Cruise Greece in High Style:
I've been fortunate enough to be on a couple of yacht tours of Greece and Turkey and while wonderful, ships like these pulling into some of the same harbors always excited just a little sense of envy. These big, bold yachts bump it up a notch or two, providing more cabin space and on-ship amenities, yet never being mistakable for a big-box cruise mall. Oops, cruise ship.
Speak French? Fantastique! But It's Not Necessary:
The multi-lingual staff and crew embrace English speakers as well as Francophones. And if you're not sure if smaller-vessel cruising is for you, they ready to assuage your concerns with
The Spirit of Yacht Cruising, a primer on what to expect.
More on Compagnie de Ponant Cruises of Greece:
In 2011, Compagnie de Ponant is offering a number of cruises from Athens to Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Athens. Both legs offer different itineraries, and they stop at some often-missed Greek islands which just can't accommodate the bigger ships. To me, these islands are some of the best in the Aegean. Outbound to Istanbul stops at Milos, Santorini, Sitia on Crete, Amorgos, Mykonos, Syros (Siros), Tinos, Dikili in Turkey, and then Istanbul. The reverse direction visits different islands - Lemnos (Limnos), Chios, Patmos, Delos, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, and Santorini before arriving back at Athens.
The ship for these Greek island yacht cruises, at least in 2011. is "Le Levant", which hosts just 90 passengers attended by 50 crew.
A typical high-season departure date from Athens to Istanbul for 28 July to 4 August 2011 offers 8 days & 7 nights on board and starts at just Euro 1911 per person, double occupancy. Depending on the exchange rate, that works out to be about $2600 per person in U.S. dollars at the time of this writing. You can make your own calculations here with these currency converters. Spring dates are higher than the "high-summer" rates.
Compagnie du Ponant
408 Avenue du Prado
13008 MARSEILLE
FRANCE
Telephone Numbers:
From the US & Canada: 1-888-400-1082 (toll free number)
From UK: 0808 234 38 02 (toll free number)
From Germany: 0800 180 00 59 (toll free number)
From Austria: 0800 29 60 94 (toll free number)
From anywhere in the world: +33 4 88 66 64 00<
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You can also reach Compagnie du Ponant by this email form. They are also represented by many travel agents.
