Contiki vs Topdeck

My next bucket list destination is the Greek Islands. One year to the day of my last trip I will be arriving in Athens, Greece (October 2014). I chose to go with Topdeck for this trip. Topdeck has a tour better suited to me for less money. The Contiki tour is either 8 or 12 days, living on a cruise ship for the island hopping portion and spends 4 days in Athens. Topdeck offers 10 days all on land between Athens and 3 Greek Islands, spending only 3 days in Athens. This tour just appealed to me more. Traveling is about experiencing culture and that seems hard to do when all your meals and nights are spent on a cruise ship. It's important for me to emerge myself in the culture as much as possible when traveling. From the reviews I have read online it seems Topdeck is the same type of tour with one exception.... the age limit is 39 instead of 35. This is a major pro because at 31 I am always the oldest girl on the tour. Only problem was when I went to book with my travel agent he tried to talk me out of Topdeck and go with Contiki. he said "its a product you know". So beware it seems Conkiki offers better commission for travel agents. That would explain the lower price. Also its an Australian company with offices in Australia and London, so you will have to call your credit card company when booking for it to go through. Topdeck required you to have travelers insurance which cost me $96.00 and covers everything from cancelation, loss baggage, life insurance and emergency evacuation. Small price to pay for peace of mind. With topdeck you have to find your own airfare but that's fine because I always do anyway about 3 months before. With Contiki you are able to book and lock in your trip with airfare for a deposit, full payment due 30 days before the trip.