Concerns with Athens Excursions

[chiherder]

We will be in Athens in November on Brilliance of the Seas. I am struggling with what arrangements to make for excursions. My research is leading me to book through the cruise line but I have read other posts saying that Athens was "the last port where they would book through the cruise". With the strikes and all, I am worried about losing money by booking with an independent excursion provider. I need to do something soon and any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

[Hlitner]

At the risk of sounding contrarian have you considered just taking the train/metro from Pireaus into Athens and doing it on your own. Its actually not very difficult if you do your homework.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

What do you feel is leading you to book through the cruise line? Your fear of a strike? I believe that during this whole Spring and Summer season in the Med, I have heard of only two or three dates where strikes actually impacted cruise ship passengers in any significant way.

 

Can you talk to independent drivers and find out what provision they are willing to make in case there is a strike and the ship can't dock? Many will not charge you if you miss the port through circumstances not within your control. (Again, being realistic, as far as I know only a couple of cruise ships actually skipped Athens due to strikes this season...) Honestly, though, most of the tours people book are just with taxi drivers; they are not licensed guides and cannot go with you into any sites.

 

As Hank says, it's quite easy to do Athens on your own. Then you are not at the mercy of circumstances, and you can see what you want to see. I've posted several times (once already on this page) a reasonable full-day step-by-step itinerary on how to see some of the main sites in Athens under your own steam.

[4774Papa]

At the risk of sounding contrarian have you considered just taking the train/metro from Pireaus into Athens and doing it on your own. Its actually not very difficult if you do your homework.

 

Hank

 

 

Concur, we did that in July on the Norwegian Gem. A Metro ride is one Euro each way or three Euros for a day pass. The walk is about 25 minutes. Don't trust the taxi drivers.

Don't miss the new Acropolis Museum (near the Acropolis Metro stop). Also, try catching the changing of the guard. Frommers has a good guide on walking tours of Athens.

 

Watch for pickpockets.

[cberge]

Go with your intuition...if not comfortabler doing a DIY or booking someone then go with ship's cruise...this sounds like what you want to do.You won't enjoy any tour if you do not have a good comfort level.

[chipmaster]

Booking with cruise line offers security and the oversight of the cruiseline. For that you will get a big bus affair with guide. Just be aware it will almost always cost more and for sure to be less time efficient as you always have to cater to the slowest in your group, and trust me big groups always have stragglers that can't tell time or keep their own time.

 

DIY is always cheapest but not for everyone especially in a foreign country and with the Greek stability probably at least on first impression appear less secure than it really is.

 

Independent ais IMHO just like the cruise ship in terms of reliability. There livelhood depends on them being there for you and returning you on time. They will almost always be cheaper and for sure you will see more with independent.

 

You'll have to choose what balance of security, cost and research you want to do. We went with Paul of Greek Taxi and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again the next time I'm in this parts if he hasn't retired by then.

 

Happy planning,

 

We will be in Athens in November on Brilliance of the Seas. I am struggling with what arrangements to make for excursions. My research is leading me to book through the cruise line but I have read other posts saying that Athens was "the last port where they would book through the cruise". With the strikes and all, I am worried about losing money by booking with an independent excursion provider. I need to do something soon and any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

[elfie]

We will be in Athens in November on Brilliance of the Seas. I am struggling with what arrangements to make for excursions. My research is leading me to book through the cruise line but I have read other posts saying that Athens was "the last port where they would book through the cruise". With the strikes and all, I am worried about losing money by booking with an independent excursion provider. I need to do something soon and any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

 

We'll be in Athens in November on BOS as well. We booked a tour through Private Greece Tours. They didn't require a deposit. When are you going to be on BOS? Maybe you could join us?

[4774Papa]

We will be in Athens in November on Brilliance of the Seas. I am struggling with what arrangements to make for excursions. My research is leading me to book through the cruise line but I have read other posts saying that Athens was "the last port where they would book through the cruise". With the strikes and all, I am worried about losing money by booking with an independent excursion provider. I need to do something soon and any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

 

 

If you book with the cruise line and there is a strike, wouldn't the excursion be cancelled, and you would receive a refund? That is what happened with our Myceane excursion at Naphilon with NCL.

 

I suggest using the Metro to Constitution Square to see the changing of the guard, then walking to the Acropolis, there are sights to see in route. Go to the Acropolis Museum (new) then the Acropolis. There is a Metro stop right next to the new Acropolis Museum.

The Metro day pass costs 3 euros.

[siouxcitysue]

I was in Athens in May of this year during the height of the demonstrations with Celebrity and shared many of your concerns. After doing some homework, I elected to book with Dennis at http://www.toursofathens.com. He as great and very reliable, and reputable! I highly recommend him. The advantage to not going with a ships tour is the smaller group, smaller vehicle and being able to zip around the city avoiding the traffic. Also, with a large group I have found you are only as fast as your slowest member. There is alway someone on those big buses that hold up the entire group because they don't mind the clock. Anyway, you can rest easy if you book with Dennis. No worries! Have a great trip.

