Looking at a Greek Isle Cruise in June/July - Rhapsody of the Seas

[LSUfan4444]

Im looking at a Greek Isle Cruise in June/July - Rhapsody of the Seas in 2019 for our family (myself, wife and daughter). Im sure alot can change before that itenerary comes out but with 2018 already filling up our calendar we're already looking to our first opportunity to take our daughter across the Atlantic.

I cant imagine there are a tons of kids on the ship (even during the summer) so we're tying to convince some other friends/family to join us but was curious about any experience has by cruisers here.

From what I can gather this cruise is more about the itinerary than the ship (which we're fine with).

Good or bad, any feedback is welcome.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

We absolutely loved Greece! Our cruise had 3 ports there; Rhodes, Crete and Athens. We traveled mid-June and there were a fair amount of US kids on the ship. The Acropolis was a highlight for us all but we hit a heat wave and it was a brutal climb! The beaches were all spectacular and so different from the Caribbean. The Aegean is one of the cleanest bodies of water in the world. We've settled on a British Isles cruise for next year but I would go back to Greece in a heartbeat.

 

[OKW Lover]

We did this cruise last year (mid-August) and enjoyed it. You might want to take a look on YouTube for the Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast about the ship.

And this one is about the itinerary.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Awesome..I had episode 39 bookmarked but didnt know about episode 40....thanks

 

[OKW Lover]

Keep in mind when watching episode 40 that the way John & Kevin do cruise ports may not be the same as what you are interested in. Having said that, they give a good overview of the ports for that particular cruise. Are you looking at the same itinerary?

 

[LSUfan4444]

Well, I am looking for something in 2018 so no real itineraries yet. Ive never been but I know we want to hit Athens and we would like to sail from Venice. We want to take our 7 year old on her first European trip and figured this would be a good way to introduce her without overwhelming her.

 

[OKW Lover]

Ive never been but I know we want to hit Athens and we would like to sail from Venice.

We loved Venice!!! Have now been there twice and plan on doing it again. When doing a cruise that sails from Venice, plan on getting there at least a day early, or add some days on the other end.

We weren't thrilled with Athens. The actual historic center is some distance from the port and there really aren't that many historic sites (unlike say Rome). It felt pretty much like a big city with lots of urban sprawl. Of course, that's just us and you might have a different point of view.

 

[bunny]

Is this trip safe? We were actually thinking of going on this cruise in July but my husband is afraid of terrorists. I noticed the cruise still has a lot of empty cabins and it is only 3 months out. Should we worry about our safety?

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I'm not even sure how to answer this. Would you go to Orlando? Cause a man with a big gun walked into a nightclub and killed 50 people. Seems as if terrorism is right here in the good ole USA.

Of course it is safe; as safe as anywhere else in the world. We went to Greece and Turkey (and Italy, France and Spain) last year and had a wonderful experience. Other than being aware of our surroundings when in large groups we didn't do anything differently than we would on any other trip. If you let fear rule your life then your life will be very small indeed.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is this trip safe? We were actually thinking of going on this cruise in July but my husband is afraid of terrorists. I noticed the cruise still has a lot of empty cabins and it is only 3 months out. Should we worry about our safety?

Safe? Nobody can tell you what may happen three months from now. Pro-activly, RCL has eliminated the stop in Turkey on this itinerary. All the other ports in Italy and Greece appear to have only the regular European risk levels.

 

[crabbymom]

LSUFan - I did this cruise June of 2016 with my two kids. While there were not very many American children aboard, my son was still able to make plenty of friends with all of the European children. Many from Scandinavia and England. We sailed from Venice and hit five Greek islands plus Croatia and Turkey. I know that Turkey has been dropped from future sailings but it was our favorite port! I wrote a trip report with pictures here: https://soccermomtravels.com/2016/0...he-greek-isles-and-the-eastern-mediterranean/ if you want to take a look. It was the trip of a lifetime and my kids LOVED it.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We did this cruise last year (mid-August) and enjoyed it. You might want to take a look on YouTube for the Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast about the ship.

And this one is about the itinerary.

Thanks for these! We're thinking of doing a 7-night cruise next year to Greece.
(Nick, Kelly & Yasmin, plus my two friends, Brenda & Renee who went on the Alaska cruise, and some others.)

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks for these! We're thinking of doing a 7-night cruise next year to Greece.
(Nick, Kelly & Yasmin, plus my two friends, Brenda & Renee who went on the Alaska cruise, and some others.)

Enjoy your self MaryJo. Feel free to email/message me with any questions. I'm sure you, Nick, Kelly & Yasmin will have fun.

Hope to see you all sometime.