We Loved Our Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise With The Kids!

Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise

By Heidi Sarna.

After 30 some cruises on the megas enjoying the playrooms and video arcades, my 12-year-old twin sons were finally old enough for a small-ship cruise.

We booked a 7-night sailing round-trip from Athens on Star Clippers’ 178-passenger Star Clipper, where, besides a cabin TV for movies and wifi, entertainment boiled down to hanging out with mom and dad in port and learning the ropes of a clipper ship.

Climbing the masts is an event. Photo © Heidi Sarna

While many of the adults, a mix of mostly middle-aged Europeans and North Americans, chose sunbathing up on deck or taking a dip in the small pool, my sons preferred helping to pull up the sails and climbing the masts.

Pulling up the sails on a Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise

My sons helping to pull up the sails! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Several times when the ship was at anchor, the adventurous of all ages were invited to don a safety harness and a climb a rope ladder to the crow’s nest observation platform 55 feet above the deck.

Climbing the masts on a Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise

Climbing the masts! * Photo: Heidi Sarna

When they weren’t climbing up, they were crawling down into the net attached to the forward facing bowsprit mast just a few feet above the waves. This gorgeous replica of a mid-19th century clipper ship was their playground for the week.

Star Clipper is a sight to behold under full sail. Photo © Heidi Sarna

The Perfect Ports of our Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise

Calling on Kusadasi, Turkey

The first full day on route to Kusadasi, Turkey, was the week’s only sea day and for my husband, sons and many other passengers, it was unfortunately spent lying down clutching a sick bag. Though the sky was blue, 40-knot winds whipped up five-meter white caps and Star Clipper bucked through the surf. The ship’s sails were raised and taut against the wind, pushing us to speeds of 14 to 15 knots by sail power alone (compared to its usual 8 to 10 knots with the engines engaged).

For some passengers, choppy seas are a beloved part of the authentic sailing experience, for others, they’re something to endure (don’t forget to pack Sea-Bands and Transderm Scop seasickness patches). By dinnertime, the chop died down and the rest of the week was smooth sailing.

We docked the next morning in Kusadasi and it was just a 20-minute drive to the spectacular Roman ruins of Ephesus. We signed up for the ship’s half-day guided tour and marvelled at the towering façade of the 2,000-year-old Library of Celsus, the enormous 24,000-seat amphitheatre and the ancient city’s marble streets. Our boys got a kick out of the row of ancient stone toilets in a communal bathroom.

The facade of the ancient Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Turkey. Photo credit: Heidi Sarna

A visit to Patmos

The next day was Patmos, a hilly little island without an airport, which our excellent multi-lingual guide Vera told us was its saving grace.

No airport means fewer crowds. We toured two beautiful old monasteries, including the “Holy Grotto of the Revelation,” a small hillside cave where St. John the Theologian, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, was said to have been inspired to write the Book of Revelations.

Afterward the tour, we ate lunch at a taverna, a delicious routine we’d repeat all week

We feasted on grilled squid and juicy red tomatoes. My foodie son fell in love with the mashed feta cheese salad and the crusty bread, and my husband and I went gaga over the smoky taste of the “melitzanosalata” pureed eggplant salad.

Greece is all about food — a typical lunch in port. Photo © Heidi Sarna

A gorgeous day in Amorgos

Our third port Amorgos and by far my favourite. A lovely Italian couple from the ship, Carlo and Marie, invited us to join them on a self-guided motor scooter tour. Though it had been a few decades since I drove a scooter, the offer was too tempting to refuse. Thankfully there isn’t much vehicular traffic on Amorgos (no airport!), and after a shaky first few kilometres, my confidence returned.

With one son clutching my waist, and the other riding behind my husband, and the Italians in the lead, our convoy of three scooters zipped along the winding cliff-top roads of the arid mountainous Amorgos as we gasped at the views.

Motor scootering and amazing views of Amorgos. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Gorgeous Amorgos, an amazing place to rent a motor scooter. Photo credit: Heidi Sarna

We headed for the best beach on the island, Mourou, a wedge of pebbles at the foot of a rocky bluff. It was a scene out of Planet of the Apes, only this version had topless European women and children with sand buckets. We swam in the strong surf, climbed rocks and explored the edges of grottos, as I both reveled in the adventure and worried someone would drown.

Eventually it was time to walk back up to the top of the cliff for yet another fabulous lunch at a local restaurant.

A beach on gorgeous Amorgos on a Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise

A remote beach on gorgeous Amorgos. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Bustling Mykonos

Day five was Mykonos, a busy island (with an airport!) known for its rocking nightlife.

I hoped my boys didn’t notice the condoms flung amidst the seaside rocks at one photo stop near a whitewashed chapel. We strolled through the old town’s classic jumble of lanes, winding up at the nearly deserted but interesting Archaeological Museum for a look at Hellenistic vases and statuary dating back more than 2,000 years.

After lunch on the island, we went back to ship, hopped in a zodiac boat driven by the ship’s young water sports staff and headed for a nearby beach. We swam, kayaked and tried our hand at paddle boarding, which looks easier than it is.

One son, ignoring mom’s pleas to be careful and watch the rocks (and to wear his aqua shoes), steered into some boulders, toppled off, and wound up standing right on top of a cluster of sea urchins. Luckily the tiny needles got lodged in the thick skin of his heel mitigating any real pain, and gradually fell out weeks later.

The remote & wonderful Monemvasia

Our last port was the tiny island of Monemvasia, a rocky plateau just off the southern most part of the Greek mainland. We left our boys on board the ship to watch movies, and set off on an uphill trek along the ramparts of a medieval fortress, rewarded with sweeping views of the harbour.

We then roamed around Monemvasia’s picturesque old town, a golden maze of ancient Byzantine churches and sandstone houses with red tile roofs.

At one point, we found ourselves on a narrow lane that led to the sea, where a small stone jetty with a ladder beckoned us into the water for a quick swim.

Refreshed, we then strolled some more, stopping at a charming café for a glass of the local sweet wine before heading back to the ship, exhilarated once again.

Stunning views from the top of Monemvasia’s ancient citadel. Photo credit: Heidi Sarna

We shared our day with our sons over dinner in Star Clipper’s open-seating dining room. Tables seat 6 or 8, but we usually had a table to ourselves as the ship wasn’t sailing full.

Food was simple and delicately spiced, and I especially enjoyed the eggplant Parmesan, broiled lobster and tasty desserts. My sons often ordered pasta and waiters were happy to accommodate special orders and second helpings.

Breakfasts were buffet-style and included a made-to-order omelette station, and at 5pm, a teatime spread in the Tropical Bar featured goodies like waffles with chocolate sauce.

Delish broiled lobster for dinner on board. Photo © Heidi Sarna

After dinner amusements took place at the open-air Tropical Bar and ranged from a local folk dance troupe brought on board for a few hours in Kusadasi to a crew talent show and fun trivia contests. Most passengers headed to bed by 11pm, retiring to cozy wood-paneled rooms with brass details, platform beds, and portholes.

We could see and hear the water sloshing against the porthole glass of our rooms on the Commodore Deck, a constant and pleasing reminder we were on a “real ship.”

View from our Commodore Deck cabin. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Interested in Star Clippers Greek Isles Cruise?

Here’s the Star Clippers site for pricing info.

And if a Star Clippers small-ship cruise appeals to you (and how could it not!), we also sampled and wrote about these awesome adventures with Star Clippers below!