ISLABONITA
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Posts posted by ISLABONITA
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We took our iHealth test kits the gov't sent us and did a zoom test from our hotel in Madrid on April 25th... check out the website you may also buy the kits from them, the testing service was $24.99. They have a drop down menu that locates any where in the world.
Also if you are sailing NCL they offered free tests to anyone flying out the day of disembarkation ( Athens for us) April 24th.
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1 hour ago, cookmg40 said:
Thanks again. That is the company I was looking at. I think we will make the decision to use the ferry or cable car once we are on the pier. We are in port with only one other ship that day, so hoping the line for the cable car is not too long.
We also had one other ship in port and the cable line moved quickly, there are other excursions via getyourguide or viator that will take you on the water for a nice view of the island, there are also public buses to take you from Fira to Oia.
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45 minutes ago, cookmg40 said:
Thank you. Do you recall which company you used? I believe there are 2.
The 2 store fronts are a family business, Dakroutis Brothers this is their flyer https://transfer-to-oia.gr/images/flyer_tto.pdf they are on the old port of Fira. Don't believe the video.. https://transfer-to-oia.gr/
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I need to convey information about the "speedboat" ferry that is in 2 store fronts when you get to Santorini pier... Don't take them... at 30 Euros they falsely advertise the following on a brochure no less. I did this on April 23rd.
Speedboat.. not true a slow ferry that waiting 45 minutes for the boat to fill and then took off from the pier to let the " pirate" ship dock then went back to the pier for 4 more people. Meanwhile we saw plenty of people go up the cable car while we waited $6Euros. Another 25 min later we arrive at a drop off area.
Then the so called bus transfer from the port of Oia was a big steep climb for over 10 minutes, so better be in good health and condition since this is not mentioned on their brochure.
The bus takes off for about 10 minutes and drops you off and you have to figure things out for yourself since the driver doesn't speak English, luckily I saw an organized ship tour group and followed them to where she was leading them and info as to where to find the iconic blue dome church.
After that you have 1-3 hours where you meet back to drop off point and take the 20 min drive to Fira ( Thira) and dropped off somewhere and you need to figure out for yourself where to go to find the cable car that will take you back to the pier.
This was the worst arrangement I have ever seen and not worth it.. Don't buy it from the storefronts on the pier or anywhere online advertising this 3 points of transportation.. boat, bus to Oia then bus to Thira. Good luck.
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18 hours ago, afick12 said:
What would you estimate the cost for my husband and I to boat to Oia, transportation up to Oia, taxi to Fira? Is it easy to get a taxi or is bus the better option?
Not from personal experience but from posts on Tripadvisor
https://transfer-to-oia.gr/ Right at the port, beside the line to the cable car, are two store fronts advertising boat transfers to Oia. One is a high-speed boat ( not really). No reservations required, walk up and buy a 20 euro ticket and get on the fast ferry. A 12 minute run ( not really) takes you to the port at Oia. Included is a ticket for the bus up the crater( a steep hill hike) to the Oia city center, along with a second ticket for the bus transfer to Fira (which runs more or less hourly)(chaotic at times). We started about 9:30A, spent time walking around the cliff edge and shops, had a drink break at a beautiful restaurant with a great view, caught the noon bus to Fira (approx. 25 minutes) and were having lunch at the Pelican restaurant (beside the Cathedral) overlooking the ships and harbor before 1:00P.
Also from https://thetravelhack.com/blog/santorini-cruise-port-to-oia/
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16 hours ago, ziggyuk said:
Keith,
Just to let you know we finally got notification our M&G will be on day 2 (sea day) at 11am in Le Bistro, there was no word if officers will attend so I asked and was told it's at the ships digression.
Did you have to have a certain number of passengers for the meet & greet? seemed it was around 25 in years past.
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14 minutes ago, sea mom said:
Going to Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Crete in June. Can anybody tell me if these are tender or docked ports.
Thanks
I believe Santorini and Mykonos are tender ports , just google it.
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Does this map help? https://www.ferries.gr/piraeus-athens-port/images/piraeus-port.html Most cruise ships dock directly at Terminal A at gate 11
Also this thread
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1 minute ago, casofilia said:
I want to get to PIRAEUS "downtown" not into Athens!!!
There are 3 Cruise Terminals in Piraeus; "C" is the furthest from "downtown".
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Piraeus+City+Hall,+Platia+Korai,+Pireas,+Greece/Cruise+Terminal+C,+Pireas+185+38,+Greece/@37.9400858,23.6338603,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bbe867eda0b9:0xfe346812bbbfc092!2m2!1d23.6470417!2d37.9419918!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bbd729ccbc7b:0x9782000d8cc13faa!2m2!1d23.6294576!2d37.9391154!3e2 shows the time/distance from "C" to "City Hall". I am hoping that the Jade is NOT at "C" but at "B" or, even better "A".
OH sorry, misread your post. Well I am sure you can get an answer by googling it.
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11 minutes ago, casofilia said:
Thank you. However there are 3 cruise terminals in Piraeus, I wondered which NCL used for Jade so I can see the walk time to the "downtown" Piraeus if there is no free transport.
Not a walkable distance , especially if you have luggage. 25 min taxi ride, Cruise ships dock at the New Passenger Terminal, one mile from the center of Piraeus and eight miles from Athens.
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29 minutes ago, casofilia said:
Where does the Jade dock in Piraeus?
Does NCL provide transport (a shuttle) from/to the ship to/from "downtown" Piraeus? Especially on a Sunday?
https://www.ncl.com/port-of-call/cruises-to-athens-piraeus
29 minutes ago, casofilia said:Where does the Jade dock in Piraeus?
