edpeeks Posted January 25, 2007 #1 Share Posted January 25, 2007 My wife and I are going on the Splendour of the Seas June 30, eastern med. cruise. The ports are Mykonos,Athens, Katathon, Corfu & Split, Croatia. We have been on 16 cruises and have done the western med. before booking all of our shore excursions independent of the ship's excursions. I have read all of the CC reviews of previous cruisers and have searched yahoo for the indivdual ports. I have turned up nothing but very, very, very expensive tours. Will somebody help out there? I know there are plenty of cruisers who have been on the itinery before and there are plenty of cruisers on the ship when we will be on it. I'm stumped. I thought I was slick in finding tours, but my head is spinning. The ship's tours historically are cattle calls. Therefore, we have always done well independently. Well, I am depending on you all. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmax Posted January 25, 2007 #2 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I'm doing this cruise in October and have done some research already. I think, in general, they're more manageable on your own and there's not necessarily a need for private tours. The following is some info I've found on these boards for these ports and I'm sure if you do a search on any that interest you, you'll find more info: MYKONOS Things to do • Check out the Pelicans & Windmills • Take bus to local beaches (Paradise, Platis Gialos, etc) • Delos: boats to delos leave every half hour to an hour from the harbor in mykonos, approx 9am till about 3pm. the boat trip takes about 20 minutes and you can easily spend 2 or 3 hours or more on delos.. ~$10pp/RT Useful Websites / message threads http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=117807 http://www.mykonos-web.com/index.htm http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/mykonos/mykonos-villages.htm Getting Around bus to Platis Gialos beach. Once in town find the windmills and then walk past them continuing uphill to the bus stop. It is a busy spot (you will know it when you see it and most likely there will be buses parked there) with a convenience store where you buy the ticket for 1 euro each way. The name on the bus is Platis Gialos and Platis Gialos is the end of the line and it takes about 10-15 minutes to get there. The bus runs about every half hour. Restaurants/Food Hotel Acrogiali ( Platis Gialos - second one you come to as you walk along the beach) right on the sand, and afterwards they invited us to stay on the beach and use their chairs etc. Beaches http://www.mykonos-web.com/beaches/ Platy Yialos is a pretty family type beach Paradise beach, about 10 minutes away by boat – no return until late p.m. PIRAEUS (ATHENS) Things to do Acropolis museum near the Parthenon that is included in your ticket price Greek and Roman Agoras included in your Acropolis ticket price Panathenean Stadium, where the opening of the Olympics changing of the guards at the President’s residence. Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon is located. National Archeological museum. Plaka area Syntagma square - change of guards in front of the Parliament building hourly Drivers/Tours/Getting Around Spiros at http://www.athenstaxi Paul - uses three different web sites: http://www.***** http://www.greecebytaxi.com with the secure form http://www.athenstaxi.org\ Rania Vassiliadou (licensed guide). http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/ http://www.oasa.gr/greek/transport/P...AIAS1e2005.PDF http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...ghlight=athens Petros Mazarakis from spiros taxis mini-bus@otenet.gr Idea of Cost 1.Private Tour: 100 euro total + tip 2.Lunch with beer and wine: 40 euro (tip included) 3.Temple of Poseidon: 8 euro total 4.Acropolis and Agoras: 24 euro total 5.Postcards: 5 euro http://www.greektravel.com Purchases soap made with olive oil. Only 1 or 2 euros each! In the Plaka visit Brettos liquor store & distillery (sample Ouzo and Brandy) Soap made with lemon and olive oil. Soap made with olive oil and honey. Look for bottles of Feta cheese and Olives in Olive oil. Jewelry Ceramics Websites/Message threads Acropolis: http://www.ametro.gr/akropoli2/start.htm Athens: http://www.athensguide.com/sightseeing-bus.htm http://www.athensguide.com/index.html#Athens http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=314173 http://www.athensguide.com/sightseeing-bus.htm http://www.athensguide.com/index.html#Athens http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ens.htm#glance http://www.chem.uoa.gr/Location/AthensMap/Athensmap.htm http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=127570 http://www.greece-athens.com/ http://www.athensguide.com/ http://www.oasa.gr/greek/transport/Pdf_enothta_xartes/PEIRAIAS1e2005.PDF Getting Around The train from the port into Athens runs about every 3 minutes. When you get off the ship go left and just follow the sidewalk along the port. When you reach the “Plateia Karaiskaki” plaza there is a big fork in the road. At this point turn to the right (you’ll be walking away from the port). Now keep your eyes open and about 1 city block up on the right is the Metro station. Most big cities have the Metro marked with large letters or just a big red “M”, but unfortunately that is not the case here. So keep your eyes open or you could walk right past it. The walk is about 1.5 miles (30 minutes). Take the Line 1 Metro. Go to the ticket counter and ask for a round trip ticket. You will get two tickets (one for each direction) at a cost of Euro 0.70 cents a piece. Stamp one of your tickets in the yellow time stamp machine before getting on the train. (Do not stamp the second ticket until you are ready to come back. Once stamped the ticket is only good for about 90 minutes.) When the Metro leaves Pireaus there will be 5 stops before it comes to the “Theseum” stop. Exit here for the Acropolis. If you just want to go into Athens itself for shopping stay on for the next exit, which is the “Monastiraki” stop. CORFU Things to do Achillion Palace (http://www.corfunext.com/achillion_palace_corfu.htm) Paleokastritsas (http://www.holiday.gr/page.php?page_id=331) Corfu tour Pelekas (http://www.pelekas.com) Kanoni (http://www.wordtravels.com/Attractio...actions/Kanoni) Spianada Square (http://www.corfuxenos.gr/corfu/corfu_town.htm) Church