This was our first trip to Europe and my second time on a Norwegian Cruise. It was an incredible experience on both counts. The itinerary (Venice, Santorini, Mykynos, Olympia and Corfu) was the main reason we chose this cruise, as was the exceptional price.
Embarkation was about average and slightly confusing, but just about everything was stellar after that. The room was ready upon our arrival and the service throughout the cruise was top notch.
The passengers were a mix of people from all over. I would say that there were probably about 50% Americans, lots of Brits, several people from other European countries and small groups of people from just about everywhere else. The announcements were done in four different languages to accommodate the diversity. It was great!
Venice is just as people describe it. It is unlike any other city I have ever visited. The waterways, the gellato, the spritz and the people watching are outstanding! We also visited Murano and Burano. I would advise getting an unlimited Vaparetto pass and just exploring. Be careful, though, because it is really confusing and easy to get lost.
We did a hop on hop off bus tour that we found right outside the port. It was nice, but I wouldn't do it again. I would just walk into old Cofu town and visit the historic sites (we saw a cool ancient castle). It is very walkable from the ship to get there.
This is a wonderful little place to shop. I found great homemade soaps, affordable jewelry, and local alcohol to bring back home. It is also a nice city to sit and have a beer while overlooking the beautiful water. The local beer is outstanding and you cannot get it anywhere else.
Wow, just wow!! Santorini is breathtaking. Since I have been home, I entertain myself by looking at Google images because I cannot believe how beautiful it was.
We jumped on a boat after leaving the ship and headed to Oia. The kiosk is right there as you enter the port. We didn't have reservations and there were plenty of seats available. I cannot recall the cost exactly, but I think it was like $20 Euros. We stayed in Oia a couple of hours shopping, sight seeing and taking lots of beautiful pictures. Then we boarded a bus that was part of the package we purchased and it took us to Fira. Fira is just as pretty, After shopping and walking around, we found a quaint little bar to hang out in and have a drink overlooking the beautiful water. The sunsets are everything they are promised to be!
Mykynos is beautiful. We mostly just walked around this port and enjoyed the scenery. It is the cleanest city you can imagine and stark white. The windmills are really cool and a short walk from the ship.
We walked off the ship and found a place selling bus tours to Olympia for a great price. It was about a 45 minute trip from the port to the historic site. Olympia was amazing, but I wished we would have booked a guided tour. There was so much to see and I was not always sure what I was looking at. We enjoyed the museum too. The downside to this port is the terrible garbage problem they are experiencing. I have never seen anything like it. There has been no trash pickup in over 3 years, so there are piles and piles of trash everywhere. It was sad!