Small Cruise Ship of the Athens to Istanbul Tour Experiences

Hello,

We are debating taking the Northbound wind Spirit tour of Greece and Istanbul. We just took the classic Italy tour and loved it. Not sure if a cruise is really our thing. Can those who have taken the cruise and a land tour let us know about their experiences.

Thanks,

Gibby

Comments

  • We are NOT patient cruisers and prefer to do land travel to truly experience the countries we visit. With that said, we took this trip five years ago (southbound) and absolutely loved it! The Windspirit is a wonderful ship, small and intimate. While there are about 80 (?) other people on the cruise, the Tauck group does their own tours, with the Taick TD and Tauck local guides. We started in Istanbul and went in about four days early, touring the city and local areas on our own. We were not exactly sure how the tour/cruise part would work, but it was seamless. On the first full day on board, our TD ( an expert on the area...USC professor) gave a historical talk on the area as we cruised through the Dardanelles. As his talk progressed, we noticed that most of the other passengers had gathered around, fascinated by the information. Only later, after talking with others did we learn they thought he was part of the ship's staff and were quite disappointed to learn he was our exclusive TD!
    The accommodations aboard are excellent, the food outstanding, and the staff very professional. In short, one of our favorite trips ( out of eleven with Tauck).
    By the way...we took the Classic Italy trip twice! Once by ourselves and again taking our adult children as it was so great!
    Joyce
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