cruise ship | MY GREECE TRAVEL BLOG

Tag: cruise ship

Louis Cruises adds Samos, Symi, Syros, Ios, Milos, Kos & Chios to Greek island destinations for 2014

I shot this photo of passengers an upper deck of the Louis Cristal as the ship (below) approached Mykonos for a port stop a couple years ago

New ports & themes: Louis Cruises has added seven new Greek islands to the roster of destinations travellers will be able to visit on tour itineraries being offered this year by the Cyprus-based cruise operator.

Louis Cruises has long offered popular 3- to 8-day tour packages that take travellers to Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey as well as to the Greek islands Mykonos, Santorini, Patmos, Rhodes and Crete.

For 2014, the company has expanded its roster of destinations to include two more ports in Turkey — Bodrum and Cesme — along with seven new Greek island stops: Syros, Ios and Milos in the Cyclades island group, Kos and Symi in the Dodecanese, and Samos and Chios in the East Aegean.

New themed cruises available

Besides the new ports of call, Louis will be offering 60 specially-themed cruises with itineraries based on: gastronomy, wine & spirits; culture & heritage; history & archaeology; and music.

Representatives of the cruise line told a recent press conference in Athens that bookings for its cruises are up significantly so far this year — over 20% higher than in 2013. The company is expecting to carry 820,000 passengers during 2014 on its ships the Cristal, Olympia and Aura.

Full details about itinerary themes and destinations, as well as the ships, are available on the Louis Cruises website.

Passengers enjoy the cruises & island itineraries

Although we haven’t yet taken a Louis cruise ourselves, we have spoken to dozens of people who have. Almost all of our flights to and from Greece have been on Air Transat, whose sister company, Transat Holidays, offers Louis cruises in many of its organized island hopping vacation packages. Dozens of the passengers on each of our flights have taken the cruises, and their feedback about the experience has been overwhelmingly positive, with everyone reporting that they fully enjoyed the ships and the islands they visited.

And while we were in Athens last October, we spoke with two friends who had just taken a Louis Cruise that included stops at Kusadasi, Patmos, Crete and Santorini. Both are very well-travelled in Greece, and raved about how much they enjoyed their cruise. They told us their rooms were comfortable, the crew were friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious. They highly recommended the cruise and, in fact, urged us to take one on a future trip to Greece. It’s a suggestion we will seriously consider in light of their comments.

This photo of a waterfront scene on Symi is from The Symi Visitor website, an online guide that’s packed with pictures and travel information about the island

A ‘Jaded’ view of Mykonos

February 12, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Whitewashed hotels and houses on the Tagoo hillside north of Mykonos Town are visible on the starboard (right hand) side of the Norwegian Jade cruise ship, seen here while it was docked at the New Port in Tourlos on May 16 2012

A view of the Jade’s bow shortly before the ship hauled anchor and pulled out of the Tourlos port. It was one of at least six cruise ships that visited Mykonos that day. One of the others was the 4-masted Windstar vessel visible at left.

Three members of the Norwegian Jade crew take in the view from a service door near the cruise ship’s bow …

… while a few passengers on the upper deck take one last look at the island before the ship departs. The Jade can carry 2,402 passengers and 1,078 crew.

More of Mykonos Town comes into view as the Jade pulls away from the pier

An 11 a.m. view of the Jade docked at Tourlos. The ship arrived at Mykonos in the morning and set sail for another destination around 6 in the evening.

2012 Greek holiday: Mykonos visit winds down

April 27, 2013 / admin / 0 Comments

The view from the hill: A panoramic view of Mykonos Town and its harbourfront and Old Port areas on May 21 2012. Click on the photo to view the image in a larger format.

Monday May 21 2012

Familiar patterns: Things weren’t looking very promising for my final full day on Mykonos. The weird up-and-down weather hit another “down” cycle, bringing overcast skies in the wake of a gorgeous sunny Sunday. Good thing I had not been planning another beach day, because I would have felt pretty bummed out by all the clouds and the threat of light rain. But I didn’t need more beach time and was content just to start walking and see where I would wind up.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2012 Greek holiday trip report: Mykonos Part 5

April 15, 2013 / admin / 0 Comments

Mighty masts: A view of the Windstar cruise yacht Wind Spirit anchored near the Mykonos Old Port on a clear, sunny morning May 20 2012. It was perfect weather for a day at the beach.

Sunday May 20 2012

Beach weather: May 20 brought us a beautiful bright and sunny morning and the promise of perfect weather for the beach. Since I had only two full days left on Mykonos, I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and spend my Sunday beach hopping. My destinations would be Kapari beach, which I had never been to before, followed by Agios Ioannis and Ornos beaches, which I had previously seen.

I walked from Hotel Tagoo to the Fabrica bus depot where I was one of only five people waiting to board the Ornos/Agios Ioannis bus. By comparison, there were at least two dozen people lined up for the bus to Paradise, and even more standing beside the one going to Platis Gialos. I took the lack of a similar lineup for my bus to indicate that the beaches I was about to visit might be exceptionally quiet. Maybe the limited bus service explained why more people weren’t going to the same places as me. At this time of May, there were only 8 return bus trips per day to Ornos/Agios Ioannis, with the last bus returning to Mykonos Town at 18:45. Although the last bus back to Town from Paradise was scheduled for 19:00, service from Platis Gialos continued until 21:00.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2012 Greek holiday trip report: Mykonos Part 2

August 4, 2012 / admin / 1 Comment

Mid-morning view from Hotel Tagoo of the Mykonos New Port at Tourlos …

… where the 2,400-passenger Norwegian Jade is docked for the day

Here’s a videoclip showing the morning views from Hotel Tagoo

Wednesday May 16

I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous Mykonos morning. Sunny skies and warm temperatures promised perfect weather for a beach day. From the terrace outside the hotel breakfast room, I could see four cruise ships including the Norwegian Jade docked at the New Port and the Azamara Quest, Windstar Wind Spirit, and Seabourn Quest, all anchored near the Old Port. I made plans to hit the beach for the afternoon then spend the evening in Mykonos Town where, I assumed, the streets would be lively and teeming with tourists from the cruise ships.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Greece holiday pic of the day

June 29, 2011 / admin / 0 Comments

A cruise ship looms behind some of the ruins and antiquities on Delos Island

Greece holiday May 2011: More Mykonos photos

May 23, 2011 / admin / 0 Comments

Ornos Beach on May 17 2011

Mykonos in May: We started our 2011 holiday with a three-night visit to one of our favourite Greek islands, Mykonos. Here are more photos from one of our island walkabouts.