Shore Excursion Questions

[breckpatty]

Hello again from 1st timers:

Nice comments and photos in reply to my first post. CC certainly has a great group of members.

Our first ever cruise, with SS on the Silver Wind in April, is 119 days out and I jusrt read the list of Shore Excursions for the Greek Isles.

Any advise??

We are not afraid of renting a car for the day in small ports or getting around by taxi if the SS offerings are not the best option.

Thanks, Patty

[TLCOhio]

Hello again from 1st timers:

Nice comments and photos in reply to my first post. CC certainly has a great group of members.

Our first ever cruise, with SS on the Silver Wind in April, is 119 days out and I jusrt read the list of Shore Excursions for the Greek Isles.

Any advise??

We are not afraid of renting a car for the day in small ports or getting around by taxi if the SS offerings are not the best option.

Thanks, Patty

 

For the smaller ports, it is good that you are "flexible" on what you are able and willing to do. BUT, your question really gets to a highly "PERSONAL" choice depending on what you like to see and do, your budget flexibility, age/energy level, etc. Ship tours are not always the "best", but they get the basics covered, handle logistics and provide some general background on what you are seeing. It works without lots of extra effort, time and planning. How much are you interested in beaches, shopping, history, culture, getting away from the crowds, outdoor adventure, hanging with the crowds, etc. Lots of options to consider. Tell us more on what you're seeking, budget, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Keith1010]

If you list the ports that you have questions on and what you might want to do in them we can add some additional advice. There are some port stops in Greece where you literally can walk off the ship and explore the town on foot and there are others that you might need to take transportation to explore the adjoining area.

 

To me there is never one way to go that fits all ports. We try to do a combination of tours along with doing others on our own. But again this varies by port and based on interests.

 

Keith

[LaPaloma]

If you are going in April you are a little off season--thats good--less crowds! We have visited the Greek Islands 5 times, and have never taken a tour or rented a car. For the most part the Islands are small, and the things that interested us most were close in. We have done it on foot-- and mule on Santorini--you ride a mule to get up to the town. You can take a gondola if your a real chicken. The things we were interested in, and we have simple tastes, we did walking. One trip my wife was on a jewelry buying spree--it was off season--she got some wonderful deals--confirmed by jewelers in the States! You will see lots of great things to see and do close in! Don

[breckpatty]

LaPaloma,

I like your style ;). And a wife on a jewlery buying spree, you are a man after my own heart :p. I can't wait till April 7th.

Thank You for the tips, Patty

[breckpatty]

Terry,

You are a wealth of information! From your wonderful photos complete with instruction to your personal travel experiences I really enjoy your posts. You are a natural teacher.

We will visit Rhodes, Santorini and Mykanos. We love to walk where practical. We're facinated by the historic sites but do not want to miss out on local cuisine or markets. I've got the guide books but would appreciate knowing what you found special.

Thanks, Patty

[TLCOhio]

Terry, You are a wealth of information! From your wonderful photos complete with instruction to your personal travel experiences I really enjoy your posts. You are a natural teacher. We will visit Rhodes, Santorini and Mykanos. We love to walk where practical. We're facinated by the historic sites but do not want to miss out on local cuisine or markets. I've got the guide books but would appreciate knowing what you found special.

Thanks, Patty

 

THANKS, Patty, for the nice and kind comments!

 

What did we find special? And how?

 

You will have a super great cruise given the wonderful mix of port stops. WOW! What an all-star listing: Depart Istanbul, then Rhodes, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Split and finishing in Venice. Having previously been in four of those eight locations and wanting to do the other four stops in the future, your good news/bad news challenge is you have so many good options there that are all so wonderful. None of these are "duds". That means doing lots of advance reading and research to consider how to set your personal priorities. You need to sort our which are . . . your super top, must-see priority places . . . versus . . . those options that are only good and nice. Limited time and so much to see and do!!!

 

I really like books such as the Eyewitness series and the Michelin Green books. Eyewitness has great visuals and maps, while Michelin has a nice one, two or three star system to help you know the . . . good, better and best . . . rankings of the options in these places. We like to get a good mix of different places, sites and sights. You can't do it all! Get your flow and comfort level for what you like to see and experience. Be open to exploring and trying some new things. The bottom line is that the more you think and plan ahead, then the better you will be in deciding what you want to do . . . and skip. Use these board and get other reactions from people who have visited there. Does this help?

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio