Equinox Mediterranean Cruise: Port Advice Needed

[Nansea7]

Hi,

 

I'd really appreciate any advice on these ports:

 

Santorini

Athens

Istanbul

Kusadesi

Mykonos

Salerno

 

Ship's tours? On our own tours?

 

Thanks so much for any tips, advice, help, etc. Leaving August 29th!

[CruisinManiac]

Try this link. It's the Mediterranean message board. ;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

My advice is to book as many excursions on your own as you can, but book a Celebrity excursion in Santorini to get you on the island quicker. We had the same itinerary, minus Salerno, in May.

[Lsimon]

We've only been to Santorini and Athens.

 

In Athens you can do ship's tour, private tour or travel on your own (need to take cab or subway train into Athens from the port city). We did a private tour but next time we're considering getting to the Acropolis on our own via cab or train and then walking around the Agora and Plaka area. bottom line is if you want to plan out your own day or have someone else do it for you.

 

In Santorini there could be long lines to get up to the top of the cliffs if there are other ship(s) in port. To bypass this a good idea is to take a short early ship's tour which ends around noon. This will provide transportation including special tenders and buses only for those on ship's tours. Then you can tour around Fira and maybe travel to Oia on your own in the afternoon by bus or taxi. If you tender to the island without a ship's tour you have to get up the cliff by cable car (potential long line if there are other ships in port), donkey ride (dirty and some feel cruel), or long difficult walk up the cliff on same path used by donkeys (wear shoes you don't mind getting very dirty).

 

The port of call boards referred to above are a great source for information.

[59impala]

Hi,

 

I'd really appreciate any advice on these ports:

 

Santorini

Athens

Istanbul

Kusadesi

Mykonos

Salerno

 

Ship's tours? On our own tours?

 

Thanks so much for any tips, advice, help, etc. Leaving August 29th!

 

Sounds fabulous! We were on the Equinox in May last year - you will love it.

We found Santorini was good to do on our own - we went up in the cable car and had a look around Thira. In the afternoon, we along with some other Kiwi tourists we met in a little cafe, took a taxi to Oia. A must see place. The classic Santorini postcards are of this area - the blue sky, the blue see, the white houses.

Athens - we took the train from the post into Athens - and got pick pocketed! We spent all of the day looking for a police station in Athens as our travel insurance stated that you must report stolen items in the vicinity of where the crime occurred.(Pays to read the fine print of your travel insurance policy). It was a bit of a mission to find the station - but you could say we saw the REAL Athens. This was at the time when they were beginning to have riots there - so police on every corner in full riot gear.(Seems kind of funny now when retelling the story, not so much fun at the time.)

Kusadasi - we took the ships tour to Ephesus - fabulous!

Mykonos - after getting the ships shuttle, you can walk around on your own - a lovely place.

[sczcardfan]

We've only been to Santorini and Athens.

 

In Athens you can do ship's tour, private tour or travel on your own (need to take cab or subway train into Athens from the port city). We did a private tour but next time we're considering getting to the Acropolis on our own via cab or train and then walking around the Agora and Plaka area. bottom line is if you want to plan out your own day or have someone else do it for you.

 

In Santorini there could be long lines to get up to the top of the cliffs if there are other ship(s) in port. To bypass this a good idea is to take a short early ship's tour which ends around noon. This will provide transportation including special tenders and buses only for those on ship's tours. Then you can tour around Fira and maybe travel to Oia on your own in the afternoon by bus or taxi. If you tender to the island without a ship's tour you have to get up the cliff by cable car (potential long line if there are other ships in port), donkey ride (dirty and some feel cruel), or long difficult walk up the cliff on same path used by donkeys (wear shoes you don't mind getting very dirty).

 

The port of call boards referred to above are a great source for information.

 

Only adjustment to the advice is that on the Equinox's sailing of the 29th, the schedule is Santorini from 2-10pm, so obviously the ship's tour won't be ending at noon. Reading advice like this, I have booked the early ship's tour to Oia (and winery), which looks as though it will be done around 6pm (per the cruise calendar on MyCelebrity).

 

 

Edit: Also, you might want to visit the RollCall for this cruise which is at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1286417

[Mr. Click]

We did the same trip in early June. Booking the ship's tour in Santorini was a big bonus. Lines for tenders and the cable car were really long and we heard people needed over 90 minutes just to get off the ship and up to the town. We were off the ship and on our way to Oia in under 30 minutes total. The tour was nice and we had plenty of time on our own back in Fira as well. With all of the unrest in Athens, you might want to consider a ship's tour there too. We did the Athen's Walking Tour it was fine but that was 10 days before they started rioting. We just had a small transit strike to deal with that meant more crowded trains. Istanbul, two days is great for DIY touring. Kusdase we booked our own private tour before we left and saw the ruins at Ephasas and had a nice Ottoman lunch included. The Turks are very very agressive in selling and begging so it was really nice to just walk off the ship and find our guide and go. We tried shopping in the port area after our tour and found it annoying and gave up. Too many beggars, too many "merchants" trying to drag us in to their shops. Mykonos is pretty to walk around town or make your way to a beach. No real need to have a tour there. We docked in Naples rather than Salerno. Naples is a dirty, nasty looking city and all we did as pick a pre-arranged tour and headed to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. I think you are better off starting on the Amalfi Coast.

[Essiesmom]

Suggest you pick up a copy of Rick Steves' new book Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Known for budget travel, he has taken on cruising and he tells you how to diy, from the time you walk down the gangway until you return to the ship. How to get to public transport, what it should cost, where the bathrooms (WC) are, where the internet is, what to see and what to pass on, how long it should take, where the cheap eats are. Just published in June, I pre-ordered from Amazon. I've almost read it twice already! EM

[pete_coach]

Here is some port guides that a fellow Cruise Critic member has made. He has a variety of them with more being added all the time. They are very good. Some will be the ones you need.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/

[Valley Girl of VA]

If you haven't checked your Roll Call, then I would suggest you do that. We are on the Equinox's sailing of 9/19 and we have so much information on the ports on our roll call. From people who have been there before, to excerpts from things they have read...a wealth of information. We organized and arranged tours in all the ports except Mykonnos. Hop on over to your Roll Call Forum.

 

Jane

[Nansea7]

Thanks....on my way to roll call now ! Keep the tips coming if anyone else has any for me.

 

Thanks so much !