Cruise Review: Celestyal Cruises – 4-Day Cruise Of The Greek Isles and Turkey

Kerwin McKenzie Cruise Review 4 Comments

Celestyal Cruises – 4-Day Cruise Of The Greek Isles and Turkey

At the end of October (2014), I took my first real cruise; Celestyal Cruises – 4-Day Cruise Of The Greek Isles and Turkey. I say “real” as I had done a cruise to nowhere in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago, but it it left the Port of Houston and then sailed out to the Gulf and back. We did not really go anywhere. It was a full fledged cruise ship with all the bells and whistles except the stops at a Port.

This one, the Louis Olympia (now re-named) made stops from its port of origin in Piraeus, Greece. Tourists don’t normally go to Piraeus from Athens unless they are taking a cruise or want to get off the beaten path.

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia in Piraeus, Greece

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia in Piraeus, Greece

Cruise Itinerary

My cruise went like this:

  • Mykonos (Monday)
  • Kusadasi, Turkey (Tuesday)
  • Patmos (Tuesday p.m.)
  • Rhodes (Wednesday)
  • Heraklion, Crete (Thursday) and
  • Santorini (Thursday).

You can recreate my journey by going to this link and booking your own vacation. It’s now a 4-day version.

So of course I was excited as I’d not been to any of these places before. It myself and a few other blogger friends who were taking this trip courtesy of the Louis Cruise company based right there in Greece.

Note: The company relaunched on November 7, 2014 as Celestyal Cruises . The ship is now called Celestyal OLYMPIA.

On boarding, we had to fill out a public health questionnaire which included questions about visiting the three Ebola countries in Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone). After that we cleared Immigration and went onboard.

We were greeted by our Cruise Director and as our rooms were not yet ready, we had a mini reception complete with cocktails. A great way to start the cruise I thought.

If you’ve never done a cruise, typically, you can pay for everything up front or pay as you go in essence. You can buy packages for excursions or just buy the excursions you need onboard. Sometimes they do get sold out, so you have to act quickly. Now you can also just do your own thing. i.e. once the ship docks take go explore on your own.

The Room

I had a very nice room with a porthole, well  a huge window really. Each day the crew would make my towel into something else. On arrival it was an elephant I think :-). If you never want to get off the ship you are so welcome to do so. But I do recommend getting off at the ports of call :-).

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Room

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Room

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Room Curtains Open

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Room Curtains Open

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia My State Room

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia My State Room

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia My Room view from above

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia My Room view from above

The Ship

Maritime law dictates that within 24 hours of arriving on the ship you have to do a safety drill, so off we went. It was fun since its not an actual emergency of course. They basically give you the instructions of what to do if something happens, where are your stations and how to fit the life vest. yes, some people don’t know how to do this.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Safety Drill

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Safety Drill

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Me Wearing Safety Vest

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Me Wearing Safety Vest

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ship Deck

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ship Deck

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Cooking Class on the Ship

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Cooking Class on the Ship

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Main Deck

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Main Deck

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Hallway to cabins

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Hallway to cabins

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Computer Room

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Computer Room

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Our Captain

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Our Captain

On the ship itself, there are seven bars, so you can drink yourself into oblivion 😉 or not. There are daily programs which includes your excursions you just decide how much you want to spend.

Here’s what happened along the way:

Mykonos (Monday)

We arrived in Mykonos at night. As the dock is not big enough, we dropped anchor in the bay and then the local boats came for us.

On this island, the wedding couples donned their outfits and headed out to get photos on the waterfront. It was so beautiful to watch.

Apparently, the thing to do on Mykonos apart from partying all night is to see the windmills so we headed there and also had dinner at a local place called Katerina’s. My friend Angie recommended it to us as she had been there before and I will recommend it to you as well. It’s quite small, the food is good and the service is also good. Go when you are in Mykonos.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Docked in Mykonons Harbour

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Docked in Mykonons Harbour

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Wedding Couple on Mykonos Greece

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Wedding Couple on Mykonos Greece

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia A Street in Mykonos, Greece

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia A Street in Mykonos, Greece

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Windmills on Mykonos

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Windmills on Mykonos

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Street on Mykonos, Greece

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Street on Mykonos, Greece

Kusadasi, Turkey (Tuesday)

One of the reasons why I wanted to do this cruise was to visit this Turkish port and of course the ancient town of Ephesus. I’m always excited that I get to do many excellent adventures sometimes all in one big adventure.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Coast of Kusadasi

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia The Coast of Kusadasi

To try to explain the grandeur of Ephesus is defeating. We got there quite early so there was not as many people as normal, so we had a chance to enjoy it even more. I’ll just show you some photos that should whet your appetite.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus Main Street

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus Main Street

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus Monuments

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus The Temple of Hadrian

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus Toilets

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus Toilets

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus The Library

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Ephesus The Library

And there are cats everywhere so watch out for them.

