All Aboard: The Louis Cristal Cruise Ship

After a brief night in Athens, we were bussed from the hotel to the cruise ship. This is actually a rather small "destination" ship. It has a small pool, plenty of activities and food, a sports bar, a small casino, etc. But its main purpose is to get its passengers from one cool place to another in relative comfort. Overall, I think the family really enjoyed the cruise--it was a first for all of us. We had a good time in our little cabin, and because we didn't have internet access, we did things like play cards and watch movies. I taught the boys about Napoleon Dynamite, which was a huge hit. We also made a game out of buying one pack of playing cards at each cruise stop, so each evening when we got back on the ship, we would play Go Fish or Gin.

The cruise was originally supposed to go to Istanbul, Kusidasi, Santorini, Crete, Cairo, Alexandria, and Israel. Unfortunately, as the Arab Spring unfolded, Egypt and Israel were cancelled. We were sorely disappointed by this, but what can you do? So the new itinerary was as follows: Istanbul, Izmir (Turkey), Patmos, Kusidasi, Mykonos, Santorini, Crete. A big part of cruises are "excursions," where you take guided tours on shore.

The Louis Cristal line hosts lots of Greek tourists, so two of the tours we wanted to take didn't "make" because not enough English-speakers wanted to go. Having the tours cancelled was also enormously disappointing. We did end up on guided trips to Ephasus, St. John's Grotto, and the House of the Virgin Mary.

I think we would consider another cruise, but maybe not in the near future. It was a good experience overall but cruising itself is probably better for some situations (where you don't want to stay long and where tour/non-tour options are available) moreso than for others.