Typical of these are the three and four-
day itineraries that run from Piraeus (main port of Athens) around a chain of Greek idylls. Three-day cruises sail at 11am on Fridays, arriving in Mykonos early evening for a few hours’ stay. They then visit one port each in the morning and evening for a few hours each. Typical stops include balmy, breezy Kusadasi with its easy ac- cess to Ephesus, and stunning Santorini, before an early Monday morning arrival back in Piraeus.
connect with high summer sailings. As airfares and baggage limits become more restrictive, it strikes me Louis may very well be ahead of the curve on this one. They also operate a choice of embarka- tion ports as well for some cruises. Orient Queen will embark both at Marseilles and Venice, while Louis Majesty offers Mar- seilles and Genoa. Prices are reasonable, too, with a guaranteed 50 per cent single supplement on all but the highest-grade cabins across the fleet. The ability to upgrade to all-inclusive
56 WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2010
packages for about £25 a day also allows passengers to budget for just about every- thing in advance, but be aware this runs from 10 in the morning until 2 the next day. Tips are fixed at about €8 a day, that cur- rency being standard throughout the fleet. The ships themselves are clean, tidy and well run, but essentially function in the main as floating hotels on port-inten- sive itineraries that cram a vast number of experiences into a relatively short space of time. Some voyages make excellent add-ons to land stays on the mainland.
a full day in Rhodes. These cruises pass by at an incredible rate of knots but, as a first- time experience or simply a crash course on Greek history they are truly hard to beat. So, what do you get for your money?
T
For the most part, cabins are small on many Louis ships unless you go for the top range. That said, they are perfectly adequate for short cruises, air conditioned and comfortable. Realistically, you will spend very little time in them, and they are very good value. Only the Louis Cristal – the former NCL Leeward – has a small number of balcony
he four-day cruise sails that same Monday morning and follows the same format, but allowing for almost
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