Disembarking in Piraeus, Athens

[CA traveler]

We are on the Black Sea cruise in July. We disembark in Athens. The cruise itinerary says we arrive at 4:00 am. We are staying in Athens for a few days. I want to arrange for a pick up at the port to take us to our hotel. I do not want to get off at the crack of dawn, since we do not need to make a flight. I prefer having breakfast and leisurely leaving the ship. Any idea as to what time would be best to arrange for the taxi to pick us up?

 

Thanks, Susan

[KCNo]

Just disembarked Insignia in Athens Wed 4/16. O requests that all pax with independent tranport leave the ship by 8:50A. (Pax with arrangements made through O are assigned departure times scheduled to get all pax off by that time).

 

Breakfast was available in the Grand Dining Room from 6-8:30a; in the Terrace Cafe from 5:30-8:30a; room service from 6-8a, coffee and pastries only.

 

I used Athens By Taxi, www.athenstaxi.org and will use them again when I am next in Athens. Family owned, service easily arranged by email, driver (owner's nephew) was waiting with Mercedes taxi at the terminal exactly as planned. 50 Euros Pireaus to the airport. My correspondence with Paul, the owner, says 35 Euros from Pireaus to Athens center and that they do tours.

[Penzance]

KCNo - do you remember what time your luggage had to be outside of your stateroom the night before?

 

If independent passengers have to be off O by 8:50am, by the time you disembark, find your own luggage at dockside, then walk it to the exit to meet your taxi - would you guess it would be about 9:30am?

[KCNo]

O, in Currents, requested luggage be outside stateroom door by 10P; at 11P the crew was still collecting bags on deck 7 but it was going rather rapidly.

 

Having disembarked previously in Athens I was familiar with the procedure. This trip I disembarked at 7:15A to meet my driver for an arranged 7:30A pickup. It took 3 minutes to walk from the gangplank to the rear terminal entrance (O guide stationed halfway along). The terminal was EMPTY! except for myself, more O guides and several local porters to help with bags (free). All the bags were carefully distributed throughout the large terminal area separated by color/number codes, and within each of those separated areas the bags were lined up in neat, precise rows. Another 3 minutes to return greeting from O representative, get porter and take bags to main terminal entrance where driver was waiting with a sign with my name on it (spelled incorrectly but close enough).

 

At 6:50A the Terrace Cafe was so full one could hardly move; there were no tables available; don't know what the Grand Dining Room was like; probably the other half of the ships pax were there. From previous experience I know it is less hectic in the Terrace around 8A or after.

[Penzance]

KCNo Thank you so much for the detailed information. It sounds like O has disembarkation very well organized. Maybe we'll get lucky with the Terrace Cafe after 8am as we, like CA traveler, are going to a hotel and don't have to rush. We were not considering booking a pick-up but just to get a taxi from the port to hotel. Would you say this is advisable?

[Acrusa]

I think if you E-Mail the hotel you are staying at they will pick you up. We did that in most ports we disembarked from.Most where complemtry.

[Penzance]

Thank you Acrusa. We are booked into the Diviani Palace Acropolis and they don't provide this service. Yet, the Hotel Nena in Istanbul does.

[Acrusa]

Thank you Acrusa. We are booked into the Diviani Palace Acropolis and they don't provide this service. Yet, the Hotel Nena in Istanbul does.

 

They might not provide this service, but I think if you ask them they can arrange to pick you up for a fee.

[rogfam]

I contacted a number of taxis to take us from Pireaus to our hotel (Grand Bretagne), and it was less expensive having the hotel send a car for us.

[Penzance]

Thank you all for your suggestions but if we were staying at the Grand Bretagne, I don't think we would be concerned about expense :-)

We'll do a web search for taxi's in Athens or take our chances Portside.

[KCNo]

Penzance

Yesterday I spoke with another pax who was on this same cruise. She and her husband were apparently the last to disembark Insignia, just before 9A, and they went to the airport by taxi. She didn't mention any problem about finding one next to the terminal, so I think you would be safe just getting one there even at the very end of the boarding process. Paul, owner of Athens Taxi, quoted me 35 Euros for prearranged service from Piraeus to Athens center, so you might want to use that as a guideline. Needless to say they didn't have any problem locating their bags or a porter to help with them.

 

She also said they had a delightful and unhurried breakfast in the Grand Dining Room from a bit past 8A until disembarkation.

[Penzance]

"She also said they had a delightful and unhurried breakfast in the Grand Dining Room from a bit past 8A until disembarkation."

