Opinions of privategreecetours

[kelpster]

We booked our day in Athens last month with Private Greece Tours. Nikos was wonderful to correspond with. I was traveling with my elderly mother who uses a rollator to walk and was concerned about how she would do at some of the sites. Spyros was our driver and we had a great day. He expertly and safely got us closely to many sites and waited patiently as we explored ruins and museums. Even though Athens was a bit like a bee-hive that had been poked that day, we were returned to the ship in plenty of time. Spyros gave us a very good overview of what we were looking at. I feel we got the most out of that day and that was important to us.

[celyvabeach]

Good to hear positive reviews of Nikos at Greece Prvate Tours. My party of 12 is booked with him in November and he will be persoanally driving us.

[CruiseDreamer28]

Is there a website I can visit to see the tours offered or is it better to contact via email? I'm not booked yet, still in the research phase so would rather be able to see the website.

[beckntom]

Is there a website I can visit to see the tours offered or is it better to contact via email? I'm not booked yet, still in the research phase so would rather be able to see the website.

 

 

Here's the website: http://privategreecetours.com/ Under "Our Services" on the right side, there's a section for Private Tours. This is a great company, as I have posted previously. Enjoy your visit!

[trishs]

Just got back from our cruise and we had contacted Nikos Loukas he was so quick to respond and I had informed him we didn't have much time since we got off the ship at 7:30 and needed to be at the airport by 11:00 so he contacted Thomas to drive for us. He was wonderful. Very nice, informative, great driver. We got off about 10 min. early and he was there waiting. He toured us around to different sites and then we arrived at the Acropolis promptly at 8:00 and were the first in and no crowds and the weather was beautiful. We met Thomas back at the parking lot and off the the rest of the tour and to the airport a bit before schedule. I would highly recommend contacting Nickos if you need anything.

Trish

[worryfree8]

We used this company in April 2011 for private transportation from Piraeus to Athens roundtrip and were very satisfied. The driver was waiting for us at the exit to the dock with a very clear sign, had a clean and comfortable car and spoke very good English. He picked us up in Athens at the agreed time and place and brought us back to the ship as agreed. George was very courteous and friendly.

[Normem]

We booked our day in Athens last month with Private Greece Tours. Nikos was wonderful to correspond with. I was traveling with my elderly mother who uses a rollator to walk and was concerned about how she would do at some of the sites. Spyros was our driver and we had a great day. He expertly and safely got us closely to many sites and waited patiently as we explored ruins and museums. Even though Athens was a bit like a bee-hive that had been poked that day, we were returned to the ship in plenty of time. Spyros gave us a very good overview of what we were looking at. I feel we got the most out of that day and that was important to us.

We had a limited off the cruise ship and I wanted to see as much of Athens as possible. I had read many reviews and finally settled on Private Greece Tours. The one point that I kept reading was how great the personality of the guide was and how much he/she seemed to care that you were having a good time. Our driver was Alex and all four of us in his tour felt that we were fortunate to have hired him for the day. We got a sample of the old and current Athens and Alex kept a runing commentary throughout the day. Alex was not a guide and could not enter the sites. I had researched the sites and brought my notes with this understanding before we booked with Private Greece Tours. The only negative of this day tour was that it had to end.

[gb2dmax]

We used Private Greece Tours on our recent curuise in early May. Our driver was Nikos and Despina was our guide. I would have to say they were equally as good and would not have changed a thing from our tour.

 

Our ship arrived on time but we were delayed a short time due to customs not releasing the ship for about an hour for some unexplained reason. Due to the delay we did not make it to the museum but will have to make that stop on another visit. Clearly there was nothing Nikos could have done about the delay. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

 

Both Nikos and Despina were very personable and provided great information about Greece and the culture through out the tour. The service they provided was top notch and I would recommend them to anyone.

 

For us, having a guide in the actual sites providing the history and information was invaluable. Evering that was promised when we booked the tour was delivered and then some.

