Aegean Shores June 1st

Hi there,

I’m a first time user of cruise critic, my sister and I are taking the Aegean Shores cruise, looks like it has a new itinerary as the only other posts about it has a different ship going to different ports, we will be on the Discovery 2. We are thinking of doing our own trips in port but how easy is that in Piraeus to see Athens, Katakolon to see Olympus and a Thira for Santorini ? Or is it easier/safer to pay the price and take the ships organized tour ? We are able bodied, good walkers in our 50’s.

Thanks in advance.

Carol

It should be easy enough to do Thira on Santorini as the ships all anchor in the bay. As long as Marella tender you into the old port/harbour you will be fine - you can walk, catch the cable car or get on a donkey to get up to the main town at the top of the cliff.

From Piraeus to Athens I believe there is a train/metro link. One thing to bear in mind though is what you want to do in Athens. It is a big city. If you want to go to the Acropolis, queues are likely to be long in June. Normally if you buy a guided tour from the ship, your guide will take you to the front of the queue.

I believe there is also a rail link from Katakolon to Olympus but not sure how long it takes. The site itself is not massive. Of course, the advantage of booking a tour is that you have a guide giving you all the history.

If you haven't already done so, it is worth looking at the Destinations section of this forum - it is usually very helpful.

Thanks Andrew for the great information, bit more studying required from us.

There is also a hop-on, hop-off bus to Athens from outside the port in Pireaus.

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Thanks Andrew for the great information, bit more studying required from us.

Have a look at the websites http://www.whatsinport.com and Tom's port guides.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

Piraeus.

A variety of ways to get to Athens.

- introduced just a couple of seasons ago, the X-80 express bus is by far the cheapest & pretty simple. Was €4 for all-day travel a couple f years back.

- two hop-on bus operators. Both offer two routes, Piraeus To Athens and a city route. Start off by taking a hop-on from Piraeus to the Acropolis in order to beat the worst of the crowds & the heat. - it's not unusual for the Acropolis to be closed on particularly hot afternoons.

- taxis are lined-up at the port, not desperately expensive if shared.

All the above just past the port terminal.

- ship will probably offer a choice of guided tour, or "Athens on your own" transfer to / from Syntagma Square. The on-you-own option is poor value compared to the other transfers - and you're stuck with their choice of time for the return.

- the metro is cheap, but it's a 15 - 20 minute walk from the port.

Olympia

The main options

- ship's tour

- the train is unreliable, sometimes it runs & sometimes it doesn't.

- The Katakolon Express bus. http://www.katakolonexpress.com/ Can be pre-booked. Downside is that it returns at a set time. That allows something like two hours at Olympia - about right for most but mebbe not for you. Was €10 a few years back, now €20.

- rent a car. For 4 it's marginally cheaper than the bus, including CDW & fuel. Several operators just outside the port gate. To guarantee its best to pre-book but try to find one with no show / no charge in case your ship doesn't make port. You'll be given map / directions to Olympia, but it's pretty simple. Katakolon has nothing of interest, other than being the port for Olympia, about a half-hour away.

Santorini.

Your ship moors in the caldera & you're taken ashore by tender (reliable, because it's very sheltered). The tender jetty is at the bottom of the cliff below Fira.

- cablecar up the cliff (might involve a queue)

- ride a donkey (they're actually mules) up the zig-zag path to Fira.

(walking up the path isn't a sensible option for most folk)

- a little local ferry from the tender jetty up the coast to Oia. Includes a bus from Oia jetty up to Oia village. You have to make your own way back to Fira by bus or taxi.

- ships' excursions are by different tenders which go down the coast to the ferry pier at Athinios, where - like Oia - the road goes down to the sea. But.......... but but but. ..... ships tours end at Fira & you have to make your own way down to the tender jetty, same as everyone else.

Returning to the ship the only way back to the tender jetty is the cable car or the zig-zag path. Depending on what ships are there - and whether their "last tender" time is similar to yours - the queue for the cable car can be horrendous, Like 60 to 90 minutes :eek:.

Since you're fit, and the zig-zag path down the cliff is pretty easy (and few donkeys - if any - at that time of day), I suggest you get back to the top of the cliff at least half an hour before last tender time. If there's no long queue for the cable car it's an option. If it's not an option, the walk down the path is about 25 minutes.

You'll be told your "last tender" time on the ship & it'll be posted at the gangway. Usually an hour before scheduled sailing. That last tender time is when you must be down at the tender jetty - not when you have to be on the ship, and you don't have to allow for a queue for the tender. Be on the jetty by last tender time & you're good.

It's worth learning how to navigate Cruise Critic, and how to use the search facilities on each destination / topic.

Start by scrolling down to the bottom of this page & click on the arrow at "Forum jump". This brings up al the forums - scroll thro them to the Ports of Call forums, Greece.

This'll give you stax of info on your ports.

JB :)

Thank you both for your replies, lots of information to organize our day trips. This is a very helpful website.