[ROCruiser]

Not until we were on the ship that we found out our stop at Athens was canceled because of the strike this past summer. NCL Gem arranged to change the ports and we were able to visit Athens for half a day two days after the strike. Nikos, our private tour operator with Private Greece Tours, already emailed me and told me that he was aware of the changes and canceled our tour for the original date. Nothing was charged from our deposit. We then asked him to arrange a half-day tour for us and he did. To our surprise, Stefano, our guide, came with a driver and a big bus for the 12 of us. We had a wonderful half day visiting important sites of Athens. I applaude Nikos for handling the situation professionally and in a timely manner. The only thing was that I had to purchase internet minutes on the ship to contact Nikos and made arrangements which was no big deal.

[mbeginner]

Concur, we did that in July on the Norwegian Gem. A Metro ride is one Euro each way or three Euros for a day pass. The walk is about 25 minutes. Don't trust the taxi drivers.

Don't miss the new Acropolis Museum (near the Acropolis Metro stop). Also, try catching the changing of the guard. Frommers has a good guide on walking tours of Athens.

 

Watch for pickpockets.

 

 

 

http://istopoli.com/cruise/athens.php

 

http://istopoli.com/cruise/acropolis/cruisers.html

 

http://www.istopoli.com/cruise/athens-map-thision.html

 

taxi (outside the port) to the Acropolis costs about 20 euros

[Faloon]

We will be in Athens in November on Brilliance of the Seas. I am struggling with what arrangements to make for excursions. My research is leading me to book through the cruise line but I have read other posts saying that Athens was "the last port where they would book through the cruise". With the strikes and all, I am worried about losing money by booking with an independent excursion provider. I need to do something soon and any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated!:)

 

Hi - We cruised on Navigator of the Seas to Athens just a couple of weeks ago and 11 of us booked an excursion through www.athensbytaxi.com. They were excellent and provided even more than promised. Petros was our driver and he rearranged our itinerary that day to make the best use of time as the public transportation workers had a planned strike from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We made our "downtown" stops in Athens first before the strike started so that we avoided the massive traffic jams in downtown Athens which occurred later. As it turned out, the independent truck drivers joined the public transportation workers and really tied up traffic. I would definitely recomment this company; their price was excellent and their 12 seater minibus was clean and nicely air conditioned.

Joanne

[katkell]

http://istopoli.com/cruise/athens.php

 

http://istopoli.com/cruise/acropolis/cruisers.html

 

http://www.istopoli.com/cruise/athens-map-thision.html

 

taxi (outside the port) to the Acropolis costs about 20 euros

 

This might seem a silly question, but how many km's is the last link, it says 6 - 7 hours, sure looks a long way

[MANURULES]

This might seem a silly question, but how many km's is the last link, it says 6 - 7 hours, sure looks a long way

 

 

About 4 miles,or 6.5 km.

The time must include time at all the sites along the way ,

as I have done a variation of this walk which is slightly longer

( by going around the periphery of the park between 12 and 15 on the map)

in just over an hour, maybe maybe an hour and a half.

[JeDi624]

What do you feel is leading you to book through the cruise line? Your fear of a strike? I believe that during this whole Spring and Summer season in the Med, I have heard of only two or three dates where strikes actually impacted cruise ship passengers in any significant way.

 

Can you talk to independent drivers and find out what provision they are willing to make in case there is a strike and the ship can't dock? Many will not charge you if you miss the port through circumstances not within your control. (Again, being realistic, as far as I know only a couple of cruise ships actually skipped Athens due to strikes this season...) Honestly, though, most of the tours people book are just with taxi drivers; they are not licensed guides and cannot go with you into any sites.

 

As Hank says, it's quite easy to do Athens on your own. Then you are not at the mercy of circumstances, and you can see what you want to see. I've posted several times (once already on this page) a reasonable full-day step-by-step itinerary on how to see some of the main sites in Athens under your own steam.

 

Could you please post a link to your step by step itinerary? I can't see it on this page, there's only one post before yours.

 

Our NOTS cruise will be in Athens on July 20/11.

 

Thanks!

[cruisemom42]

Could you please post a link to your step by step itinerary? I can't see it on this page, there's only one post before yours.

 

Our NOTS cruise will be in Athens on July 20/11.

 

Thanks!

 

Here is a link to the most recent thread where I posted this:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1414181&highlight=athens+step+by+step

 

It also contains a lot of other good information.

 

It was easy to locate it by using the search function and typing in "Athens step by step". ;)

[JeDi624]

beautiful! thanks for the link, I have now cut and pasted the instruction into my itinerary.

 

I am just looking for day ticket purchase instructions for the metro, but I think it will be self explanatory at the metro station. Do you know if it is an automated - cash or credit based system, or is there a ticket booth, and if so, is English appreciated or not?

[cruisemom42]

beautiful! thanks for the link, I have now cut and pasted the instruction into my itinerary.

