Mediterranean Small Ship Cruise Deals

Accommodations Review

Room was, as expected, tight quarters. It's an old ship, after all. The public areas are great. The upper deck is a beautiful place for cocktails, or just relaxing. Seeing the Sea Cloud under sail is a real treat.

Meals Review

Food was excellent. I think I probably gained weight, but that's my fault. I preferred the buffet dinners to the served ones. Variety was excellent. Lot's of great salads. Good seafood and fresh fish.

Crew & Guides Review

All of the people leading the expedition are true professionals. They know their stuff. One of the regular speakers has her PHD in archeology and is a real expert on the region and Greek history.  I was really impressed with all of them. The two regular guides are Greek and have many years experience in the areas we visited. One of our Lindblad guides, a native Greek, was much too insistent on trying to tell us all about the Greek Orthodox religion. As a non-Christian, I found it a little off-putting. She knew her stuff, but seemed anxious to proselytize...

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Between AdventureSmith and Lindblad, we were well prepared. We made our own flight arrangements, but AS was very helpful. I cannot say enough good about our experience both with AdventureSmith and with Lindblad.

Accommodations Review

Everything about the room like the shower/water pressure, comfy bed, cabin attendants was top box.

Meals Review

Tough to say given my lack of knowledge of food service on a ship. I felt the quality of the main courses could have been better. The salads and appetizer bar was better. Leftovers usually were somewhere in the following day’s meal and really wasn’t great.

Itinerary Review

[We most enjoyed]...Crete, Hydra, Mykonos. Liked the archaeology and ancient architecture and myths. Santorini was a bit of a disappointment. Just too crowded and crazy. It certainly was beautiful and I liked the geology of the island.

Crew & Guides Review

Georgia was excellent. She was almost over responsive to guests doing more than required to satisfy their needs. I don’t think you could do better with a trip leader. I guess my wife shared at introduction time we were there celebrating our 60th anniversary. At one of the dinners we were recognized for this with a very nice cake that was shared with others. Nice touch.

Fellow Passengers Review

We had the luck to meet and be with Sarah - a ninth time Variety line veteran who just happened to live on Crete. We got a wealth of information from her

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Already have shared our positive experience with another couple.

Accommodations Review

The boat itself was wonderful...the cabin was very comfortable and well set up.

Meals Review

Enjoyed the meals on board and those arranged near attractions. The chef was excellent, everything was very fresh and they were very accommodating. Great mixture of local dishes and more global ones.

Itinerary Review

The places were all memorable and felt unique and personal to us: Delphi, Monvasa and Olympia were especially interesting. The visit to the caves was unexpected in its beauty.

Traveler Advice

It may be helpful to prepare by reading a little about the sites, pack a few snacks for those long to lunch time days and enjoy.

Crew & Guides Review

Very enthusiastic, professional and combined local love of places with facts. All of the crew worked well together and seemed to gel well. Even the simple things like carrying our bags up to where the taxis met us, explaining clearly the plans, adjusting for the weather worked very well. The crew seemed to enjoy what they did and working together.

Fellow Passengers Review

Enjoyed meeting like minded people. This was not an objective but really enjoyed that aspect of it. We did benefit from the end of season in that it was not crowded and one group on the boat had their own guide but mingled very well.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

AdventureSmith was excellent and very helpful.

Accommodations Review

Very nice. I believe our cabins were cleaned twice a day. It was always clean. Actually the whole ship was spotless.

Meals Review

The ship had excellent food preparation and it was delicious. I like the variety of a buffet, with Greek cuisine, therefore, giving me the opportunity to try foods I would not normally eat. The welcome dinner and the captains dinner was excellent. Also enjoyed having the chance to try out the local restaurants, and local wine and beer.

Itinerary Review

I enjoyed enjoyed all of the islands, especially swimming, exploring off the ship and small coves. The water is so clear. I also enjoyed the tours, with knowledgeable tour guides, explaining the history of the islands and the many ruins. [We least enjoyed]...Mykonos. Too crowded, over priced restaurants, and poor service. Santorini was beautiful, and the captain made sure we arrived before the crowds of people. Three cruise ships arrived, with thousands of passengers, it was like Disney World. An hour wait, to take the cable car back down. We only had to experience that for a short time.

Crew & Guides Review

Most or maybe all the leaders of the tours, had local experience, education in their field of expertise, with multiple university degree's in Archeology, and related fields, and friendly. Some times it was difficult to understand. The use of whisperers was very helpful.

Fellow Passengers Review

 It was nice meeting people from all over world, with like minded interest.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Very good information, put together, regarding where I was going, about the ship, and what to expect.

Traveler Advice

Per fellow travelers, June and September are the best times to visit. The summers can get very hot, and very windy, We just happened to have rainy weather., in September, But it did not effect the overall trip.

Meals Review

I liked that we got to have one meal a day off the ship so we could experience the islands. The food was very good on the ship.

Crew & Guides Review

Thea was our tour director and she was sweet, fun and very professional. She took excellent care of all the passengers. She kept everything fun while making sure that everyone was happy with the plans. She took care to plan each day - which was difficult since our itinerary changed due to the weather. The captain and crew kept us in good weather by changing the itinerary and we thought that was a great idea! 

Accommodations Review

I don't think you would choose to travel on a motor sailor if you want absolutely luxurious accommodations. That being said, our cabin (on the top deck) was spacious enough with full bath. Everything was very clean and comfortable. We appreciated the small safe. Hair dryer, tissues, shampoo, soap and shower gel were provided along with plenty of clean towels.

There were only two negatives: 1) Since we were all on the same schedule, we tended to want to shower at the same time. There was never enough hot water to go around.  2) The boat does not have stabilizers. So, when it was rocky it was impossible to move about. We needed to wear our seasickness patches throughout the trip.

Meals Review

The food gets 5 stars! It was truly outstanding, especially for a group of this size. There were always choices; food was plentiful and varied. What was supposed to be hot was hot; what was supposed to be cold was cold. No one lost any weight on this trip! The only problem was a buffet meal served when the boat was underway in turbulent water. It was impossible to walk with food, even though the staff tried hard to help. Lots of people (not me!) skipped that meal.

Crew & Guides Review

Joseph was on the ball and had everything under control. He was personable and I think he really believes in this itinerary and wants it to succeed. Jenny was charming and knows her stuff. She gave some good lectures in addition to leading most excursions. She was not visible when she was not providing a scheduled presentation and she was not available to be introduced at our initial meeting. That caused me to take a little longer to warm to her and to appreciate her knowledge.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Andrew always does a great job for us. He is excited about travel and he is always prompt and responsive. I was worried about making connections after this tour and he contacted the ship's folks several times to allay my worries. And sure enough, as soon as I boarded the ship they knew exactly what I needed. It all worked out perfectly! We recommend you all the time.

Traveler Advice

At this season [April], be prepared for all kinds of weather. Bring layers, from short-sleeved shirts to a down jacket. And definitely don't forget the rain gear. Hiking boots were generally not necessary. Good walking/hiking shoes typically did the trick. Read some Greek mythology and history before you go. Spring is surprisingly beautiful. There are wildflowers everywhere and the trees are in bloom.