This Familiarization tour organised by Dynasty Travel for travel trade staff is value for money at S$1988 + $451 (taxes) for companion with direct flight to Athens by SIA. Not surprised it was fully booked and we managed to be the last on the list of 32 passengers. This offer comes with a catch as it was off season and the water was pretty choppy when we were on the cruise. Even our tour leader, Diana and a few other in our groups were hit by motion sickness. It was also raining and pretty cold in March about 8-16 degree. Disappointed also to say that when we reached Meteora, it was raining and misty and we could not see the monastery suspended on the rocks. Because of the rough sea, we only reached Mykonos at 7.00 pm and we missed the sunset. It was also very windy and we could only get a glimpse of the famous windmills. We also reached Santorini at 6.00 pm and had to rush to get to Oia village to view the sunset. Luckily, we managed to take some photos before the sky turned dark.
Overall, the hotel given was pretty good (4 star) and all meals were included with one Chinese dinner. Louis Cristal cruise was also quite luxurious except for the amateurish night shows. The cruise director, Elizabeth, was very bubbly and humourous and the cabin was kept clean all the time. One thing good about the off season was there was no crowd as we were the only cruise on the Greek Islands. Shopping wise, things are pretty expensive in Greece and the downside of all Europe tour is the tips we have to give (about 70 euros in all).
For those intending to cruise around the Greek Islands, my advice is not to take the shore excursion offered by the cruise. It is easy to explore on your own and you can take taxi while on shore which is still much cheaper than the tour. The two shore excursions for Patmos and Santorini that I took cost me S$187.00. The taxi to Patmos St John Monastery only costs 30 euros two way!
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