My Med Cruise Itinirary - How does this sound

[jbone07]

My wife and I are heading on a med/greek isles cruise April 17th. Here is what we are planning in each port. Please add your comments on the ports you have experience with

 

Kusadasi - Taking a private tour with Hello Ephesus (I know they are new) to Ephesus, Terrace Houses and Virgin Mary House plus lunch with no rug demo!

 

Dubrovnik - Walking the walls and cruising around the old town

 

Santorini - Going up to Oia and Fira on our own to explore and enjoy lunch and a drink with the wonderful scenery

 

Corfu - Renting a car and driving around the island stopping at will.

 

We are pretty DIY travelers and are only doing a tour in Ephesus is there is a ton of history that I would like to take in while we are there. Please poke hols and/or add personal experiences that will help make each port as good as possible.

 

Thanks,

Jason

[Hlitner]

Jason,

You get our personal "gold star" for your plan. We cannot poke any holes in your plan. There have been some strange postings about Hello Ephesus in recent weeks so you might want to reconfirm your arrangements with this company. The postings had to do with rumors that they were going out of business pushing their bookings to another company, but we have seen no firm evidence that this is true. Regarding Santorini, keep in mind that the buses that run between Fira and Oia do not run as often as one would like, so, you many want to walk down to the bus station early in the day and check the current schedules so you can better plan your day.

 

By the way, since you mention Dubrovnik you might not be aware that it is possible to take the local bus from in front of the port into town. This is usually somewhat cheaper than using the cruise line shuttles. If you do use the local bus, by your bus ticket in advance (you get a discount). They sell the bus tickets across the street from the bus stop at the newstand. The local buses drop you at the same spot used by the cruise line buses (right in front of the main gate to the city).

 

Hank

[samavarcruiser]

Hello Ephesus tour company;

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=957223&highlight=helloephesus

[sunshine nana]

Will we need Croatian kuna to buy our bus ticket for Dubrovnik? Is it worth paying a $10 fee to get it before we go or is there an ATM near where we would get the bus. Thanks

[KCcruisin07]

Will we need Croatian kuna to buy our bus ticket for Dubrovnik? Is it worth paying a $10 fee to get it before we go or is there an ATM near where we would get the bus. Thanks

We went past the security guard (who asked for our passports) and turned right on the road toward town. We found a little convenience store not far from the dock and bought bus tickets and exchanged some money there. It was no trouble.

 

Incidentally our ship had docked at Gruz as most do. There is also another port.

 

Also here is a link to some photos that reflect the area. The sailaway from there with the suspension bridge and red roofs in the distance was one of the most beautiful I have seen. http://www.europeportreviews.com/Dubrovnik.htm

[sunshine nana]

Thanks very much for the information. That means I will need only Eros before we go. The pictures were great. My DH will be so surprised. He just packs and lets the whole experience unfold. I love to do the planning and anticipate everything.