Cammy8

The long wait was my concern too as I read your review.  Do you remember if the 2 hour delay was unusual, caused by something specific, or did you get the impression this seemed normal for Korea.  From what I gather S. Korea has a Visa Free period between 04/01/23 and 12/31/24. In the past a K-ETA was needed where people had to line up upon arrival to complete an arrival card costing $7.77 .

A K-ETA visa for American citizens is supposedly quick and easy to get online.  Several on this cruise have applied for a visa which I think is $9.  They're banking it might be worth it, hoping they will get off the ship faster if they have it, and may not have to line up for the arrival card.  Can you tell us how the procedure went that day?

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

I can't recommend any, but it is highly likely you'll need to fight your way through all the vendors trying to sell you tours of one kind or another. 

 

My personal opinion is that the blowhole is way overrated.  The drive is getting longer and longer as traffic increases and really all that is there is a long tourist walk full of vendors of one form or another with the blowhole at the end.  

Hmm - as I said I now have 24 people going with one seat left.  Guess I'll still go since I put a lot of work into this.

1 hour ago, nimbex1970 said:

It's been a bit since I have been, but there are several vendors at the pier for this excursion.  It's been too long to remember pricing.  I can't imagine they are no longer there as many folks like to go here. 

 

Thanks - I did eventually find a minibus that holds 25 passengers.  There's only one seat left if anyone is interested $25 plus $2.50 tax.

A group of us would like to go from Ensenada's port to the blowhole but don't know how to go about finding a minibus and driver.  Are they waiting at the port, or does anyone know how I can find one.  Thanks

A group of us would like to go to the blowhole but I can't find a minibus and driver.  Are there any waiting at the dock?  Or can anyone recommend one?

Can those who have been to Dubai passing through, not necessarily disembarking, tell me how long it takes to get off the ship and through security.  I read once it can take as long as 2 hours.  We'll be visiting in early May.  I realize getting off the ship for an excursion can vary but I'm hoping this will give me a rough gauge.  The ship stops at Abu Dhabi the day before, and If the delay getting off is long, perhaps we could take a taxi to Dubai from Abu Dhabi after touring, or find an excursion company to take us there.  Just a thought that I plan to research.  Thanks.

Can those who have visited Ashdod tell me how long it took to get off the ship and through Israeli security?  I understand one day can vary from another, but I thought this might give me a rough idea.  Thanks!

I believe our ship docks at  Yeongdo Island.  I thought we'd stay on the island and go to Jeoryeong Coastal Walk on Yeongdo Island, but its on the island’s opposite coast, and since the island is car restricted, I tried to figure out how to get there.  Googlemaps only shows public transportation - 50 minutes, 50% of which is walking.  In fact if we decide to tour off the island, it looks like it takes about 35 minutes, again I'm confused about this car restricted thing.  Has anyone else been to this port and would you mind sharing your experience

21 hours ago, PelicanBill said:

Oh dear. Come to western New York.  We only get one or two blizzards a year.

 

Yea, no you're not.  Like many others, you will go somewhere else!

.

2 hours ago, aloyisuscowboy said:

If you are in a red flood zone near tidal surge they will evacuate that hotel and move people out, sometimes even using school buses to take you to shelters at schools and make you leave your vehicles there to flood. I saw this happen with in fort Myers on the river two years ago.

I don't know about Florida law or Fort Myers on the west coast, but here in Ft. Lauderdale where I live on the beach, the evacuation for Irma was mandatory (as it always is where I live) but we always have the option to stay.  They do warn that once the evacuation is complete, they will not come in to help, which I understand.  My high rise (and all the others along the coastline) have been here through storms dating back to the 1970s and they're still standing.  That is not to say there wasn't any damage.  Our building's air conditioner blew right off the roof onto the beach.  Again though, residents can stay if they wish (usually a couple of dozen in each building remain).  I believe the hotels close up, but I'm not positive.

23 minutes ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

Should hotels near Port Everglades be safe during the storm? If those hotels are likely to be evacuated, which area should I be looking to move to?

In Fort Lauderdale last storm, they called a mandatory evacuation for all properties east of Rt. 1 (Federal Highway).  This I understand is routine.  Check your hotel's address and see if it is east of Rt. 1. 

Currently there has been no evacuation calls.  I guess they are still watching to see what the Dorian does.  (I live in Ft. Lauderdale beachfront)

I was looking for the same answer too, doing a day trip with 6 of us, but only 3 going to do zip line, I wonder how long it takes? and what there is for them to do while we are zipping from the trees? hope someone can help us out!

