Port advice on tours vs on our own please

[luvtocook]

Just when I thought I had it all planned, Princess changed our itinerary, adding Mykonos (Tues 1-6pm), Dubrovnik (Fri 9-6), Corfu (Sat 9-6), and Rhodes (Thurs 8-5), removing Florence & Monte Carlo (we're fine with this).

Now----which of these ports are organized tours most recommended and which should you do on your own? We are 4 adults in good shape and have never been to any of them. We don't mind spending the money if an organized tour is the best option.

Of course--we want to see & do & experience everything!:D

Star Princess 11/10/10.

[CruiserBruce]

There is tons of info on Dubrovnik over on the "Other Med Ports" board.

 

The general consensus? A very easy DIY port.

[luvtocook]

Thanks Bruce, I am actually reading all the different boards, gathering as much info as I can.

[cruisemom42]

Mykonos, Dubrovnik, and Rhodes are all easy ports to do on your own.

 

Corfu can be DIY depending on what you want to do. Supposedly nice beaches there and a little town to wander. If you want to see more of the island you could consider renting a car as there are also some nice vistas around the island and also the Achilleon Palace, if you are interested.

[tom_uk]

Mykonos is also a very easy DiY port. We've been there a few times and we always head for the beach; however, on a shorter day you might want to stay around the town. It's a small island - perhaps 8 miles across by 5 miles deep - so everywhere on the island is close to hand. There aren't many taxis, however, so relying on finding one to get you back from somewhere probably wouldn't work.

 

You don't say if Mykonos will be a docked or tender port. If it's a tender port then the ship will anchor off the town, and you'll be tendered into the old harbour, right in the centre of town. If you dock then you'll actually do so at a new harbour about a mile and a half away from the town. Princess will probably lay on shuttle buses into town, for which they'll probably charge an unconscionable amount - I think we paid $10 each with Celebrity last September, for a five minute ride each way! It's best to grit your teeth and pay for the shuttle, because although it is possible to walk into town it's along a busy road that's not very wide and doesn't have a pedestrian pavement/sidewalk.

 

But - if you arrive early (sometime ships do); and if you can get an early shuttle/tender; then a bus ride to Platy Gialos beach would be worthwhile. It's only just over two miles out of town, the bus ride takes about 10 minutes (going very slowly), and there's a bus each way every 30 minutes.

 

Here's a question for you, however: that sounds like a major itinerary change. What ship, and what dates?

[luvtocook]

Thanks Mom--you always have great advice!;)

Tom, yes a MAJOR change. Supposed to be a Med Odyssey cruise, now Greek Isles cruise. Since we're in Venice 3 days pre & Rome 3 days post, we're only missing Monte Carlo as we will do a day to Florence on our own. We love that Dubrovnik was added as well as the extra Isles although we did loose the 2nd sea day.

Welcome to Princess! (our 1st time, we're elite Celeb cruisers) They didn't tell us, someone on the roll call discovered his reservation was changed online! Took them a week to update their web site. Oh well......we're gonna love it no matter!

It's the Star Princess 11/10/10, 12 night. Still doing Venice, Naples, Kusadasi & Rome but the most disappointment is the loss of Istanbul--forgot to mention that in my original post! VERY disappointed about that.:(

[cruisemom42]

Thanks Mom--you always have great advice!;)

 

Tom, yes a MAJOR change. Supposed to be a Med Odyssey cruise, now Greek Isles cruise. Since we're in Venice 3 days pre & Rome 3 days post, we're only missing Monte Carlo as we will do a day to Florence on our own. We love that Dubrovnik was added as well as the extra Isles although we did loose the 2nd sea day.

 

Welcome to Princess! (our 1st time, we're elite Celeb cruisers) They didn't tell us, someone on the roll call discovered his reservation was changed online! Took them a week to update their web site. Oh well......we're gonna love it no matter!

 

It's the Star Princess 11/10/10, 12 night. Still doing Venice, Naples, Kusadasi & Rome but the most disappointment is the loss of Istanbul--forgot to mention that in my original post! VERY disappointed about that.:(

 

Those were the two Princess itineraries we were considering -- as you can see from my signature, we chose to go with the Greek isles cruise in June. I've already done a ton of research on DIY, so if you want more detailed info on any port, just let me know.

 

I agree about Istanbul. I've been there twice but my son hasn't and I would've loved a stop there on this cruise.

[luvtocook]

We have never been to any of these ports so we want to see & do & experience as much as we can--if booking private tours in each will make that happen, we will do it rather than rack our brains & try to do it on our own & miss something! I don't mind doing the legwork, but I like to enjoy myself & not be "in charge" all the time.

[luvtocook]

Thanks for all the replies. Beaches are not of any interest to us on this cruise. We do a lot of AI's during the year and since this cruise is in November, we will be experiencing the ports more than anything. This cruise is for the itinerary!

Seeing "everything" is what we want to do in each port. We have never been to any of them and want to experience everything we can.

