This is a beautiful small ship (about 25 cabins) with an amazing crew. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. The food was wonderful..authentic Greek food, perfect for our trip around these beautiful islands. Our tour coordinator, Joseph, was knowledgeable, friendly and funny a perfect combination! The stewards (food and room) were all efficient and friendly, our room was serviced twice a day. The bar was well serviced and the drinks were generous and reasonably price. There were several events that included drinks (in Santorini the Greek night was so much fun with ouzo (or wine/beer) flowing freely). There were shore excursions offered in each port with the trip to Delos a highlight for us (take plenty of water). We loved the swim stops, swimming out from the boat in the sparling water was amazing and unforgettable. There was a range of ages on our cruise, mid 20's to 80 with most in the mid 40s to mid 60s. We thoroughly recommend this small ship cruise if you enjoy good company (mainly aussies on our cruise), good food, fun and the joy of experiencing new places you will love it.. Read Less

Greece was my bucket list destination. Because we wanted to see a variety of islands and only had a short time we chose the Jewels of the Cyclades Cruise with Variety. I am glad we did. First off. The ship is charming and because of its size you spend a lot of time at port instead of getting to the port. Our Cabin was necessarily small ( its a small ship!) but well appointed. I chose Cat A because i like the outside entrance. The staff is fabulous, very accommodating. The food is fantastic. The upper deck is magic. Second the Islands. Mostly you sail early am or late at night and so you get to spend a lot of quality time at each island. That said. Do your homework or take the excursions. The excursions are small groups and not too expensive so I recommend them if you don't know the islands or don't like to strike out on your own. We tend to go off on our own so I did research and we mostly explored each island either by bus on foot or rented a car (Make sure you have your International Drivers Cert) Must see -Go to Rakentia on the island of Folegandros ! you can take a bus from the marina and then walk there from town) Don't miss the excursion to Delos. and so final thought.. I really don't like cruises, and swore I would never take another, but I've been converted. On this small ship cruise you feel more like you are on a private yacht with your friends. Read Less

We normally prefer small ship cruises but this was easily the worst. We made the booking on condition that we would be allocated a cabin with a double bed,at the front of the ship. The request was acknowledged by Variety Cruises. On arrival, we were shown to a cabin with two single beds at the back of the ship ! I queried their error and they argued that there are no cabins with double beds. I showed them their brochure with pictures of cabins which did have double beds and a copy of my email acknowledgment ! They were not even embarrassed by being caught out.The Manager shrugged his shoulders.This was a particularly telling sign. They then argued that it was now too late as everyone was already on board. I pointed out that two taxis had just pulled up and the passengers were just embarking. I said if you don’t give us a cabin with a double bed then we would be getting off and would take legal action to receive a refund. At this point they moved us to another cabin with a double bed. We received no apology. We submitted a formal complaint ,at the end of the cruise, about this and also the lack of service provided if you didn’t “ sign up” for their organised tours. In Santorini , as an example,they would not provide a tender from the ship to land after 8.00 in the morning unless we agreed to pay €140 euros each way for a tender. It took 7 weeks to get a reply from the Company regarding our complaints.They did ultimately acknowledge that “ if you are not going on the tour , having just one time to go ashore at 8am was not ideal”. It certainly wasn’t ideal because the return tender was at 16.30pm ,eight and a half hours later. They could have paid the €140 for the tender themselves but they were a penny pinching company in everything they did. The fundamental problem is that they don’t have their own tender. In Mykonos they moored a fair distance away and we needed to pay for our own public transport to travel to the town centre. The larger ships had their own tenders which went back and forth throughout the day and evening. Our category grade A cabin was on the small side and needed to be updated but it was ok The food on board was of a cafeteria standard and should have been better as they were not catering for many people.If the food served on board had been given to us in a restaurant on land ,we would have eaten it but would not have returned. Unfortunately, onboard we had no option. Quality of dining is important ,particularly on a small ship with no entertainment. So there wasn’t much to look forward to in the evening. Fortunately our fellow passengers were a lovely crowd and we were lucky because this may not have been the case. Be very careful if you are on your honeymoon and want a double bed. By the same token ,you could be in for a shock if you want two single beds to then be allocated a double bed ! This is not a cheap cruise , we paid £4700,and after our experience we will never use this company again. Why take the risk ? Read Less

