Athens to Venice

Hi,

We are doing the Athens to Venice cruise next year that takes in Santorini, Corfu, Olympia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.

Has anyone any idea of the excursions available on this itinerary? When our slot becomes available to book rather than waste time having to read all the info to make our choices I'd like to be in a position to say we're doing x y and z and book them while our choices may be available.

Thanks

If you go to the VO website and select your cruise, you should see your itinerary listed. Click on each port and it will show the excursion for that port. The times are not shown. Available times will show on My Viking Journey about 120 days prior to embarkation.

Hi,

We are doing the Athens to Venice cruise next year that takes in Santorini, Corfu, Olympia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.

Has anyone any idea of the excursions available on this itinerary? When our slot becomes available to book rather than waste time having to read all the info to make our choices I'd like to be in a position to say we're doing x y and z and book them while our choices may be available.

Thanks

At about 120 days before you sail, Viking will post the final selection of tours being offered on your sailing to MyVikingJourney; you will be able to see what is offered by you won't be able to book until booking opens for your category.

Before that time, you can view the proposed offerings on the Viking website. Go to the itinerary page for your cruise and scroll down until you see the section of the page that says "Day By Day." Each day is actually a link to a new page. Click on "Day 2" You are now on a new page and at the top it will say "Day 2." Notice the navigation buttons to either side Day 2; you don't have to keep going back to the itinerary page. Scroll down the page and you will see the shore excursion. Not all of the shorex listed may actually be among those offered on your sailing. Click on "Learn More" for a full description. Read carefully so that you determine if you are just driving by a site vs stopping for pictures vs actually going inside.

At about 120 days before you sail, Viking will post the final selection of tours being offered on your sailing to MyVikingJourney; you will be able to see what is offered by you won't be able to book until booking opens for your category.

 

 

 

Before that time, you can view the proposed offerings on the Viking website. Go to the itinerary page for your cruise and scroll down until you see the section of the page that says "Day By Day." Each day is actually a link to a new page. Click on "Day 2" You are now on a new page and at the top it will say "Day 2." Notice the navigation buttons to either side Day 2; you don't have to keep going back to the itinerary page. Scroll down the page and you will see the shore excursion. Not all of the shorex listed may actually be among those offered on your sailing. Click on "Learn More" for a full description. Read carefully so that you determine if you are just driving by a site vs stopping for pictures vs actually going inside.

We did that cruise last year and combined it with Venice to Barcelona with a overnight in Venice . This was such Wonderful Cruise. The first stop was in Split, Croatia - we took the tour that included a trip up the Cantina River and lunch at a small but very memorable restaurant. Weather was great and I still think of the day - everyday . Corfu was a great stop, we did a paid tour which focused in on the fort , a small but beautiful church on top of a small mountain with a wonderful interior. We then we viewed the tiny church on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, just stunning to say the least . We had beautiful weather without a cloud in the sky . The other ports that where GREAT where Dubrovnik , Naples/Carri , Florence which was just as I could of imagine it . Go on a paid tour which includes “Basilica of Santa Croce - and the Leaning Tower of Pisa - Great Day . You may like Monte Carlo but I think it’s very overrated ! Very stuffy . If you have a stop in Barcelona - GO TO Montserrat ! If it’s a clear day you can see forever !

Have a Great Time - we did !

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We did that cruise last year and combined it with Venice to Barcelona with a overnight in Venice . This was such Wonderful Cruise. The first stop was in Split, Croatia - we took the tour that included a trip up the Cantina River and lunch at a small but very memorable restaurant. Weather was great and I still think of the day - everyday . Corfu was a great stop, we did a paid tour which focused in on the fort , a small but beautiful church on top of a small mountain with a wonderful interior. We then we viewed the tiny church on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, just stunning to say the least . We had beautiful weather without a cloud in the sky . The other ports that where GREAT where Dubrovnik , Naples/Carri , Florence which was just as I could of imagine it . Go on a paid tour which includes “Basilica of Santa Croce - and the Leaning Tower of Pisa - Great Day . You may like Monte Carlo but I think it’s very overrated ! Very stuffy . If you have a stop in Barcelona - GO TO Montserrat ! If it’s a clear day you can see forever !

 

Have a Great Time - we did !

 

 

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I forgot to add this port - if you are going to Santorini , Greece . Make the effort to get off the ship and see this port. It is a tender port so you’ll have to contend with that , but it’s worth it . Take a camera , if you don’t, you’ll Knick Yourself ! It’s ONE of the MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES ON EARTH !

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I forgot to add this port - if you are going to Santorini , Greece . Make the effort to get off the ship and see this port. It is a tender port so you’ll have to contend with that , but it’s worth it . Take a camera , if you don’t, you’ll Knick Yourself ! It’s ONE of the MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES ON EARTH !

