LIVE from Celebrity Infinity: Best of Greece August 17, 2024

[ckmedsec]

Hello, we just booked the almost identical cruise for August 2025, with the port of Volos added, so we will be following along to get some insight.  We have been to a few of the ports before so those days will probably be spent on the ship or walking around the immediate port area.  Enjoy your cruise.

[love2crews.]

On 8/19/2024 at 4:37 PM, KDLKCruiser said:

Hello

Great review!!! A question for a first time cruiser in Europe for myself and wife doing the same itinerary. Being a Canadian and wife a US citizen, are there any visa requirements to board the ship in Greece and to do a one day visit in Turkey?. Passports and express pass on line check in are up to date. 

Thanks and enjoy the cruise

Kevin

 

I’m not sure about Canada as we are from the United States.  As travelers from the US, we aren’t required to get a visa.  Sorry I cannot be of more help.  I hope you two have a wonderful cruise!

[love2crews.]

On 8/19/2024 at 6:22 PM, Traveling Fools said:

 

Thanks for the tip!  Just made a 1 0'Clock reservation for the 21sr of Sept

 

Enjoy!  It looks like Sunset Ammoudi is almost identical in menu offerings.   I would love to hear your experience at Sunset.  Our lunch at Ammoudi Fish Tavern has been one of our two favorite meals so far this trip!  

[love2crews.]

16 hours ago, ckmedsec said:

Hello, we just booked the almost identical cruise for August 2025, with the port of Volos added, so we will be following along to get some insight.  We have been to a few of the ports before so those days will probably be spent on the ship or walking around the immediate port area.  Enjoy your cruise.

 

How exciting for you!  When we were originally scheduled to visit Volos, I was contemplating visiting Meteora.  It truly looks like another planet, but is a very long day.  One day we will visit it!  If you haven’t heard of it, I would recommend taking a look to see if the day trip interests you.

[love2crews.]

August 19, 2024: Mykonos (Part 1)

 

We started the day with a quick bite at Oceanview.  We didn’t want to fill up on “‘ship” food as we would rather experience the local bites in port.  But we also didn’t want to take Dramamine on an empty stomach.  After a small breakfast, we took our Dramamine and headed to Michael’s Club for the priority tender. 

 

We arrived in port at 7am and headed off the ship around 8:30.  This was part of the tender line at 8:38.  The tender was about 5 mins to the main town and was a much smoother ride than in Santorini the day before.  Phew!

 

 

Fortunately, we tendered to the island.  It is my understanding that the dock in Mykonos is far from the main town.  If you dock, you then need to take a water taxi to the main town.  So much more convenient to just have to deal with the tender.  Of course the dock/tender is out of our control, but fortunately, the tender worked in our favor today.

 

 

Once on the island, we headed straight towards the windmills.  However, instead of taking the direct route, we just wandered through the streets and headed in the general direction of the windmills.  This was so much fun because the city was still asleep for the most part.  We got wonderful photos of all the streets completely empty.  There were a few locals restocking their businesses with fresh produce and some shopkeepers sweeping the floor outside their shops, but it was very serene.  It is truly difficult to take a bad photo here-everything is so beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made it to the windmills around 9:20 and there were very few people there.  Skies were as blue as the Mykonian doors!  Not overly hot either-it was another great weather day.

 

 

 

Then we headed to all the little cafes along the water and decided to grab some drinks at a place called “Kazarma.”  Very cute little cafe and the coffee was delicious.  We typically plan our next meal while enjoying the present one, so we looked up a few restaurants/food places I had on my list.  A gyro place called “Leonidas” said it was a 3 min walk from us and open 24 hours.  So after finishing our drinks, that’s where we headed.

 

 

 

It was a little difficult to find Leonidas as the text for the restaurant name is only written once on the shop and it is in very very small print. They were actually closed when we arrived at 10:30 and the workers were cleaning the storefront.  We learned they are closed from 7am to 11am every day to clean and restock.  

 

 

We all ordered a pork gyro and we got some extra tzatziki and a Greek salad to share.  The Greek salad was super fresh-we even watched them peel the cucumbers!  Everything was delicious, but Kali Pita (Piraeus) is still my favorite gyro we have had so far.

