Louis Cruises MV
Aquamarine, 2010 (Aegean Islands Cruise - Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos,
Heraklion, Santorini)
This ship has subsequently been sold by Louis Cruises, which is a good
move. It's not up to par with the rest of the cruise industry.
MV Aquamarine, Louis Cruises
Back in Athens from our cruise on the
Cristal, it was now time
for our 4 day and 3 night excursion on the Aquamarine. This was a
shocker after the Cristal. Even before you passed through the gangway door, the smell took you back. The interior air smelled like
carpeting soaked in machine oil and diesel. Add some cigarette smoke and a little air freshener and welcome to your new home. The
disappointment continued at the cabin. It was very small, smelled bad, had two small port holes to let a little light in and there were
two single beds bolted to the walls so they couldn’t be moved. There was no sitting area so you had to try to turn one of the single
beds into your couch. The shower was too small for me to move in and I banged my head on the towel rack trying to sit on the toilet.
The walls were paper thin, so we heard long diatribes from the Greek gentleman in the cabin next door. At times the in suite radio
would become audible and we would twist and turn dials in desperation until we were finally able to shut it down. Hair dryers were
available at reception as long as you didn’t use them in your room.
The Aquamarine is a converted ferry boat, so the layout is poor. The main access deck includes the main dining room, so scores of
people walked through the dinner sessions to reach the other end of the ship. The hallways were all narrow, so it was awkward for
people to pass each other. The elevators held a maximum of 7 people. When they ascended, you could hear cables clinking and
clanking. The inside bar near the buffet was the only smoking area on the ship and since it wasn’t enclosed, the smoke carried
throughout the ship. The food in the buffet was passable, but it was usually very crowded. Add on top of this that I began to have
stomach trouble and I wanted to turn around and leave before the ship sailed.
Mykonos
This was our second trip to Mykonos. We walked the streets briefly. It was sunnier this time around, but almost as windy. I don’t
understand the popularity of this location, but the white washed buildings are quaint.
We did succeed in finding Petros, the live pelican mascot of the
town. We heard rumors there may be more than one Petros. See
also our highly recommended visit to the nearby Island of Delos,
which we visited on the MV Cristal cruise.
Mykonos
Petros, the pelican mascot of Mykonos
Kusadasi
This stop was amazing. We took the tour to Epheseus and we were among the first tourists to arrive at the site. When our tour
guide went on with a lengthy dissertation, we ditched her and passed the other tour groups that had gotten ahead of us. Suddenly
we had Epheseus all to ourselves. The large two story Library of Celsus and the famous walkway taken by Cleopatra and Mark
Antony belonged only to us. We went into the amphitheatre and climbed to the top. We sat there alone for about 10 minutes,
listening to the doves and enjoying cool spots of shade in solitude. This was pure enjoyment.
Library of Celsus, Epheseus, Turkey
Amphitheatre, Ephesues
Kusadasi, Turkey, view from waterfront seating at Burger King!
The port town of Kusadasi was very modern. We walked along the shops on the water and enjoyed ice cream at Burger King
with beautiful waterfront seating. We didn’t have time to get the laptop for free internet at the waterfront Starbucks. Epheseus
was a tour highlight and Kusadasi was lovely too.
Patmos
We chose not to tour in Patmos. We could see the Fortress of St Mark on the hill. He wrote the book of Revelation here. The
town was small and many of the cruise ship passengers chose to sun bathe at the rocky beach in town while locals swam in the sea.
Monastery of St John at top right, Patmos, Greece
Patmos, Greece
Heraklion
This tour was a let down. Unfortunately I originally didn’t plan to tour, but I got bored and decided to go to the Palace of
Knossos. If I’d researched it, I would have taken a 10 to 15 minute cab ride and paid the $6 Euro entrance fee. Using the
cruise company cost more than $100 Euros for 2 of us, so I figure this was over priced by about 60 – 70 Euros. These
Minoan ruins
are intricate piles of stone and mazes that are the source of the Minotaur myths of a human form with a bulls head that
attacked individuals in the caverns of the site. Definitely not on my list of sites to visit.
Palace of Knossos, site of the Minotaur legend
Minoan Art replica, Palace of Knossos
Santorini
The approach to Santorini by ship was impressive and there was a buzz among the passengers. We took the Fira &
Ia tour. First a tender, then a bus twisting and turning up the switch backs, followed by a twisty turny bus ride across the
island to the town of Ia. We were worried that this trip would be a disappointment as we fought off motion sickness and
oppressive heat when we got off the bus. When we reached the main street all this was forgotten. The view from the village
of Ia is simply inspiring. We grabbed some inexpensively priced soft drinks and walked a short distance to a spot the tour
guide recommended for pictures. This was almost unbelievable. We took pictures of the city in one direction and the churches
clinging to the cliffs in the other direction. We then sat nearby in the shade to recover. As we did, people kept coming on to the
two viewpoints and saying “Oh my God.” One girl said, “Why do I not live here?” It was lots of fun sharing the enjoyment.
Ia, Santorini, Greece
Ia, Santorini, Greece
Ia, Santorini, Greece
Ia, Santorini, Greece
We
then took one more look and I noticed the famous viewpoint for sunsets. We were instantly revived and rushed through the
streets to the spot. On the way, we had to yield to a local wedding procession in the street. When we reached the viewpoint
we felt like we were somewhere special, living in a postcard. After that we took the bus to Fira (aka Thira) and descended the
exciting cable car, passing the donkeys taking people up and down the slope. We sailed out into the setting sun past the Ia
viewpoint and we could see flash bulbs going off all over the city as people tried to catch the setting sun with their cameras.
Santorini was a dream and it made the cruise worthwhile, though I do recommend finding alternate ways to get there.
See also our write up on the MV Cristal
cruise through the Aegean Islands, which also originates in Athens and our
stop over in London on our
return to North America.