of St. Spyridon (http://www.corfunext.com/saint_spyridon.htm) palace of St. Michael and St, George (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_o..._and_St_George) Venetian Fortress (http://www.culture.gr/2/21/212/21208a/e212ha03.html) Pontikonisi (http://www.holiday.gr/page.php?page_id=332) Monastry of the Virgin Mary (http://www.thegreektravel.com/corfu/...alaiokastritsa) Private Drivers /Companies Dimitrius at taxi116@in.gr 30 EU per hour/ 4 hr. tour 120 EU Dafnis, Dimitris taxi116@in.gr Useful Websites / message threads http://www.corfu-greece.biz/corfu-town.htm http://www.greekisland.co.uk/corfu/corfu.htm http://www.corfunext.com/services_for_cruises_corfu.htm http://www.gogreece.com/travel/places.html http://www.holidaycorfu.org/ http://www.foi.org.uk/islands.php?is...fu&page=around http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...fu_Island.html http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=303820 Getting around http://www.car-hire-corfu.com/towns/corfu_town.htm Car rental agency at the terminal when you get off the ship. Cost approx 75 euros for the day including insurance, tax, etc. Restaurants/Food "Pizza Pete's"... sits on the cliffs just south of the harbor area in town Get a table right at the rail...You can look straight down into Adriatic. The restaurant next door (Same patio, across the divider--same ownership, same kitchen--is called Antranik...and dates back to 1920 Things to buy jewelry , local liquer Kumquat ,and olive oil Triton http://www.greeka.com/ionian/corfu/corfu-shopping.htm http://www.travelinfo.gr/corfu/shopping.htm KATAKOLON Things to do 60 & 80 Euros for a taxi from Katakolon to Olympia and back. need to hire the cab to take you and wait there for your return. Very few taxis were found at Olympia that were not already They also stated that Olympia has no guides for hire at the site. Katakolon has one street of shops to offer and a quaint harbor. Winery tour The town of Katakolan is about 50 metres from the ship's berth. The town is lovely but tiny - you can walk around it in 10 minutes. There are some nice souvenir shops and cafes/restaurants - but not many.The lamb is very good here. The beach is OK (slightly gritty)but not anywhere near the standard of the best European beaches. There are a few umbrellas which are free but no other facilities. It''s about a 5 minute walk from the town centre. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=194740 Private Drivers /Companies Gemma Economopoulou - geconom@otenet.gr). http://www.travelswithfriends.com/Private_Guide_Athens_Gemma.htm, SPLIT Things to do Hvar Town - http://www.hvar.hr Start at Riva – sea promenade Diocletian’s palace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian's_Palace) Local Market – Under eastern walls of diocletian’s palace, southern promenade Marmontova – pedestrian shopping street Cathedral of St. Domnius Narodni Trg – people’s Square Ethnographic Museum - http://w3.mrki.info/split/etnog.html Archaelogical museum Poljud Stadium St anthony’s monastery Sejska Marjan Ivan Mestrovic Gallery Croatian Maritime Museum Useful Websites / message threads http://www.visitsplit.com http://www.croatia-travel-guide.com/en/Split http://www.iexplore.com/cityguides/Croatia/Split/Where+to+Go http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Croatia/Dalmatia_Split_Region/Split-384998/Things_To_Do-Split-Riva_Harbour_area-BR-1.html Getting Around http://www.promet-split.hr/grad.asp (map of split) http://www.cromaps.com/vacmap/split_index.htm (map of split) Turist biro – office located on waterfront at Riva – tourist info Restaurants/Food Gulja – pizza Kibela – opposite cathedral Kondoa Kodjoze - seafood Konou Varos Saajevo Ziaria Ribica - buffet Things to buy Fresh honey products Lavender oil/dried lavender Dried figs/plums Diocletian cellars has a craft market Daily market at obala lazerata Info for Split was hard to come by on the boards - I think much of this info was taken from travel guide books - Frommers, Foders, Rough Guide etc. Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redzin Posted January 25, 2007 #3 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hi, My husband and I and another couple will be on the cruise. I asked two questions right above your post. Think we'll do Athens on our own. Still not sure about other stops. Haven't booked anything yet. We've been to the Med cruise out of Barcelona 2 years ago and hired all private drivers and loved it. Where are you guys from. I posted a roll call for our cruise today also. Off from work. Rona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edpeeks Posted January 25, 2007 Author #4 Share Posted January 25, 2007 Fmax...thank you so much for sharing your research. I am impressed. And I will use all of it! CC should consider putting you on staff. Rgrams...thank you for your input. My wife and I are from East TN. I am a Chiropractor (57) and my wife offers Arbonne (39). We are on this cruise to celebrate my wife's July 5th birthday. Also we will belatedly celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. We love to cruise, usually 2-3X/year. We look forward to meeting CCer's on the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagmom03 Posted January 28, 2007 #5 Share Posted January 28, 2007 fmax, Thanks for sharing all the information you have collected. It would have taken me days to do that. My husband and I are doing the Eastern Med/Greek Isles on the Emerald Princess in July and have doing research on guides for the Greek ports. Thanks again! Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_uk Posted January 28, 2007 #6 Share Posted January 28, 2007 (Mykonos) Paradise beach, about 10 minutes away by boat – no return until late p.m. I believe that there are buses to/from Paradise beach just as there are to/from Platis Gialos, and the leave from the same place in Mykonos town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claudia70 Posted February 3, 2007 #7 Share Posted February 3, 2007 After much searching,( yahoo,google aol) we booked a private tour in olympia from katakolon port with Aristotelis The cost was very reasonable and the guide was knowlegeable about the area of olympia, it's history, people etc i hope this will be helpful :) www.kastrokyllinis.com/kastro-kyllini-taxi.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.