Solo cruiser with mobility problems

[Tino48]

I am on my first cruise on Marella Explorer 2 on July 10th and rising Chania, Mykonos, Piraeus and Zakynthos. I would be grateful for advice about proxility  of ports to town/beach etc and best way of getting around.

[cruisemom42]

In Chania most ships dock away from the town in Souda port -- perhaps you can check your itinerary (or with your cruise line) to see if that is the case for you? If so, there is generally a shuttle into Chania town for a small cost. It is a short journey, maybe some 15 minutes by shuttle but not really walkable.  The town itself is hilly, sloping downward from the drop-off spot to the Venetian harbor at the 'bottom' of the little town, the most scenic area. Then one has to get back up the hill to the shuttle pick-up, outside the local market.  A very few smaller ships apparently dock outside the Chania harbor and tender passengers to shore.

 

Mykonos is also hilly with lots of up and down, twisty streets in Mykonos town. Your ship may either tender into the center of town or dock a little way out from the town. If docked, there is a shuttle for a small charge and I believe also a sort of taxi boat. Either will get you to the town. Walking is possible but very unpleasant along a long dusty road with a fair amount of traffic.

 

In Piraeus most people want to get to Athens, which is about a 25-minute drive away. There are various transportation options available near the port, including a HOHO bus, which may be the easiest, which picks up at both port entrances and goes into Athens with a few stops. There is quite a bit of info on that here on these boards if you do a search. The problem is how much you can do in Athens itself -- the acropolis is quite a climb from street level. There is a small elevator for the mobility-impaired. There is also the very modern and well laid out Acropolis Museum nearby, at street level and very accessible, with some of the history of the acropolis and the most interesting finds (excepting, of course, the Elgin marbles....)

 

Can't help with Zakynthos. If you can be more specific about what you're looking to do and what limitations you have, you may get more detailed answers.