Greek Island Cruises With Celestyal Cruises

 

When we think about Greece, things that come to mind include their ancient history, a rich culture, gorgeous weather and island-hopping cruises. Going on Greek island cruises is the best way to see many islands in an easier and more convenient way. Having already a few cruises under my belt, in 2018 I finally ticked a bucket list worthy Greek islands cruise with Celestyal Cruises.

Greek Island Cruises With Celestyal Cruises: The Tours

I took a morning flight from London to Athens with Aegean Airlines, and by mid-afternoon, I was already making my way to the port of Piraeus. There, I was going to board Celestyal Crystal, the smaller vessel in the Celestyal Cruises for my Greek island hopping holidays.

At a time when new ships come into the market almost every month, one bigger than the other, it is good to rely on smaller vessels like Celestyal Crystal. One of the main advantages is that being smaller, it can dock in small ports where most large cruise ships cannot.

See Also: Transfer from Athens Airport to the city 

One more advantage is the intimate feeling: during the cruise I met many faces that soon became familiar, making it a very good option for solo travellers to meet new people and make friends. One more positive point about cruising with Celestyal Cruises is the fact they generally stay in port long after the other ships leave.

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Celestyal Cruises offer excellent value for money with all-inclusive fares on their three, four and seven-day Greek island cruises departing from the Greek capital and stopping on many islands. The actual itineraries change slightly depending on the cruise length and time of the year, and the seven-day cruises often include at least one stop in Turkey or Egypt. The selected cruise itineraries have won the company multiple awards for destinations and best shore excursions.

With that in mind, I will share with you my cruise itinerary day by day, wrapping up with a summarised description of the ship’s facilities and my overall impression.

Celestyal Cruises Itinerary: My Greek Islands Cruise Day By Day

My first ever Greek islands cruise set sail at 9pm for an overnight journey to the island of Mykonos. The itinerary was mostly around the Cyclades islands, with a final stop in Turkey with an alternative to staying in beautiful Samos.

Day 2: Mykonos

At 7 in the morning the following day, we arrived in Mykonos, famous as Greece’s best party island. We headed to Paradise Beach Club, one of the trendiest on the island, where the clear and warm waters were an invitation for a swim. There, we had plenty of time to soak in the sun, swim, have a few cocktails, lunch and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere – which later in the day would turn into a party.

Later on, we went to Mykonos Town, the ultra-photogenic town that has become a favourite among photographers and Instagram wannabe stars. The town is really pretty, with narrow streets, alleyways and a picturesque architecture with most houses painted in white and blue, in allusion to the Greek flag.

We also visited the famous Mykonos windmills and then headed to Little Venice, a small bay with pretty houses and small restaurants, where we watched the sunset.

The ship was only departing at 7 o’clock the following morning, to give passengers the chance to enjoy the island’s nightlife. So we skipped dinner onboard and dined ashore, instead. Along with my group, I went for a traditional Greek feast at a restaurant in the Old Port, where we indulged with some delicious Greek dishes.

Day 3: Milos

We docked in Milos early afternoon. The port there is very small and Celestyal Crystal is one of the few ships that can anchor without a problem – watching the ship dock was already an exciting experience, as we could really see our captain’s skills. Once out of the ship, and went on a shore excursion called “Nostalgic Milos Cruise”. The island is famous for its intriguing geological formations, with rocks shaped by the seawater.

The best way to see the island beauty is from the water, so we spent the whole afternoon sailing in a small yacht around the island that is believed to be the birthplace of Aphrodite. The famous statue of Venus of Milo, which can be seen today at the Louvre in Paris, was found here in 1820 by a local peasant.

We sailed past several tiny fishing villages and hamlets such as Klima and Mandrakia, and stopped a few times for dip in the painfully blue waters and a speedboat ride. Before heading uphill to see the beautiful city of Plaka, we watched the sunset at a seaside restaurant in the small town of Appolonia.

Days 4 & 5: Santorini

Santorini is Greece’s most popular island. Having never been to the island before, I was looking forward to spending two full days there and finding out what the fuss was all about. Upon arrival, we couldn’t miss the grandiosity of the Caldera, those tall cliffs with white-washed houses dotted all over. We took a tender to the Old Port, where we met our car to take us to Perissa beach. The beach has many sun loungers and umbrellas and the water is and I can we soaked in the sun for a few hours and had a delicious lunch followed by a cocktail.

Late afternoon we headed to Oia (pronounced eeah), the pretty hilltop town with white houses and blue domes that appear on magazine covers and countless Instagram pictures. This is also where you can find the best honeymoon hotels in Santorini, all offering gorgeous views of the sea and the whitewashed houses. Despite being overcrowded with tourists fighting for a place to watch the sunset, the town is as pretty as I was expecting. After sunset, we went for dinner at the Red Bicycle, one of the best restaurants on the island, where we had a special menu by chef Marios Tsouris.

Next morning we took “The Essense of Santorini” shore excursion and returned to Oia, which was fairly empty (or tourist-free) this time of the day. It was great to be able to return there and photograph every corner, staircase and alleyway, while learning about its history and learning some anecdotes. We continued our Celestyal Cruises shore excursion with a visit to the popular Kamari beach, where we enjoyed the sun and watched many guys cliff-jumping.

