Celebrity Excursion to Delos Archaeological Site

[benkon]

Hello!  We are on the Infinity in two weeks.  We booked the ship excursion to Delos.  The activity level is listed as "strenuous".  Can someone who has taken the tour elaborate on the level of activity required?  Is there a "bail out" area to wait if the tour goes somewhere one cannot climb?  

 

I have no real mobility issues, but I'm also no mountain climber.  I anticipate bringing good shoes, a hat, and water. 

 

Thanks, all!!!

[MeHeartCruising]

1 hour ago, benkon said:

Hello!  We are on the Infinity in two weeks.  We booked the ship excursion to Delos.  The activity level is listed as "strenuous".  Can someone who has taken the tour elaborate on the level of activity required?  Is there a "bail out" area to wait if the tour goes somewhere one cannot climb?  

 

I have no real mobility issues, but I'm also no mountain climber.  I anticipate bringing good shoes, a hat, and water. 

 

Thanks, all!!!

 

My May 2023 experience on the Royal Caribbean version of the tour:  If you are able to walk on gravel and/or stone pathways, most of which are quite flat, and a few that are slightly on a gradual slope, you will be fine.  You do quite a bit of walking on the island.  But probably not more than 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile, I suppose.  There were frequent stops as the guide paused to discuss something.

 

There is a "mountain" on the island that has a stepped pathway to the top.  People are permitted to walk up there.  But in the timeframe of the excursion that I was on, that was not possible.  We were told about the significance of the mountain top as part of our guide.  But it was only pointed to. 

 

Unless your tour is different and includes the mountain trek, I don't think you'll have any problem.  I'm an overweight, out-of-shape, non-athletic tourist and I had no problems whatsoever.  When I was there in May, the indoor museum was closed for renovation work, so it was an all outside time on the island.  There is little shade (didn't need it in May).  There is a restroom near the boat dock where you start/end the visit.  There was a bottled water machine nearby.

 

You may want to view a few videos on YouTube.  They show a pretty good idea of what to expect.  

Edited August 24, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[benkon]

14 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

My May 2023 experience on the Royal Caribbean version of the tour:  If you are able to walk on gravel and/or stone pathways, most of which are quite flat, and a few that are slightly on a gradual slope, you will be fine.  You do quite a bit of walking on the island.  But probably not more than 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile, I suppose.  There were frequent stops as the guide paused to discuss something.

 

There is a "mountain" on the island that has a stepped pathway to the top.  People are permitted to walk up there.  But in the timeframe of the excursion that I was on, that was not possible.  We were told about the significance of the mountain top as part of our guide.  But it was only pointed to. 

 

Unless your tour is different and includes the mountain trek, I don't think you'll have any problem.  I'm an overweight, out-of-shape, non-athletic tourist and I had no problems whatsoever.  When I was there in May, the indoor museum was closed for renovation work, so it was an all outside time on the island.  There is little shade (didn't need it in May).  There is a restroom near the boat dock where you start/end the visit.  There was a bottled water machine nearby.

 

You may want to view a few videos on YouTube.  They show a pretty good idea of what to expect.  

Thank you!!! Very helpful. 

[irvington]

I went on the Celebrity excursion 2 years ago and if it is the same you will be perfectly fine. It is described well above. There is some walking on uneven ground and a small incline into the ruined town. We had a quite frail looking elderly couple who seemed to handle it just fine.

 

The "challenging" part of it was really the boat ride over. The seas were rough that day. I was perfectly fine but some folks were queasy. I'm sure that's just luck of the draw.

[benkon]

22 hours ago, irvington said:

I went on the Celebrity excursion 2 years ago and if it is the same you will be perfectly fine. It is described well above. There is some walking on uneven ground and a small incline into the ruined town. We had a quite frail looking elderly couple who seemed to handle it just fine.

 

The "challenging" part of it was really the boat ride over. The seas were rough that day. I was perfectly fine but some folks were queasy. I'm sure that's just luck of the draw.

Appreciate the help!  Thanks!

[CCJack]

For those that have been on this Delos excursion can you comment if you liked it?    It sounds as if it is mostly  Archeological relics... I would appreciate and enjoy that but I am not sure my wife would.   Does Delos also have beautiful scenery / does the excursion stop at a village or town?   Trying to figure out if this excursion makes sense for us or should we stay near Mykonos....  no issues with long walks for us.   Ours would be an NCL excursion.  Thanks

 

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, CCJack said:

For those that have been on this Delos excursion can you comment if you liked it?    It sounds as if it is mostly  Archeological relics... I would appreciate and enjoy that but I am not sure my wife would.   Does Delos also have beautiful scenery / does the excursion stop at a village or town?   Trying to figure out if this excursion makes sense for us or should we stay near Mykonos....  no issues with long walks for us.   Ours would be an NCL excursion.  Thanks

 

Delos is essentially a non inhabited island just off the coast of Mykonos.  There are no villages/towns and the tour is all about the ruins.  

 

Hank

[MeHeartCruising]

I thoroughly enjoyed the few hours on Delos.  However, as Hank says above there's not much there... other than dirt, gravel, crumbling stone structures/artifacts, some sparse areas of brown grass, a small boat docking area, and views of the wonderful Mediterranean around you.  There is no town.  No stores.  Depending on when you go, there may be a small museum (if they reopen it from its renovation).  It's basically several hundred acres of small tour groups walking around the remnants of cultures from the past.  Visits to this island are for those with an interest in the very significant role it played in the history of the Greek civilization (and onward).  If one does not have any interest in this whatsoever, it will likely be viewed as a negative trip over from Mykonos.

Edited November 30, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[cruisemom42]

I agree with all of the above. It’s a would-be archaeologist’s dream but not much else there.

[edinburgher]

On 11/29/2023 at 6:51 PM, CCJack said:

For those that have been on this Delos excursion can you comment if you liked it?    It sounds as if it is mostly  Archeological relics... I would appreciate and enjoy that but I am not sure my wife would. 

Have you tried looking for Delos  on YouTube as nowadays I get the impression that just about everything and anything is to be found there. And Tripadvisor for images and reviews as not everyone visiting there will have had an interest in archaeology and your wife may find info on either of those options interesting.

[indy406]

We enjoyed the Delos trip. I can't imagine why it is considered "strenuous." Flat surface, easy paths to navigate. It's remote and desolate and a good way to kill most of a day if you're not interested in Mykonos, which is an expensive tourist trap. One bit of advice: Skip the Celebrity excursion. Just walk about 10 minutes around the quay to a booth selling ferry tickets to Delos.It's clearly marked and easy to find. Brochures on the tiny island give you an easy self-guided tour and it is way, way less expensive than the Celebrity tour. Just check the posted schedule at the dock and take whatever ferry you want back to Mykonos.