[captbrad]

We used Private Greece Tours ( Nikos Loukas ) on our 4/29/11 Mariner OTS cruise . I read about him through this thread and am VERY satisfied with the product he delivered . We had Despina as our guide and I can say we were Amazed by her depth of knowledge of her country and its history . The tour through the museum would have been impossible without her , there was simply too much to see and digest without a good guide ! I would recommend Nikos to any one out there who wanted a great value for thier dollar !

[wingsofman]

May 2011

We used Private Greek Tours for our transfer from the airport to our hotel. Next day a full day tour of Athens in Mercedes taxi. Next day transfer from our hotel to our cruise ship.

Great service, great guide (Alex), prompt, knowledgeable, courteous and worth every penny.

Alex had a day program suggested but we could change anything that we wanted. You are able to by-pass most of the troublesome traffic in Athens that the bigger tour buses get stuck in.

I would use them again for my future trips to Athens.

 

I highly recommend this company for your Athens experience.:)

[vladimar1]

We booked with Private Greece Tours for a tour of Athens on May 27, 2011 during our recent cruise and were very satisfied. Nikos was quick to respond to my e-mails and offered suggestions for tours. Our driver, Alex, was great! He met us promptly in the morning and made sure we got back to the ship with a comfortable margin of time before sailing. He shared his insights on Greek history, and politics, and culture, both past and present. Alex kept us entertained and laughing. I highly recommend Private Greece Tours!

[luzapelly]

Last month my family (3 sisters and 3 "hubbies") toured the Mediterranean with Royal Carribean (fantastic BTW). One full day was devoted to Athens. I was concerned...how could we do Athens justice in just a day? I did my research (via Cruise Critic) and found Private Greece Tours and Nikos. WOW.....what a fantastic find.

 

First of all, Nikos was extremely responsive when first contacted (about 6 months before the cruise departed). He listened to my needs/wishes, developed a tour plan and followed up continuously. We communicated frequently and I felt like I knew him before we ever met. I had no concern when I disembarked the ship that he'd be there -- smiling and ready to go.

 

And go we did....Nikos was knowledgeable about his town and his country, he was passionate about ensuring we could embrace the Greek culture, and he was FUN. We had a wonderful day -- seeing all the major sites (and not feeling rushed), eating some FABULOUS Greek food, and enjoying AThens.

 

I would recommend Nikos to anyone who wants a first rate experience. He's the best!

 

Pat

[canadianeh?]

We arrived on Mariner of The Seas in Athens on May 2, and had booked with Nikos for an excursion to Cornith. Nikos is a joy to book with, all your emails are promptly returned and when you finally arrive, everything goes as planned. Our guide was Spirois and we had a fantastic day. After seeing the canal, we visited a pottery factory, and visited Old Cornith. We went through the museum and visited the ruins. After we explored the Old Town and had a fantastic lunch and a few of the local Mythos beer(yum).Our vehicle was a Mercedes(clean as could be)and Spirois was knowledgeable, polite, & as well turned out as his vehicle. We had a great day . On the way back to the ship, the phone rang & it was Nikos checking in to see how things had gone.

Last May we used Private Greece Tours and Nikos showed us the sights of Athens for the day. It was fantastic and his knowledge of his country is amazing- a great ambassador. I also booked him for my boss and her companions in May of this year and they loved there day. ( You don't book anything for your boss unless you know it will be first rate and they weren't let down). Don't hestitate to use this company- you will be in good hands

[Shooraq]

Thank you for all these glowing reviews. It made it that much easier to choose them for a full-day sightseeing tour in May 2012. My CC group is happy and I've already filled the bus of 18 people for a great cost. Email repsonses were promopt and informative. Can't wait - thanks again everyone!

[dalgirl]

I also wanted to add an additional endorsement of Private Greek Tours - they were prompt with responding to my initial inquiry and my final confirmation before we left for our cruise in May. Our tour guide, Manos, did an excellent job of making sure that we saw the whole of Athens and his knowledge of all the sites, both old and new, was extensive. Also, he lived in the US for a while and his English was excellent. It was a wonderful tour, professional and enjoyable. You can't go wrong with them.

