PurpleTraveller

I have only seen 2 public restrooms on my two previous visits to Oia and Fira. The one at the local bus stop at Oia mentioned by bonsai3s, is a western restroom and was clean when I used it. The other was just outside the bus station in Fira and was dirty with a hole in the floor (admittedly a few years ago and may have been upgraded since then). Your best bet may be in a bar or restaurant or possibly a museum. I will be there again in June and would be interested if anyone else has any extra public restrooms to add to these as I won't be going to Oia.

Thank you for your wonderful review. I do enjoy reading about your travels. I look forward to your next review as I will be on Infinity in June for the Greek Isles cruise followed by Italy and Croatia on Constellation. Tanks again and happy future sailing. 🛳️

Your plan seems feasible. You will need to get a tender from the ship to the Old Port where you can get the boat to Ammoudi Bay. You may have to wait a while as they wait until the boat is full before leaving. Once at Ammoudi Bay there is a bus that takes you up to Oia which was included in the boat price. Once you have finished in Oia you can get their bus back to Fira which also was included in the boat price. Make sure you get instructions of how to use their buses and the timings when you buy your boat tickets. If you decide to use a local bus to go somewhere they only accept Euros in cash and they like you to have the exact or close to the exact change. They will for example not be happy with a €20 note and may not accept it. The views from Oia are wonderful though it will probably be very crowded. We had some fantastic gelato there a few years ago but I can't remember the name of the shop and there are some lovely shops and bars and restaurants. Once back in Fira there are lovely views if you walk along the cliff path, plenty of shops and also many bars and restaurants. Sorry, I don't have any recommendations as I can't remember where we have stopped previously. I have walked down the stairs twice with no issues at all. It can be very hot so wear a hat, have water with you and you need to watch out for donkeys coming up the path. When the donkeys come just move to the side of the path so that they can get past you. The steps can be slippery so wear decent shoes and watch your step. The views are great as you go down the path and you can go as fast or slow as you like. It takes us about 30 to 40 minutes but we like to stop to take photos. We find it better than waiting in a long line to get the cable car. Hope you have a great cruise! 🛳️

I am so sorry that you have had this happen to you! Unfortunately these thieves are experts and can catch out the best of us despite our precautions. I am sure you are beating yourself up but consider how fortunate you are that you were not injured physically as can sometimes happen. Thank you for your words of caution so that we can all take precautions and be aware. I hope you were able to enjoy the remainder of your cruise. 😊

I would seriously consider doing a ship excursion so that you don't have to deal with having to get up the cable car to Fira which may have a very long line depending on when the various ships arrive. On a ship excursion you will be tendered to the Athinios ferry port (rather than the old port which has the cable car but no road access), which has road access for you to get on a bus to go wherever your excursion goes. You will almost certainly have to deal with the cable car to go down to the old port (unless your ship has an excursion that takes you by bus back to the Athinios port) to get on a tender back to the ship or you can walk down the stairs. There can be a very long line to get the cable car down so leave plenty of time. Visiting Oia with the beautiful blue domes is very popular when at Santorini.

As an Australian if you sail anywhere in the world other than Australia you will be charged daily gratuities/crew appreciation in USD to your on board account unless you prepay them before your cruise in AUD. Plus and Premium packages do not include gratuities/crew appreciation for Australians as we pay less for the packages. For example AUD65 (converts to approx. USD43) per day for Plus compared to USD60 per day for those in the USA.

The St John's Co-Cathedral is magnificent and not to be missed. The Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens are lovely with the Upper Barrakka Gardens having particularly wonderful views over the harbour. There is also the noon day firing of the cannon at the Saluting Battery which you can watch from the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The St Elmo Fort and Siege Bell War Memorial can be visited. The old city of Valletta is lovely to walk around looking at the old buildings, narrow streets and shops. There are many cafes and restaurants to stop for a drink or a bite to eat. You can also get a ferry across the harbour to Vittoriosa to wander around the narrow streets and get fabulous views back to Valletta. Valletta is lovely and very easy to wander around.

I received an unwanted upgrade on my Royal cruise in December despite having my booking marked "No Upgrade". I received the email after the close of business on a Friday night and by the time I could speak to someone (my PVP does not work on the weekend) at Princess on Saturday morning, I was told that my booked cabin had been allocated to someone else and I couldn't have it back. On the email I was not given a time frame or option to reject the upgrade. I went with the flow but some would be very upset. I don't understand why Princess thinks this is a good business practice. Are we supposed to be delighted with a free unwanted upgrade?

You could pop into the M&S Foodhall on York Road to pick up pastries, fruit and juice like we do when we stay at Premier Inn County Hall.

In December 2023 on Royal the CC meeting was in the Wedding Chapel on Riviera deck as we were only a small group of about a dozen. Half a dozen officers attended and we were able to get drinks from the Concierge Lounge next door. The location would probably depend on how many are going.

On my NZ cruise in December we were instructed that no food could be taken off the ship other than chocolate, confectionery or biscuits and no liquids other than commercially bottled drinking water.

Have your booking marked "No Upgrade" for your best chance of not being upgraded, though it doesn't always work. I had a carefully chosen cabin booked for a year for my last cruise. A week before the cruise I received an email that my cabin had been upgraded even though my booking was marked "No Upgrade". When I rang to try and get my booked cabin back I was told that it had already been allocated to someone else and I could not be moved back.

A few years ago we arrived at Heathrow and got the National Express coach directly to Southampton where we stayed for a few days before a cruise. On day one we got the train to Winchester which is a gorgeous town with a magnificent cathedral. On day two we hired a car and drove to Dorset. I went to Lulworth Cove and walked the coast path to Durdle Door while DH went to the tank museum at Bovington. On the way home we drove through the New Forest to see the ponies. On day three we got the train to Portsmouth. We had been to the naval museum previously so we went to Southsea Castle (where Henry VIII watched the Mary Rose sink in 1545) and walked along the ocean front to the Spinnaker Tower stopping for a fish and chip lunch at a cafe along the way. We had a lovely relaxed three days before our cruise and it was all very easy to do. Southampton is also nice to walk around and has a few museums. Alternatively you could go by National Express coach from Heathrow to stay in Winchester and travel from there by train to sightsee and then to Southampton on the day of your cruise.

On my Constellation cruise that ends in Ravenna in July there is not a Celebrity transfer to Rome. There are transfers to Ravenna train station, Bologna train station, Bologna airport, Venice airport and Venice city centre.

Thanks so very much for the link. Neither my husband or I got the email so we have done the survey via your link. 😊