 

 

 

 

After finishing up our lunch, we headed back to the ship and were back onboard around 12:30.  There were a TON of people getting off the ship as we were getting back on.  And Mykonos was VERY crowded by the time we left.

 

Highly recommend getting off the ship early to not only beat the heat, but also the crowds!

 

Edited August 20 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

August 19, 2024: Mykonos (Part 2)

 

After getting back on the ship, we headed to Michael’s Club to get some virgin pina coladas.  These were oh so yummy and super refreshing. 
 

 

My sister also decided she wanted to make an appointment at the spa, so she made one for a hot stone massage.  Her massage was 75 minutes and she said she really enjoyed it.  There was no high pressure sales pitch at the end.  However, they did ask her if she wanted to do acupuncture (they asked her a few times).  She’s not sure if it was because of a misunderstanding due to a language barrier or if they were just being pushy.  But she really enjoyed it and would definitely go back.

 

 

For dinner, we were thinking of doing Sushi on 5, room service style, but they don’t open until 6pm and we wanted to eat earlier than that.  So Regine brought us a mushroom, sausage and olive pizza and then we ordered from the retreat room service menu as well.

 

 

 

And that was our day!  A pretty easy going one compared to what we’re used to, but we all had a great time getting lost in the picturesque streets of Mykonos!

 

 

Edited August 20 by love2crews.

[Judyrem]

On 8/18/2024 at 10:26 AM, love2crews. said:

 

The meatballs sound great!  Perhaps our food was just a fluke.  It was embarkation day and I know the staff are crazy, so maybe the food quality was slacking because it was such a chaotic day. 🫠

I hate to boast but I consider myself a meatball "expert" because  I have made so many bad ones!

[love2crews.]

August 20, 2024: Kusadasi (Part 1)

 

Our day started with room service at 7:00 sharp.  Breakfast was delicious and we’re all big fans of the crispy bacon on the ship. 😋

 

 

We also had an absolutely beautiful view as we pulled into port.  And the full moon was spectacular as well.  A wonderful welcome to the city!

 

 

 

At 8:00, we met our guide Umut at the exit of the cruise terminal.  I had heard about being bombarded with locals asking you to buy their products, sample their tastings, come into their store, things of that sort.  But I was relieved that Umut had met us before we walked through all the shops-not many people tried to stop us when they saw we were with a local.

 

In our usual attempt to beat the heat and crowds, we headed to Ephesus first.  Since we were mainly concerned about seeing the Library of Celsus, Umut offered to take us through the exit and then head to the library that way.  We decided this made sense for us and boy was it a good call.  We beat all the crowds for the area of the city with the larger Greco-Roman theater.  There were some people by the time we reached the library, but nowhere near as many as if we had started from the main entrance.  For us, we still saw plenty of the city and this was the perfect choice for our group.  We are very glad we did it this way.

 

 

 

 

 

From there, we headed to a family owned ceramic shop and watched how they make the pottery.  We chatted with the 7th generation potter and were met with wonderful Turkish hospitality.  They brought us cold apple tea which was on my list of things to try.  OMG-sooooo good!  We bought a couple boxes to take home and I also ordered it everywhere we went!  Yum!  We opted not to make our own pottery since we didn’t want to get dirty and be covered in clay all day.

 

 

 

 

Then we went down to the nicer pottery items in the downstairs area.  They also showed us the items that are made with moonstone and glow in the dark.  This particular family/shop also restores items for museums, so we got to see some really unique and historical pieces as well.  We ended up buying a couple things from the “everyday” section on the main floor.  I will say, they were not pushy AT ALL.  I was sort of nervous as I have heard horror stories, but there was no pressure and we did not feel unsafe or threatened at any time.  It was more a sense of pride and they wanted to show off what their family has created. 

 

 

 

We had also mentioned to Umut that we love baklava and Turkish delight, so he took us to a wonderful shop with all the baklava, Turkish delight, olive oil, and spices you could imagine.  They gave us lots of tasty samples, including some delicious apple tea.  This is where I grabbed a few boxes of the wonderful tea.  They let us pick and choose our sweets and then vacuumed sealed it all so we could take it onboard.

 

 

 

From there, we headed to the House of Virgin Mary.  This was by far the most crowded place we visited all day.  Lots of people, lines, and a relatively quick stop.  No photos allowed inside, but you quickly walk through and come out the side.

