Do it Yourself Greek Isles

[Huey66]

For those of you planning to take the 7 night Greek Isles cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, here is the deal. I will give you info about the ship and “Do it yourself” excursions at each of the ports of call.

EMBARKATION: Embarking in Venice was easy. Since I live in Germany, we drove to Venice and had a pre-reserved parking place at the port directly across from the ship. Very convenient, cost for the week was 79 Euro. We drove to the pier, dropped off our bags and parked, very easy. We then got in line to get on the ship, again, very easy. You can make a parking reservation at this link. http://www.vtp.it

SHIP: Very nice, small enough so you are not so busy trying to experience every public lounge or activity on the ship. We’ve been on the bigger ships, and prefer smaller. Service was great, food was good, could have been a little better. Same menu choices for breakfast and lunch in the dining room, but you always have the buffet. Dinner was good, shows were fantastic. No complaints about the ship. Kids loved it, but there were fewer kid/teen activities than on Carnival. Same is somewhat true for adult activities, trivia, game shows etc.

PORTS of CALL. I do not recommend taking ship excursions, most people I talked to were disappointed with the value of what they received for the cost. You can do it all on your own very easily.

1. Split Croatia – The ship anchored and we took the tender ashore. Very short and easy walk to town. You can then walk the promenade and visit the palace ruins all for FREE. We actually took a tour from a local company that was waiting with a bus when we got off the tender. For 15 Euro/ea they gave us a city tour then a walking tour along the promenade and to the old palace ruins. Honestly, not that much to see here, but get off the ship, walk to town, spend an hour or two and then head back to the ship.

2. Corfu – Nice island with beautiful views. RENT A CAR!!!!!. They will be waiting for you as you exit the cruise terminal and for only 40 Euro a day. Driving is easy, roads were not crowded and signs will point you in the direction you want to go. We went from the port to Paleokastrista down to Pelekas, over to the Achillion Palace (6 Euro entrance fee) and back to town. Allow yourself enough time to visit the old town and fort. You could also hire a taxi, negotiate the price…I heard of people getting tours for anywhere from 70 euro to 200 euro depending on duration and negotiated price. Car Rental is no doubt the best way to go. The island is not that big, if you have a GPS, bring it.

3. Athens – we walked to the metro (about 25 min/or 10 Euro by taxi, I recommend the taxi) and paid 1 euro/ea to get to the Acropolis. You can Google Athens Metro Map. Get off at the Thissio stop and walk up. This will allow nice views on the way up. It’s a nice pedestrian walking zone; grab a drink at one of the outdoor cafes before going up. When we were there, construction on the Metro was going on at one of the stops so we had to get off at the first stop and take a bus to the next stop and get back on the metro. A nice lady helped us with the directions. The Acropolis closed at 3PM, so plan accordingly. Also if you are in port on a Thursday, there is a public transportation strike every Thursday, so plan accordingly, you may have to do the ships excursion. Cost is 12 Euro to enter the Acropolis, kids free. We then walked to the Acropolis Museum, entrance is 6 Euro. From there, a very short walk to the Plaka, grabbed a snack, did some shopping and took a taxi back to the ship for 30 Euro, about a 25 min drive.

4. Mykonos – Beautiful island, our favorite. There was a $10 charge per person to take the shuttle bus to town which you purchase on the ship; this was one of the few things I didn’t like. You can walk, but it’s about a mile or so. Don’t worry, you can’t get lost and you will always have sight of the ship. We went to the island of Delos, there is a boat that leaves from the pier in Mykonos at 10 AM for 15 Euro (it runs several times, I don’t remember the schedule). You can then spend about 90 min to 2 hrs on the island and catch the boat back. There is a 5 Euro entry fee on Delos. We hiked all the way to the top for some really nice views. When we got back to Mykonos, we walked the streets and over to the windmills and had some lunch and just enjoyed the town. Again, no excursion needed.