Before heading to the ship, we went on a tour of the most exclusive winery in Santorini. There we learned about the wine traditions on the island and then headed to the restaurant for a lunch. We first had a wine tasting experience, where we tasted four different wines. Lunch was once again a big feast with new dishes coming every few minutes, including a lot of seafood.

But even if you’re not interested in wine and seafood is not your thing – I hope not, though! – you will enjoy your visit to the winery. Why? Well, the location itself is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! During the whole experience, we had a fantastic view of the Caldera that is already worth the visit – we could even see our ship in the distance. It was easy to understand why Santorini attracts the rich and famous.

On the way to the ship, we had time to wander around the city of Fira, Santorini, where we took the cable car to go down to the port and take our tender.

Day 6: Heraklion, Crete

Shortly after our ship docked in the Port of Heraklion, we headed to the ancient city of Knossos, which was inhabited between the Neolithic until the 5th century. There, we saw the ruins of Knossos Palace, and learned about the Minoan civilisation. Our guide explained in details what each room of the palace was used for and how people lived.

Our tour continued with a visit to the Archaeological Museum, where we could learn more about the Minoans and the Cretan culture. Our tour ended with a walk around Heraklion, culminating in the beautiful Old Port.

Day 7: Samos, Our Aegean Cruise Final Stop

On the last day of our Aegean cruise with Celestyal Crystal, had two itinerary options: heading to Kuşadasi in Turkey (pronounced Kushadasi) or going to the island of Samos, only 2km from the Turkish coast. Even though I always wanted to visit Kuşadasi, I chose the latter and I’m really glad I did. So in the morning, the ship had a brief docking in Samos, before heading to Kuşadasi.

Samos was the perfect place to wrap up our Aegean cruise. When you travel to Samos, you’ll find azure beaches hidden in small bays and coves, pretty historical towns and, unlike most Greek islands, lush green vegetation.

The short time we had in Samos was enough for us to fall for the island. The towns of Kokkari and Pythagorion are perfect for a long stroll along the beach or the harbour, where you will find many fishing boats and smaller yachts. Kokkari, especially, has many beautiful small houses decorated with colourful flowers, adding a nostalgic feel to it.

There we also visited Tsamadou beach, only 3km from Kokkari. Seeing the beach from the hill, we were all stunned by the shades of blue and, once we climbed down, we couldn’t get over how clear the water was. In fact, we saw crystal clear waters all around Samos, which won the unanimous vote as the best island on our Greek islands cruise.

Before heading back to the ship, we had another wine tasting experience at the Samos Wine Museum, where we tried the island’s award-winning muscat.

Celestyal Crystal: A Brief Description

My Cabin

I had an outside cabin located on deck 3. Given its location, it didn’t have balcony, but I had a window large enough to give me plenty of natural light. The cabin was quite spacious and had two twin beds and two additional upper bunks that stayed folded and were ideal for a family with children. I found the decor a bit dated, but the overall impression was very positive. After all, I was going to be out all day and would be in just a couple of hours and it was perfect for my week-long trip.

The cabin also had a wardrobe with plenty of storage space and a safe, a dresser/working desk and a TV. The shower room was functional and the shower had very good pressure.

Celestyal Crystal Other Facilities

In terms of facilities, let’s remember that we are talking about a smaller ship, and not one that can carry 3000 passengers, so it is important to manage your expectations. With that in mind, I was really pleased with the general Celestyal Crystal facilities.

The ship has four restaurants, two of them serving à la carte and two with a buffet. When dining on the ship, I had dinner at Olympus Restaurant, whose à la carte menu not long but had a good variety of dishes. The waiting staff was professional and extremely helpful. The food was absolutely delicious and they do cater for any dietary requirements – don’t forget to inform them before boarding.

Celestyal Crystal also has four bars and lounges located on different floors. In the few free hours I had, I spent time in the Sports Bar, since it was quieter in the afternoon and their tables are comfortable if you’re using a laptop. For evening drinks, I preferred Thalassa Bar, with external seating where we could feel the evening breeze while sailing to the next island.

They also have a casino, a spa offering a number of treatments, ranging from massages to facials and including teeth whitening. On deck 9 they also have a swimming pool and a jacuzzi which I could see were very popular.

What Was It Like Travelling With Celestyal Cruises?

I had a great time on my 7-day cruise with Celestyal Cruises and if felt like time went by very quickly. Having only been on luxury cruises, I was used to very high standards. Having said that, the standard of service was very high. No matter, if I was in the restaurant, getting ready for a shore excursion or dealing with the room attendant, every single member of staff, was very pleasant and professional.

Although my cabin decor was a bit dated as I mentioned, it had a good layout and was very comfortable, which is the most important thing. Add to all this the fact the Greek island cruises with Celestyal are all-inclusive – with the exception of some top-shelf drinks – it offers excellent value for money with many excursions included in the fare.

Disclaimer: I travelled to Samos as a guest of Celestyal Cruises, Discover Greece and Aegean Airlines, but all opinions – and long sentences – are my own.