Hi Everyone,
I could use your help on recommendations on how to best get to Athens airport after our Getaway cruise ends on September 1st. We're due to arrive at 7:00am in Pireaus and we have a 12:30pm flight on Air France departing Athens Airport. I know it was cutting it close (I got out voted) but I would love to hear your advice on how to arrive fastest with my sanity intact.
1 - NCL transfer service
2 - WelcomePickups service
3 - General Taxi
Facts: I'm ok with paying extra to arrive quickly (no need to suggest public transport options), that is my priority vs costs. We are 4 adults with the accompanying baggage. 4 boats are expected to debark on September 1st but the Getaway is the only large ship, the other 3 being 1000, 600 and 200 pax.
My Questions:
Which option have you been successful in getting to the airport quickest/smoothest within the time constraints I have?
How does the NCL transfer service work? Am I waiting for the bus to fill up before they leave or does it operate on a scheduled time of departure I can count on? Do you use self-disembarkation with this service or do they call you via a specific process/time? What type of time frame could we expect as far as arrival at the airport?
I know this is subject to conditions, but what average times have you been able to disembark the ship via self-disembark? If it docks at 7:00am, could I expect(hope) to be off the boat by 8:30am or 9:00am? Earlier? Later?
If WelcomePickups is the option, would a 9:00am scheduled pickup be safe? That could mean we could arrive at the airport by 10:00 or 10:30 depending on traffic. Is that a reasonable timeline? Is WelcomePickups pickup easier/quicker/smoother than a taxi?
Is taking a general taxi a nightmare with everyone leaving the pier at the same time?
What is the Athens check-in process like for a Europe based international flight? Is that Schengen? Does that work different?
I don't mean to be needy with the 100 questions (ok 15) but as you can tell I might be a little OCD. Thank you very much! -Kevin