Concerns with Athens Excursions

[sk84fungirl]

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 used Athens Taxi (aka Paul's Taxi) resulting from recommendations of previous CC travelers. We were very pleased. He has lived in the U.S. and speaks great English. He will know what to do to get around high traffic areas.

[wwinfl91]

My wife and I were in Athens in summer 2003 on a Golden Princess cruise. Even then there was talk of labor unrest and transport strikes in Greece so we went the safe route and did a ship's tour that hit the highlights including the Parthenon, Acropolis and the Agora as well as a Greek lunch and time in an older area of the city on our own.

 

I don't think any labor problems happened that day and people who took private tours or D-I-Y people probably all made it back to the ship safely as I don't remember the captain reading off a list of names as we were ready to pull away from the dock.

 

But as someone else said we felt it wasn't worth the chance to get left and have to catch up with the ship on our own.

 

My question is given the current situation in Greece and the fact I will on the Mariner when it stops in Athens in Sept should I play it safe again or take a chance with a private tour?

 

Comments please.

[wantocruisemore]

We just off the navigator yesterday. It was a wonderful cruise. As luck would have it, the evening before our Athens stop they called a 24 hour taxi strike. Luckily it did not effect us since we had arranged to use Nikos with Private Greece Tours. We also paid for additional for Anna our guide. Both were phenomenal. We were beyond pleased and saw everything we could. And yes, Athens would be very doable on your own but when you are a family of 9 including a 78 yoa grandmother and a 21 yr old DD with special needs, it was better for us to go the easiest route. For some, DIY is the best way and they can see everything. For others it's less stressful and more convenient, not to mention getting more info on the sites, with the private tour.

 

I would absolutely NOT do the ship's tour. We were leaving the Acropolis when people trying to get there from the metro and on buses were just getting there. I know they used the metro because we were disembarking at the same time as them off the ship. When we ran into them they said the metro was an absolute madhouse with the taxi strike. By that time they had closed the gates to the Acropolis to let some people leave before opening back later. For us, private was definitely the way to go.

[Member]

Has anyone been on the Piraeus/Athens hop-on-hop-out tour bus (http://www.athens-citytour.com) that starts & ends right outside the cruiseship terminal for 20€ total? It seems a good alternative for those that have 6 hours or more to spare there.

[laxfanmom1]

Hi Wanttocruisemore!

 

Could you tell us a bit about each of the ports you visited? My family of 6 (including 3 generations) is leaving on this same cruise in about 2 weeks. I think that we have even hired the same private tours as your family! In particular, I'm interested in how you did Chania, Crete. We are thinking of doing it DIY but I'm nervous.

 

I really enjoyed your review, BTW, over on the review board! thanks for doing this!

 

We just off the navigator yesterday. It was a wonderful cruise. As luck would have it, the evening before our Athens stop they called a 24 hour taxi strike. Luckily it did not effect us since we had arranged to use Nikos with Private Greece Tours. We also paid for additional for Anna our guide. Both were phenomenal. We were beyond pleased and saw everything we could. And yes, Athens would be very doable on your own but when you are a family of 9 including a 78 yoa grandmother and a 21 yr old DD with special needs, it was better for us to go the easiest route. For some, DIY is the best way and they can see everything. For others it's less stressful and more convenient, not to mention getting more info on the sites, with the private tour.

 

I would absolutely NOT do the ship's tour. We were leaving the Acropolis when people trying to get there from the metro and on buses were just getting there. I know they used the metro because we were disembarking at the same time as them off the ship. When we ran into them they said the metro was an absolute madhouse with the taxi strike. By that time they had closed the gates to the Acropolis to let some people leave before opening back later. For us, private was definitely the way to go.

[cinbeach]

I have arranged a Private Driver for Athens this October. Does anyone recommend a Licensed Guide to accompany us for an extra 200 euro or should we just hire a guide once at the Acropolis. Just wondering if it is worth the extra money.

 

thanks Cindy

[LittleMissS]

Personally, I don't think 200 Euros is worth a guide for the Acropolis, but that's just me. I visited Athens a week or so ago. I had hired a private driver for the day. Along with the verbal history of the Acropolis, he also presented me with a small book to take up to the Acropolis. So while I was taking photos, I would pull out this book and read a brief description about the sites I was seeing. For me...it was enough. Save your money...buy a book with photos and descriptions of the sites, and you will be fine. Have fun!

[wantocruisemore]

I have arranged a Private Driver for Athens this October. Does anyone recommend a Licensed Guide to accompany us for an extra 200 euro or should we just hire a guide once at the Acropolis. Just wondering if it is worth the extra money.