I have always cringed at the thought of going on a cruise on one of the larger ships so it was with trepidation that I even agreed to go on this one. Boy was I glad I did. From the minute we stepped aboard to the moment we left the ship I cant speak higher of the service from the staff on board. The ship was beautifully clean throughout with ample areas to relax in the shade or on the sundeck. We never felt that we were too crowded. Our cabin was one of the cheaper ones on the lower deck and although it was small and we could hear the anchor coming up in the morning it was fine for us. It was kept immaculate and cleaned twice a day and there was enough storage space. I did look in one of the other cabins on the upper deck and they were quite a bit larger and nicer but I guess it depends on your budget. You really don't spend that much time in the cabin anyway! The dining area was large and most people tended to find a place and pretty much sit there. The food was wonderful. Always cereal, fruit and hot dishes for breakfast. Plenty of fish, grilled meats, salads and local dishes for either lunch or dinner depending on the days activities. It was wonderful to anchor off small coves and go swimming off the boat or get the tender into the beach. Plenty of noodles to float around on and snorkels and flippers. also a couple of kayaks if you felt energetic! We went to some of the smaller Islands which was lovely as when we arrived at Mykonos there were thousands of people off the large cruise ships!! We had a great ouzo and Greek dancing night on board one night but otherwise there was no formal entertainment, but the bar was always open and the lovely Val was happy to serve you whatever you wished for. The drinks were quite reasonably priced also. Most evening we were in a port tied up next to the local fishing boats and you could wander off to the local tavernas and bars for the evening as we would not leave until early the next morning. You could opt to go on the excursions or do your own thing. We did about half and half. It was a fantastic experience and I have some wonderful memories and would not hesitate to go on a small ship cruise like this again! Read Less

My husband and I decided to finally take our honeymoon trip (almost 3 years later) as we were saving it for something big. We have always wanted to visit Greece (was on our bucket list) but also craved the adventure part, so we decided to go on a cruise. As we were browsing cruise lines in internet we agreed that we didn't want a big cruise, we were looking for something more personal and special, and we now can say Variety Cruises offers exactly that deal. Our journey aboard the Galileo was one of the most exciting experiences I've had, starting by the breathtaking views and relaxed vibe. One of the highlights is the staff, they make sure everyone is comfortable at all times, very diligent and empathetic people with a genuine smile on their face, that made them look like family at the end of our journey. They even learn everyone's name and make sure nobody's left out. One of the positive things about it is that they gave us plenty of time to visit each of the Greek islands, you can enjoy the daytime as nighttime. We made friends easily on the Galileo and enjoyed every moment of it. We have no doubt that we'll make another trip with Variety Cruises in the future, couldn't recommend it more.! Read Less

We loved everything about this cruise! It was our first time in Greece, and after the cruise we were heading out for two weeks of home exchange and our own adventures, so we really appreciated the introduction this cruise gave us. We toured the Cyclades. The ship is delightful, the crew was extraordinarily cheerful, capable and kind. I had an eating challenge that made my diet really complex, and the Hotel Manager memorized my preferences and had special meals created for me - to the point that the other passengers wondered if perhaps I wasn't getting an upgrade! The ship is in great condition, everything perfectly clean. Our cabin was kept spotless, the bed was comfortable and there was more space than we expected (Category B). We did not do all the tours, although our shipmates were happy with them. We did the Delos excursion and it was terrific. We especially loved that the ship had access to the port piers so that we only used tenders at one island. All the other stops we could come and go as we pleased. The half board plan worked great, we really enjoyed scoping out restaurants on all the islands. We will be back with Variety. This was our 35th wedding anniversary, and we enjoyed every minute! Read Less

