In shopping for a memorable birthday present for my husband (or hubby), I looked through the maze of late May and early June cruise offerings to Greece, which we had wanted to revisit. Greece has always been one of the most picturesque countries in the world that we never tire of visiting due to its azure skies, tantalizing water views, great food, lilting music and hospitable people.Of the Aegean itineraries I reviewed, Louis Cruise Lines' 10-day "Mediterranean Jewels" program on the Orient Queen emerged as the best value for the money. Besides Greek ports of call (Piraeus, Patmos, Mykonos, Santorini, Katakolon), the cruise package included French, Italian and Turkish destinations (Marseilles, Genoa, Naples, Messina and Kusadasi). What's more, the two "at sea" days provided prospects of unwinding and experiencing the ship's facilities and amenities. With above factors in mind, we booked the cruise, and below is a review of our experience on the Orient Queen.

SHIP

We've sailed on two of Louis' ships before and found the modern, stylish public areas of the Orient Queen just as remarkably clean and well-maintained. Read more