 

 

 

Then we stopped at a local village with a rug weaving school where the Turkish government brings in women from different villages to teach them how to weave.  They are trying to keep the culture alive and it was very clear everyone is really passionate about this.  There was a restaurant in the village where Umut had arranged lunch for us.  Lunch was included in the tour.  I should also mention the tour includes a guide, driver, lunch and an air conditioned van.

 

 

 

We enjoyed a traditional Turkish lunch and everything was amazing!  The mezze to start and the kofte meatballs were sooo good!  The kofte meatballs and the fish at Ammoudi Fish Tavern have been my 2 favorites eats this trip.  Absolutely delicious.  And of course I had some cold apple tea with my meal.  Heaven!

 

 

 

We headed to the rug side of the village after lunch.  We learned about the wool vs silk rug weaving, how they collect the silk, how long it takes to make the rugs (a very long time!) and things of that sort.  And then inside we went for the rug presentation.  They were not pushy or aggressive-they are very passionate about keeping the culture alive and sharing their culture with us.  They were extremely nice and Umut had even told us before the presentation that there is no pressure to buy.

 

 

In all honesty, I had wanted to visit a rug factory but was worried about the sales pitches and aggressiveness. I am SUPER DUPER thankful Umut took us here because we were able to learn about the process as well as see, touch and feel the different rugs, but we didn’t feel uncomfortable for a single second.  Very well done and they wonderfully explained their culture and handicrafts to us.  Kudos to them!  To be clear, we did not purchase anything here.

 

Our last stop was a quick drive by the Temple of Artemis.  Umut knew we were tired and hot, so he had the driver pull up right in front of it and we had a perfect view of the single remaining column.  He explained what we were looking at and then we were off!

 

He dropped us back at the port and then we remembered-we forgot to get our Turkish ice cream!  He assured us there would be some at the port, and of course he was right!  We grabbed (or should I say, tried to grab, lol!) an ice cream cone at the port.  A silly experience, but fun nonetheless. 

 

 

Just before exiting the terminal, we were stopped and told to fill out a paper.  We asked what this was for and were not given an answer, but everyone was filling it out.  We assumed a mandatory paper for the port?  Well, my mom heard a man say he did not want to fill it out and just walk on by.  Turns out, it was a survey and was not mandatory.  So, we did not fill it out.  Just know, they make it seem like an official paper everyone is required to fill out to exit the terminal.  We exited just fine without filling it out.

 

We had a fantastic day in Ephesus and Selcuk thanks to Umut and his incredible knowledge!

 

Tour Provider Info: Umut +90 507 313 74 34

www.guideofephesus.com

*He is in the process of redoing his website, so if it is not working, that is why.  Umut was absolutely amazing, super knowledgeable and friendly and adapted the tour perfectly to fit our needs.  If Kusadasi is on your itinerary, Umut should be as well!  Highly, highly recommend him!!

 

 

[love2crews.]

August 20, 2024: Ephesus (Part 2)

 

After getting back onboard, we headed to Michael’s Club for another virgin pina colada. It was so, so good yesterday.

 

 

Then back up to the room to relax.  A little later I decided to grab an iced latte from Al Bacio to keep me awake!  Hazelnut and vanilla this time, a great combination in my opinion. 🙂

 

 

And then we decided to have dinner in Luminae since we have yet to dine there!  And the menu looked good to us tonight.  We got there about 6:00 and were greeted by our friend, Igor, who took amazing care of us on the Apex.  We were so, so happy to see each other and we’ve been passing by Luminae every morning to say hello to him.  He was very excited we were going to have dinner at his restaurant tonight.  He sat us at a table by the water and then we met our server Nitin.  

 

We ordered a little of everything and it was all delicious!  By far our best meal onboard.  Igor made sure we were taken care of and had all our favorite foods, too.  He really is the best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then back to the room for the night!  Rochelle knows we get to bed early, so she already had the beds turned down, towels restocked, and clean clothes in our closet.  We’ve been sending a bag of laundry every day.  We sure do love that perk (unlimited laundry) and also the included specialty dining.  

 

Well, tomorrow is Kavala.  Another port where we have nothing planned!  We’ll see what we find.  And as always, any recs are welcome!

[love2crews.]

On 8/18/2024 at 4:45 PM, Stem to Stern said:

How was it?  