FANTASTIC PICTURES!!!!!!!!:D

[Vrilissia]

... Seeing "everything" is what we want to do in each port. We have never been to any of them and want to experience everything we can.

 

From what you're saying I think you really want a Private Tour to get-the-most out of each Port.

 

You're not wrong :)

 

4 adults might squeeze into a taxi, try finding something better would be my advice.

 

Have a tremendous time !!! and tell us about it when you get back ;)

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi Lynn,

 

We have done both of the cruises-the ports you were on before the itinerary, and more recently the one with the substituted ports. We absolutely loved Rhodes, Mykynos and Dubrovnik. The beauty of those ports is that you can either do them on your own, or do a half day tour (we love ruins so did Delos on the Mykynos stop, and did Lindos in Rhodes) and have plenty of time left over to have lunch and stroll around the town.

[luvtocook]

From what you're saying I think you really want a Private Tour to get-the-most out of each Port.

 

You're not wrong :)

 

4 adults might squeeze into a taxi, try finding something better would be my advice.

 

Have a tremendous time !!! and tell us about it when you get back ;)

 

The 3 companies I have requested info on for half day tours all drive E class Mercedes which will seat the 4 of us perfectly, none of us is very large. Their pricing & suggestions of itinerary also appear to be very good.

[agabbymama]

Be prepared, you may miss Mykonos in November. We were on Grand Princess the end of October and the winds were too high, the Captain tried twice to get in, but then aborted the port and we sailed SLOWLY to Athens. I was very disappointed, as Mykonos and Santorini were the main reason I chose Grand Princess itinerary.

 

Have a plan "A", then also have a plan "B". We found on Princess, Plan "A" usually fell apart. We are two older ladies with mobility issues. If we were on a planned Princess excursion, everything went fine, but for the ports I had planned to do on our own, things always went awry. I had planned and researched for 18 months, and thought I had everything down pat, but upon arrival, they fell apart, and I didn't have a plan "B", so we winged it a lot. Totally missed Monte Carlo as there were no taxis at the pier as Monte Carlo Visitor Center said there would be. Also no taxis at the pier in Venice. Ended up having to pay Princess $24 pp for a 5 minute ride to Piazzale Roma.

 

Always check and double check any information you receive. As it always changed for us. We were even given luggage tags for our luggage to go straight to the airport, even though I had filled out the card that we were staying in Venice 3 post-cruise days. And no apologies for the error either. I read the letter stating "Silver tags" but upon looking at the tags themselves, they were "Gold". Went to the pursers desk to question it, he said an error had been made, and gave us the "Silver" tags, with no apology. Communication was a mess, a lot of missing information or misinformation from Princess.

 

We still had a great cruise, we just didn't let any of the changes upset us. So have your plans, but be prepared to go with the flow when the plans don't work out, and have a great cruise!

[cruisemom42]

Be prepared, you may miss Mykonos in November. We were on Grand Princess the end of October and the winds were too high, the Captain tried twice to get in, but then aborted the port and we sailed SLOWLY to Athens.

 

Not to discount Agabbymama's experience, but it is much more likely that you would miss Mykonos in the summer when the Meltemi winds blow than in it is in November. Of course, unexpected weather can happen at any time. :)

 

We had no problem making Mykonos in November a few years ago.

[luvtocook]

I appreciate all the replies. I completely understand weather-related issues. If we miss something, we will deal with it. We'll be in Venice 3 days pre cruise, doing it all on our own & Rome 3 days post cruise, we have all the other Italy tours booked with the same company and they are arranging for all the private guides as well. We have very highly recommended tours in both Athens & Kusadasi and as I previously mentioned, found 3 more highly recommended companies I have contacted for Dubrovnik, Rhodes & Santorini. The only port we will DIY will most likely be Mykonos.

By George, I think I've done it!:D

[TLCOhio]

I appreciate all the replies. I completely understand weather-related issues. If we miss something, we will deal with it. We'll be in Venice 3 days pre cruise, doing it all on our own & Rome 3 days post cruise, we have all the other Italy tours booked with the same company and they are arranging for all the private guides as well. We have very highly recommended tours in both Athens & Kusadasi and as I previously mentioned, found 3 more highly recommended companies I have contacted for Dubrovnik, Rhodes & Santorini. The only port we will DIY will most likely be Mykonos.

By George, I think I've done it!:D

 

Sounds like you've got a great plan and you still have lots of time to fine-tune, learn more and improve. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[luvtocook]

I have actually made a mistake in terms of Mykonos--we arrive at 1AM and stay until 6PM. We will have plenty of time there. Santorini is the only tender port.

[Softball20]

Mykonos is also a very easy DiY port. We've been there a few times and we always head for the beach; however, on a shorter day you might want to stay around the town. It's a small island - perhaps 8 miles across by 5 miles deep - so everywhere on the island is close to hand. There aren't many taxis, however, so relying on finding one to get you back from somewhere probably wouldn't work.