5. Katakolon/Olympia - We got off the ship, turned right and walked about 250 meters to the train stop. It’s a tiny yellow building. The train to Olympia runs at 0825 and 1110 with a return time of 1345 and 15??. It takes about 50 minutes each way. We took the 1110 train to Olympia and came back on the 1345. We didn’t want to chance the later train. Cost was 10 Euro round trip for four of us, you pay for you ticket on the train. Taxi to Olympia from the port is about 50 Euro and you can negotiate a deal if you choose. The 1110 train did not allow us as much time as we would have liked, but unless you dock early, it’s hard to make the 0825. To save time we took a taxi to/from the Olympia Train Station directly to the ruins for 5 Euro. Again, just a short walk, but we took the taxi in the interest of time. Entrance to the ruins is 6 euro. We then came back to town, did some shopping and had some drinks along the waterfront, a very short walk back with the ship in sight

We cruised 10 – 17 April, so it wasn’t that crowded since it was just the start of the season. Even so, it was warm enough for shorts and we were fortunate with beautiful weather. All in all, we had a great time. Hope this helps whoever is planning to visit Greece.

[jkl789]

thanks for great info. can we hire a guide for only acropolis museum ??

[Huey66]

Not sure if you can hire a guide. They may have headsets you can listen to, but i dont' recall seeing them.

[GREENVIEW1]

For those of you planning to take the 7 night Greek Isles cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, here is the deal. I will give you info about the ship and “Do it yourself” excursions at each of the ports of call.

EMBARKATION: Embarking in Venice was easy. Since I live in Germany, we drove to Venice and had a pre-reserved parking place at the port directly across from the ship. Very convenient, cost for the week was 79 Euro. We drove to the pier, dropped off our bags and parked, very easy. We then got in line to get on the ship, again, very easy. You can make a parking reservation at this link. http://www.vtp.it

SHIP: Very nice, small enough so you are not so busy trying to experience every public lounge or activity on the ship. We’ve been on the bigger ships, and prefer smaller. Service was great, food was good, could have been a little better. Same menu choices for breakfast and lunch in the dining room, but you always have the buffet. Dinner was good, shows were fantastic. No complaints about the ship. Kids loved it, but there were fewer kid/teen activities than on Carnival. Same is somewhat true for adult activities, trivia, game shows etc.

PORTS of CALL. I do not recommend taking ship excursions, most people I talked to were disappointed with the value of what they received for the cost. You can do it all on your own very easily.

1. Split Croatia – The ship anchored and we took the tender ashore. Very short and easy walk to town. You can then walk the promenade and visit the palace ruins all for FREE. We actually took a tour from a local company that was waiting with a bus when we got off the tender. For 15 Euro/ea they gave us a city tour then a walking tour along the promenade and to the old palace ruins. Honestly, not that much to see here, but get off the ship, walk to town, spend an hour or two and then head back to the ship.

2. Corfu – Nice island with beautiful views. RENT A CAR!!!!!. They will be waiting for you as you exit the cruise terminal and for only 40 Euro a day. Driving is easy, roads were not crowded and signs will point you in the direction you want to go. We went from the port to Paleokastrista down to Pelekas, over to the Achillion Palace (6 Euro entrance fee) and back to town. Allow yourself enough time to visit the old town and fort. You could also hire a taxi, negotiate the price…I heard of people getting tours for anywhere from 70 euro to 200 euro depending on duration and negotiated price. Car Rental is no doubt the best way to go. The island is not that big, if you have a GPS, bring it.

3. Athens – we walked to the metro (about 25 min/or 10 Euro by taxi, I recommend the taxi) and paid 1 euro/ea to get to the Acropolis. You can Google Athens Metro Map. Get off at the Thissio stop and walk up. This will allow nice views on the way up. It’s a nice pedestrian walking zone; grab a drink at one of the outdoor cafes before going up. When we were there, construction on the Metro was going on at one of the stops so we had to get off at the first stop and take a bus to the next stop and get back on the metro. A nice lady helped us with the directions. The Acropolis closed at 3PM, so plan accordingly. Also if you are in port on a Thursday, there is a public transportation strike every Thursday, so plan accordingly, you may have to do the ships excursion. Cost is 12 Euro to enter the Acropolis, kids free. We then walked to the Acropolis Museum, entrance is 6 Euro. From there, a very short walk to the Plaka, grabbed a snack, did some shopping and took a taxi back to the ship for 30 Euro, about a 25 min drive.

