Greece "on your own"? Which ports are best for DIY?

[Cruzin-K]

on my dream cruise in 2011 (hopefully will be booked next week), the following are the Greek ports we'll be visiting...

 

Corfu

Katakolon

Athens

Mykonos

Rhodes

Santorini

 

I'm trying to maximize the amount of things we'll see, but without paying the ridiculous ships tour prices at every port. I don't mind doing ships tours part of the time but overall I'd like to do at least three ports on my own, in addition to Rome/Venice which will be on our own because they are the start/end of the trip. The other ports will be Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, and Naples. Dubrovnik seems like a good DIY port from what I've read, and Naples will most likely be a ship's tour.

 

So, out of the list of Greek ports, which two would be good to do by ourselves and still be able to see all/most of the major tourist attractions (other than Mykonos)? We are not interested in beaches (well, I would be, but my 69 year old Mom won't). We are definitely going to Delos from Mykonos (Mom's name is Delia which means "from the island of Delos").

 

Ideally I'd like to hook up with others from the roll call to do a private tour of Athens but in case that doesn't happen, can Athens be done on our own? If we just walk around the old town in Rhodes are we going to miss out on anything good?

[cruisemom42]

Hi Karen, saw your earlier post re: tendering on the Princess boards -- good luck and hope you can book it; we were going to take a very similar Princess cruise in June but had to cancel, so I've already done a lot of research.

 

Athens can be done on your own pretty easily using public transportation. I posted a detailed "day in Athens" on another thread that may be helpful:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22449730&postcount=2

 

You can modify it easily -- for example, if the museum isn't your cup of tea, you could easily spend a couple of ours at the Plaka area (which is adjacent to the Acropolis) before heading back to the ship.

 

Rhodes is also easy to do on your own. The old town is very close to where the ship docks. Here is a walking tour you can customize for what interests you:

 

http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/rhodes/rhodes-old-city.html

 

 

Katakolon is easy to do on your own if your ship is there for a full day and you want to go to Olympia (the big "draw" for this port). There is a train that runs direct to Olympia that you can catch just a few blocks from the port. The cost is just a few euros per person (plus admission to Olympia) -- much more reasonable than the shore excursions. I can provide detailed info for doing this if you are interested. The only caveat is that the train only runs a few times a day, so if your ship has an early to mid-afternoon departure, time might be tight.

 

Santorini would be another easy port to do on your own. From where the ships dock, you tender in to shore and then have to ascend a steep hill to the town of Thira. You can do this by funicular or by riding a donkey up the hill or walking. (Funicular and donkey cost about the same -- a few euros each). Once at the top, I would recommend catching the local bus to Oia (pronounced "Ee-yah") where the beautiful views are. This is where you'll see the white buildings with blue roofs beautiful sea views, etc. To return to the ship, just reverse the process. You can take a taxi to Oia rather than the bus for a few euro more. Be sure to allow PLENTY of time at the end of the day to get back; the lines for the funicular can get quite long.....

 

Hope this helps. I completely understand your desire to see Delos. My name is Cynthia, which means "from Mount Cynthus.....which is the name of the highest hill on Delos :))

[Cruzin-K]

Hi Karen, saw your earlier post re: tendering on the Princess boards -- good luck and hope you can book it; we were going to take a very similar Princess cruise in June but had to cancel, so I've already done a lot of research.

 

Athens can be done on your own pretty easily using public transportation. I posted a detailed "day in Athens" on another thread that may be helpful:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22449730&postcount=2

 

You can modify it easily -- for example, if the museum isn't your cup of tea, you could easily spend a couple of ours at the Plaka area (which is adjacent to the Acropolis) before heading back to the ship.

 

Rhodes is also easy to do on your own. The old town is very close to where the ship docks. Here is a walking tour you can customize for what interests you:

 

http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/rhodes/rhodes-old-city.html

 

 

Katakolon is easy to do on your own if your ship is there for a full day and you want to go to Olympia (the big "draw" for this port). There is a train that runs direct to Olympia that you can catch just a few blocks from the port. The cost is just a few euros per person (plus admission to Olympia) -- much more reasonable than the shore excursions. I can provide detailed info for doing this if you are interested. The only caveat is that the train only runs a few times a day, so if your ship has an early to mid-afternoon departure, time might be tight.