If you find an answer, please post it. We're sailing the cruise after you sailing the 18th. I want to zip my husband doesn't. I'm 67 weighing 120 lbs - think I'm too old?:)

I had planned to walk around Old San Juan and see the forts on our own. I didn't notice that we don't dock until 4pm. If we are off the ship by 4:30, can we see one of the forts on our own without being rushed? The web site says that they close at 6pm. What would you do after that? We are a family of 4 - Mom and Dad, DD - 21 and DS - 18. We'll be on Independence of the Seas in June 2015. Thanks for the help.

Lucky you sailing at 11 pm! Do I have a great idea for you.

http://biobaypuertorico.com/bioluminescent-bay-tours-fajardo/

Let others on your ship know and I'll bet you will manage to get a group, thus private transportation. I probably won't be checking back here, but if you have questions on my experience with this trip, email me at camerondoreen@gmail.com

We will be visiting them during October. Please share info on DIY or paid tours with local company for Heraklion Crete, and Katakolon (for Olympia). Are they walking distance from the pier to the town, if you booked a tour with a local company, if you would tell us their name and tour price etc. Thanks in advance.

We were there the beginning of September. The train from Katakolon to Olympia was running. The station is only about a 5 minute walk through town. It arrives based on the time a ship comes in. It costs about 10 euros each return. There were two trains (one left later than the other) that went straight to Olympia non stop and one train back which was fine. We would have liked more frequent service to quickly do what we want, and leave. Would have preferred to taxi with like-minded passengers, although I do recommend the train since it gives you plenty of time to see what you want and its clean. At the site in Olympia there are plenty of information boards written in English at each area, so you could manage without a guide.

I, too, used the X80 into Athens. Was efficient, did encounter some traffic on the way in. Enjoyed a great day!

 

I had picked up a little map/guide from the Piraeus Port Authority in the terminal building and noticed they listed buses that connected the Metro Station (on the map says "Electric and Suburban Railway") with Gate E12, where our ship was. The bus numbers are 827, 828, 831, 843 & 859.

 

(Please note that you may have materials that say it's just a few minutes' walk to the Metro....that may be true for ferries or other vessels, but if you are at Gate E12, it would be a VERY long walk indeed!)

 

From where we were in Athens that afternoon, I decided that we would use our transport day pass and just take the Metro-bus option back to the ship. It was actually quicker. The buses stop right across the street from the Metro station. I made sure with the driver that he would stop at Gate E12 and he dropped us off exactly where the X80 had picked us up that morning.

 

I also noticed port buses coming right up to the ship every few minutes.....I'm guessing there was a free bus to save the 10 minutes or so of walking from the Gate Entrance to the Ship? But then you wouldn't go through the terminal building, so I'm not sure....but I kept seeing it come by after we were back on board.

 

Our experience with the bus and the Metro+Bus was very positive.

Really helpful - thanks!

We just returned from 7 day Mediterranean cruise with MSC at the end of June. Our group consisted of 4 families, total 16 people. My family is frequent travelers to Europe and we prefer to do land tour. But our travel companions wanted to visit the Greece islands, so we compromised by combining both land + cruise in one trip. We visited Vienna and Prague before the cruise. A picture tells thousand words, so I put together a picture slide with music for the cruise portion of this trip.

 

Enjoy the music!

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0825-4f78-8298?ln

 

 

 

We cruised with Princess, Carnival, RRC and Norgewian and this was our first time with MSC. I read many negative reviews about MSC, but we like to try different line, plus the price was reasonable, the itinerary was good, so we gave it a try. I am not going to write a review about the ship because it is very subjective and we primarily used the cruise as a floating hotel, itinerary is our first choice, next is price, so as long it got us safely from one destination to other at a reasonable price; it is fine in our book.

Below is the summary of the Port of Call, hope that it would help someone who will do the same itinerary.

Itinerary – There was no sea day and actually we liked it. But it would be better just to skip Bari and Katakalon and have more time in Santorini and Corfu.

1)Venice – this is our second visit but the first for our other travel companions. So we stayed 3 full nights before the cruise. We are frequent travelers to Europe and find accommodation at Venice is more expensive than any other destinations within central Europe. However, we managed to find a very affordable 3 bedroom apartment right at Rialto Bridge and shared with other family. Excellent location, very spacious and clean apartment for 250 euro per night for 8 people. One early morning, we went to the fresh seafood market and prepared one of the best scallop and flounder dinner for the whole group at 100 euro. At night, there were about 3 different music bands played romantic Italian music at San Marcos Square. It was a simple pleasure night without the crowd.

Murano Island – the glass company offered free speed boat to the island and the young travelers in our group wanted to see the glass blowing process. It was OK, the murano items there were much more expensive than in various stores in Venice, but for sure it is real from the factory , make sure to bargain.