There is a discussion elsewhere on here about the brand of the syrup used, so this could be recreated at home.😉

Any intel you might gather would be lauded.

 

On 8/18/2024 at 4:47 PM, love2crews. said:

 

It was ok-not great not horrible.

 

I believe it was Monin, but I will double check next time we’re there! 🙂 

 

Yep!  It’s Monin! 

[love2crews.]

An interesting thing I learned about the butlers.  I had read they started using WhatsApp to message them.  However, they stopped this last cruise because they are waiting on something from the IT department.  So for the time being, no messaging through WhatsApp.

 

[love2crews.]

1 hour ago, Judyrem said:

I hate to boast but I consider myself a meatball "expert" because  I have made so many bad ones!

 

Well you’ll have to update us and let us all know what you think of the ones from Tuscan Grille!

[Cap_D]

Thanks for sharing.  Could you provide more info and a review of your bladless neck fan?  Are you using it at each port or selectively?

[Traveling Fools]

9 hours ago, love2crews. said:

Enjoy!  It looks like Sunset Ammoudi is almost identical in menu offerings.   I would love to hear your experience at Sunset.  Our lunch at Ammoudi Fish Tavern has been one of our two favorite meals so far this trip!  

 

Will let you know as I intend on posting a review of our entire Greece adventure including our land excursion as well as our cruise experience.

[love2crews.]

August 21, 2024: Kavala (Part 1)

 

We had a leisurely start to the morning.  We arrived in Kavala around 9am (scheduled 10am) and were awakened by the alarm sounded by the anchor.  Not really an alarm sound, more like an earthquake. LOL.  

 

We had some coffee, iced tea and a few pastries delivered so we could take our Dramamine for the tender to shore. 

 

 

The late arrival in port made a HUGE difference in the lines for tenders.  The ship was packed and lots of people waiting for their numbers to be called to head to shore.  Around 10:40, we headed to Michael’s Club to catch the priority tender and we were onshore around 11:00.  The tender ride was about 7-8 minutes and very smooth.

 

We had nothing planned for today other than finding something for lunch, so we just started walking to what looked like the main town.  The Main Street facing the sea was very very uneven.  However, we realized that by walking just one street back, it was much more smooth and even.  We watched a couple people almost fall over the pavers as well as some random steps/curbs because they weren’t watching where they stepped.  

 

 

We found a gyro place open 24 hours and headed that direction.  Like Mykonos, we were greeted with a closed shop.  But this time, no sign of workers and the entrance was locked.  So we decided to look elsewhere.  We turned a corner and found a bunch of locals sitting at a small restaurant and unanimously decided it had to be good.  Not a word of English on the menu and restaurant owner barely spoke English, but that’s how you know it’s gonna be good!  We managed to order 3 kofte sandwiches with everything (not sure the exact name, we really don’t know what we ordered), but I do know it was delicious!  We sat on some plastic lawn chairs out front and enjoyed our delicious lunch.  

 

 

 

From there, we talked to a local shop owner a few shops down.  We bonded over having similar businesses and it was a wonderful surprise for all of us.  We just wandered around a few more shops and streets as we headed back to the tenders.  We were here about 2 hours and arrived back to the ship around 1pm.

 

 

 

Then to Michael’s Club we went for a virgin pina colada, hazelnut vanilla iced latte, and some refreshing ice water.

 

 

 

After relaxing in the room a bit, we enjoyed some crudite to hold us over until dinner at 6.  Dinner tonight is at Le Petite Chef.  When we tried this on the Apex, we didn’t expect much of the food, but we were very pleasantly surprised.  I really hope that is the case for us again tonight. 🙂 

 

[love2crews.]

15 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Thanks for sharing.  Could you provide more info and a review of your bladless neck fan?  Are you using it at each port or selectively?

 

Yes!  They are a bit loud when they are on, but they are very helpful.  Important to keep in mind they don’t blow cold air-they just provide circulation.

 

There are 3 modes: low, medium and high.  We had tested at home to see how long they would last.  We tested for 4 hours straight on high mode and they were still running.  Not sure how much longer they will last on high, but they have been great so far.  And we are recharging every night.

 

We are bringing them to every port since we do not do well in the heat!  They are a little difficult to pack, but not heavy.  If you aren’t good in the heat like us, you will likely be thankful for these little neck fans!