 

You don't say if Mykonos will be a docked or tender port. If it's a tender port then the ship will anchor off the town, and you'll be tendered into the old harbour, right in the centre of town. If you dock then you'll actually do so at a new harbour about a mile and a half away from the town. Princess will probably lay on shuttle buses into town, for which they'll probably charge an unconscionable amount - I think we paid $10 each with Celebrity last September, for a five minute ride each way! It's best to grit your teeth and pay for the shuttle, because although it is possible to walk into town it's along a busy road that's not very wide and doesn't have a pedestrian pavement/sidewalk.

 

But - if you arrive early (sometime ships do); and if you can get an early shuttle/tender; then a bus ride to Platy Gialos beach would be worthwhile. It's only just over two miles out of town, the bus ride takes about 10 minutes (going very slowly), and there's a bus each way every 30 minutes.

 

Here's a question for you, however: that sounds like a major itinerary change. What ship, and what dates?

 

Mykonos sounds like it would be a great beach port. How are the beaches and how accessible are they? We will be on the Equinox in June, and we will be there for the whole day, and we will be tendering. Are there amenities near the beaches - local food options??

[TLCOhio]

Mykonos sounds like it would be a great beach port. How are the beaches and how accessible are they? We will be on the Equinox in June, and we will be there for the whole day, and we will be tendering. Are there amenities near the beaches - local food options??

 

There are a wide variety of different beaches on Mykonos. We did a rental car, fairly easy and affordable, to see that part of the island. Below are some visual samples for those beautiful beaches. These websites offer some details:

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/mykonos/mykonos-beaches.htm

http://www.mykonos-beaches-guide.com

plus pictures, etc. You can do a Google search for more info and images with the search term of "Mykonos Beaches"

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a sampling of the beachside activities:

 

 

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a longer shot of the overall beachside settings:

 

 

 

Mykonos’ market and outside dining area overlooking the harbor:

 

 

 

A longer shot of Mykonos’ four windmills and the village rooftops:

 

[kazganymede]

Rhodes is very easy to DIY. The ship docks opposite the old town (5 min stroll) and the old town is basically a walking town. We missed the Palace of the Grand Masters because it was closed on Mondays, but just walking around and soaking in the medieval atmosphere is great.

 

Of course the tours look at various buildings in detail, but as they are usually only walking tours, they are often overpriced.

[MercedMike]

Well, there are lots of Greek islands with picturesque beaches, houses, churches and so on. Lots of people like that.

 

To me, Mykonos is entirely different. I considered it to be the gateway to Delos, birthplace of Apollo. This is one of the most important religious centers of the ancient world and I would never consider visiting Mykonos without going to Delos. If you do, I would highly recommend a guided tour.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/med.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[luvtocook]

GREAT pictures!!! I guess I forgot to mention WHEN we are visiting the Greek Isles---November. ;) We won't be beaching! Delos has been my focus of study for Mykonos. We want to see all there is to see on each of the islands so I have requested tour info from several operators on each. They're actually very reasonable and will be able to give us a much better tour than I can do myself, I believe.

[Softball20]

About how long would it take to get from Mykonos to Delos? Are there any nice beaches on Delos? If not, is it possible to do a little of both - see some of Delos and then spend the rest of the day in Mykonos?

[texancruzer]

November is too late for making any of these ports beach days. We did our first Med cruise in late November and it was way too chilly for beaches. But we knew that going in and were more about exploring and soaking up the culture of each place.

 

Mykonos and Dubrovnik are really easy DIY.

 

In Dubrovnik our cruiseline provided a shuttle for $8. per person to the old town area. We were docked quite a ways near the new suspension bridge. The shuttle ran constantly all day and was very convenient. We walked all over the old area including most of the wall......lunch and a bit of shopping.

 

In Mykonos (seperate cruise) we also utilized the shuttle provided. Walked all around the town area, checked the fish market, windmills etc. Also lunch and a bit of shopping.

 

Corfu - do a tour ! The island is beautiful. !

[cruisemom42]

About how long would it take to get from Mykonos to Delos? Are there any nice beaches on Delos? If not, is it possible to do a little of both - see some of Delos and then spend the rest of the day in Mykonos?

 

 

If I recall correctly, it takes maybe 45 minutes by ferry to Delos (maybe a little more or less....). If your ship is in port all day, you will have no problem seeing Delos and some of Mykonos.

 

There are no beaches on Delos. Delos is a small island that has been held sacred by the Greeks since pre-history. The entire island is a historical site; no one is allowed to live there or even be on the island after a certain time each day. If you want to see Delos, it should be done in the morning as the last ferry over to the island is sometime around 1pm and the last return ferry is around 4pm. There is a thread here on this board that gives detailed directions, times, etc for doing Delos. There is a small museum on Delos with a lot of the finds (but all the best finds have been sent to the National Archeological Museum in Athens), and it has a map of the site, limited information, and restrooms.

 

It's a wonderful site; I loved doing it. But it's not for everyone. If ancient ruins aren't your thing, then skip it.

 

Edited to add: Here is the thread with detailed info on the ferry and times: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1072493