We mainly walked around the island; on the embarkation day, we only bought 1 vaparetto ticket (7 euro) from our rental apartment to Piazza Roma. From there travelers can buy a “people mover” for 1.20 euro one way to the cruise ship or walk. We walked just to see how far it was, it was not that bad, we just had to cross one bridge and the rest was flat concrete. On the disembarkation day, we used the “people mover” and thought that the line to get the ticket was long due to everybody got off at the same time; we should walk instead. It is best to buy round-trip tickets on the day we boarded the ship to avoid line. The ship sailed down the Grand Canal to get to/from the dock. Everyone was out on deck watching and taking photos, great photo opportunity.

2)Bari – It is small port, we just walked to the town, visited the cathedral and castle, walked around the seaside. This was our least favorite port, but it was OK because it was a short stop, the ship did not dock until noon, so we just took it as a relaxing day, a few hours walking around is better than stay on the ship

3)Katakolon – Since it is another ½ day stop, ½ of our group wanted to visit Olympia but did not want to mess with the train schedule so we opted for the ship excursion, a transfer to/from Olympia for 21euro per person and we had to pay for the entrance fee. Student > 26 with proof is 3 euro, =<18 is free and adult is 7 euro (I think). There are plenty of taxis offered at the port and also a sign for $5 bus to Olympia. Unless you are really in history, there was not much to see and it was a hot day, so we spent 1.5 hours walking around + 1 hour shopped at the nearby town + 1 ½ hour transfer to/from the port. That was our ½ day in visited Katakolon. The rest of the group just walked down the small town and had cold drink and ate seafood. According to them, it was fresh, good and good price.

4)Santorini – The reason for cruise is to visit this island. So we made sure that we maximized our time at this port by booking a private driver. There was no time to waste, we covered everything we wanted in 4 ½ hours, and that is just about the max we can afford due to 2 ½ hrs lost in tender, cable car and line. The charge was 75 euro per hour for the entire vehicle up to 18. MSC supposed to dock from 9am – 5pm, the tender ticket was given out at 8am and the last tender back to the ship was 4:30pm. I arrived at 6:45 am and there were few people already in line. I got ticket for first tender for the whole group. MSC arrived early, 8:30am, when we got to the lounge at 8:40 am and it already called tender #3. Our reservation was at 10am, I called our driver and he met us at the top of the cable car at 9:30am, 30 minutes early, not bad. We visited the famous blue dome church for 15 minutes, 1 hour in Oia, 45 minutes at Winery, 1 hour lunch at Black sand beach + ½ hour at the beach, 1 hour driving to/from Fira/Oia/Back sand beach. We were in line at the cable car around 2:45pm, it took over 1 hour to get down. When we got off the cable, OMG the line to go up to the cable from the ship which arrived in the afternoon was so long. We lucky that there was no line for tender and we got to the boat at 4pm, only 30 minutes before the last tender. To have the private transfer was the best decision and due to our group size, it was only about 20 euro per person + tip to driver +10 euro round trip for cable car.

5)Athens – we also reserved a private driver with PK. The driver waited for us at 7:30am and we went directly to Acropolis. The entrance fee was 12 euro, but ½ for student and free for =<18. Please bring proof if you have young travelers. When we arrived there was no line at the ticket and we walked straight to the entrance. Again, when we left Acropolis, the line was long at both the ticket booth and the entrance. PK travel was very professional; the driver spoke very good English; the vehicle was brand new. After Acropolis, we visited the normal tourist destination around Athens and we had lunch at a best local restaurant. It was a very pleasant day at a cost of 25 euro person + tip + ticket entrance.

6)Corfu – 12 of us decided to buy a transfer from a booth at the port for 64 euro per vehicle for 4 to/from Dassi beach (not sure I spell it right) beach. But there was also taxi to offer the same route for 60 euro. 5 of us decided to have a little adventure. We took the bus at the cruise ship terminal for a short ride to town; then walked to the center bus station to take bus 7 to the beach. The ride was about 30 minutes with many stops, a local got off at the same stop and she told us to get off and shown the way to the beach. We made it to the beach and back with some time to shop for souvenirs at the town. The beach has nice facility, beach bar, restaurant, swimming pool, beach chair. The 24 hr ticket is only 5 euro, can buy it right on board the shuttle bus from port to town. Corfu is a nice town and there are more things to do/see than Bari and Katakolon, just wish that ship docked longer there.

7)Dubrovnik, Croatia – There was a bus to town for 2 euro per person. I think you can pay euro but the entrance to walk the walk the wall have to be paid in Croatia currency or credit card. There were 4 in our group, so it was much easier to catch the taxi for 10 euro each way. However, the taxi line was unorganized both ways to/from town. Both Costa and MSC docked at the same time and each ship had roughly 3,000 passengers. So we were looking at approximately 6,000 people in one place at one time. It took away the charm of the old town.