 

I am just looking for day ticket purchase instructions for the metro, but I think it will be self explanatory at the metro station. Do you know if it is an automated - cash or credit based system, or is there a ticket booth, and if so, is English appreciated or not?

 

I seem to recall there are machines in every station with several language options (including English). I used cash, cannot remember if there was an option to use credit card or not. Very easy to understand and operate the machines though.

 

I didn't use an attended ticket booth but I'm sure English would be well understood as thousands of holidayers go through Piraeus every week for either ferries or cruises.

[msalisbury]

Also, you can find an independent tour guide that doesn't require you to pay until the end of your tour.

 

They will take a credit card when you book, in case you are a no show... but if the stop in canceled all together, they will not charge you.

[LilTink13]

I was in Athens in May of this year during the height of the demonstrations with Celebrity and shared many of your concerns. After doing some homework, I elected to book with Dennis at www.toursofathens.com. He as great and very reliable, and reputable! I highly recommend him. The advantage to not going with a ships tour is the smaller group, smaller vehicle and being able to zip around the city avoiding the traffic. Also, with a large group I have found you are only as fast as your slowest member. There is alway someone on those big buses that hold up the entire group because they don't mind the clock. Anyway, you can rest easy if you book with Dennis. No worries! Have a great trip.

 

 

We also have used Dennis and he was amazing. We beat all the cruiseship excursions and had the most incredible lunch served family style at a restaurant in the heart of Athens. It was so authentic! He let us spend as much time as necessary at all the locations we were interested in visiting and was one of the most organized and safe excursions we went on in the Med. I'd definately book with him again.

[sunlover757]

We also have used Dennis and he was amazing. We beat all the cruiseship excursions and had the most incredible lunch served family style at a restaurant in the heart of Athens. It was so authentic! He let us spend as much time as necessary at all the locations we were interested in visiting and was one of the most organized and safe excursions we went on in the Med. I'd definately book with him again.

 

Our family also used Tours of Athens on our recent Med cruise and I agree with LilTink13 and siouxcitysue - Dennis does an superb job! Dennis got us to all of the important locations well in advance of the ship's tour buses and he gave us excellent tips on how to get the most out of each of our stops. He also took us to some great places for pictures. We felt extremely safe with him and Dennis truly knows his stuff. He also took us to an incredible gelato place that was a trip highlight for my daughters. I would definitely book with Dennis again and recommend him highly.

[rummysmom]

We were just in Athens 2 weeks ago and were going to "do it on our own". I am SO GLAD that we didn't! I got nervous about the political situation and booked 7 1/2 hours with Athens Taxi and I am thankful we did! His nephew picked us up at 7:30am and we were at the top of the Acropolis by 8:15am (with next to no one there). He zipped us all over town and we saw alot more than we every could have seen on our own! Well worth the cost!!!

[cruisemom42]

We were just in Athens 2 weeks ago and were going to "do it on our own". I am SO GLAD that we didn't! I got nervous about the political situation and booked 7 1/2 hours with Athens Taxi and I am thankful we did! His nephew picked us up at 7:30am and we were at the top of the Acropolis by 8:15am (with next to no one there). He zipped us all over town and we saw alot more than we every could have seen on our own! Well worth the cost!!!

 

I'm just curious, because I see this kind of statement a lot. If you haven't actually tried to do Athens DIY, how would you know that you couldn't have seen as much? :confused:

 

On a DIY day in Athens, I took the metro into Athens and saw: Temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman agora, ancient Greek agora, Acropolis, Dionysus Theatre, and National Archaeological Museum. :)

[Crusin6]

I'm just curious, because I see this kind of statement a lot. If you haven't actually tried to do Athens DIY, how would you know that you couldn't have seen as much? :confused:

 

On a DIY day in Athens, I took the metro into Athens and saw: Temple of Olympian Zeus, Roman agora, ancient Greek agora, Acropolis, Dionysus Theatre, and National Archaeological Museum. :)

is there any chance that you could give a little more detail about your DIY experience? As a seasoned traveler, I know that what sometimes is an initial fear of DIY, turns into..."next time, I will do this differently"

 

We are a family of 6..and 3 of us have been to Athens before...but not by cruise ship and for several days..so..what I am interested in is..how did you get to the metro from the ship?..What line did you take? and Did you feel safe? I ride the NYC subways so my definition of safe is all in the attitude of the rider:D

 

Thanks

[cruisemom42]

is there any chance that you could give a little more detail about your DIY experience? As a seasoned traveler, I know that what sometimes is an initial fear of DIY, turns into..."next time, I will do this differently"

 

We are a family of 6..and 3 of us have been to Athens before...but not by cruise ship and for several days..so..what I am interested in is..how did you get to the metro from the ship?..What line did you take? and Did you feel safe? I ride the NYC subways so my definition of safe is all in the attitude of the rider:D

 

Thanks

 

I've posted it several times. Here is one of the most recent. See post #14 in this thread for my notes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1414181

 

However there is also a lot of other good info in the discussion.