Stay on the ship in Athens????

[beckytravel]

My friend said they been to Athens and they preferred to stay on the ship. What do you think?

[FTLcruisers]

I say let your friend stay on the ship while you go off and explore this great historical city.

[cruisemom42]

I could not disagree more. Care to share their reasons?

 

Athens to me is up there with Rome and Egypt (yes, all of it); places that must be visited to understand where Western Civilization started. Especially Athens (you know, the place where democracy started?)

 

Modern Athens is not wonderful, but then the modern parts of lots of cities are not wonderful. But seeing the Acropolis (and more so if you can get there early before the other thousands of tourists) is an education in itself. How one small city-state harnessed its resources to complete these wonderful buildings as an expression of their overwhelming optimism about their future -- sort of reminds me of the US in the early 1800s. The new Acropolis Museum is fantastic and really adds to the whole understanding of the monuments and the history of the place.

 

The Greek agora should be a MUST for every visitor, especially the terrific small museum located onsite which has some very good pieces illustrating the dawn of democracy as the Athenians practiced it. Also, there is another beautiful temple overlooking the agora that (to me) is more complete and almost as beautiful as the Parthenon.

 

I could go on and on, but the places I've listed above make for enough in a port day, together with a nice Greek lunch somewhere. If you do this and come back to say Athens isn't worth it, well........ I guess I'd be speechless.

[CruiserBruce]

Leave 'em behind. There is tons to see in Athens. Have fun!

[Hlitner]

We wonder why your friends took the cruise. It is one thing to stay onboard in a Caribbean Island, but my goodness, this is Athens. There is much to see and do in Athens and also some interesting places one can go outside of Athens. Another nice thing about this port (when compared to many European ports) is that it is relatively easy and inexpensive to get into the city. We have been to Athens and Greece many times and still enjoy the country.

 

Hank

[cberge]

I would rethink going with friends.

[RHefley228]

Or get some new ones.

[marazul]

Ditch the friends. They are idiots. The port is ugly. Athens is wonderful.

Get yourself a guidebook of Athens and ask yourself - wouldn't I be crazy if I missed all that?

[alexandra cruiser]

going on your own,,,then they can be happy,,,and you can see the city,,without them.....don t miss it...agree with ALL the above posters...:D

[nimmoe2]

We were in Athens last year and can't wait to go back in 10 weeks. Please don't stay on the boat you will regret it

[4774Papa]

Agree, Athens is full of history, culture and great food. We had a problem last summer with the strikes at the Acropolis, but I am still glad we went there. I will probably go back.

[Keith1010]

My friend said they been to Athens and they preferred to stay on the ship. What do you think?

 

We have been to Athens several times and there are new places that we want to still see and other places that we enjoy returning to on each and every visit. There are some ports in the world where I could see staying on the ship (Jamaica) but a port that is as magical as Athens it's hard for me to imagine. But, as I always say, it's all a personal decision so if your friend wants to stay let them stay but I hope that you take advantage of your time there.

 

Keith

[financialgrl]

I'm not a big history buff and ruins were beginning to do me in. However, I cannot imagine paying for a cruise and staying onboard for any port unless I was sick. Athens was at the end of our cruise and there were riots over their economy at the time and the cruise before us had not stopped but we were cleared. Even not being a history nut or a "ruins" person, I loved and am so glad I visited Acropolis.

[aohkay]

If the poster's friends have already been and they prefer to stay on the ship while in port for whatever reasons, let them be.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We docked in Pireus twice now- once on a Med cruise in late June and another time in late July- on both occasions I stayed onboard. I am a history lover but on both occasions it was beastly hot and I just decided that I didn't want to get off the ship- maybe because we had come from Croatia and Santorini prior to that and they were lovely ports. Pireus (sorry if I spelling wrong) was really not that attractive to me and I don't know why but both times I didn't want to get off the ship. My parents were with me the one time and they said the heat was unbearable for them when they went into Athens. So play it by ear.

[William Dean]

I think your friends are quite mad. Of all the ports I have stopped at, Athens remains one of my favourites, for all the reasons set out above by others.

 

But I suppose it is their choice. And, as we know, you can't cure stupid.

 

WD

[cruisemom42]

We docked in Pireus twice now- once on a Med cruise in late June and another time in late July- on both occasions I stayed onboard. I am a history lover but on both occasions it was beastly hot and I just decided that I didn't want to get off the ship- maybe because we had come from Croatia and Santorini prior to that and they were lovely ports. Pireus (sorry if I spelling wrong) was really not that attractive to me and I don't know why but both times I didn't want to get off the ship. My parents were with me the one time and they said the heat was unbearable for them when they went into Athens. So play it by ear.

 

Not sure I could, in good conscience, consider myself a "history lover" if I'd twice passed up the opportunity to see the remains of one of the world's greatest early civilizations.......but to each his/her own. Perhaps "someone with a mild interest in history so long as it isn't a hassle" might be a better description? :p

 

I've wandered Alexandria's historic sites in heat that was around 107 degrees most of the day. (And it was near that for the two previous days in Israel, where I was climbing through ruins of Roman cities in Tzippori and Caesarea for 8 hours without even stopping for a lunch break, as well as walking the streets of the old city in Jerusalem ALL day in the heat).

 

Athens was a cakewalk compared.....just sayin' ;)

[Zukini]

Perhaps "someone with a mild interest in history so long as it isn't a hassle" might be a better description? :p

 

You crack me up.:D

[marazul]

Pireus (sorry if I spelling wrong) was really not that attractive to me and I don't know why but both times I didn't want to get off the ship. .

 

Piraeus is not attractive to anybody. One of the ugliest ports around. So that is one more reason to get off the ship and go into Athens!

[DevilsFan38]

Athens is not one of my favorite European cities but even so I can't imagine staying on the ship, even though I've been there before. If I had never been there's no way you could keep me on the ship!

 

If your friend wants to stay on the ship then leave them on the lounge chairs, but if you've never been to Athens you have to at least go to the Acropolis.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I agree that it sounds strange that I chose not to get off in Athens twice. I am not suggesting that you shouldn't get off the ship. Just that I didn't and rather enjoyed having a restful day on a nearly empty ship (at least in the AM). I did really enjoy Ephesus and Olympia in Greece, as well as Pompeii and Venice but Athens wasn't really one of the places that I had my heart set on. In fact, the Acropolis was closed for repairs at the time and no one was allowed in. So all and all I didn't hear great reports from other cruisers but this is only my experience in the heat of summer.