8)Disembarkation Venice – We got off the ship at 9 am, waited for the free shuttle to people mover for a ride to bus station at Piazza Roma. We bought express bus to airport for 6 euro per person, we arrived Marco polo 2 hrs later.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this. Very helpful

@ Deidre - thanks for the empathy. I agree - misery does love company :)

 

@Denny01 - since misery does love company (and I'm miserable right now), I'd definitely be interested in hearing what they Brits think about the 123 promo :)

 

@ Airbalancer & A Sixth - I was considering going on a cruise this spring and use the 123go promotion. However, I just found out that the 123go promotion is not combinable with anything! However, prior to this, I was not able to combine it with a special rate of some kind (honestly, I can't remember if it was a Happy Hour special or a resident rate that we used). And prior to that, I'm not sure what it was not combinable with ... but it was something LOL

 

As I stated in my original post, I don't even care about the OBC that comes with the passages account. Celebrity doesn't have to give me the onboard credit for giving them my $100. I just want to use my deposit! I simply want to be able to apply my original $100 deposit to my next cruise.

 

I do appreciate the replies :)

 

Adam

Thanks for the heads up! I don't know what a passage is, but I'll be sure to avoid it at all costs. Besides it sounds too complicated to me, and I'm about to go on cruise 27. I can't believe Celebrity is so unreasonable.

I received a reply from my email to SantoriniPlanet@gmail.com. It was from Gianiuca Chimenti:

 

No way to do from my website anymore, please visit http://www.aegeantraveller.gr

 

I went to the website and the the boat transfer link is right there with other sightseeing options. The boat trip to Oia is for 25 euros. I copied the following from the site.

 

Transfer to oia by speedboat
Daily

25 euros per adult

12.50 euros per child (6-12)

Special rates for groups

 

Transfer to Oia by Speedboat & return to Fira by bus Departure from the old port of Fira by speedboat to reach in only 12 minutes Ammoudi bay at the bottom of the picturesque and traditional village of Oia.
There the partner agency will do the transfer by bus from the small harbor until the tourist parking of the village.
The pickup point of the bus to reach the capital of Santorini, Fira, will be at same place.
In Oia you will have 1 – 2 – 3 or maximum 4 hours of free time, every hour after the arrival it is available a transfer by bus as well included in the ticket, from Oia to Fira.
In Fira the free time depends from the departure time of the last tender to return back on your cruise ship.

 

I completed an online request form and was told I would receive reservation instructions by email soon. Pay using Paypal and the site indicates you don't have to have a Pay pal account.

I haven't used my pay pal in years and that was only one time in the US. Just spent forever changing my password and called them to ask about fees and how to use it to book this boat/bus trip to Oia. After pressing 1 for this and 2 for that I finally got a real person. Asked my question and was cut off.

Can anyone tell me what Paypal charges to make foreign purchases?

While I've read countless messages on the train between Katakolon and Olympia, they have all been for previous years. I will be visiting THIS year and I'd like to know from anyone who has visited THIS year. Does the train still operate, is the schedule dependent on the number of ships in for the day, what is the current fare and finally is there any confirmation that it will still be running in October? I ask all this stuff because as you might know, there is little information on line regarding this train.

 

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide, and again, I'm looking for experiences from THIS year.

These are my exact questions! We're going in August, but with the lack of info, I'm reluctantly researching alternatives which means I probably won't be able to give you feedback even after being there.

Tommorow, 12th May 2014, a new Express bus line commences operation.

Bus number is X80 and it connects Piraues cruise ship terminals with Acropolis Museum ( Acropolis ), and Athens center ( Syndagma Sq. ).

 

Ticket costs 4 euros ( that's the 24hrs ticket. It is valid for all metro, bus, tram in the center, including the X80 line / not valid on airport metro or airport bus ). You can also use the "tourist ticket" in this line ( costs 20 euros, includes unlimited hop on hop off for 3 days, for any mean in the center + airport trips ).

 

Bus operates from 7am till 9.30pm, every 30 minutes. Starts where 040 bus starts from and follows, roughly speaking, the same drive path but does stops only at start and end of the trip, which means ride is pretty faster than all other buses.

What a terrific forum cruise critic is! Thank you so much for this information. I immediately emailed Tom at Tom's Cruise Port Guide so that he knows too. Looks like its going to be a piece of cake thanks to you (and the bus operators) -famous last words! I love that it operates as early as 7 am. We're early risers and this is perfect.