[BuckeyeMark]

Did I miss who you booked for the Santorini water taxi? Missing the donkey steps would be a big plus!  Is this the folks you used?

https://www.santorinitravel.com/santorini-water-taxi/

[love2crews.]

11 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

 

Will let you know as I intend on posting a review of our entire Greece adventure including our land excursion as well as our cruise experience.

 

That’s great!  I love LIVE reviews, so I will be on the lookout for yours. 🙂 

[love2crews.]

Just now, BuckeyeMark said:

Did I miss who you booked for the Santorini water taxi? Missing the donkey steps would be a big plus!  Is this the folks you used?

https://www.santorinitravel.com/santorini-water-taxi/

We booked with Santorini Yachting Club!  I did everything via email and they were super quick to reply to me. 

 

https://www.santoriniyachtingclub.com/cruises/?https://www.santoriniyachtingclub.com/cruises&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABqwAcyIgyxHZrxJtlCFqATwU86IM

[Miaminice]

On 8/20/2024 at 7:42 PM, love2crews. said:

 If you dock, you then need to take a water taxi to the main town.  

Just an input re Mykonos. If you dock, the water taxi is an option but not a must!
A free shuttle bus to the square where the tender boats arrive is also provided.

Docking at Mykonos is actually pretty convenient.

[Traveling Fools]

On 8/18/2024 at 9:14 AM, love2crews. said:

 Since it sounds like you may be renting a car, it might be fun to take the car over to Aegina on a ferry and explore more of what the island has to offer.

 I just want to share I learned from a Greek Blogger that taking a car on a ferry from the mainland to an Island is a PITA and very costly.  So, that's a no go.

[Miaminice]

5 hours ago, Traveling Fools said:

 I just want to share I learned from a Greek Blogger that taking a car on a ferry from the mainland to an Island is a PITA and very costly.  So, that's a no go.

Depends on what you call costly. Round trip per couple without a car is €40 and with a car it´s €90. Since you just roll on and off I don´t see where it´s a pita. We have done it on other islands. 
Sometimes we do a daytrip - like from Paros to Naxos - and don´t take the car but just rent a scooter on the island. But taking the car is easy. 

Commuting between the islands is an everyday thing for some and the ferries are like riding a bus - just more comfortable. I really don´t see the problem 🙅‍♂️

[hcat]

On 8/20/2024 at 3:23 PM, love2crews. said:

August 20, 2024: Kusadasi (Part 1)

 

Our day started with room service at 7:00 sharp.  Breakfast was delicious and we’re all big fans of the crispy bacon on the ship. 😋

 

 

We also had an absolutely beautiful view as we pulled into port.  And the full moon was spectacular as well.  A wonderful welcome to the city!

 

 

 

At 8:00, we met our guide Umut at the exit of the cruise terminal.  I had heard about being bombarded with locals asking you to buy their products, sample their tastings, come into their store, things of that sort.  But I was relieved that Umut had met us before we walked through all the shops-not many people tried to stop us when they saw we were with a local.

 

In our usual attempt to beat the heat and crowds, we headed to Ephesus first.  Since we were mainly concerned about seeing the Library of Celsus, Umut offered to take us through the exit and then head to the library that way.  We decided this made sense for us and boy was it a good call.  We beat all the crowds for the area of the city with the larger Greco-Roman theater.  There were some people by the time we reached the library, but nowhere near as many as if we had started from the main entrance.  For us, we still saw plenty of the city and this was the perfect choice for our group.  We are very glad we did it this way.

 

 

 

 

 

From there, we headed to a family owned ceramic shop and watched how they make the pottery.  We chatted with the 7th generation potter and were met with wonderful Turkish hospitality.  They brought us cold apple tea which was on my list of things to try.  OMG-sooooo good!  We bought a couple boxes to take home and I also ordered it everywhere we went!  Yum!  We opted not to make our own pottery since we didn’t want to get dirty and be covered in clay all day.

 

 

 

 

Then we went down to the nicer pottery items in the downstairs area.  They also showed us the items that are made with moonstone and glow in the dark.  This particular family/shop also restores items for museums, so we got to see some really unique and historical pieces as well.  We ended up buying a couple things from the “everyday” section on the main floor.  I will say, they were not pushy AT ALL.  I was sort of nervous as I have heard horror stories, but there was no pressure and we did not feel unsafe or threatened at any time.  It was more a sense of pride and they wanted to show off what their family has created. 

