Celebrity Excursions

[spkinva]

Looking for recommendations for Celebrity excursions in Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens

[CruiserBruce]

As we don't know anything about you or your interests, had to make recommendations.

 

If you read on the board here, you will see all of those ports are very easy to do on your own. So it may be worth your while to look into that aspect as well.

[cberge]

Also check your cruiseline's board as well.Probably lot's of info there as well.

[cheffip]

The only one I've taken was the Santorini Oia/winery tour. I usually do my own thing or join small group tours but the time in port on Equinox was short so this seemed like the best bet. In the end I was glad I took the tour. We had an excellent guide on the bus who gave a great overview of Santorini's history and local culture and the tour circled the island so we had a mini-island tour as well to the non-touristy side. At the end of the tour you are dropped in Fira and can spend as much time as you want before returning to the ship. There are other options of course such as taking local buses or hiring a driver but if you want to go with a ship's tour, this is a good choice.

[Azulann]

took the Celebrity tour of Athens, Acorpolis and three hours of free time in the Plaka. It was great. We got to the Acropolis early and the crowds were not too bad. Had a very informative tour guide.

The time to explore Plaka was great. Wandered around and found a great restaruant off a side street and had a nice lunch.

 

On Santorinin I would recommed doing a ship tour so you don't have to go up the cable car. But you will need to go down later in the day.

 

On Mykonos, we just got off ship and walked into town. Had a great day, but again it got very crowded by mid afternoon.

 

My suggestion get off ship as soon as possible . There will be lots of ships in every port.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[Langley Cruisers]

The only one I've taken was the Santorini Oia/winery tour.

 

This sounds exactly like the tour we took with RCI. What was so fabulous about it was that instead of taking a tender and being dropped in Fira at the foot of the hill (where you then either walk up, take a donkey up, or ride the cable car up), we were tendered to another port and then took our air conditioned motor coach to Oia. It was phenominal! First of all, it was gloriously early in the morning and so beautiful and secondly we only had to negotiate "the hill" once instead of twice.

 

OP, I ran a quick search for you and this is it. Click below.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?backPageUrl=%2Fsearch%2FshorexSearchResults.do%3FDestinationCode%3DEUROP%26DurationCode%3D%26ActivityTypeId%3D1%26ActivityLevel%3D%26shipCode%3DSL%26Day%3D%26Month%3D07%26Year%3D2012%26CurrencyCode%3DUSD%26x%3D97%26y%3D11%26backPageUrl%3D%2Fplancruise%2FshoreExcursions%2Fhome.do%26pager.offset%3Dnull&ProductCode=SO01&DestinationCode=EUROP&CurrencyCode=USD&LocationCode=JTR&DurationCode=&ActivityTypeId=1&ShipCode=&ActivityLevel=&SortBy=

 

 

Have fun! Santorini is magnificent, definitely the highlight of our Med cruise!!

[robinlynn]

Looking for recommendations for Celebrity excursions in Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens

 

We went into Mykonos first thing in the morning, before the crowds, and got some fabulous pictures of the beautiful town. Then went on the later ship's excursion to Delos, which was incredible. The guide was great, telling amazing stories about the ancient ruins. Not too much left because they are so old, but it was definitely my favorite day of our cruise!

 

The Celebrity excursion to Santorini was also wonderful . Santorini is glorious. When we did that cruise in '09, the ship was in Santorini until 8:00, so we found a little taverna facing west, ordered a drink, and watched the sun set over the water. It was another one of my favorite moments!

 

Athens was my least favorite port, but of course, I am still glad I went.

Standing on the Acropolis was one of my life long dreams and I couldn't imagine NOT going, but the crowds, and lines were awful and the city not particularly attractive, and there was scaffolding everywhere .In Athens, the museum next to the Acropolis is amazing and not to be missed.Of course, I am still glad to have stood in front of the Parthenon!

 

Robin

[spkinva]

Do you remember the name (or the number) for that excursion? thanks for the info!

[Langley Cruisers]

Athens was my least favorite port, but of course, I am still glad I went. Standing on the Acropolis was one of my life long dreams and I couldn't imagine NOT going, but the crowds, and lines were awful and the city not particularly attractive, and there was scaffolding everywhere...

 

Yes, for us as well. The Acropolis site is under constant excavation so one should expect it.

[Lois R]

The only one I've taken was the Santorini Oia/winery tour. I usually do my own thing or join small group tours but the time in port on Equinox was short so this seemed like the best bet. In the end I was glad I took the tour. We had an excellent guide on the bus who gave a great overview of Santorini's history and local culture and the tour circled the island so we had a mini-island tour as well to the non-touristy side. At the end of the tour you are dropped in Fira and can spend as much time as you want before returning to the ship. There are other options of course such as taking local buses or hiring a driver but if you want to go with a ship's tour, this is a good choice.

 

Hi Phil, thanks for the reply:)....I think I will book this one:)

[Lois R]

The only one I've taken was the Santorini Oia/winery tour. I usually do my own thing or join small group tours but the time in port on Equinox was short so this seemed like the best bet. In the end I was glad I took the tour. We had an excellent guide on the bus who gave a great overview of Santorini's history and local culture and the tour circled the island so we had a mini-island tour as well to the non-touristy side. At the end of the tour you are dropped in Fira and can spend as much time as you want before returning to the ship. There are other options of course such as taking local buses or hiring a driver but if you want to go with a ship's tour, this is a good choice.

