Splendour, Greek Isles, Anyone Been?

[darceyg]

GRATEFUL FOR ANY INFO RE- SHORE EXCURSION DETAILS ? IS IT EASY TO DIY OR BETTER TO BOOK AN ORGANISED TRIP?:confused:

[superjerryw]

Did a Med cruise last year on the Galaxy and only used excursions from the ship. They all turned out to be very good. One note of caution, if you are going to book excursions from the cruise line, book them on line as far in advance as possible. Once they sell out, that's it. They don't keep extra spots open for people to purchase once they get on board.

[maxwellf]

I just got off this ship last Sunday... supposedly it was dry docked for 9 days, and we were the second sailing. So I was a bit surprised to find that the ship seemed to be in need of some additional dry dock time. The wood floors and rails were washed out in need of refinishing. They dry docked the boat to redo the casual dining room known as the windjammer cafe. Turns out they didn't make it big enough, so it's hard to find a seat during crowded eating times... like breakfast and lunch. The ship itself seemed more geared to a 3-4 day type of cruise, and was in that sort of shape. I was surprised to see it needing so much maintenance. I had to ask the purser to not change out the carpet in my stateroom, as they were going from state room to state room. I didn't feel like breathing in all those chemicals.

 

If you have ever been on one of their really big ships, I don't think you'll enjoy this ship so much.

 

The ports of call were pretty bad. Athens is a dump to say the least, if it wasn't for the Parthenon, no one would bother going there. Instead of going on the excursion, you can get a taxi driver to take 4 people to the Acropolis for about 40 euro one way. If you want a slow speaking useless guide giving you bits of lame trivia, thats another 80 euro for an hour. But don't worry, the excursion desk uses the same lame guides.

 

Crete, well, not much to see and they only gave you a few hours on shore. You walk into town, which is about 25 minutes, 10 minutes up hill, to a simple shopping district, with nothing unique about it. After sweating, you can walk back to the ship and be there just in time as it leaves at 1pm.

 

Kushadasi was clean and nice. We saw Ephesus, but the cab driver who took us said we did it faster than any other couple he had ever taken. It was only 20 euro to go there, and 20 euro back. Ephesus costs 12 euro per person to get in. On the way back, the cab driver will ask if you want to see a non tourist rug place.. it's a total scam, but the villa where they sell them is very nice, and I highly recommend going there, to see how they make the rugs... the taxi driver will be very patient, as you can tell he's probably on the take for a percentage. It turns into a scene out of a time share sales, as they lock you in a room, but don't worry, they're friendly, and they show you some nice rugs. The shopping area was quite annoying, each merchant yells at you to come into their store, to the point where it seems easier just to get back on the ship.

 

Corfu... well, walk into town, and see the old town, it's not much, but then take a cab to a local beach resort, you can pick one from the excursions list. all the Royal Caribbean people are already sitting out there at the same beach resort. Should cost 20 euro to get there for a cab, 3 Euro per beach chair, which you ask for at the beach bar. bring some of those heavy water shoes aquashoes, since the beach is hard rocks, and you are not going to want to walk on it with bare feet. In addition, don't touch the grass they put the chairs on, you may be allergic to it.

 

In summary, don't take an excursion, meet another couple and travel by cab. It's a lot cheaper. I didn't take the Corfu 4x4 jeep off roading excursion, it looked fun, but couldn't tell you. I really wish this cruise went to Santorini and Mykanos instead.

 

Don't get me wrong, I met tons of great people, and had a blast as I do on every cruise, but if I were a critic, I would have a lot to write about.

 

Hope that helped...

[Elaine0138]

Had to laugh, first time I have heard of Athens being a dump.

 

In Crete, Knossos is worth a visit.

 

It comes down to personal preference about booking your trips some people prefer to do it all thorough the cruise line others like to go it alone. We tend to do a mixture of both especially if it places we have been to before.

[Host Karen]

There is a thread on the Europe port of call board where a recent Splendour passenger is answering questions about her cruise. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=348514

 

You may want to check out the information on the Europe board while you're there. There's a lot of information regarding ship excursions vs. DYI tours.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[sailor moon]

Having been on the Splendour and Radiance and Mariner, I had a hard time thinking of taking the Splendour to the Med. I really fell in love with the Radiance class. I think the Splendour is good for short cruises, but I enjoy the amenities and newness of the Radiance class. Just my opinion!

[pcur]

Hmmmmm....I've been on the Splendour in the Med, and I've been to all the ports mentioned on two other cruises.

 

The Splendour is a beautiful ship. Radiance class ships are very nice. I was on her for the 7 day Med cruise and loved it.

 

Athens is a very crowded city with lots of apartments. So, the city itself is not the most attractive. La Plaka is a great shopping area with cobblestone streets that you can walk for hours and shop. Great stuff. As a matter of fact a merchant in Corfu was delighted that I compared his shop to the ones in La Plaka, and that I had been shopping there.

 

Anyway, my favorite shore excursion in Athens wasn't in Athens, it was a day trip to Delphi. Fabulous!

 

In Athens, the Acropolis and Parthenon are in the middle of the city, so you have the ancient ruins surrounded by the city. At Delphi, you are in the middle of the mountains overlooking millions (yes, millions) of olive trees in the valley below. Beautiful place.

 

Corfu, like Santorini, is a picturesque volcanic island, and they are all beautiful. It's a restful place, and nice to stroll the streets and shop, and kind of soak up the feeling of the place.

 

Kushadasi (sp?) is where we took our tour of Ephesus. You need to make sure you go with a tour guide, because there is so much to the history and the details of the ancient town, that you will miss a lot of it without a good guide. Worth the price of the ship's excursion.

 

So, plan ahead, and figure out what you want to see, and I think you'll enjoy the trip immensely.