Timed entry to Palace of Knossos and use of public transport from cruise port?

[amtatom]

We will have a day in Heraklion in April on our cruise, and we want to see the Palace of Knossos. My original thought had been to take the public bus there and see it by ourselves. It's cheaper, seems fairly straightforward, and we're comfortable doing this. However, I understand one now has to pre-purchase a timed entry ticket for the palace. I'm concerned about how we'd work out the timing. Our port arrival time could be delayed, we might have more trouble than we expect getting to the bus, the bus could be delayed, etc., all of which could cause us to miss our assigned time. Our other option is, of course, to book a tour, either through the ship or privately.

 

Does any one have any insight or experience on this since the timed entries went into effect recently? TIA!

 

Also, if anyone has a private tour recommendation, I'd appreciate that as well.

[Hlitner]

Just keep in mind that if the bus timing is not working, you should usually be able to hire a taxi.  Another option (our personal favorite) is to arrange for a rental car and simply drive :).

 

Hank