 

 

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I disagree with you, Eaches. To me, it's THE MOST beautiful place on earth, or at least the most beautiful one I'VE been to. Love it.

When we did a similar cruise on Viking, the included excursion, from what I read and heard, was nothing special. You don't sound super adventuresome, but if you are, you might want to rent a three-wheeler and drive around part of the island. When we did it (twice now, on cruises) it was SO fun, and easy. If we hadn't done that, I probably would have at least found a private or shared excursion. If I had chosen an excursion from Viking's list, it probably would have been the one that goes to Oia. It's a very popular place (almost too popular, I'm afraid) but definitely beautiful. Fira (or Thira?) town, where the tender drops you, is also a nice place if you explore a little past the shops right there at the cable car. But Oia is stunning. Then again, if we get to Santorini again, I'll probably go visit the ruins down south, and re-visit the lighthouse down there. My pictures from 2015 are here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/santorini_oct_2__sea_day&page=all

Just be patient in Santorini. It's the kind of place where tendering can take hours for the big ships to complete, and if you're not on a ship's excursion, you may have to wait a LONG time to get on a tender. Viking did a good job (and it did not take hours), designating most of the the port's tender boats as ones for people going on excursions, but interspersed with a few for independent travelers. Nevertheless, it's the kind of place where it takes a while to get where you're going - on a tender, over to shore, up to the top, etc. Patience is required.

In Athens and Dubrovnik, we just took the included excursions, plus I took the Temple of Poseidon paid excursion (worthwhile). The Athens included tour was nice but minimal - hard to do justice to Athens in a 2 hour tour, especially if you have hundreds of people who want to take it! Spend some money for a more comprehensive tour. The Dubrovnik included tour, however, was much better than I expected. In Kotor, we did a half-day non-Viking excursion with Tours by Milo - loved it - and then I explored Kotor on my own. Don't miss Kotor sailaway if you're departing near sunset. In Venice, I honestly don't believe a gondola ride is a "must do." I would definitely take SOME tour though - I found it extremely difficult to wander on my own without getting lost!

I disagree with you, Eaches. I think Santorini is THE most beautiful place in the world - or at least of the ones I've seen!

I do agree that seeing Santorini requires a bit of effort. For the larger cruise lines, there have been reports of people waiting a couple hours before they could get onto a tender. Viking is smaller, so things go much better for them, or at least that was true when I cruised in 2015. Most of the tender boats (which are operated by a Santorini company, not the cruise line) were for people on excursions - and on Viking, that's usually a LOT of people. However, Viking DID offer a few tenders for independent cruisers interspersed among the ones filled with people on excursions. I was very happy to be able get to the island fairly quickly.

I hadn't been to the monastery that the included tour visited, but just from reading and talking to a few people, it didn't get high marks. Of course, it has now been 2 years since I cruised, so perhaps Viking has found a better place to take hundreds and hundreds of people, which must be a real challenge. In any case, in Santorini, I'd take an excursion that goes to the town of Oia (crowded but really beautiful) or if not, possibly one that goes to the ruins at Akrotiri. If you can, spend some time in Fira (Thira?) Town (where many of the tours end). I would try to go off the beaten track a bit. There are tons of shops there, but a walk along the cliff (caldera) is much more fun if you're into scenery not shopping. There's also a gorgeous yellow church. Of course, we rented a three-wheeler and drove slowly all over half the island. It was SO much fun, and pretty easy, as the roads are good and there aren't too many of them! My Santorini photos are here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/santorini_oct_2__sea_day&page=all

In Athens, you'll probably want to do more than take the included excursion. It's hard to see Athens in a day, and ever harder still to see it on a 2 to 3 hour tour! Spend money for a good tour! In Kotor, Montenegro we and two other people hired Milo of Tours by Milo for a morning tour, and then I explored Kotor by myself. If you depart near sunset, look outside until the sun goes down. It might be magic.

In Dubrovnik, we took the included tour, which we thought was great. We embarked in Venice, with no overnight there, so I can't recommend any particular excursion that might be offered. Everyone, of course, wants to go to St. Marks Square. Be prepared, though, for crowds, and don't take a backpack if you plan to go inside the basilica. I had a small camera sling backpack, and was told I had to walk across the square to check it. I personally decided against spending money on a gondola ride. We went to Venice on our own 2 days before the cruise and loved just wandering around. We took the vaporettos (water boats) a lot. I'd probably suggest a tour of some sort, though, as I found Venice to be a complete maze and hard to navigate. The famous bridge was a letdown as it was being renovated. However, there was plenty else to amaze and delight me in Venice. Just be prepared to share the city with a whole lot of other visitors!