4. Mykonos – Beautiful island, our favorite. There was a $10 charge per person to take the shuttle bus to town which you purchase on the ship; this was one of the few things I didn’t like. You can walk, but it’s about a mile or so. Don’t worry, you can’t get lost and you will always have sight of the ship. We went to the island of Delos, there is a boat that leaves from the pier in Mykonos at 10 AM for 15 Euro (it runs several times, I don’t remember the schedule). You can then spend about 90 min to 2 hrs on the island and catch the boat back. There is a 5 Euro entry fee on Delos. We hiked all the way to the top for some really nice views. When we got back to Mykonos, we walked the streets and over to the windmills and had some lunch and just enjoyed the town. Again, no excursion needed.

5. Katakolon/Olympia - We got off the ship, turned right and walked about 250 meters to the train stop. It’s a tiny yellow building. The train to Olympia runs at 0825 and 1110 with a return time of 1345 and 15??. It takes about 50 minutes each way. We took the 1110 train to Olympia and came back on the 1345. We didn’t want to chance the later train. Cost was 10 Euro round trip for four of us, you pay for you ticket on the train. Taxi to Olympia from the port is about 50 Euro and you can negotiate a deal if you choose. The 1110 train did not allow us as much time as we would have liked, but unless you dock early, it’s hard to make the 0825. To save time we took a taxi to/from the Olympia Train Station directly to the ruins for 5 Euro. Again, just a short walk, but we took the taxi in the interest of time. Entrance to the ruins is 6 euro. We then came back to town, did some shopping and had some drinks along the waterfront, a very short walk back with the ship in sight

We cruised 10 – 17 April, so it wasn’t that crowded since it was just the start of the season. Even so, it was warm enough for shorts and we were fortunate with beautiful weather. All in all, we had a great time. Hope this helps whoever is planning to visit Greece.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this useful information. We'll be going to Olympia in September and will also use the train. I have a question, "how close is the village" from the stadium and the museum?? Appreciate your feedback:)

[woodworker&knitter]

Huey66

Thank you so much for you great information, We will be there in August

[Huey66]

Thanks for taking the time to write this useful information. We'll be going to Olympia in September and will also use the train. I have a question, "how close is the village" from the stadium and the museum?? Appreciate your feedback:)

 

 

The train stops at the town of Olympia, which is a cute little town, worth a few minutes poking around. From the train station you can walk about 10-15 minutes to the ruins/museum all in the same area or take a taxi for 5 Euro.

[bwbolt]

3. Athens – we walked to the metro (about 25 min/or 10 Euro by taxi, I recommend the taxi) and paid 1 euro/ea to get to the Acropolis. You can Google Athens Metro Map. Get off at the Thissio stop and walk up. This will allow nice views on the way up. It’s a nice pedestrian walking zone; grab a drink at one of the outdoor cafes before going up. When we were there, construction on the Metro was going on at one of the stops so we had to get off at the first stop and take a bus to the next stop and get back on the metro. A nice lady helped us with the directions. The Acropolis closed at 3PM, so plan accordingly. Also if you are in port on a Thursday, there is a public transportation strike every Thursday, so plan accordingly, you may have to do the ships excursion. Cost is 12 Euro to enter the Acropolis, kids free. We then walked to the Acropolis Museum, entrance is 6 Euro. From there, a very short walk to the Plaka, grabbed a snack, did some shopping and took a taxi back to the ship for 30 Euro, about a 25 min drive.

 

 

Huey66, how long did the Metro ride take to go from Piraeus to Thissio because of the "detour" caused by to the construction? And did the return trip to the port on the Metro take about the same amount of time?

 

Thanks.

[bwbolt]

Huey66, I just saw that you took a taxi back to the port, so please ignore my second question unless you have some second-hand info from others on your cruise that did take the Metro back.

 

Thanks.