 

Santorini would be another easy port to do on your own. From where the ships dock, you tender in to shore and then have to ascend a steep hill to the town of Thira. You can do this by funicular or by riding a donkey up the hill or walking. (Funicular and donkey cost about the same -- a few euros each). Once at the top, I would recommend catching the local bus to Oia (pronounced "Ee-yah") where the beautiful views are. This is where you'll see the white buildings with blue roofs beautiful sea views, etc. To return to the ship, just reverse the process. You can take a taxi to Oia rather than the bus for a few euro more. Be sure to allow PLENTY of time at the end of the day to get back; the lines for the funicular can get quite long.....

 

Hope this helps. I completely understand your desire to see Delos. My name is Cynthia, which means "from Mount Cynthus.....which is the name of the highest hill on Delos :))

 

Wow, thanks for all the links. I've bookmarked everything. How funny that both you and my Mom have the Delos name connection. :)

 

Athens does look pretty simple to do on your own. I've traveled by Metro/Train in quite a few places; Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Budapest, Prague, etc. so I'm fairly confident I can figure out the system in Athens (I hope). Mom and I are both the types to "panic" about getting back to the ship on time, so I see us allowing at least two hours to do just that at the end of our sightseeing. As long as I'm armed with good city maps we'll be just fine.

[kestrel]

Cynthia made excellent suggestions for Athens, Rhodes, Katakolon and Santorini. So I will only cover Corfu and Mykonos.

 

Corfu: The old town is only a short walk away from the port. It's not so close as in Rhodes, but is still very manageable (20 min?). If you don't want to walk, taxis are available. However, to be honest with you, I didn't find the old town to be too interesting. If I visit Corfu again, I will consider a cruise excursion or a private tour to see other parts of the island.

 

Mykonos: We took Princess shore excursion to Delos. It was several years ago, and I couldn't find ferry info to Delos, therefore we took the excursion. The shore excursion actually used the same public ferry. We embarked the ferry right at the cruise port. The ferry then went to the public ferry stop in the town to take other independent tourists. It's similar on the way back. It turned out that we could take the cruise ship shuttle bus to the town ($3 each?), and then take the same ferry to Delos. However, we were happy with the tour. Though the group was rather large, the tour guide did a wonderful job explaining the history of Delos to us. It's only a half-day tour, so I still had time to explore Mykonos on my own for a couple hours.

[jefsto03]

 

Katakolon is easy to do on your own if your ship is there for a full day and you want to go to Olympia (the big "draw" for this port). There is a train that runs direct to Olympia that you can catch just a few blocks from the port. The cost is just a few euros per person (plus admission to Olympia) -- much more reasonable than the shore excursions. I can provide detailed info for doing this if you are interested. The only caveat is that the train only runs a few times a day, so if your ship has an early to mid-afternoon departure, time might be tight.

 

 

HI Cynthia! I'm thinking of doing Katakolon to Olympia on my own. Any more info you can provide would be great! Thanks!

[Hlitner]

All those ports can easily be done on your own. A few ideas. Corfu - you can rent a car at the port for about $50 and drive yourself around the island, into town, etc. Katakolon - There are a couple of very reasonable rental car companies right off the pier or you can walk to the train station and take the train to Olympia. Athens - You can walk (or take the local bus) to the train station and take the train/subway into Athens. Once in town you can go to the Acropolis, explore the Plaka, watch the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square, etc. Mykonos - Just walk (or take the shuttle) into town and explore Mykonos Town. If you want a nice beach day take the local bus (from the station near the windmills) out to Paradise Beach where you can rent chairs, eat, swim, etc. Rhodes - The ship docks within a short walking distance to both the old and new town which you explore on foot. If you want to enjoy a nice sandy beach you can take the local bus or a taxi. Lindos is cheaper then a tour if you can get 4 to share a taxi...or you could rent a car and explore Lindos, the beaches and anywhere else you please on this very tourist-friendly island. Santorini - Take the cable cars or donkeys up to Fira and explore the town on foot (the only way). If you want to see Oia you can take the local bus for only a few Euros. If you prefer to get out of the towns and explore the island with its beaches and wineries you can rent a car in Fira for about $60 a day (if you have 4 its much cheaper then any tour).

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

HI Cynthia! I'm thinking of doing Katakolon to Olympia on my own. Any more info you can provide would be great! Thanks!

