Where to go, what to see if it rains ??

[Freckles_51]

We'll be on the NCL Gem in September, have our plans all set out, and of course hoping for dry weather ;)

 

We will be stopping at the following ports:

Athens,

Nafplion (7am-1pm),

Corfu,

Mykonos (8-4),

Santorini (4pm-11pm),

Iraklion (7am-noon),

(also Split 8-4, Dubrovnik 1pm-9pm, Izmir, and a few days in Venice)

 

We have booked Athens Walking Tour, and NCL tours in Corfu and Izmir. In the remaining ports we plan on DIY - walking the local areas, possibly taking a hoho bus if available.

 

Any suggestions for alternate plans in the event of rain?

Or would you stick to the plan with umbrella/rain gear in hand?

[cberge]

We'll be on the NCL Gem in September, have our plans all set out, and of course hoping for dry weather ;)

 

We will be stopping at the following ports:

Athens,

Nafplion (7am-1pm),

Corfu,

Mykonos (8-4),

Santorini (4pm-11pm),

Iraklion (7am-noon),

(also Split 8-4, Dubrovnik 1pm-9pm, Izmir, and a few days in Venice)

 

We have booked Athens Walking Tour, and NCL tours in Corfu and Izmir. In the remaining ports we plan on DIY - walking the local areas, possibly taking a hoho bus if available.

 

Any suggestions for alternate plans in the event of rain?

Or would you stick to the plan with umbrella/rain gear in hand?

You answered your own question....stick to plan and go with umbrella and rain gear,but having said that you may not even see a drop of rain.:DEnjoy.IF it is really raining there is always a nice cafe you can duck into until it let's up.

[Susan-M]

Yes, stick to your original plan, and if it's really nasty weather, you can always spend more time in museums. But I think sunny skies will prevail based on our experiences in the Med at that time of year. Enjoy!:)

[kestrel]

I agree with the umbrella solution. Umbrella is not only good for rain, it also provides shade for hot days. It rained when we were in Corfu but only for a short period of time. Therefore, there is no need for you to change plan just because of a little bit of rain.

 

On the other hand, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens is magnificent if you need an "indoor option."

[MercedMike]

We have rarely seen driving rain in the Med. The times we have had rain it has been a soft drizzle and we just went ahead. In general summers in the Med are pretty dry.

 

To answer a question you did not ask -- I have to say that "just walking around" in some of those ports is missing things that would be high on my list. Nafplion is a great place to see Mycenae and the theater at Epidaurus, of great interest if ancient history is your thing. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea.html

 

Mykonos is a charming little island, and some folks like just finding a taverna and relaxing. But again if you are interested in antiquity, the island of Delos, greatest sanctuary of ancient Greece and the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, is something not to miss. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/med.html

 

Santorini is a place you can do on your own, taking the donkeys or the tram up and strolling around. However the areas out side the town are very interesting too and well worth a tour, IMAO. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/holyland.html

 

Don't think there are any HOHOs in any of those places.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[ab0si]

Just a word of warning ...

 

Athens is largely marble. Walking on wet marble is .. well, it's mostly falling and getting up and falling ....

 

OK, not THAT bad, but it is quite slippery

[MercedMike]

Just a word of warning ...

 

Athens is largely marble. Walking on wet marble is .. well, it's mostly falling and getting up and falling ....

 

OK, not THAT bad, but it is quite slippery

 

Indeed.

 

My DW bought a collapsible "trekking stick" at a sporting goods store. She has been happy to have it in a number of European venues, rainy or not. And I am very careful to see that my cane is securely planted.

[Freckles_51]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. :)

[catl331]

You can't miss Diocletian's Palace in Split. The town is built around it. There is a HOHO in that town also.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree with MercedMike about Napflion--if you are at all into antiquities or history, Mycenae and Epidavros are both spectacular. I've read somewhere here that you can get to Mycenae on a public bus, but don't know the details. Both sites are close and would probably be part of a ship's tour.

 

On the other hand, Napflion is a delightful town, great for walking around, very pedestrian-friendly, although lots of cobblestones. Great jewellery stores, btw.

[Freckles_51]

You can't miss Diocletian's Palace in Split. The town is built around it. There is a HOHO in that town also.

 

Diocletian's Palace is most definitely in our plans, as well as either walking up the steps to Marjon Forest Park, or the HOHO bus :)

 

Regarding Nafplion, from reading many posts it appears that it will be a nice place to stay in town. I am looking for a Nafplion DIY walking tour with information about what we will see, so if anyone can direct me to a web site for this please let me know. If we go out of town it will definitely be a ship's tour due to the limited time in port.

 

I think if we book another ship's tour it would be in Iraklion, another short port stop and by all accounts not a very nice place to do a DIY walking tour, although I did find one online with explicit directions and information about what we will see.:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think if you do a bit of research on the highlights of Nafplion, you can design your own little walking tour. The old town is very small. The big challenge is walking up to Palamidi, a stiff climb. You can probably get ideas by looking at some of the privately offered walking tours, like this one:

 

http://www.greecetaxi.gr/index/nafplion_walking_tour.html

 

Of course, you could take one of these tours as well.

[Freckles_51]

I think if you do a bit of research on the highlights of Nafplion, you can design your own little walking tour. The old town is very small. The big challenge is walking up to Palamidi, a stiff climb. You can probably get ideas by looking at some of the privately offered walking tours, like this one:

 

http://www.greecetaxi.gr/index/nafplion_walking_tour.html

 

Of course, you could take one of these tours as well.

 

Thanks for the info and link. :)

[UlvaZell]

If it rains you get wet. You certainly not going to scrub your plans because it rains...

[Freckles_51]

If it rains you get wet. You certainly not going to scrub your plans because it rains...

 

Thank you for the wise and helpful remarks. :rolleyes:

[UlvaZell]

Thank you for the wise and helpful remarks. :rolleyes:

 

I wan't trying to be flippant or rude but after spending that much money you better believe I'm going to do everything I planned to do, rain or shine...

[Freckles_51]

I wan't trying to be flippant or rude but after spending that much money you better believe I'm going to do everything I planned to do, rain or shine...

 

Sorry but it did seem to come across that way. :o

 

We certainly will follow as much of our plans as possible but just wondered how other cruisers might have handled heavy rain where it might be difficult to stick to some of our plans.

 

I made a start....just bought a tiny lightweight umbrella that will easily fit in my small cross-shoulder purse :D.

[UlvaZell]

Sorry but it did seem to come across that way. :o

 

We certainly will follow as much of our plans as possible but just wondered how other cruisers might have handled heavy rain where it might be difficult to stick to some of our plans.

 

I made a start....just bought a tiny lightweight umbrella that will easily fit in my small cross-shoulder purse :D.

 

Another possibility is a cheap rain pancho. Unless we are some place colder like say Alaska, we usually just get wet. In the warmer climates its usually a welcome relief depending upon how hot it is...

[Freckles_51]

Another possibility is a cheap rain pancho. Unless we are some place colder like say Alaska, we usually just get wet. In the warmer climates its usually a welcome relief depending upon how hot it is...

 

Poncho is on my list...thanks:)

[zqvol]

We just returned from two weeks in the Med. This is a link to my blog. Maybe it can provide you some guidance, or insight about things you might do .

 

http://dreamingonthesea.blogspot.com/

[Freckles_51]

We just returned from two weeks in the Med. This is a link to my blog. Maybe it can provide you some guidance, or insight about things you might do .

 

http://dreamingonthesea.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks zqvol :)