We’re doing some advance planning for a big milestone trip next year and are looking at doing a Venice to Athens cruise with stops in Slovenia, Croatia, and one or two of the Greek islands. There are 4 itineraries we are looking at, some that include stops in Turkey and others that don’t. Wondering if anyone here has ever cruised with them and your experiences!
I have looked into a bunch of the small ships but there was something amiss with all the others in relation to stops, time of year, or payment schedule. (One line wanted payment in full within 30 days of booking, regardless of the sail date being 1 1/2 years away).
We have done four, two regular cruises (Mediterranean, Inside Passage) and two Expedition (smaller ships, all on shore activities included, more out of the way places). In general, the other people onboard are well educated, well traveled, good dinner companions and personable. They lean towards older, since many of the trips run during the school year, but even on those there are parents with college kids, 40 year olds without kids, people celebrating milestone birthdays of 50 and so on. Out of everyone on four ships total, there was only one obnoxious over drinking person. That is it - one. Plenty of people having drinks, but by the time you can afford this sort of travel, you often don’t have that type of problem that is left untreated.
We never, ever, ever would have considered doing a cruise until we had to cancel a bike trip because of back surgery and couldn’t cancel the flights, so moved at the last minute to the cruise. Entering into cruising at a higher price point like Silversea is a completely different experience to what you read about on the mega ships. The level of service is high without being obnoxious. The food is very good. The rooms are comfortable.
Lectures are detailed. Intro to the next port is definitely worth attending because you learn a lot. Shipboard is all inclusive (except one fancy food option and multi-hundred bottles of wine, which are wasted on me anyway …) so you don’t have to worry about nickle and diming. The shore excursions were well organized. They say you don’t have to tip your housekeeper/butler but we do anyway. You get to know them and there is no pressure to do so, but we are discrete about it and really, at the end of the day, why not be nice? At least that’s how we see it.
The gyms are not big and can get crowded at peak times, but there is plenty of time when they are empty. (If you do go be careful on a treadmill when the ship is moving because the treadmill moves while you are in the air).
The ships are well maintained and the captains we had were all highly experienced and personable.
I am comfortable recommending them and have obviously continued to travel with them.
Just came back from one of those mega ships, in comparison to the smaller ships, the entertainment and activity value is much higher than those small ships, but with 5000 people on board, its became more in-personable.
You have to watch out for the smaller ships, if you have sea sickness problem, as they rock much harder.
Thank you so much @“Delicate Arch” ! I’ve been reading good things so I’m happy to have the confirmation.
@artloversplus - we’ve been warned about the entertainment and activity onboard but we’ll be at port every day and I expect we’ll be off the ship as much as possible. There is no sea day on this itinerary. We both grew up on the water so no sea sickness. Thankfully we’re not bringing our D who had trouble even on a super huge ship in extremely calm seas.
I don’t know about the cruise ships, but everyone I know who has ever gone to Turkey loved it. I mean saying it was a highlight. So, I’d find a trip that included there. My mom used to say it was her favorite country, then different friends now say how much they enjoyed it.
Smaller ships have their own wonderful ambiance. I can’t speak to Silverseas (though one of my best friends is going to the Baltic with them in July), but we love Windstar ships where the passenger loads range from 110-312. As @momofsenior1 mentioned, when you’re off the ship in ports almost every day you don’t need a lot of entertainment after dinner.
“Just came back from one of those mega ships, in comparison to the smaller ships, the entertainment and activity value is much higher than those small ships, but with 5000 people on board, its became more in-personable.”
We did an NCL cruise in The Haven. There you have a private dining room and private sundeck and your own concierge. You have a private area with a separate bar. The service is very high. Then you can leave the area and have a big ship experience especially the entertainment options. However you also have the downsides of a big ship. Crowded in non Haven area and no top flight lectures. But we found it a great balance.
I’ve cruised with Silversea many times, though not in the last few years. In our case, it was a great way to travel with my parents, and sometimes with our children as well. Delicate Arch gave a great summary above. I agree that Turkey is an interesting destination and really enjoyed our visits to Ephesus and Istanbul, but would check carefully on safety issues before returning. I also recommend trip insurance, which needs to be booked promptly after making your first payment (to make sure preexisting conditions–your own and those of other family members–are covered). That way you are protected if you need to cancel or change your plans.