 

 

The train station is about a 5-10 minute walk from where the ships dock, along the water. I don't have my notes with me, but here is a link to a good post with directions:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=20835439&postcount=6

 

The key is getting on the train that leaves around 8:30 (scheduled times vary slightly by season but generally in the range of 8:25 to 8:35).

 

Here is a post with photos showing the train station in Katakolon, the fares, schedules, and the station in Olympia:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=21160008&postcount=35

 

You buy your ticket on the train.

 

The site is again just a few minutes walk from the Olympia station. It's recommended to visit the museum first. They have site maps there for the actual ruins that should be very helpful.

[elpam]

All those ports can easily be done on your own. A few ideas. Corfu - you can rent a car at the port for about $50 and drive yourself around the island, into town, etc. Katakolon - There are a couple of very reasonable rental car companies right off the pier or you can walk to the train station and take the train to Olympia. Athens - You can walk (or take the local bus) to the train station and take the train/subway into Athens. Once in town you can go to the Acropolis, explore the Plaka, watch the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square, etc. Mykonos - Just walk (or take the shuttle) into town and explore Mykonos Town. If you want a nice beach day take the local bus (from the station near the windmills) out to Paradise Beach where you can rent chairs, eat, swim, etc. Rhodes - The ship docks within a short walking distance to both the old and new town which you explore on foot. If you want to enjoy a nice sandy beach you can take the local bus or a taxi. Lindos is cheaper then a tour if you can get 4 to share a taxi...or you could rent a car and explore Lindos, the beaches and anywhere else you please on this very tourist-friendly island. Santorini - Take the cable cars or donkeys up to Fira and explore the town on foot (the only way). If you want to see Oia you can take the local bus for only a few Euros. If you prefer to get out of the towns and explore the island with its beaches and wineries you can rent a car in Fira for about $60 a day (if you have 4 its much cheaper then any tour).

 

Hank

Hank, Is it difficult to get a taxi because of the crowds? Thanks!

[texancruzer]

Will toss in my two pennies worth .......

 

Corfu - we did a ships tour. I know YUK - but we had a great time. Toured the north end of the island and it is really beautiful. Went to a monastary, a few stops in some small mountain villages and lunch at a wonderful seaside restaurant where the owner danced Greek dances for us! He was good too! Then back to old town for a short "on your own time" visit. You could stay longer and taxi back or ride the bus back.

 

Athens - we walked to the metro and took it in. Visited the Acropolis and had lunch in the Plaka. Took a taxi back (I was sick with a bad head cold that day) asI just wanted to get back to the ship the easy way :o

 

Mykonos - we took the shuttle to town and enjoyed just walking around. Visited the windmills and shopped with lunch thrown in. In retrospect - we found ourselves wishing we had taken the ferry to Delos.

 

Santorini - we took the donkeys up. Not planned but was a blast ! Took a taxi to Oia and walked around a bit, then back to Fira for a bit of shopping and dinner/sunset. Then got in line for the cable car down and back to the ship (we were there from 2 pm -10 pm - screwy hours :confused:)

 

Dubrovnik - is definately a DIY port. Just explore the old town. Quite unique.

 

Kusadasi - EKOL tours was wonderful. Nuf said.

 

Naples - this is one port I would try to join a private tour on your roll call. Depending on what you want to see and do - the area is best done in a smaller vehicle than the big buses they use for a ships tour. See what everyone else is doing on your roll call.....jump in and see if 2 spots for you and your mom are open.......

 

Rome - be sure and take some time to sit and enjoy in Rome. One of our fav cities !

[Hlitner]

Hank, Is it difficult to get a taxi because of the crowds? Thanks!

 

It depends where you want to go with a taxi since many Euopean taxi drivers will not take short haul fares. You certainly would not want to get a taxi on Mykonos since you can walk or take the shuttle into town and then use local buses if you want to go to one of the beaches. On Santorini we think taxis have little use other then to go to Oia (the bus is a lot less money). There are plenty of taxis in both Pireaus and Athens but, as had been posted, it is much cheaper (and faster) to take the train/metro from the port into Athens. On Corfu there are taxis but they make little sense. If you really want to go out of Corfu town and explore the island it makes sense to simply rent a car (driving on Corfu is easy). As to Rhodes, some do like to use taxis to go to Lindos, but you would want another couple to split the cost. Rhodes has a decent bus system that can take you to the beaches. In Kusadasi there are plenty of taxis, but where would you want to go? We strongly recommend booking a private tour to Ephesus (and the Terrace Houses) which you should do on-line. But to answer your original question, other then on Mykonos you will find more then enough taxis...but the real question is where you want to go and are you willing to pay the price!