 

 

 

We had also mentioned to Umut that we love baklava and Turkish delight, so he took us to a wonderful shop with all the baklava, Turkish delight, olive oil, and spices you could imagine.  They gave us lots of tasty samples, including some delicious apple tea.  This is where I grabbed a few boxes of the wonderful tea.  They let us pick and choose our sweets and then vacuumed sealed it all so we could take it onboard.

 

 

 

From there, we headed to the House of Virgin Mary.  This was by far the most crowded place we visited all day.  Lots of people, lines, and a relatively quick stop.  No photos allowed inside, but you quickly walk through and come out the side.

 

 

 

Then we stopped at a local village with a rug weaving school where the Turkish government brings in women from different villages to teach them how to weave.  They are trying to keep the culture alive and it was very clear everyone is really passionate about this.  There was a restaurant in the village where Umut had arranged lunch for us.  Lunch was included in the tour.  I should also mention the tour includes a guide, driver, lunch and an air conditioned van.

 

 

 

We enjoyed a traditional Turkish lunch and everything was amazing!  The mezze to start and the kofte meatballs were sooo good!  The kofte meatballs and the fish at Ammoudi Fish Tavern have been my 2 favorites eats this trip.  Absolutely delicious.  And of course I had some cold apple tea with my meal.  Heaven!

 

 

 

We headed to the rug side of the village after lunch.  We learned about the wool vs silk rug weaving, how they collect the silk, how long it takes to make the rugs (a very long time!) and things of that sort.  And then inside we went for the rug presentation.  They were not pushy or aggressive-they are very passionate about keeping the culture alive and sharing their culture with us.  They were extremely nice and Umut had even told us before the presentation that there is no pressure to buy.

 

 

In all honesty, I had wanted to visit a rug factory but was worried about the sales pitches and aggressiveness. I am SUPER DUPER thankful Umut took us here because we were able to learn about the process as well as see, touch and feel the different rugs, but we didn’t feel uncomfortable for a single second.  Very well done and they wonderfully explained their culture and handicrafts to us.  Kudos to them!  To be clear, we did not purchase anything here.

 

Our last stop was a quick drive by the Temple of Artemis.  Umut knew we were tired and hot, so he had the driver pull up right in front of it and we had a perfect view of the single remaining column.  He explained what we were looking at and then we were off!

 

He dropped us back at the port and then we remembered-we forgot to get our Turkish ice cream!  He assured us there would be some at the port, and of course he was right!  We grabbed (or should I say, tried to grab, lol!) an ice cream cone at the port.  A silly experience, but fun nonetheless. 

 

 

Just before exiting the terminal, we were stopped and told to fill out a paper.  We asked what this was for and were not given an answer, but everyone was filling it out.  We assumed a mandatory paper for the port?  Well, my mom heard a man say he did not want to fill it out and just walk on by.  Turns out, it was a survey and was not mandatory.  So, we did not fill it out.  Just know, they make it seem like an official paper everyone is required to fill out to exit the terminal.  We exited just fine without filling it out.

 

We had a fantastic day in Ephesus and Selcuk thanks to Umut and his incredible knowledge!

 

Tour Provider Info: Umut +90 507 313 74 34

www.guideofephesus.com

*He is in the process of redoing his website, so if it is not working, that is why.  Umut was absolutely amazing, super knowledgeable and friendly and adapted the tour perfectly to fit our needs.  If Kusadasi is on your itinerary, Umut should be as well!  Highly, highly recommend him!!

 

 

looks like a great pvt tour.. lots of interesting stops mixed in with the " must sees", Enjoyed your pucs and commentary!

[cruisegirlppp]

I am really enjoying following; thank you so much for taking us along with you! I especially appreciate your detailed information about tours, guides and restaurants. We will visit some of these ports on an 11 day cruise next spring so and hoovering up all the information you are providing.  Enjoy your trip!

[peanut head]

It seems like you are all having a wonderful time.  Your commentary and pictures are making us feel like we are with you...and envious that we are not😁

 

How are you paying for items/food in port--credit card, euros, dollars?  Also, are you carrying a purse, moneybelt, backpack for your valuables and when you get souvenirs?