Greek isles school trip - advice on ports

[hsaroya]

Hi, everyone. Along with a fellow teacher, I am leading a group of 12, 12-14 year old students in the first week of April on a 4 night cruise of the Greek isles and then 4 days in Athens. Due to budget restraints, we are travelling on the Louis Olympia. I know, in this case, I'm definitely going for the destination, not the ship! Thank goodness this will be followed up in the summer with a Med cruise on the new Regal Princess with my own family!

 

Our itinerary in April is:

Mykonos 6 pm - 11 pm

Kusadasi 7:00 am - noon

Patmos 4pm - 9 pm

Rhodes 7 am - 6 pm

Heraklion 7:00 am - 11:30 am

Santorini 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

 

Yup, the milk run.

 

Any and all advice for port tours would be appreciated, taking into consideration our time constraints. We have already booked a private Ephesus tour with Ephesus Shuttle, which comes highly recommended on CC. It was much cheaper than a ship tour. We have fundraised a fair amount, so can afford to do at least 3 more decent tours on the islands. Any recommendations as well for a Greek cultural evening in Athens? Thanks!

Edited January 18, 2014 by hsaroya

[paul929207]

In Mykonos, I would take them on a tour to Delos. It is an uninhabited island about 30 minute ferry ride from Mykonos. It is where Appollo and Artemis were born. Lots of ancient building or rather the remains of them. I am not sure of the ferry schedule, so that may be a problem.

[hsaroya]

In Mykonos, I would take them on a tour to Delos. It is an uninhabited island about 30 minute ferry ride from Mykonos. It is where Appollo and Artemis were born. Lots of ancient building or rather the remains of them. I am not sure of the ferry schedule, so that may be a problem.

 

Thank you, Paul. Your helpfulness and expertise are always greatly appreciated. :)

[24butterfly]

Hi, everyone. Along with a fellow teacher, I am leading a group of 12, 12-14 year old students in the first week of April on a 4 night cruise of the Greek isles and then 4 days in Athens. Due to budget restraints, we are travelling on the Louis Olympia. I know, in this case, I'm definitely going for the destination, not the ship! Thank goodness this will be followed up in the summer with a Med cruise on the new Regal Princess with my own family!

 

Our itinerary in April is:

Mykonos 6 pm - 11 pm

Kusadasi 7:00 am - noon

Patmos 4pm - 9 pm

Rhodes 7 am - 6 pm

Heraklion 7:00 am - 11:30 am

Santorini 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

 

Yup, the milk run.

 

Any and all advice for port tours would be appreciated, taking into consideration our time constraints. We have already booked a private Ephesus tour with Ephesus Shuttle, which comes highly recommended on CC. It was much cheaper than a ship tour. We have fundraised a fair amount, so can afford to do at least 3 more decent tours on the islands. Any recommendations as well for a Greek cultural evening in Athens? Thanks!

 

 

Our itinerary in April is:

Mykonos 6 pm - 11 pm

Kusadasi 7:00 am - noon

Patmos 4pm - 9 pm

Rhodes 7 am - 6 pm

Heraklion 7:00 am - 11:30 am

Santorini 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

 

Geez---they really don't give you much time at all in any of the ports!

 

Mykonos: They really don't give you much time in Mykonos! Why not just explore the town that's right there and try to find the windmills? It's really a quaint town, and I think that a bunch of HS kids would rather explore on their own than get on a boat and see ruins?

 

Rhodes: You can take a tour or else hop a bus and go to Lindos; again more ruins....OR else you can just get lost in Rhodes Old Town. THere's also some castle there (forgot the name)--Knights of the ---- forgot....Also the best gyro I have ever had....

 

Heraklion: (Crete)--We hired a taxi and went to Knossos. Or else you can walk into town (it's off to the right), the big giant square and go explore the market there and have greek coffee and pastries and get some local color....

 

Santorini: Hmm---again, I'd get off the cable car, or however else u will get up there, and just walk around and find the churches with the blue domes. You really don't have much time to go to Oia, and take a cable car or donkey (cured me of my fear of heights!) down.

