Athens Disembarkation - What Time?

[scottam]

I am pre-arranging a taxi to pick us up at the port to take us to our hotel where we will stay for the next few days. According to the itinerary, the ship (O. Nautica) arrives at 4 am, but I have no idea when we will disembark. What time do I tell the taxi driver to pick us up? Any ideas? Thanks for your help!

 

Tammy

[Paulchili]

I am pre-arranging a taxi to pick us up at the port to take us to our hotel where we will stay for the next few days. According to the itinerary, the ship (O. Nautica) arrives at 4 am, but I have no idea when we will disembark. What time do I tell the taxi driver to pick us up? Any ideas? Thanks for your help!

 

Tammy

 

I would think you'd be safe between 8:30 and 9 AM. Since you don't have a plane to catch and have extra time in Athens, why not have a more relaxing morning, nice breakfast and avoid the "rush". You will likely not be able to check into your hotel that early anyway (usually).

[capegirl]

I assumed we were all kicked off by 9AM??

[scottam]

Paulchili, I guess I wasn't thinking in terms of rushing off the ship but figured we'd be kicked off by a certain time as capegirl mentioned, or we'd be assigned a certain time as with our past cruises - on the larger, mainstream lines. Not sure how that process works with Oceania. I think if I've got to guess and pick a time, I'd have to agree with 8:30 or 9.

 

Any other thoughts from you past Oceania cruisers?

 

As for our hotel, we'd planned to leave our luggage at the hotel for safekeeping if we can't do an early check in.

 

Thanks!

Tammy

[LHT28]

They send you a form a few days prior to debarkation .

You check the box that suits your needs, then you will be assigned a luggage tag according to who needs to be off early & those that do not will get a later time slot but most everyone is off by 9-9:30 am

You have to vacate the cabin by 8-8:30 anyway then sit in a lounge till the tag colour is called just like the mass market lines.

Restaurants are closed by 8 am

 

Lyn

[katz]

Does anyone know the earliest time we can leave the ship?

[BlewWater]

At the Athens docking site, there are plenty of taxis queueing up; you should have no problem getting one without prearrangement. Just be sure the taxi either has the meter going, or you agree to a price before getting in.

 

A few days before the end of the cruise, Oceania puts a disembarkation form in your room for you to fill out. There is an option to indicate you are disembarking and making arrangements on your own. You write down your anticipated disembarkation time so that your luggage will be waiting for you off the ship.

 

On our cruise (Athens to Istanbul), everyone had to be off the ship by 9:00.

[Acrusa]

Does anyone know the earliest time we can leave the ship?

 

Last year on our Istanbul to Athens cruise, we arrived also at 4 AM. We booked our transfer to the airport from Oceania.Our flight to JFK was leaving at 10 AM.We got off the ship I think it was around 6 AM got to the airport in plenty of time.Instead of picking out our luggae at the pier it was waiting for us at the airport.Oceania did a great job.

[scottam]

Thanks everyone for your replies. So helpful but has me thinking maybe we should just wing it and get a taxi when we get off the ship. I guess I was planning on pre-booking only because I didn't want us to have to wait in a long line with all of the other people wanting taxis.

 

I figured there would be plenty of taxi's but but lots of people with a long wait. If that hasn 't been your experience, then maybe we'll just wing it. I'm sure, as long as we confirm price before we get in, the cost will be less than pre-arranged. Any ideas what to expect that to be? Our hotel is near Plaka and Acropolis. Thanks for your input.

 

Tammy

[Rocket4Oh]

Tammy (scottam),

After your stay in Athens, please let us know the name of the hotel and how you liked it. We are looking for a hotel for our trip.

Keith

[scottam]

Tammy (scottam),

After your stay in Athens, please let us know the name of the hotel and how you liked it. We are looking for a hotel for our trip.

Keith

 

We won't be there until the end of October. I am happy (and plan on it) to report back, but in the meantime, the name is Athens Gate Hotel (http://www.athensgate.gr/). It got good revies on Trip Advisor and we like the location and the fact that the rooms have balconies.

[BlewWater]

We won't be there until the end of October. I am happy (and plan on it) to report back, but in the meantime, the name is Athens Gate Hotel (http://www.athensgate.gr/). It got good revies on Trip Advisor and we like the location and the fact that the rooms have balconies.

 

Before our cruise, we stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel also. It is in a good location. From our hotel, we walked to Hadrian's Arch and Temple of Olympain Zeus (right across the street), then to the top of the Acropolis to the Parthenon, down the other side to Ancient Agora, and wound through the city streets at the base of the acropolis back towards our hotel, past the Tower of the Winds, finding a nice local restaurant for a late lunch. Quite a long, hot walk, but we enjoy doing that. We returned to the hotel, checked in, then went out on foot again. This time we went to the First Cemetery for some great photographing.