 

thanks Cindy

 

We did the extra 200 euros for the guide and were very grateful. Athens is so much more than the Acropolis. Anna showed us around everywhere, telling us all the info about the site, tidbits of extra info as well as showing us how to get in and out quickly. We could not have negotiated the sites as quickly or gotten as much from them without her. She also took us to other sites as well, the Agora and Temple of Hephestus etc., Temple of Zeus, the Acropolis museum etc.

 

Yes you can do them all yourself, but when you're there for one day manybe never to return, my philosophy is to get as much enjoyment and benefit out of what you are seeing as you can.

 

We did the Forum in Rome ourselves using Rick Steve's audio guide. We all wished we had sprung for a guide instead.

[cinbeach]

Thany You. I was definitely leaning towards getting the guide. Your comments made the decision easier.

 

Cindy

[Vrilissia]

My wife and I were in Athens in summer 2003 on a Golden Princess cruise. Even then there was talk of labor unrest and transport strikes in Greece so we went the safe route and did a ship's tour that hit the highlights including the Parthenon, Acropolis and the Agora as well as a Greek lunch and time in an older area of the city on our own.

 

I don't think any labor problems happened that day and people who took private tours or D-I-Y people probably all made it back to the ship safely as I don't remember the captain reading off a list of names as we were ready to pull away from the dock.

 

But as someone else said we felt it wasn't worth the chance to get left and have to catch up with the ship on our own.

 

My question is given the current situation in Greece and the fact I will on the Mariner when it stops in Athens in Sept should I play it safe again or take a chance with a private tour?

 

Comments please.

 

Hi wwinfl91,

A lot of misinformation is bandied about regarding Ship excursions vs. Private Tours - All tour companies do their utmost to get the passengers/clients back to the cruise-ship at or before all aboard time !

 

It doesn't matter if you book through the ship if the bus is late they may wait for 30 minutes to an hour but that's it they have to leave or pay more Port fees.

 

If you want the best personal attention, insight and comfort go with a Private Tour just make sure they know exactly what time you have to be back onboard ship.

 

Have a great vacation :)

[wantocruisemore]

Hi Wanttocruisemore!

 

Could you tell us a bit about each of the ports you visited? My family of 6 (including 3 generations) is leaving on this same cruise in about 2 weeks. I think that we have even hired the same private tours as your family! In particular, I'm interested in how you did Chania, Crete. We are thinking of doing it DIY but I'm nervous.

 

I really enjoyed your review, BTW, over on the review board! thanks for doing this!

 

Hi, just saw your post, sorry for not responding sooner. For Chania we originally planned to do it on our own and split into two groups, with one doing the harbour and the other the beach. One of the nieces got grounded the night before so my daughter that had planned to go with the beach with her suddenly got with us. So we did the bus from the tour for 1 1/2 euros each way. Then we took a bus to the beach for 1.2 euros each. We wished we had spent more time in the old town. It was charming and full of cute shops. My daughter found several shops she liked and found a couple of outfits at one. I really didn't get to look around Chania as much as I had hoped. If I had to do it over again, I would skip the beach and spend more time in town.

 

For the other ports we had Mario in Messina. My daughter, BIL and nieces had Etna Experiencefor their Mt. Etna tour and loved it.

 

If you have specific questions, I will be glad to try to help.

[BklynBorn47]

Another 3 generation family here - 7 of us ages 9-67.

Just echoing Wantocruisemore. Chania is easy DIY, no need to be nervous. My only suggestion is not to wait til the last minute to return to the ship. The bus trip is only 15-20 min, but they were crowded even 1.5 hrs before all aboard. Still, no one was left behind.

 

We walked to the beach (20 min) and found it lovely and uncrowded. The water was beautiful. After 2+ hours we strolled along the shore to the harbor and town shops. It was the right balance for us. Have fun!

[Charles4515]

Hi wwinfl91,

A lot of misinformation is bandied about regarding Ship excursions vs. Private Tours - All tour companies do their utmost to get the passengers/clients back to the cruise-ship at or before all aboard time !

 

It doesn't matter if you book through the ship if the bus is late they may wait for 30 minutes to an hour but that's it they have to leave or pay more Port fees.

 

If you want the best personal attention, insight and comfort go with a Private Tour just make sure they know exactly what time you have to be back onboard ship.

 

Have a great vacation :)

 

The cruise lines make that pitch about getting back on time because they want us to buy their tours. As some have found there is no guarantee the ship will wait because you are on a ship excursion. It is not just because of port fees they will leave. There are tides and such that change the harbor conditions. A ship may not be able to get out some harbors if they wait.

