You could beat the handling of their travel guides. They kept all the kids on track and safe. If you had a problem with language, they would translate for the kids. The guides show the best places to eat and shop, and were very knowledgeable about the sights. show less

I didn't know a great deal about Istanbul or Turkey for that matter, and went with little expectations. I was very impressed. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Our tour guide/director was the best! I cannot say enough good about the Turkey experience. Then on to Greece. My family cruises quite a bit and the cruise line was very nice and Greece was wonderful as well! Overall, the trip was amazing. The history, the ruins...all of it was a great experience! My son and I learned so much, and that is the whole point of the trip. show less

I had the time of my life on this tour. The tour guides did an excellent job of keeping track of time while allowing us to explore the cities and make memories. Our guides even added extra stops in our trip, such as to a carpet store and a leather shop where we explored more culture. I loved my tour and how well it was put together. EF does an excellent job planning and making sure kids have a wonderful and memorable experience. show less

Stops on the cruise itinerary are too rushed; not enough time to see the sites. Travel guides were great; accommodations and food were good. Travel arrangements were good. We'll consider traveling again with an EF tour. show less

This trip explores beautiful vantage points of where the ancient world meets the mordern one. Outstanding! show less

I would definitely recommend EF tours! However our group leader, NO. All experience with the other EF personnel was fabulous. VERY well planned tours, time used very well. Awesome tour directors and guides! show less

This trip was very good, activities were well planned and very nice, some free time. food was great show less

This tour was not only educational and fun at the same time, but also offered us with extraordinary experiences that would be difficult to have on our own without having to make onerous arrangements. The sites we visited were all worth our time, and our tour director in Turkey was truly exceptional in the best ways possible. He combined a wealth of knowledge about the places we were visiting with knowledge about how crowded and hot the sites would become and was able to schedule us so that we arrived early in the day, before the crowds and the heat, which we really appreciated. The hotels were mostly nice, and all well-situated: three of them were basically on the beach! The ship for the cruise portion was a good size (not a monster). Mild criticisms: I definitely would have preferred to spend more time in Santorini. I could have skipped Crete all together, as it really needs to be its own trip. I would also suggest taking the group directly to the Acropolis after arriving in Athens, as by the time we got there it was very crowded and hot, then doing the city tour afterward. For Turkey, I would extend the trip by one day, as there's so much to see in Istanbul that you can't do it justice in two days. In fact, my group arrived two days prior to ensure we could see more of the city. Because there were only two days, we could only spend about 30 minutes in Hagia Sophia. I've been to Istanbul before so it wasn't an issue for me, but my group would have loved more time there. Or if extending the trip isn't possible, I'd actually cut out the cruise and fly everyone to Athens from Izmir, as the time spent on Crete and Santorini was so minimal as to be almost cruel, as both places are fascinating. These criticisms are why I'm giving four, rather than five, stars. show less

This trip experience was the best I've ever had. It was very educational and showed me thing I never thought I would ever be able to see. The historical aspects of the trip were all amazing and well presented. The cultural aspects were slightly touristy but still created a very authentic, if short, experience. My only two cautions or complaints are that the time was pretty limited and some of the site we visited, I feel, deserved more time. I also feel that eating dinner at planned restraunts rather than the hotels might have engaged us more in the culture though I can understand this from a financial standpoint. All in all it was an amazing trip and I highly recommend it. Also there was some financial problems and unexpected changes at the beginning of the tour but all turned out well. show less

Our trip to Turkey, Greece and Italy was excellent. We had amazing tour directors and tour guides who were knowledgeable in every historical site and cultural references we visited and drove passed.

The only thing I would recommend for this tour particularly is full disclosure on attending hand-crafted places where there is some pressure to purchase goods. I loved going to these places; I just would have liked to know ahead of time that I was going there and that I was going to be given the option to buy items created. I may have budgeted for my trip a bit differently.

Overall though, I'm glad I was able to experience first hand the ancient ruins and modern culture of these fantastic countries. show less