 

Hank

[Onessa]

Corfu if you are not into beaches, there is not much to do "on your own" -- Corfu is my least favorite Greek port! So a ships excursion might be a good bet here.

 

Katakolon we hired a taxi at the port right when we got off. No problems, lots of taxis (although we were the only ship in port). We negotiated price dropoff and pickup up front. Nice driver.

You could try the train but the schedule at the time we were there was not condusive to our time in port.

 

Athens we've done the ships tour and the train on-our-own thing. There is a lot of walking and you'll want a good map, but it is very do-able. We really enjoyed the on-our-own much more.

 

Mykonos - we've just wandered the town (both times we were docked and there was a ship's shuttle - for a fee - to Mykonos town). Once we caught the ferry to Delios but as someone else said getting info about it prior to the trip was challenging. Delios is great and pretty do-able on-your-own but between the shuttle and the ferry and the admission, I don't know just how much you'd "save"

 

Rhodes - Best "on your own" port. We downloaded an iPod walking tour (discovery tours dot com) that was terrific -- I could put it on all three of our devices (dd and I have iPod touches, DH has some wierd generic mp3 player). It came with a downloadable map and was perfect in that we could listen to as much as we wanted, repeat when we wanted, etc.

 

Santorini - get a taxi to Oia (buses tend to be rather crowded). We once took the ship's "on your own" tour just because it tendered us to the alternate port and got us off the ship and onto the island long before the regular tenders.

 

These are some great ports, have a wonderful time.

[drblue]

Hello Cynthia,

Thank you for the great suggestions. We will definitely do Rhodes on our own.

 

Hello Texancruiser,

Thank you for the infor on Dubrovnik. We are most likely going to do it on our own as well.

[elpam]

Hank, thank you for your response to my question about getting a taxi. I apologize, I meant in Santorini only. A private tour is too expensive, and the ship tour goes to the winery, which is a priority for us. I've read that taxis are hard to find there. We will be there in May, and maybe it won't be too crowded and there will be more cabs available.

[dpw1959]

We have cruised in Alaska and the Caribbean but I am thinking of doing a cruise in the Med. Both start and end in Venice. Royal Caribbean ports include Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, Santorini and Corfu.

Norwegian Gem cruise includes Split, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. I have read that the Norwegian Gem cruise isn't a favorite of posters here because of the times you are in each port. I would want to photograph Oia as extensively as possible but we get to Santorini at 4pm in mid Sept. So I worry the sun may be going down shortly after I pull up in our taxi in Oia. Is the addition of Mykonos and Crete on the Norwegian cruise worth the lack of time in Santorini AND we would also be trading Kusadasi (Ehhesus) and Dubrovnik. Which do you think is better and why?

 

Thanks !

[Onessa]

I'd be most concerned about scheudled times in port -- but in a port "differences" comparison:

 

Dubrovnik is a bit nicer than Split - more historic and if you are interested in pictures, more picturesque. My childhood best friend's DH from the former Yugoslavia and she's spent months at a time in Croatia -- she prefers Dubronik. Advantage RCI.

 

Kusadasi, Ephesis is amazing (but can be very crowded), I've never been to Crete but I'd really like to -- that one is a toss up.

 

Santorini - both cruises, I prefer Santorini in the daylight (although sunsets are amazing). Nightlife is nightlife is nightlife as far as I'm concerned. I'd say advantage RCI.

 

Corfu - both cruises, probably my least favorite port in the Med. No "score".

 

Mykonos extra port. It is a lovely isle - Mykonos town is a great place to walk around and Delos (nearby island that is a national historic place/museum) if wonderful. Advantage NCL Gem

[Hlitner]

Hank, thank you for your response to my question about getting a taxi. I apologize, I meant in Santorini only. A private tour is too expensive, and the ship tour goes to the winery, which is a priority for us. I've read that taxis are hard to find there. We will be there in May, and maybe it won't be too crowded and there will be more cabs available.

