Galileo, Eastern Mediterranean
5
There was a window of opportunity in Summer 2020 when we were allowed to travel overseas again and we were thrilled to be able to book a trip around the Greek Islands with Variety Cruises. We chose Galileo, a small traditionally styled ship complete with sails and it looked just like the sort of ship we'd really enjoy.
In the event, it was too windy for a small ship to sail in that area but the Captain was completely prepared for that eventuality and instead, we sailed safely in calmer waters around the Peloponnese and through the Corinth Canal. Although that trip wasn't the one we'd expected, it turned out to be a totally surreal experience and equally as good a choice as the trip we'd originally booked! In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we asked if we could stay on and do the original cruise the next week and were delighted that they were able to accommodate us.
Sailing around the Greek Islands on a small ship with less than 50 passengers is such a different experience to doing it on a bigger ship with hundreds or even thousands of passengers. We visited places that big ships can't get to, made friends with the crew and other passengers and left feeling privileged to have taken a couple of trips on such a special ship crewed by such special people.
Galileo felt a bit tired and could probably do with a re-fit fairly soon, the cabins aren't huge (though far bigger than a gulet) though plenty of room in them because who spends that much time in their cabin anyway and the size of the ship means that it can only sail in sheltered waters when the wind speed gets too high.
BUT - Being on Galileo was the safest we felt anywhere except for our own home during Covid due to the safety measures in place on the ship, we only visited islands where the risk level was low, and the small numbers of people on board. The crew were brilliant and incredibly friendly, the food and waiting service was exceptional, some evening meals were on-board but other evenings were on-shore to try the local restaurants, trips were varied and were led by our own on-board specialists and we even got a discount for taking the second trip with them :-) Would we cruise with Variety Cruises again? Definitely - like a shot! We're already looking at Costa Rica/Panama Canal or French Polynesia for next year but which to choose - or maybe both? After all, they give discounts to repeat customers :-)