[SDakota Cruiser]

We used them on our cruise in September, I would recommend them highly we did the half day tour and Spiros was our driver...he was really informative and obviuosly a very proud Greek...I have done a review on the cruise and here is a link http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=73447

 

Sorry it is very long but hopefully you will find the info about Private Greek Tours and our day in Athens...if you want any more info contact me:D

 

 

 

Your review on Cruise Critic was very educational. My DW and I will be at many of the same ports that you reviewed in August of 2011.

[wwb]

I just wanted to return to the boards and report our experiences with Private Greece Tours, since I was the one who asked for help in the beginning. Our day was perfect from start to end, with Alex as our guide. We chose to start early (7:30) and we were the first off of the ship (Norwegian Jade 14 day b2b 6/18-7/2) and waited for a few minutes for him to arrive (he arrived at 7:20 am -ahead of schedule). This timing allowed us to be a full 45 minutes to 1 hour ahead of the crowds everywhere. The day was extemely packed with stops and sites and we returned to the ship with about 15 minutes to spare (we took some last minute time to go to a baklava shop for the best ever!!!!).

One thing that I would change however if my budget was bigger, is that I would have splurged for the bigger vehicle (100 euros more for the tour). We were a group of 4 (bigger than many) and space was not that abundant in the mercedes taxi for our family. However, that 100 euros paid for some souvies, baklava and lunch, instead. So, it is a balancing act, right????

Many thumbs up for this company!

Wendy wwb

[beckntom]

Hi, Wendy. I'm one of the ones who responded to your original inquiry, and I've glad you had a good day with Nikos's company. I knew you would! :D Sounds like everything went perfectly for you--that baklava sounds very good right now! :-) Thanks for reporting back.

[account4fun]

I'm still in the research phase for our June 2012 cruise so I didn't want to start emailing Nikos yet, but can someone tell me what a full day private tour runs? I haven't found any prices listed on his website. Thanks!

[beckntom]

I'm still in the research phase for our June 2012 cruise so I didn't want to start emailing Nikos yet, but can someone tell me what a full day private tour runs? I haven't found any prices listed on his website. Thanks!

 

It depends on the number of people (size of vehicle). I'd go ahead and write him, if I were you. You can't be too early--the earlier, the better!:) The price I had for a September 2010 tour might be different from next year's price, so I would hate to pass that on to you.

[Shooraq]

I'm still in the research phase for our June 2012 cruise so I didn't want to start emailing Nikos yet, but can someone tell me what a full day private tour runs? I haven't found any prices listed on his website. Thanks!

 

Nothing wrong with inquiring a year out. My cruise is in May 2012, and I've already booked 5 excursions, including this one.

 

For the full day Athens sightseeing tour:

 

250 euros for up to 4 people.

400 euros up 10 ten people and 40 extra each additional person over 10 and up to 18.

 

We also got the licensed guide for the additional 200 euros.

 

Hope this helps!

[account4fun]

Nothing wrong with inquiring a year out. My cruise is in May 2012, and I've already booked 5 excursions, including this one.

 

For the full day Athens sightseeing tour:

 

250 euros for up to 4 people.

400 euros up 10 ten people and 40 extra each additional person over 10 and up to 18.

 

We also got the licensed guide for the additional 200 euros.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for this info as it was very helpful! I have also emailed Nikos about our plans.

[wwb]

Shooraq,

What ports are you visiting? Do you need any guide recommendations? Just returned from a 14 day cruise and used private guides in every port with excellent results.

wwb

[Shooraq]

Thanks for this info as it was very helpful! I have also emailed Nikos about our plans.

 

You are quite welcome! I like planning this far in advance to ensure the tour company I want isn't already booked. Only problem is that it makes me yearn fro my cruise even more, such a long wait!

[Shooraq]

Shooraq,

What ports are you visiting? Do you need any guide recommendations? Just returned from a 14 day cruise and used private guides in every port with excellent results.

wwb

 

I think I've got majority of stuff covered. Already took care of Messina, Athens, Ephesus, Rhodes, and Capri. Going to do Santorini and Mykonos as DIY ports.

 

So basically all I've got to plan is Rome, which will be hopefully a day and a half pre-cruise. Got any recommendations there?