Strikes in Greece and their effect on Cruises from Piraeus

[Max2003]

It seems that there are perpetual strikes in Greece. Can those who have been in/thru Athens comment on the level of disruption to cruise itineraries and/or shore excursions that this is causing?? Link below to the most recent.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_greece_financial_crisis

 

This must be a reason for concern when embarking or debarking a cruise in Athens.

[IRL_Joanie]

It seems that there are perpetual strikes in Greece. Can those who have been in/thru Athens comment on the level of disruption to cruise itineraries and/or shore excursions that this is causing?? Link below to the most recent.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_greece_financial_crisis

 

This must be a reason for concern when embarking or debarking a cruise in Athens.

 

CRA*!!!! That's about all I can say that is good about this type of strike in Greece!!!

 

I lved in Athens for 4 years and any tpe of transportation strike is extremely disruptive to everyone!! Not just the cruise industry or tourist industry.

 

It will affect the food getting from the farms up orth in the Thessoloniki (Salonika) areas and other farming areas. Getting people in and around the country, i.e., fuel to power the taxis, busses, cars for tourists, workers etc...

 

Transportation strike will cripple the country!!

 

And on top of the strikes are the riots in Syntagma Square. Believe me you do NOT want to be in Synatagma Square, or anywhere near it, during a planned "protest" as it will turn into a riot!!

 

Been there, seen it, done and it was terrible!!

 

Joanie

[jtl513]

And to extend the question one step further, do strikes in Athens have an appreciable effect on cruise stops in Mykonous, Santorini, or Katakolon?

[jjb415]

We were in Piraeus for a port call on July 15, 2010, aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, and were warned in advance by the captain of the possibility of transportation and general strikes planned in Athens for the day were were in port. As it turned out, nothing happened and the ships that were embarking/disembarking passengers in the Piraeus terminal were not affected.

[mtnmusic]

We're doing a 24-night Med. cruise in September and October and have made it a point not to book any private shore excursions in Greece that require an advance deposit. If HAL misses a port monies paid for one of their shore excursions reverts to your OBC account but refunds from any Greek-based operators might be a bit more difficult to obtain.

[Cruisin'Lady]

I have been watching this too as we plan on flying into Athens a couple days early to our Oct. 25th, 2011 departure on the Rotterdam. We most likely will book all our precruise hotels and such through HAL so that they will hopefully help us get to the ship if any problems arise. At least that is the plan. We know it would be cheaper to do it ourselves...but we are willing to pay extra for peace of mind.:D

[cruisemom42]

There is a great deal of information, including some first-hand accounts of people who have been in Athens recently and even on a strike day, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1145757

 

In general, the strikes have been announced well in advance of their occurrence, leaving individual ships to decide whether to call on Piraeus or not. Also, except for one notable strike earlier in the spring, the strikes have been orderly. Only a few have affected cruise ship passengers in any meaningful way (e.g., if transportation is involved, or if sites are closed).

 

I am on a HAL cruise that begins and ends in Athens, and I am planning to stay there one night before and 4 nights after the cruise. I can't say I'm very worried. Just keep checking for scheduled strikes or events. Otherwise, you'd never know anything was going on out of the ordinary.

 

Also, for the poster who asked: So far I haven't seen any reports of cruise passengers being affected in any port outside of Piraeus. It's kind of like when a strike or demonstration is scheduled in Washington DC, it's pretty unlikely there will be any effect on ships departing Miami.

[IRL_Joanie]

And to extend the question one step further, do strikes in Athens have an appreciable effect on cruise stops in Mykonous, Santorini, or Katakolon?

 

Only if items have to go through Piraeus. If they do not have to go through Piraeus there will be no problem there. BUT, keep in mind that almost everything, i.e. fuel, almost all the planes, etc. does come through Piraeus....

 

Joanie

[IRL_Joanie]

I have been watching this too as we plan on flying into Athens a couple days early to our Oct. 25th' date=' 2011 departure on the Rotterdam. We most likely will book all our precruise hotels and such through HAL so that they will hopefully help us get to the ship if any problems arise. At least that is the plan. We know it would be cheaper to do it ourselves...but we are willing to pay extra for peace of mind.:D[/quote']

 

Good idea!! Especially considering that most of the "tourist" hotels are in Syntagma Square!! I'm sure they've built newer ones in other places since we last lived there in 1986, but still the BIG named ones are Downtown Athens in Syntagma.

 

Joanie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Very sorry to hear that many people wanting to tour Greece's various ports may encounter problems.

 

Once in a life-time ports for many -- very sad.

[Cruising-along]

I had lunch yesterday with a friend who had just returned from Athens. It was her first time there, and sadly because of the riots and strikes it was not a good visit. :( We loved Athens the couple times we've been there, and it made me sad when she told me about all the graffiti on the antiquities etc.

 

She said she felt the most sorry for some cruise passengers she met, who were stranded and missed their cruise. She had trouble getting her flight home, but at least she wasn't trying to catch a cruise. I sure hope those people had trip insurance.

[Storylady]

We visited Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Katakolon on the Westerdam in May of this year. We arrived in Athens on the weekend. The Captain knew that many of the passengers were concerned so he made some comments on the situtation. He said we didn't have to worry as the Greeks didn't riot on the weekends. And they didn't. He also said that they had people in Greece monitoring the situation. If we had arrived during the week, he would have let us know if there where demonstrations planned.

 

As for Mykonos, Santorini and Katakolon there were no problems at all. The demonstrations seemed to be mainly in Athens. And we were told mostly in the area of the Parliment which is close to Syntagma Square.

[Max2003]

More on this on the ports of call forum.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1145757

[Corby114]

We were on the NCL Gem due to arrive in Athens on June 29th. Since there was a planned strike for that day, the itinerary added Santorini for the 29th and Athens on July 1st. We were supposed to have a full day in Athens, but because of the change, we were in from 7AM to 1PM; therefore shortening our excursion. We were lucky to see Athens, but the day seemed too rushed and hectic.