tendered port, it’s a giant PITA to tender on a huge ship. Plus: you’ll deal with crowds on deck, at the theater, restaurants, etc. We love smaller ships—particularly in the Mediterranean.

When we cruised the Mediterranean last summer, we were often the only ship or one of just a few (alongside small luxury lines).

Since I lurk on cruise ship FB groups, I’ve determined cruising on a mega ship in Greece isn’t for me. The nightmares I’ve read about the crowds are eye opening. But there are smaller options. And there are itineraries that avoid Santorini and Mykonos—including some that go from Italy to Croatia and down to Corfu.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote is to do it yourself. Yes cruises are easy, but they also mean you only ever see the spots you’re visiting alongside hoards of others. By doing it yourself and staying on Santorini for 3 or 4 days you can avoid the worst of the crowds and really enjoy the island and its beauty. Some friends of ours recently did a Greek islands cruise and never even got off the ship there because the lines/wait to get up the cliffs were so unbelievably long. I found that sad.

PP. It is a bit sad. But honestly, I would not recommend Santorini except on a cruise. It has a dramatic ocean view from a peak and the architecture looks very picturesque. But it doesn't have any food or cultural amenities you can't find elsewhere in other Greek tourist draws. Being fixated on Santorini is like only having one place in the Hawaiian Islands that you'd be willing to go to.

It can be crowded even if you get up on the cliffs. There just is a capacity constraint on the cable car to move people up. I have heard they quit offering the donkey rides up that used to be popular. My mom and sister did that and felt kind of meh about it.

I would research what you want to do in the ports to help make the decision. A Rick Steves guidebook would be sufficient.

I went to Malta as a port call as a child. It was okay. I most remember being tendered in during a big wave period. And going to a pretty generic cathedral.

Ports/sights that were more interesting than I expected:

Venice (our cruise left from Venice)
Dubrovnik
Mykonos
Olympia/Delphi
Corinth Canal
Sailing out of Piraeus
Naples to Pompeii (there are Italy/Greece cruises)

The Acropolis was as awesome as I expected.

Greek-American here who has been all over Greece and to Santorini multiple times, over four decades. I just want to point out that there are, in fact, special cultural sites that you can't find elsewhere. Most visitors to Santorini are so obsessed with the Instragram-worthy views that they cram into the most populated cliffside part of the island and miss out on a lot that IS special about the island. Specifically, it has an archaeological site--Akrotiri--which contains an incredible Bronze Age settlement that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of the settlement, frescoes, and many objects which are now housed in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in town. The settlement contains truly amazing things: three-story homes laid out via principles of urban planning with indoor plumbing (including both hot and cold water piped in) connected to a municipal water supply, flush toilets and bathtubs, a sewage system, and other startling and modern systems and artifacts. There is nothing quite like it in Greece except for maybe Knossos but that is not as well preserved. I'm always dismayed when I meet tourists who have never ventured beyond the tourist-clogged streets to see this amazing site and visit the museum. The tourists have turned the island into a caricature and it is truly disheartening.

Also, PP, the island has vineyards which cultivate the unique Assyrtiko wine, a white grape variety native to the island, known as the "White Burgundy of Greece." That's another thing unique to the island.

My vote would be ditch the cruise, skip the absolute hordes on Santorini and Mykonos and take a do it yourself trip to Athens and Naxos or Paros.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My vote is to do it yourself. Yes cruises are easy, but they also mean you only ever see the spots you’re visiting alongside hoards of others. By doing it yourself and staying on Santorini for 3 or 4 days you can avoid the worst of the crowds and really enjoy the island and its beauty. Some friends of ours recently did a Greek islands cruise and never even got off the ship there because the lines/wait to get up the cliffs were so unbelievably long. I found that sad.

PP. It is a bit sad. But honestly, I would not recommend Santorini except on a cruise. It has a dramatic ocean view from a peak and the architecture looks very picturesque. But it doesn't have any food or cultural amenities you can't find elsewhere in other Greek tourist draws. Being fixated on Santorini is like only having one place in the Hawaiian Islands that you'd be willing to go to.

It can be crowded even if you get up on the cliffs. There just is a capacity constraint on the cable car to move people up. I have heard they quit offering the donkey rides up that used to be popular. My mom and sister did that and felt kind of meh about it.

I would research what you want to do in the ports to help make the decision. A Rick Steves guidebook would be sufficient.

I went to Malta as a port call as a child. It was okay. I most remember being tendered in during a big wave period. And going to a pretty generic cathedral.

Ports/sights that were more interesting than I expected:

Venice (our cruise left from Venice)
Dubrovnik
Mykonos
Olympia/Delphi
Corinth Canal
Sailing out of Piraeus
Naples to Pompeii (there are Italy/Greece cruises)

The Acropolis was as awesome as I expected.

You didn't think Venice would be interesting? That's...interesting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember: smaller the ship, smaller the crowds.

Unless there are multiple ships in port.

Venice has a port calendar. I think Bar Harbor does too. You could look to see if Santorini has one.

Venice is fine with multiple ships, you won't even notice since its a fraction of the amount of visitors at any one time in the city. You'll notice more in Santorini but even then there are ways to mitigate the crowds.

Anonymous wrote:Remember: smaller the ship, smaller the crowds.

Unless there are multiple ships in port.

Venice has a port calendar. I think Bar Harbor does too. You could look to see if Santorini has one.

I've only been on two cruises, and both were 20+ years ago, but when I read that OP wants to relax and get much needed rest, I immediately thought cruise.