 

Sorry we missed your question. On Santorini we have never had a problem finding a taxi in Fira (they have a taxi parking area not far from the bus station) but outside of Fira you will have a difficult time finding a taxi. So, most folks that hire taxis in Fira will make arrangements to have that taxi later return. Or course there is always a risk that your taxi driver will find a better fare and "forget" to return. There are several local rental car companies located in the area near the bus station and we think renting a car here is a great option for those that want to see the island beyond Fira and Oia. Renting a car is far less money then hiring a taxi for the day.

 

Hank

[texancruzer]

Sorry we missed your question. On Santorini we have never had a problem finding a taxi in Fira (they have a taxi parking area not far from the bus station) but outside of Fira you will have a difficult time finding a taxi. So, most folks that hire taxis in Fira will make arrangements to have that taxi later return. Or course there is always a risk that your taxi driver will find a better fare and "forget" to return. There are several local rental car companies located in the area near the bus station and we think renting a car here is a great option for those that want to see the island beyond Fira and Oia. Renting a car is far less money then hiring a taxi for the day.

 

Hank

 

We did just that. We hired a taxi to take us to Oia and wait for us. He waited perhaps 2 to 2.5 hrs. Since we did not pay him until the very end we werent too worried about him being there......and he was - with a smile !

[Eileen G]

on my dream cruise in 2011 (hopefully will be booked next week), the following are the Greek ports we'll be visiting...

 

Corfu

Katakolon

Athens

Mykonos

Rhodes

Santorini

 

I'm trying to maximize the amount of things we'll see, but without paying the ridiculous ships tour prices at every port. I don't mind doing ships tours part of the time but overall I'd like to do at least three ports on my own, in addition to Rome/Venice which will be on our own because they are the start/end of the trip. The other ports will be Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, and Naples. Dubrovnik seems like a good DIY port from what I've read, and Naples will most likely be a ship's tour.

 

So, out of the list of Greek ports, which two would be good to do by ourselves and still be able to see all/most of the major tourist attractions (other than Mykonos)? We are not interested in beaches (well, I would be, but my 69 year old Mom won't). We are definitely going to Delos from Mykonos (Mom's name is Delia which means "from the island of Delos").

 

Ideally I'd like to hook up with others from the roll call to do a private tour of Athens but in case that doesn't happen, can Athens be done on our own? If we just walk around the old town in Rhodes are we going to miss out on anything good?

 

We did this cruise in 2008 on the Grand Princess and did all the ports on our own. Here is the link to my trip report.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=790116&highlight=delos

[Solstice23]

I would suggest if you are going into Oia to book a ships tour...On our Celebrity Summit med cruise in 2008 we went there from Fira with a couple we met from the UK on the ship. We could NOT i repeat NOT get a cab back!!! we tried everything calling, waiting paying the shop owner to help us. Even the tourist center told me since I was not staying over night in Santorini she would not help us.

 

It was the worst end of a good day ever. I found so many in Santorini to be the rudest people I have ever run into in any country I have had the pleasure to visit.

Plus the Summit was the only ship in port that day in July....

 

We are heading back on the Equinox this summer and look forward to the greek islands but Santorini left us thinking how beautiful it was yet not friendly

[texancruzer]

I would suggest if you are going into Oia to book a ships tour...On our Celebrity Summit med cruise in 2008 we went there from Fira with a couple we met from the UK on the ship. We could NOT i repeat NOT get a cab back!!! we tried everything calling, waiting paying the shop owner to help us. Even the tourist center told me since I was not staying over night in Santorini she would not help us.

 

It was the worst end of a good day ever. I found so many in Santorini to be the rudest people I have ever run into in any country I have had the pleasure to visit.

Plus the Summit was the only ship in port that day in July....

 

We are heading back on the Equinox this summer and look forward to the greek islands but Santorini left us thinking how beautiful it was yet not friendly

 

 

And yet we had a wonderful experience. We had a really nice taxi driver who took us to Oia.... but - before we even got in the taxi we discussed getting back. We worked out a price where he took us there, waited for us and then brought us back. We did not pay him until the very end so we pretty much knew he would be there for us. Cost a bit more but worth the piece of mind to know we would not be stuck.

 

We did this because we had read about the lack of taxis in Oia to return here on these boards.

 

So, once again, research and knowledge is the key to a successful and stress-less experience.

 

In all fairness, we did not find the locals to be "rude" but they were not the friendliest either. I can only imagine what it must be like to have tourism as the main economy and have to cater to thousands of tourists each and every day though :eek: Doesnt exactly sound pleasant to me.