As for Athens: depending on how many you are, u can get a taxi (they can always call for more) and have them drop u off at the Plaka area. FOr the life of us, that's what we did, and we couldn't find the starting place everytime we went back! But all I remember is that we were able to see the SOund and Light show at the Parthenon at night--we were basically level with it...Anyway, from where we were, we walked down, found LOTS of charming restaurants, and just people watched. THere's also the Sound and Light Show at the Parthenon at night. Also, there's the Archeological museum, on Athena Street (in front of the metro station, where there's also a McDonald's..) there's a fish market, but u have to go early. You may also want to consider going to Delphi? Another option, since u will be there for a few days is to get to the Port of Pireus, and take a hydrofoil to Hydra or Aegina. Personally, since u have the time, I'd go to Hydra--it's about 90 mins on the hydrofoil. Aegina is a quaint island off the coast of Greece. Just gives u a different perspective..

 

Hope this helps!

Hope you enjoy!

Edited January 21, 2014 by 24butterfly

[John Bull]

Can only help with a few:

 

Kusadasi The only worthwhile sight is Ephesus. With that size group, yes pre-booked transport & guide is the way to do it.

 

Crete . With that size/age group, pre-booking a suitable vehicle for the morning will make life a great deal simpler. And more chance that you'll get back to the ship without losing too many of them.;)

Cruisemom will crucify me if she sees this post ;) but we found Knossos a great disappointment. Only (one?) small building, & that desecrated by botched restoration decades ago. The rest of the site is rubble. You'll be visiting worthwhile archaeological sights elsewhere, I'd be inclined to give Knossos a miss.

Sorry, can't think of anywhere else that fits your limited port time.

 

Mykonos. No transport required if this is a tender port. If you berth, it'll be at the cruise pier about 1.5 miles north of the town -shuttle bus will likely be over-priced but not expensive, if you get my drift. Cool enough to walk, but I think it would eat too much into your limited time.

Butterfly expressed my thoughts exactly. A lot of your vacation is going to be dusty old archaeological sites like Ephesus & the Acropolis. Mykonos is an opportunity to let the kids run loose, the place is safe enough, compact enough, interesting enough & attractive enough for them to do their own thing. If you're thinking of getting them to explore & fact-find for themselves, this is the place - a good opportunity for an exploration competition. Arrange meets back at the harbour.

 

Santorini. The big problem here is going to be keeping the group together going up & back down the cliff between tender jetty & town (Fira).

Choices are walk, donkeys (actually mules), and cable car. There's no road.

There are often long lines for the cable car, but your unusual hours in Santorini won't be the same as other ships, so hopefully not a problem for you.

Can I suggest:

Donkeys to go up (if available that time of day), great fun especially for kids and about the same price as the cable car (4 euros?). Walking up isn't really an option, even for fit youngsters.

One further option is a boat from the jetty to Oia - they are available during the day & include a shuttlebus from Oia jetty to Oia town (there's a road to the jetty at Oia), But because you have a large group of other people's kids, and its an evening visit, you really do need to confirm the boat, and some transport from Oia back to Fira, in advance.

Aim to take the cable car back down - again great fun for the kids. Be at the top station an hour before "last tender" time - if there's a long line you can walk down, takes about 30 minutes.

 

Just MHO as always

 

JB :)

Edited January 21, 2014 by John Bull

[hsaroya]

Our itinerary in April is:

Mykonos 6 pm - 11 pm

Kusadasi 7:00 am - noon

Patmos 4pm - 9 pm

Rhodes 7 am - 6 pm

Heraklion 7:00 am - 11:30 am

Santorini 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

 

Geez---they really don't give you much time at all in any of the ports!

 

Mykonos: They really don't give you much time in Mykonos! Why not just explore the town that's right there and try to find the windmills? It's really a quaint town, and I think that a bunch of HS kids would rather explore on their own than get on a boat and see ruins?

 

Rhodes: You can take a tour or else hop a bus and go to Lindos; again more ruins....OR else you can just get lost in Rhodes Old Town. THere's also some castle there (forgot the name)--Knights of the ---- forgot....Also the best gyro I have ever had....

 

Heraklion: (Crete)--We hired a taxi and went to Knossos. Or else you can walk into town (it's off to the right), the big giant square and go explore the market there and have greek coffee and pastries and get some local color....

 

Santorini: Hmm---again, I'd get off the cable car, or however else u will get up there, and just walk around and find the churches with the blue domes. You really don't have much time to go to Oia, and take a cable car or donkey (cured me of my fear of heights!) down.

