VACATIONS FROM HOME: THIS TIME IT’S GREECE

Friday, April 17, 2026

THIS TIME IT’S GREECE

SAILING AWAY
onboard the Yankee Clipper

Janet and I love small ship cruises. They are intimate and the ships are able to get to ports too small for those floating cities. We’ve been on cruises where there were more crew members than passengers and the largest one had 65 patrons on board. THAT felt crammed.

We’ve sailed through the Grenadines, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, the Sacred Islands of Fiji and along the Pacific coast between Costa Rica and Panama.

CLOSER TO HOME

It was on the Costa Rica/Panama trip that we traveled with Variety Cruises on their three masted Panorama. We booked that trip in December 2019 for a February 2020 departure, effectively a last-minute deal. It was on that trip that the crew outnumbered the passengers.

Understandably, Variety Cruises is a Greek company and no

the Panorama - Variety Cruises

longer sails that particular route and stays closer to home. In June we are sailing with Variety Cruises again and we are going to be on the Panorama. They are calling it UNEXPLORED GREECE and the itinerary involves some very small islands like:

Ikaria, Patmos, Lipsi, Kalymnos, Amorgos and Serifos. I know it’s Greek to me, but I’m sure there will be plenty of wine, coffee and sponges and swimming!

We had both been in Greece before. I traveled there after the Sarajevo Olympics spending time on Crete and Santorini and Janet had an extended visit during her summer off time shedding her image and presumably her sarong as a proper Schoolmarm, but we’ve never traveled to these smaller islands.

AFTER SAILING

After the cruise we are then taking a ferry to Hydra island, about a 90-minute ferry ride from Athens and where cars aren’t allowed and the Uber rides are donkeys.

BOOK EARLY

We lucked out in getting a half-price excursion with Variety the last time. The old adage is that once a ship sails with empty berths that is lost money. Not wanting to chance waiting we pounced on a deal in December that has since risen in price. We were also able to cash in frequent flyer miles with American for one free trip. We purchased another ticket, hoping that prices would come down, which they sometimes do…but current world events put the kibosh on that thinking and prices have gone up! Even the required frequent flyer miles have risen! So, we are lucky.

IT'LL COST YA

The thing about Variety is there is an upcharge for some of their excursions. We compiled roughly $800.00 in excursion fees in Costa Rica/Panama. It was worth it, but we only paid extra once before in Croatia when we went to an Agrotourism dinner on Korcula. In Fiji we paid extra to go scuba diving. So going through the Variety Cruises itinerary for our trip the excursions will cost us around $700,00, I say, money well spent.

Remember, it’s a big world out there and someone has to see it.

IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING

These are the ships we’ve sailed on:

M/S Panorama – Variety Cruises

This majestic three-masted motor sailer can accommodate up to 49 passengers, so you can imagine how quiet it was with just 16 passengers.

VARIETY CRUISES

M/V Infinity – Unforgettable Croatia

Infinity - Unforgettable Croatia

We consider this trip to Croatia the absolute best. We sailed from Dubrovnik to Split through the Dalmatian Islands and then spent two weeks in Croatia. Lovely people wonderful country.

This luxurious ship can accommodate 38 travelers.

UNFORGETTABLE CROATIA

M/V Fiji Princess – Blue Lagoon Cruises

Sadly, the Fiji Princess has recently been retired after a weather-related incident caused the ship to hit a reef and was deemed unsalvageable after serving Blue Lagoon Cruises for 22 years.

Fiji Princess-Blue Lagoon

There is a new ship though and I’m sure they will cater to travels for full and half week trips through the Sacred Islands. The Fiji Princess had a capacity of 65 passengers.

FIJI PRINCESS RETIRED

BLUE LAGOON CRUISES

M/S Yankee Clipper – Windjammer Cruises

Our first vacation together was on this majestic three-masted sailing ship that actually sailed, tacking into ports. Sadly, Windjammer Cruises as a company is defunct, but we had sailed with her roundtrip from St Lucia to Grenada. We recently returned to the Grenadines to visit St. Vincent and Bequia.