[RoadTripFanatic]

I've not read the other responses but here are my thoughts. :)

Rhodes: It's very easy to do on your own. The old town is right there at the dock. :) Easy! We also took the public transportion bus and went to Lindos. I'm so glad we did. It's a beautiful location. I think it took us an hr to get there. The cost I believe was under 15 Euros for the 3 of us round trip. The bus station is not far from the port. I think it was a 10-15 minute walk.

 

Athens: We took ataxi to the Acropolis. Part of the subway was under construction so we didn't want to mess with switching transportation methods to get there. We did walk a good 10 minutes from the port to get a better taxi fare. We walked all over the Acropolis, The Agora, Zues' Temple, Tower of Winds, Hadrians' Arch and we did the Acropolis Museum that day. We just grabbed a taxi back to port.

 

Katakolon: Absolutely! We got off of the boat and priced the taxis. It was way too expensive to go up there for they amount the wanted. We went to the great internet cafe and played a little while it rained. We did a little shopping. With about 4 hrs left in port we asked a taxi guy how much and we got our trip to Olympia for 1/2 price!! We had an hr and a half to check out the grounds. It was definately worth it!

[PC168]

 

Katakolon: Absolutely! We got off of the boat and priced the taxis. It was way too expensive to go up there for they amount the wanted. We went to the great internet cafe and played a little while it rained. We did a little shopping. With about 4 hrs left in port we asked a taxi guy how much and we got our trip to Olympia for 1/2 price!! We had an hr and a half to check out the grounds. It was definately worth it!

 

Hi RoadTripFanatic,

 

Can I ask you how much did you end up paying for the taxi and how long was the whole tour from Katakolon to Olympia? From what time to what time?

Thanks.

[lastminuteplanner]

Hi,

 

I read a bunch of the reviews, and I would love some tips for our itinerary, which leaves next week on the 25th of September.

 

Split Croatia 8am to 4pm (How to get to Trogir?)

Corfu Greek Isle 10am to 4pm (Rent a car?)

Santorini, Thera Island 4pm to 11pm

Mykonos 8am to 4pm

Iraklion, Greece 7am to 12pm (How to get out to Knossos?)

 

Also, we fly out of Venice, Treviso Airport really late at night. Does anyone know about luggage storage for the day in Venice?

 

Thanks!

Total Last Minute Planner

[janina]

Hi,

 

I read a bunch of the reviews, and I would love some tips for our itinerary, which leaves next week on the 25th of September.

 

Split Croatia 8am to 4pm (How to get to Trogir?)

Corfu Greek Isle 10am to 4pm (Rent a car?)

Santorini, Thera Island 4pm to 11pm

Mykonos 8am to 4pm

Iraklion, Greece 7am to 12pm (How to get out to Knossos?)

 

Also, we fly out of Venice, Treviso Airport really late at night. Does anyone know about luggage storage for the day in Venice?

 

Thanks!

Total Last Minute Planner

You can store your luggage at the train station in Venice which is not far from the port.:)

[4774Papa]

We did the Nor Gem in July, and I think you need to consider how much time you have in port. Also, what time will you be there.

 

We did Athens, Naphilon and Mykonos on our own. The Athens Metro is a 20 minute walk from the port. Athens excursions are very expensive, and the Metro is very easy to use (day pass for 3 Euros). Buy a guidebook to assist in your sightseeing.

Mykonos is an easy do it your self, unless you want to go to a special beach. If you go to Delos, there is a local company that has boats going over from where the tender boats dock.

Naphilon is very easy to do on your own, unless you want to go to Myceane. If that is the case, take an excursion.

You can do Santorini on your own, but I think it is worth an excursion. IN my opinion, Santorini is the top port visit in our cruise with Corfu second. If a lot of cruise ships are tendering when your cruise is there, the wait for the cable car can be very long, and it is not that easy to deal with busses or taxis on the island. We took an excursion so that we saw virtually the entire island, and had a trip to the Winery in the south (the tender goes to a docking south of where the cable car is located.

As for Corfu, the island is larger, and there is much to see all over the island. We did the monastery on the NW side of the island, and I highly recommend that. I would go with an excursion on Corfu (we could not find a local tour company cheaper than our NCL excursion.

Crete, we did the excursion to Knossos, since we only had five hours there, but it was good.