Greek Island Cruise (Part 4)

(56 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Lola Stoker

Mississauga, ON

Cruise Holidays | Luxury Travel Boutique

I was born in The Netherlands and moved to Canada in my early twenties. I started my career in travel and hospitality in Ottawa and later moved to Toronto where I have lived and worked ever since. My home is in Etobicoke, a quiet neighbourhood i...

My background includes a Degree in Hotel Management from the University of Maastrict, The Netherlands. A veteran of the hospitality industry, I spent my early years working in catering, restaurant management and sales. Later, an opportunity arose in Corporate Travel Sales where I represented some of the larger corporate travel companies in Canada. Although I enjoyed this career, I was always envious of the leisure travel specialists that I met; they seemed to be having so much fun researching and booking dream vacations for their clients.

In 2012, I decided to pursue a career in leisure travel and started a boutique travel agency with my husband, specializing in cruises and custom vacations. I've learned more about myself and the world than I ever imagined. I am truly grateful to have this opportunity to help clients, who have been bitten by the travel bug, plan their trips and cruises.

Many of my clients have spent most of their lives in North America and are eager to see more of the world. Canada is an absolutely gorgeous country, but I believe that it is important for people to travel, experience different destinations and cultures to broaden their horizons and enrich their lives. This could mean an escorted tour in Asia, an expedition trip to Antarctica or a relaxing river cruise in Europe.

My background gives me a unique perspective when booking cruises and other travel experiences for my clients. Born in The Netherlands, I traveled extensively throughout Europe. After moving to Canada as a young adult, I continued to travel extensively to Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico. Eventually, opening my own travel agency will allow me to use my unique expertise to help a variety of valued clients.

I love connecting with my clients, hearing their stories and seeing their pictures of their travel experiences after they return. This was particularly true with a client who booked a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The client had the opportunity to stay in a jungle resort with an amazing view of a volcano, visit the city of Quito, cruise the Galapagos Islands and get close to the extraordinary wildlife there. The pictures I received after this trip were absolutely breathtaking!

While I travel quite a bit with my agency, I make sure I am available for my clients. While my clients are abroad, I make it a point of being reachable so that I can quickly respond to any questions they may have. After my clients have returned, I'm always eager to discuss their trip, not only to learn about their experiences but to find ways to improve my service to them.

My number one mission is to deliver a once in a lifetime, worry free travel experience through superior service, excellent value and relevant expertise - and I will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal!

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Part of the Azamara Cruise experience is an Azamazing Evening, a private shore excursion exclusively for Azamara clients. Tonight we will be returning to Ephesus for a concert in one of the amphitheatres. Looking forward to that and will post an update later.Azamazing Evening – As part of the Azamara Club Cruise, a special event is organized on most cruises of longer than 5 nights. On the Greek Island cruise, the Azamazing Evening was a concert by a string orchestra at the amphitheatre at Ephesus. Ephesus is closed in the evening, so the only people were Azamara guests. The concert was an exclusive event under the evening sky and was truly Azamazing!Day 7 – Bodrom, Turkey – Bodrom is a small beach resort town centred around the Castle of St Peter, built in the 15 century. High up on the hills are windmills similar to the ones in Mykonos. Bodrom has become a sailing destination with the harbour filled with private yachts and sailboats. The waterfront extends for several miles from the cruise port to the Castle of St Peter. We had the best intentions of walking over to the Castle and taking a tour. Along the way we stopped at the beach for a swim and a lounge under an umbrella. The café’s provide the loungers and the umbrellas to anyone that wants to order something off the menu. We ordered two ice café’s for about 7 Euros or C$10 and spent an hour swimming and sun bathing.We left to head to the castle, but stopped for lunch along the waterfront. I ordered the sea bream which was fresh from the sea that morning. After lunch we started heading to the Castle again, only to get lost in the market streets that run parallel to the beach.The shopping district went the rest of the way to the Castle. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the castle, it was already too late to spend any time there, so we turned around and headed back to the ship. Of course, we had to stop for a drink and a refreshing dip along the way. By the time we got back to the ship, we only had time to shower and get dressed for our 6:00 reservation at Prime C, the specialty steak restaurant. All in all, a very nice relaxing day meandering the waterfront of Bodrom.Tip of the Day: The local crafts seem to be a better bargain in Bodrom than in Istanbul or Kusadasi. We were able to bargain quite easily and 50% of the asking price was not a bad end result. Turkish made designer wear is everywhere, but you have to be careful of the quality. You pay for what you get. Turkish cotton seems to be of reasonable quality at a good price.Day 8 – Santorini – A group of islands created around the crater of a volcano. One of the most picturesque islands in the world and it lives up to the advance billing. The main villages of Fira and Oia (pronounced “eeya”) are perched on the cliffs overlooking the Calderon, or the crater which is now filled with sea water. The cruise ships dock offshore of Fira and tender to the base of the cliff below Fira. The only way up is to walk a very steep switchback path, ride a donkey or purchase a ticket on the cable car. Santorini is usually very hot, so the walk up can be very arduous. The donkey ride costs the same as the cable car and takes 20 minutes to half an hour. The only problem is that the donkey stays with you until the next shower. The cable car is the easiest way and takes about 3 minutes, although when the large cruise ships are in port, there may be a long line up.Azamara, which holds less than 700 passengers was able to pick a port day in which only two other small ships were in port, so there were very little crowds. In addition, Azamara did leave Santorini until after 10 pm long after the other cruise ships leave in the late afternoon. Hence, there was no wait at the cable car at any time during the day. Tip of the day: From Fira port you can take a boat ride to Oia port which includes a bus up a steep hill from Oia port to the village and then at regular intervals a bus ride back to Fira is included as well. The cost is 10 Euros. (Others offer the same package for 20 Euros, but there is no difference. Go with the 10 Euro option.) You will have to take the cable car down to get back to the tender, but it is an easy way to get to Oia, the most picturesque of the two towns. Oia is iconic in every sense. The views, the blue domed churches, the bells, the cafes and restaurants are everything that you have read or seen. It takes some exploring to find all the iconic views and angles, but well worth exploring for a couple of hours. The heat can be oppressive, so bring plenty of water and stop in the shade from time to time. Tip of the day: While most of the main streets run parallel to the cliffs edge, take some of the side streets towards the Calderon to find those hidden scene and landscapes. Each side street has its own surprise.