Does NCL provide transport (a shuttle) from/to the ship to/from "downtown" Piraeus? Especially on a Sunday?
Not unless you pay for it under their shore excursions, I am planning on taking a taxi.
Athens & Piraeus Open Air Sightseeing Debark Tour
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1 hour ago, lixogab said:
So, basically, you are willing to pay $300 which is the difference between the current balcony price and what you paid for a lower category but NCL denies. Is my understanding correct?
Not a lower category, an upgrade to a balcony.
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29 minutes ago, julig22 said:
Any repricing after final payment is done as a courtesy and never guaranteed, so no. Since last August, per my PCC, the promo benefits have to be the same which means if you took the bogo airfare you wouldn't qualify (when FP was 60 days) since that promo falls off at 90 days. With the change back to 120 days, that may be different now.
Otherwise, you might get 50% fcc if the difference is significant or you can get an upgrade if it costs more than what you paid.
Before FP you can always cancel without penalty (US anyway) so no policy needed - you just need to call and they will make any changes. Your perks may also change, good or bad.
I am working through a TA , my cruise is in 32 days, wanted to upgrade, cannot refare, with today's pricing it would only be about $300 , because NCL will not do the refare my price is $533 for a balcony.... no other OBC or FCC mentioned. I am waiting to see what cabins are available, not using NCL airfare either.
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Is there a link to NCL repricing policies?
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3 minutes ago, aswmammoth said:
You can call and upgrade your room directly, as long as you are paying something additional to them to upgrade.
We originally booked an Oceanview, when prices dropped we called and upgraded to a balcony for about $25pp. At one point, prices dropped so much that a standard club balcony suite was listed $150 cheaper per person than what we already paid for a balcony. Since that category was priced less than what we had already paid, they would not upgrade us.
We ended up paying another $45 pp to upgrade to a club balcony suite w/ larger balcony.
Just did a quick online chat and I cannot contact NCL directly since I booked via a TA.
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My TA's agency charges for any cancelation and rebooking, I asked about the $400 per person drop in Oceanview cabin and she said no OBC could be offered after calling NCL .
Wouldn't her agency have the liberty of offering me more OBC ??
I just sent her another email asking for an upgrade to balcony since it's only around $50 more pp.
Is this possible or do I have to go the route of bidding? which by the way I did receive a mail months ago.
perplexed!
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35 minutes ago, marazul said:
Cabotage laws regulate maritime traffic within a country. They are designed to protect the domestic maritime and shipping industries. One of the basic laws in most countries is that a foreign-flag ship cannot carry (embark and disembark) passengers or goods between two of its ports. A foreign ship can bring them in to one port, but a domestic ship has to transport them between domestic ports.
In the case of cruise ships in Greece, it means that a foreign-flag ship can pick up passengers in Athens, but it must stop in a foreign port before they finally disembark again in Athens (or another Greek port). Only Greek cruise lines can sail exclusively between Greek ports without stopping in Turkey, Cyprus, etc. along the way. In fact, Greece relaxed its cabotage laws a few years back during the financial crisis. It used to be that cruise ships could not sail round-trip Athens. They had to start or end in another country. Now they only have to stop in another country during the cruise.
Cabotage laws go back centuries. They now apply to air travel too. For example, you can fly Air France between Paris and JFK, but you cannot fly Air France between JFK and Atlanta. There are international conventions that regulate common aspects of all cabotage laws, but each country has its own regulations.
BTW - The main US cabotage law is called the Jones Act.
THANKS for the explanation.
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6 minutes ago, tillys mom said:
We (US citizens) are staying in Athens for 2 nights following our June cruise. Do we need a visa? I read the Greece requirements, and it gave the information on how to do the forms. But do we need it? When we were there several years ago, nothing was required. Does it matter how many days we are staying?
Thanks for your help.
Visit the Embassy of Greece website for the most current visa information.
Greece is a party to the Schengen Agreement; therefore, U.S. citizens may enter Greece without a visa for stays of up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. For additional details about travel into and within Schengen countries, please see our Schengen fact sheet.
- For entry into Greece, your passport should have at least six months of remaining validity. While Greek law requires three months of passport validity beyond the intended date of your departure, if you are transiting a country that requires six months of validity, you may not be permitted to continue your trip. We recommend that you have at least six months of validity to avoid any travel disruptions.
- U.S. citizens traveling on a passport reported lost or stolen will not be permitted entry into Greece and may be returned to their original departure point. This decision is the purview of the Greek immigration authorities; the U.S. Embassy cannot intervene. Emergency passports are issued only at the Embassy in Athens. Staff members do not travel to the air, land, or sea ports of entry.
- You must arrive in country with proof of sufficient funds and a return airline ticket or other evidence that you will depart Greece if asked. The sufficient funds requirement is often met with credit cards.
- U.S. official and diplomatic passport holders must obtain a Schengen visa prior to arrival. If you are traveling on a U.S. official or diplomatic passport, you will not be allowed to enter Greece without a visa.
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5 hours ago, marazul said:
Iancal-
I keep up through media and friends. The latest is that tests are no longer required for vaccinated travelers.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1176888/greece-scraps-covid-tests-for-vaccinated-travellers/
This is only for EU residents You can get a free EU Digital COVID Certificate from the EU country where your vaccination, booster vaccination or COVID-19 test took place.
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53 minutes ago, pooh/tigger said:
Congrats to you, as well.
Thank you for all this wonderful information.
Kelly
Here's another athensguide.com
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Covid Testing near Dover Port?
in British Isles/Western Europe
Posted
Anout Dover I do not know, but I do know the zoom testing is done on a laptop or PC , maybe even iPad.