 

KCNo thank you - this sounds blissfully civilized :-)

[shoshona2]

Hi Penzance,

 

When we were in Athens, we used the taxi services of Spiros whose website is ********************. He charged us 35 euros from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport. I seem to remember that the charge from the hotel to the ship was less than half that amount. I would strongly recommend you have someone waiting for you when you disenbark to go to your hotel. Our friends were right in back of us with another cab and we both paid different prices when we used a taxi from the hotel to the ship. We used Spiros for two days of sightseeing. He speaks perfect English since he lived in Brooklyn for many years. He is a true gentleman and I will use his services again when I go to Athens.

 

Sheila

[shoshona2]

Funny that Spiros website didn't print, but the other taxi service mentioned was. Just email me at scorpiosheila at yahoo dot com and put Cruise Critic in the subject line so I open the email and I'll supply the website again.

 

Sheila

[Penzance]

Thank you Shoshona2. I did a website search on Monday and found a couple of Taxi services in Athens, one being Spiros and he has quoted me 35E from Port to Hotel. So I have booked him for 9am pick-up at Piraeus . This will give us time to have an unhurried breakfast. I may also use him for our final hotel-airport journey two days later.

[CA traveler]

Does anyone know the cost or have any quotes for the cost of a cab, very early morning, from a hotel in the Plaka to the airport?

 

Thanks, Susan

[Penzance]

CAtraveler - we are staying at the Hotel Nena in May and could let you know how much the cab is from there to the airport when we return to L.A. In various messages, between 35E and 45E has been quoted but it depends on traffic and road conditions.

[shoshona2]

Hi Penzance,

 

Spiros is usually right on time with a sign showing your names. I guess the prices have gone up because of the high cost of gas since we were there several years ago. I remember paying about 35 to 40 Euros from the airport to the Marriott hotel and about 15 Euros from the hotel to the ship.

 

Sheila

[shoshona2]

To CA Traveler,

 

The traffic is very light early in the a.m. I think we left around 5:00 a.m. for our morning flight to Frankfurt and then on to LAX.

 

Sheila

[Penzance]

CA Traveler: I've been reading so many messages that I'm getting confused (and old) I meant to write that we're staying in the Plaka area in Athens and would let you know about the taxi fare to the airport when we return. The Hotel Nena is in Istanbul and they are meeting us at the airport, free transfer if you stay two nights.

 

Shoshona2: I have booked Spiros for the Athens transfer, port to hotel, but 35E compared to your 15E is a vast difference.

 

Does anyone else recall the taxi fare from Pireaus port to the Plaka area?

[shoshona2]

Hi again Penzance,

 

We were there three years ago and we stayed at the Marriott Hotel. Spiros charged us 35 euros to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. We had his services for two days after the cruise when we returned to Athens. He was wonderful. He is charging you the same to take you to the airport from your hotel as he did us three years ago. As far as the transport from the ship to your hotel, you can check with some other taxi services if you want to make sure what the price is now in 2008. I really don't know if our hotel was closer to the port than yours.

 

Sheila

[CA traveler]

Penzance - I look forward to your info on update cab fares from the Plaka area to the airport. Also, please let me know if you use a taxi service. We are also staying at the hotel Nena in Istanbul and they have offered to pick us up at the airport.

 

We have a 7:20 flight in the morning. The service I emailed (*****) suggested at 4:30am pickup - which seems a bit early - for our flight to Madrid - for 50 Euros - which seemed a bit high to me.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Susan

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I would trust the local operator as far as timing, they know the area.

 

We used Paul in 2004 and he charged us 45 euros, airport to city (it was the same rate to Piraeus). So that's not much of a boost in 4 years.

[Penzance]

CA Traveler: Originally, O had us on the very early departure from Athens to LAX - so we hurriedly requested a later flight and paid the extra fee. We are now on a flight out of Athens around noon, but obviously our taxi will take longer in the rush hour. At least with your very early departure, you should have fairly clear streets. Most of the messages I've read mention Athens airport security can take around 2 1/2 hours. If you then add the 45 mins taxi ride, the 4:30am hotel pick-up sounds about right - plus time to rise, bathe and change :-( I also read that taxi fares double after midnight, but I'm not sure when they revert back to regular price in the morning. I'll let you know what our taxi fare from Plaka to Airport was when we arrive home the first week of June.

 

Wendy: If I remember correctly, back in '04, 45 Euros was around $48. Now, 50 Euros is around $80 :-(

[CA traveler]

For all the information. Penzance - have a wonderful trip.

 

Susan