I’m a Greece expert – this is how to save money on a Greek island cruise

Words by Rebecca Hall

Greek island cruises are a popular itinerary for many cruise lines but experiencing them in style doesn’t have to break the bank – and you can still tick off Greece’s many gems.

Celestyal Cruises is one popular brand that offers small ship cruising to the Greek islands at affordable prices, ensuring a cosy and familiar environment onboard than bigger liners that sail the Mediterranean.

Celestyal has won several awards for its regional expertise and exceptional hospitality – but does its reputation match up to reality? I went to find out for myself on the 1,665-guest ship Celestyal Olympia* and found out how best to save money along the way.

My four-night Greek island cruise started from the port of Lavrion which is about an hour from central Athens and 40 mins from the airport.

Taking a taxi is expensive (but speedy) at around €75 – while the bus will only set you back €23 (but takes three hours and involves a change. I weighed up the pros and cons of comfort vs expense… the former won for me!

Lavrion is a small port and the ships are moored within walking distance from the terminal so getting onboard is easy but there’s also a shuttle bus for anyone with mobility issues.

Celestyal Olympia offers suites [below, right] and cabins: Celestyal suites sleep up to three people with a double bed, sofa bed and bathtub while Celestyal cabins are a choice of outside or inside.

Select interior cabins [below, left] can accommodate up to four people with two lower beds while others fit up to two people with two lower beds. If you’re keen to save money on your Greek island cruise this room category will do the job but note they are small – about 11 sq m – and frankly not that dissimilar to what you’d find on an upmarket Greek ferry and with two people they can feel claustrophobic.

Inside cabin prices may seem more affordable if you’re trying save the pennies but honestly, I feel it’s worth paying for an outside room completed with natural light and views of the Mediterranean gliding past.

Exterior rooms on Celestyal Olympia can accommodate between two and four people and feature either a porthole or window, depending on which category you pick.

Even though you’ll only really be sleeping in it, I felt it was nice to have that added extra touch of waking up to see the sunrise from my cabin as we pulled into port on our Greek island cruise.

I was booked into a two-person outside cabin for the four-night Celestyal Olympia Pictures of the Aegean mini-cruise. Prices for this sailing start from €629 per person depending on time of the year and include:

• Port charges and gratuities (very handy as I didn’t have to worry about adding any extra on and anything I did leave the waiters/cleaning staff was entirely at my discretion and not expected)
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets
• Selected drinks (more on this later)
• Entertainment on board
• Up to €75 off any shore excursions

Celestyal’s ‘Picture of the Aegean’ Greek island cruise took in the usual popular islands of Mykonos and Santorini, plus a full day spent in Rhodes allowed time to explore the UNESCO Old Town.

However, my favourite trip out was the first full morning in Kusadasi, Turkey where I chose a shore excursion costing €79 to ancient Ephesus. Walking this archaeological site’s ancient streets and seeing the excavated Library of Celsus with our tour guide really brought it to life.

Over on Patmos [below, left & centre], there was a choice of activities on offer. St. John the Evangelist is said to have had his Apocalypse Revelation in his cave here, prompting the Book of Revelations. I chose to visit the ancient Hora/higher village and then onto the famous cave on a €79 excursion.

At Heraklion, Crete I chose the shore experience to the Minoan Palace of Knossos [below, right] – again €79 – which taught me a lot about the first civilisation of Europe.

You don’t have to join Celestyal’s shore excursions, however; it’s possible to go off by yourself in any destination.

For example, in Mykonos a walking tour around its town and windmills costs €39, but why pay this for something you can easily do yourself?

Not sure whether to splash out on a tour? I felt that booking tours was worth the money in places I wanted a more in-depth look at. Celestyal took care of transfers and reliable guides meaning I didn’t have to worry about any detail, so if you’re nervous about going it alone in a destination, the prices of tours, I felt, are worthwhile.

For a small cruise ship there were plenty of classes and entertainment at various times of the day onboard my Celestyal Cruises ship, ranging from Greek and Turkish language lessons, Greek dance lessons, Zumba, arts and crafts and bingo.

Personally, I steered clear of the gym and days at sea and chose to lounge on deck by the small pool, while after an early buffet dinner I loved visiting the Horizons Bar on Deck 12 with fantastic 360-degree views. It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset and drink a cocktail with new friends forged through Celestyal’s informal Solo Meet Up on the first evening.

Afterwards, we’d listen to live music or head to the Muses Lounge to watch that evening’s entertainment – an acrobatic performance by Cirque Fantastic was particularly impressive.

I’d also recommend (at least once) trying the six-course Greek Table Experience for €59.95 per person, too.

If you’re planning on drinking a lot, I’d recommend upgrading your base fare to a Premium Plus package, at €47 per person per day – that way you can sip without worrying about the bill racking up.

The Celestyal drinks package offers over 100 classic and premium drinks including coffees, juices and soft drinks, cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, premium wines by the glass and draft beers.

However, if you don’t think you’ll get through that much booze you’ll likely save money by paying as you go.

Cruising alone can feel daunting, yet that shouldn’t preclude you from having an enjoyable experience.

Many people love travelling alone and making new friends – my short cruise alone had 40 different passenger nationalities and afforded me the chance to form lasting connections.

Celestyal offers no single supplement for suites and cabins come with a 50 percent single supplement but sometimes there’ll be offers of a 30 percent supplement or no supplement to pay at all – so do keep your eyes peeled for deals.

*Note, since this article was published, Celestyal Cruises has removed Celestyal Olympia from the fleet and refreshed its ships, bringing in Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery. Rates may differ. Visit www.celestyal.com for more information.