Our Greece Trip

How long was the trip from Fira to Oia? How much did the bus cost versus taking a taxi?

If you really want to really experience the islands and spend more than a couple of hours at each I would fly or take a ferry and stay two nights in each location. This will give you increased flexibility over crusing. The benefit of a cruise is that you will get to see many islands (since the ship is transporting you while you sleep) with less commuting time.

To address you question about cost - the faster the ferry (eg hydrafoil) the more expensive. Similarly the longer the distance the greater the cost. Additionally you will pay more for a first class reserved seat ticket. I would check out the local ferry sites for more information - just google greek ferry lines.

Do you need a visa to Greece or just a passport?

We are planning a trip to the Greek Isles and also would like to spend sometime in Athens. What do you suggest. We thought about a cruise to the Grek Islands but it sounds like it would less expensive to head straight to Athens and then take a ferry or flight to the islands. How much are the ferries.

I recommend going to Olympus and Aegean Airlines sites directly - - - last year they were running a promotion. You will find much better deals here than Expedia.

Where did you find the flights of $50 per person between Athens and islands? I just used Expedia and they asked for $350!

...the simple answer to your question - as long as you have a car - you should have no problem finding an assortment of things to do - from ruins to museums to just absorbing the local color! Although our stay was brief, Blue Palace is a great property - nice spa on premise, excellent assortment of restaurants and a nice beach front (pebbles, not Caribbean sand) and pool as well. Our room had a shared pool with a great sunrise view of Spinolonga. The property is about an 70 minute drive from the HER airport - a nice remote location which comes with pros and cons. In Heraklion you will find some of the major activities in Crete - so be prepared for a long drive and depending on the time of year it may take longer with traffic. We did it once and it was definitely doable - I just wanted to provide you with advanced warning in case you aren't car folks.
Enjoy! Hope that helps.

I'm considering staying at Blue Palace for my honeymoon (would stay there an entire week). Did you enjoy it? Is there enough to do around there for an entire week? Thank you and great trip plan!

In the notes above you will find the costs for Air and hotel - the only additional costs are subway fare to and from the airport ($20 roundtrip per person) and inter-island flights and/or ferry. We got a great deal on flights - $50 a person for each - of which we took we took two - one from Athens to Crete and the other from Santorini back to Athens. For inter-island transportation we took the high speed ferry between Crete and Santorini - business class was approximately $50 as well. Note - all prices are quoted in USD.
Regarding you question about meals - please review my notes above - the prices vary depending on your appetite for quick bites or 5 course dining experiences.
Enjoy!