Oh, let me know forget the Turkish ice cream. Its delicious and they make it fun when you try to buy it :-).

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Kusadasi ice cream vendor

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Kusadasi ice cream vendor

Patmos (Tuesday p.m.)

Not all the islands have a port you can dock, in Patmos, we had to dock in the harbor and then take launches to land. This is actually fun.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Docked in Patmos Harbour

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Docked in Patmos Harbour

Then there are buses waiting for you to take you on your excursion or you can take a local taxi or just go walking if you prefer. You don’t have much time to explore before you lose the light unless you are there in the summer time though.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Rhodes from the Dock

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Rhodes from the Dock

The attraction in Patmos is two-fold:

  • The Cave of the Apocalypse. It is believed that John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelations here. It’s actually very crowded and you have like two seconds to see the place then you have to leave, you can’t even stop. But if you’re religious and on an pilgrimage, that should be enough for you. No photos are allowed down inside of the cave I’m afraid, so you have to hold that in your memory.
Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Entrance to Cave of the Apocalypse on Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Entrance to Cave of the Apocalypse on Rhodes

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Cave of Apocalypse on Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Cave of Apocalypse on Rhodes

  • The Monastery of Saint John “the Theologian”. This monastery dating back to 1088 sits high atop the island and has a winding road to get up there. It looks like you can walk, but its faster by the tour buses.

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia View from the Monastery in Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia View from the Monastery in Rhodes

Rhodes (Wednesday)

Rhodes is our next stop. I really love this island; its a UNESCO World Heritage site. Watch out for the birds, they will eat and drink your stuff at the command of the shop/restaurant owners. It’s a great walking island with good food and beer.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Parakeets Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Parakeets Rhodes

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Lunch at Mama Mika in Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Lunch at Mama Mika in Rhodes

No need for a tour on this one as you an just walk right off the ship into the town.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Rhodes Castle

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Rhodes Castle

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Shopping in Rhodes

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Shopping in Rhodes

Weddings

Oh, there are also weddings on board the ship here are a few happy couples with the Cruise Director.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Weddings At Sea

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Weddings At Sea

Heraklion, Crete (Thursday)

I always pronounce this word incorrectly for some reason. I won’t tell you how I say it :-). Anyways, its the capital of Crete and Greece’s largest island. My fondest memory of here is all the large ferries at the port instead of why most tourist come to the island; the Minoan Palace of Knossos which is actually the first civilization in Europe.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Minoan Palace Knossos Heraklion Crete

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Minoan Palace Knossos Heraklion Crete

The great thing about cruises is that you go to sleep in one island/country and wake up usually in another. This was the case with Heraklion.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Arriving in Heraklion Crete

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Arriving in Heraklion Crete

We were whisked off in a tour bus to see these sights which I’ll tell you are totally worth it. It was raining, but that did not dampen our spirits at all as we tried to take shelter among the ruins at Knossos. If you are lucky, you will see the peacocks that are perched high in the trees above fly around. I was not so lucky.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Minoan Palace Knossos Heraklion Crete

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Minoan Palace Knossos Heraklion Crete

Santorini (Thursday)

We sailed from Heraklion and then headed to Santorini as we had a date with the sunset. We were running against the clock here. We all wanted to get that classic shot you see on all the post cards. Luckily one of my fellow travelers had the secret to where the photo was taken so we were in luck.

As we pulled in the Santorini area, its difficult to explain its vastness. The harbor is huge, the walls of the mountain (hills) surrounding it is really tall, its just spectacular. There is not docking facilities on this side of the island, so we had to drop anchor in open water and take the launches in to the shore. I actually love this. Steady as she goes getting off the ship.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Santorini Harbour

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Santorini Harbour

Once we were on land, we were whisked away in a waiting shuttle bus to take us to the center of Santorini and onto the West side.

And yes, I have to go back and log the airport of course :-). You can see it in the distance as you cross the island. Santorini is a lot more than the white homes with blue tops you see in all the pictures. The food is fantastic and so are the local people. It’s a bit pricey to stay there though, so bear that in mind.

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Santorini

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Santorini

 

Celestya lCruises Louis Olympia Santorini View

Celestya lCruises Louis Olympia Santorini View

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Driving in Santorini

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Driving in Santorini

 

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Driving in Santorini

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Driving in Santorini

Heading Back

Once we departed Santorini later that night, it was time to head back to Athens :-(. The cruise was over but my experience and the hospitality of Celestyal Cruises will be with me forever and I’m ready to go back on another of their experience.

Are you?

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Arriving Santorini

Celestyal Cruises Louis Olympia Arriving Santorini

Comments 4

  1. We did a cruise with Louis in 2005 from Cyprus. We also had a wonderful itinerary that included Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Tinos, Lindos and the Peloponnesian Peninsula in Greece.

    1. Post
      Author
  2. Pingback: 71 UNESCO World Heritage Sites You’ve Perhaps Visited And Did Not Know It

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.