 

Hi Phil,:) have a question...is this tour called "Village of Oia and

Santorini Island"? It is about 3.5 hours?...It shows the same spot you

ended in....Fira.....I went ahead and booked that one:)

[cheffip]

Hi Phil,:) have a question...is this tour called "Village of Oia and

Santorini Island"? It is about 3.5 hours?...It shows the same spot you

ended in....Fira.....I went ahead and booked that one:)

 

Hi Lois:)

 

Great choice...you'll really enjoy it. Sometimes they switch the order of the winery (which was interesting and tasty;)) and Oia but you always end up back in Fira. They give you a ticket for the cable car back down so you can spend some time in Fira shopping at your own pace or simply having a drink and gazing out to sea at one of the many cliffside bars. The cable car line-up can be long so be prepared for that. I didn't want to stand in line so I braved the steps and dodged the donkeys (and their droppings:rolleyes:) for the long walk down.

-Phil

PS Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions. My Equinox trip was only one week but covered some of the same ports as you.

[Lois R]

Hi Lois:)

 

Great choice...you'll really enjoy it. Sometimes they switch the order of the winery (which was interesting and tasty;)) and Oia but you always end up back in Fira. They give you a ticket for the cable car back down so you can spend some time in Fira shopping at your own pace or simply having a drink and gazing out to sea at one of the many cliffside bars. The cable car line-up can be long so be prepared for that. I didn't want to stand in line so I braved the steps and dodged the donkeys (and their droppings:rolleyes:) for the long walk down.

-Phil

PS Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions. My Equinox trip was only one week but covered some of the same ports as you.

 

Hi Phil:).....I misplaced your email:(...got a new laptop and

some of my addresses from my old one are lost in cyberspace..

I have tours booked in every stop except Rhodes and Mykonos.

[spkinva]

Lois and/or Phil

 

That excursion sounds interesting. On my cruise it is offered at 7:15 AM and at 12:00 PM. We're not sure which time to choose. What time was your excursion??

[Lois R]

Lois and/or Phil

 

That excursion sounds interesting. On my cruise it is offered at 7:15 AM and at 12:00 PM. We're not sure which time to choose. What time was your excursion??

 

Hi, I am going at 12:00:)....the rest of my excursions are private tours

with folks on my roll call and those are all early (which is a big change

for me).....I am up very early for work and when I cruise I usually

sleep late......but because of this itinerary I will be up early every

day we are in port:eek:...figured for this one I would sleep in AND go on

a tour;)

[TLCOhio]

Looking for recommendations for Celebrity excursions in Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens

 

It looks like you're on the Solstice for your eastern Med cruise. For Mykonos, much can be done on your own in that cute village, seeing its windmills, charming shops, etc. Maybe you don't need the ship excursion there. In Athens, maybe you use ship options for basic logistics/connections (especially given the uncertainty on Greek economics/strikes).

 

For those who have not yet visited Greece, the good news is that the wonderful Plaka is right handy and next door to the famed Acropolis area. That makes things so much easier. On going up the hill, be careful as the stone steps can be slick in areas. And you will be looking up and forgetting to watch where and how you are stepping. It's well worth the effort getting there to the top. It is amazing history and architecture!! Also, we had a private guide to help us on this spectacular site. It's not cheap, but it was well worth it to know more on what you are seeing and why it is so important. Below are a few of my visual sample to get people excited about your upcoming visit.

 

You can check out my earlier post on “Athens Tips, Suggestions, Examples to Enjoy!” for many details, ideas and interesting visuals on this great city. Lots of ideas here from me and others experienced with Athens.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

If you have not traveled yet on a Solstice-type ship, check out my live/blog for many more details on these ships, their food, entertainment, offerings, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,624 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here’s a sampling of the narrow flowered street in Mykonos with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

 

 

 

This harbor view in Mykonos shows one of the charming windmills. From as early as the 16th century, these are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos. The island is 33 square miles in size and has a population of 9,300, mostly in its main village.:

 

 

 

Outdoor dining in the Plaka in the heart of Athens’ historic area. Lots of music and fun, shopping, music, plus good food. Don't miss this part of Athens!!:

 

 

 

On Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide we lined up at the site she helped us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there at this famed site going back 700 years before Christ.:

 

 

 

One sampling from the very historic National Archaeological Museum in Athens:

 

 

 

A view from below the Parthenon:

 

[cheffip]

Lois and/or Phil

 

That excursion sounds interesting. On my cruise it is offered at 7:15 AM and at 12:00 PM. We're not sure which time to choose. What time was your excursion??

 

We had a late arrival so there was only one (later) tour which worked out great because there was just enough time afterwards to relax at a cliffside bar in Fira and watch the sun go down...lovely!

In your case, remember it will be hot in July so the earlier tour might be a better (read: cooler) option. Likely somewhat less crowded as well. Then you would have the choice of doing a little browsing in Fira before returning to the ship or even going to a beach for a few hours.

All a question of personal preference, you can't go wrong with either choice.