 

Private tours have an incentive to get you back to the ship on time. If they don't it is going to be known on the internet! If it happened to me I would be putting it on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor first thing back. Failure would cause them to lose future business.

[laxfanmom1]

One last question: in Chania were there plenty of taxi's? If the busses are full/crowded we would probably prefer to hire a couple of taxi's to get us back to the ship. As my Mom is slightly handicapped (cant walk much distance at all) I was even thinking that we might hire taxi's to get to the old part of town since someone said that the busses do not drop you off "right there". Anyone try the taxi's?

[wantocruisemore]

I remember seeing taxis in town, but not out at the beach we were at. If we had planned ahead more we would have gone to a beach walking distance from town. There may have been more taxis closer to beaches near town.

[lilybob]

Just back from our HAL cruise with a port stop in Athens. We had booked a tour with private greece tours a couple of months in advance with prompt communication and confirmation from the company. Before departing Venice Friday evening we checked our email and thought everything was all set. When we arrived in Athens Monday morning and didn't see our guide we called and learned that the vehicles they provide are not privately owned but taxis. Therefore, because of the strike our tour was canceled. They had notified us by email but it was after we checked our mail. As we were at sea the day before we did not check it again as the connection had been so slow. We proceeded to take the bus and metro to see the Acropolis on our own which was doable. However, the lines to purchase tickets were extremely long and as they do not have timed entry they kept halting your climb because of the crowds. People were climbing over boulders away from the path and the whole experience was chaotic. My tip for those booking a private tour is to be aware if the company you are using relies on union taxi drivers and what impact that could have on your tour should they be on strike. "Plan B" should be on your itinerary as well. Have a great visit to Athens.....

[wantocruisemore]

Just back from our HAL cruise with a port stop in Athens. We had booked a tour with private greece tours a couple of months in advance with prompt communication and confirmation from the company. Before departing Venice Friday evening we checked our email and thought everything was all set. When we arrived in Athens Monday morning and didn't see our guide we called and learned that the vehicles they provide are not privately owned but taxis. Therefore, because of the strike our tour was canceled. They had notified us by email but it was after we checked our mail. As we were at sea the day before we did not check it again as the connection had been so slow. We proceeded to take the bus and metro to see the Acropolis on our own which was doable. However, the lines to purchase tickets were extremely long and as they do not have timed entry they kept halting your climb because of the crowds. People were climbing over boulders away from the path and the whole experience was chaotic. My tip for those booking a private tour is to be aware if the company you are using relies on union taxi drivers and what impact that could have on your tour should they be on strike. "Plan B" should be on your itinerary as well. Have a great visit to Athens.....

 

 

Just wanted to amend to clarify that not ALL of Private Greece Tours relies on taxis. The one we did with them in July was during the taxi strike and we had a nice van for ourselves. I think the small groups or extra groups are the ones they hire independants, which are licensed as taxi drivers. So a strike could influence.

 

But definitely DITTO on the advice to check with your company to clarify ahead of time.

 

I know that Nikos had asked us for a contact number in case of emergency. I also know that on our cruise he was able to get up with other passengers ahead of time and for the two seperate couples that had been booked with taxis he arranged a van and driver. So alternate contact is also important. Or at least check your email if the ship announces any changes.

[lilybob]

Yes, we were a small group of four. There was no announcement from the ship that we were aware of about the taxi strike still going on. When I went back later to read the emails from Nikos he indicated if we got back to him, he would make other arrangements. I did have his cell number which I called but not soon enough. We wished he would have made the other arrangements as we were already committed to a tour with his company. More clarification on both our parts was needed. Unforeseen circumstances in uncertain times I guess. I would still consider booking with them should we be in Athens again. Just wanted to give others some points to consider in their planning. Thanks for clarifying wantocruisemore!

[wantocruisemore]

Yes, we were a small group of four. There was no announcement from the ship that we were aware of about the taxi strike still going on. When I went back later to read the emails from Nikos he indicated if we got back to him, he would make other arrangements. I did have his cell number which I called but not soon enough. We wished he would have made the other arrangements as we were already committed to a tour with his company. More clarification on both our parts was needed. Unforeseen circumstances in uncertain times I guess. I would still consider booking with them should we be in Athens again. Just wanted to give others some points to consider in their planning. Thanks for clarifying wantocruisemore!

 

I really hate you had a stressful day. Hopefully you got to see the Acropolis and other must sees.

 

We were on RCCL and they announced several times over the PA system that a strike had been called that night for the next day. It was really a last minute thing and not expected at that time.

 

But you're absolutely right to always have a Plan B. You never know what will happen even with a reputable tour guide.