We were two couples traveling together interested in exploring historic and cultural sites around the Peloponnese including ancient and Homeric sites and modern costal towns. The cruise met and exceeded our expectations. We particularly wanted a small ship cruise. The Galileo was comfortable, clean, and well managed. The crew was wonderful. Food on board was excellent and plentiful. And we were especially impressed with the quality of our guides -- Josef and Jenny -- who were knowledgeable about art and history, insightful about Greek culture and politics, and helpful, fun, and funny as guides in general. It was a real pleasure to travel with them. Our favorite stops were Delphi, Monemvassia, Pylos, Epidaurus. The shipboard experience in mid October was delightful -- enough sun for sitting out on the deck (though not enough warmth for much swimming, alas) and except for one day, calm seas. We would certainly recommend this trip. Read Less

This was a return for me onto Galileo and was lucky enough to have done both the Jewels of the Cyclades and Antiquity to Byzantium cruises. I felt that there was great camaraderie between all the members of crew and this was there to be seen by everyone. Stathis is both the boss and a friend to his first officer, second officer and sailors. They show great respect for and to him which means a very smooth sailing of the boat. It is still a pleasure watching him moor Galileo along side the various harbours. Yiannis runs the 'hotel side' of business extremely well and both waiting staff and those responsible for the cabins are experts at their chosen tasks. Valaria is just a gem. How she knows everyone's name, cabin numbers and favourite tipple by day two is a miracle! Alex and his pastry chef do an excellent job in the kitchen and produced some really fabulous food throughout the cruise. Well done. Both Cruise Co-ordinators were excellent; very approachable and adjusted with great professionalism to any changes in itineraries which were many due to the weather conditions! Evgenia is an expert in her field of knowledge of both ancient Greek history and everyday life. Her talks are a mixture of information and humour. All-in-all what you are doing, you are doing very well so keep it up. Read Less

We had a goal to visit the Greek Islands on a small ship, the Galileo was perfect. The staff was unbelievable, the food was sumptuous and plentiful. They were very accommodating for dietary restrictions. Our destinations were changed due to high winds in the open sea, therefore we were unable to visit any of the islands. Our stops were all along the mainland, and included a swim stop on a spectacular day. All replacement stops were well thought out by the staff, and included The Lion Gate, Olympia, and Monemvassia. They involved many sites of historic significance, including destinations and museums we would never have seen otherwise. It was a great adventure, because we never knew where we were going! We would definitely take Variety Cruises again, on another small ship adventure. Passengers who began as strangers became friends. We felt completely safe as women traveling, and would recommend this to anyone traveling alone as well. Read Less

Our cab driver pulled up to the dock and we could not believe how beautiful the Galileo was. Luckily, he recognized the Greek spelling for Galileo and drove us right to the gangplank. The crew and staff offered friendly and premium service from the moment we arrived and through the entire cruise. Passengers were allowed to be casual and comfortable. The food was delicious, authentic, plentiful and in true Greek fashion they begged us to take more. They were graciously able to accommodate dietary restrictions. Our cabin was comparable to the hotel room we stayed in while enjoying Athens. Our plan to see the Greek Isles was cancelled due to high winds. Day by day we would learn the new itinerary and next adventure. The stops that they found for us were outstanding and included many sites of historic significance. Lion Gate, Olympia, Monemvassia, and more. The excursions and entertainment were well planned. Every port people would run over with cameras to see our ship. By the end of the trip we were all convinced that small ship travel was the way to go. Passengers who started out as strangers became friends. Some of us will be visiting each other in Australia, UK, and US. Most importantly, as women traveling alone we felt safe. We are looking forward to our next adventure with Variety Cruises. Read Less