As for Athens: depending on how many you are, u can get a taxi (they can always call for more) and have them drop u off at the Plaka area. FOr the life of us, that's what we did, and we couldn't find the starting place everytime we went back! But all I remember is that we were able to see the SOund and Light show at the Parthenon at night--we were basically level with it...Anyway, from where we were, we walked down, found LOTS of charming restaurants, and just people watched. THere's also the Sound and Light Show at the Parthenon at night. Also, there's the Archeological museum, on Athena Street (in front of the metro station, where there's also a McDonald's..) there's a fish market, but u have to go early. You may also want to consider going to Delphi? Another option, since u will be there for a few days is to get to the Port of Pireus, and take a hydrofoil to Hydra or Aegina. Personally, since u have the time, I'd go to Hydra--it's about 90 mins on the hydrofoil. Aegina is a quaint island off the coast of Greece. Just gives u a different perspective..

 

Hope this helps!

Hope you enjoy!

 

Thank you, 24butterfly. I am making notes on all your suggestions. Athens is the one place where we will have our own mini bus as well as a guide for the entirety of the stay. Based on their itinerary, it looks like we will hit all the major highlights. I like the idea of the sound and light show!

[hsaroya]

Can only help with a few:

 

Kusadasi The only worthwhile sight is Ephesus. With that size group, yes pre-booked transport & guide is the way to do it.

 

Crete . With that size/age group, pre-booking a suitable vehicle for the morning will make life a great deal simpler. And more chance that you'll get back to the ship without losing too many of them.;)

Cruisemom will crucify me if she sees this post ;) but we found Knossos a great disappointment. Only (one?) small building, & that desecrated by botched restoration decades ago. The rest of the site is rubble. You'll be visiting worthwhile archaeological sights elsewhere, I'd be inclined to give Knossos a miss.

Sorry, can't think of anywhere else that fits your limited port time.

 

Mykonos. No transport required if this is a tender port. If you berth, it'll be at the cruise pier about 1.5 miles north of the town -shuttle bus will likely be over-priced but not expensive, if you get my drift. Cool enough to walk, but I think it would eat too much into your limited time.

Butterfly expressed my thoughts exactly. A lot of your vacation is going to be dusty old archaeological sites like Ephesus & the Acropolis. Mykonos is an opportunity to let the kids run loose, the place is safe enough, compact enough, interesting enough & attractive enough for them to do their own thing. If you're thinking of getting them to explore & fact-find for themselves, this is the place - a good opportunity for an exploration competition. Arrange meets back at the harbour.

 

Santorini. The big problem here is going to be keeping the group together going up & back down the cliff between tender jetty & town (Fira).

Choices are walk, donkeys (actually mules), and cable car. There's no road.

There are often long lines for the cable car, but your unusual hours in Santorini won't be the same as other ships, so hopefully not a problem for you.

Can I suggest:

Donkeys to go up (if available that time of day), great fun especially for kids and about the same price as the cable car (4 euros?). Walking up isn't really an option, even for fit youngsters.

One further option is a boat from the jetty to Oia - they are available during the day & include a shuttlebus from Oia jetty to Oia town (there's a road to the jetty at Oia), But because you have a large group of other people's kids, and its an evening visit, you really do need to confirm the boat, and some transport from Oia back to Fira, in advance.

Aim to take the cable car back down - again great fun for the kids. Be at the top station an hour before "last tender" time - if there's a long line you can walk down, takes about 30 minutes.

 

Just MHO as always

 

JB :)

 

Thanks, JB. Your advice is always appreciated. And thank you for the car rental advice on my other thread on Toulon.

 

I am thinking about a ship excursion (something I never consider when cruising with my own family) in Santorini to Oia, which lets us off at Fira. Due to limited time in port, and the size of our group, I think this might be the safest plan. We have a lot of time in Rhodes. Would this be a good beach stop after seeing the main sites?

 

Thank you!

 

Harjinder

[moviefan2010]

Rhodes is definitely a place to just wander around in. The archilogical museum was good but not great. If your allowed to do it tell the kids to just stay in the old town area and then set them free for a few hours.

[hsaroya]

Rhodes is definitely a place to just wander around in. The archilogical museum was good but not great. If your allowed to do it tell the kids to just stay in the old town area and then set them free for a few hours.

 

Thank you. I like the idea of some free time in between all the educational side trips we'll be doing.