 

It cost us about 25 Euros for a taxi from the hotel to the pier. I assume the pier-to-hotel cost should be similar.

 

The hotel staff will be glad to store your bags while you go sightseeing, until you can check in. They have a tourist-type map that is helpful.

 

Have fun!

[scottam]

Before our cruise, we stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel also. It is in a good location. From our hotel, we walked to Hadrian's Arch and Temple of Olympain Zeus (right across the street), then to the top of the Acropolis to the Parthenon, down the other side to Ancient Agora, and wound through the city streets at the base of the acropolis back towards our hotel, past the Tower of the Winds, finding a nice local restaurant for a late lunch. Quite a long, hot walk, but we enjoy doing that. We returned to the hotel, checked in, then went out on foot again. This time we went to the First Cemetery for some great photographing.

 

It cost us about 25 Euros for a taxi from the hotel to the pier. I assume the pier-to-hotel cost should be similar.

 

The hotel staff will be glad to store your bags while you go sightseeing, until you can check in. They have a tourist-type map that is helpful.

 

Have fun!

 

Thanks BlewWater! That's great info - especially (back to the original topic :) ) knowing the anticipated cost for a taxi! Thank you. I think we will not worry about pre-arranging our ride in either direction.

 

Thanks everyone for helping me get this worked out.

 

Tammy

[MSEm]

I just returned from 3 weeks in Greece. We were on the Star Clipper and saw the Oceania ship at a couple of ports. It was docked early at the Athens port.

 

Taxi info: Get into a METERED cab. The Meter rate should be set to 1 (Rate 2 is for 11 pm to 6 AM). Many cabs get extra revenue by setting the meter to 2, 3 or the unknown 4 for 2X, 3X, or 4X the correct rate.

 

Taxi fare from Mitropoleos Square (near Syntagma toward the Flea Market) was about 25 for 2 with luggage. The hotel called the taxi for us.

 

Have a great time.

 

MSEm

[YoHoHo]

Does anyone know the earliest time we can leave the ship?

I am concerned with this too. We disembark the cruise in Athens and would like to take a tour for a couple of days before the flight back.

 

The itinerary lists Insignia's arrival at 5 am. The tour pickup is at a Athens' hotel at 8:30 (Amalia I think). When we disembarked last Oct in Miami it took hours before Regatta was cleared to allow us off. I hope that that does not happen at Piraeus. I assume we also have to allow time to clear customs here.

 

If we are late we would miss it all.

 

Based on fellow Oceania cruisers experience with disembarking and travel times here, do you think we can make our 8:30 pick-up time or better off canceling and not taking the chance.

 

All suggestions are appreciated.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

No direct knowledge, but that sounds pretty risky. At a minimum you'll have to keep your own luggage so that when disembarkation starts, you can just walk off. I doubt you have to clear customs, unless you're coming from a non-EU country.

 

Have you asked the tour company if they could pick you up at the ship?

[LHT28]

I am concerned with this too. We disembark the cruise in Athens and would like to take a tour for a couple of days before the flight back.

 

The itinerary lists Insignia's arrival at 5 am. The tour pickup is at a Athens' hotel at 8:30 (Amalia I think). When we disembarked last Oct in Miami it took hours before Regatta was cleared to allow us off. I hope that that does not happen at Piraeus. I assume we also have to allow time to clear customs here.

 

If we are late we would miss it all.

 

 

All suggestions are appreciated.

 

Miami is a different story,

If you have other stops in Greece you may be cleared already but you may not.

I would take the tour the next day since you say you are planning a few days there.

Then you are not stressed after your cruise rushing to the hotel to meet the tour.

You can take your time to stow your luggage & wander a bit.

 

Lyn

[YoHoHo]

Thanks for the replies

Lyn your comment is well taken - I am already stressed and it is months away !

Unfortunately the tour does not run every day and we also chose this one as it gets us back a full day before the flight out so that I will not be spending the tour worrying if we will get delayed and miss the flight. One or the other then end with a tight connection because, yes, we are trying to fit in too much (again)

 

Wendy thanks for the reminder about about customs. Yes all in the EU so it will be just off the ship 'n go and no need to clear. Stowing our bags in the cabin is a very good idea if we do decide to take the chance.

 

I did ask if they would pick us up in Piraeus. They did not say no directly just said our pick up point would be a Hotel Amalia in Athens. It look sliek the prot is a ways away and perhaps out of the way as well for the bus so I can understand that. However if we cancel perhaps we wil find it may be doable. Wouldn't want to drag a bus load of fellow trvellers out of their way to pick us up though.

 

Perhaps shoudl just relax an enjoy Athens. Then again if I can get a plan B if we do miss the bus ....