Odessa

[cruising cegi]

We are visiting Odessa on the Spirit in July, We hope to visit the theatre but do not think we will have time to fit in a show, we would still like to see the inside and my question is this.

Has anyone been to Odessa and do they know if it is possible to do this?, also are Euros accepted?

 

Thanks fpr any info

[toonhibby]

We are also doing Odessa in Aug so we are looking forward to your views and comments when you return,would also like to know about any trips to try.

[altiva]

We are visiting Odessa on the Spirit in July, We hope to visit the theatre but do not think we will have time to fit in a show, we would still like to see the inside and my question is this.

Has anyone been to Odessa and do they know if it is possible to do this?, also are Euros accepted?

 

Thanks fpr any info

What day of the week do you visit?

[cruising cegi]

We are visiting Odessa on a Saturday.

 

It is a great itinerary visiting new ports we havent been to, namely Thessalonika,Kavala, Chios Town and Patmos, not to mention Constanta, do not fancy a three hour drive to Bucharest so methinks a day on board for that port of call!

 

Any info. on any of these ports will be handy

 

Thank you

[kate52]

Hi, we've been to Thessaloniki a few times and really liked it. Never done a trip from there as it was a departure point/ turn round day call. There is plenty to see there- it's the sort of place where you just stumble on the Roman remains as you stroll round the streets. Lovely walk along the sea front to the white tower and archaeological museum, ancient market place, rather smart cafes in Aristoteles square (and rather pricey!) Ancient acropolis on the hillside. Not really "touristy" but has a good atmosphere.

We used to enjoy the sail-aways from here- the sea is teeming with fish which leapt out of the sea as the ship moved, some into the mouths of the seagulls!

The book "The Thread" by Victoria Hislop is great background reading to the history of Greece's second city.

kate

[cruising cegi]

Thanks Kate,

I have also read The Thread,may even read it again before we go, really looking forward to Thessalonika.

We have cruised the med. loads of times with Thomson and its nice to have different ports of call.

[kruzseeka]

Can't help much with your PoC but in response to your query about currency, when we went to Sevastopol (didn't go to Odessa but also in the Ukraine) we had to buy local currency when we arrived. It didn't seem to us that € were accepted. This may have been 3/4 years ago but chatting to friends yesterday who have been more recently they had to get currency too once they got to Odessa and that it was a bit of a performance (needed passport and copious paperwork to get a few pounds' worth.) I don't think you can buy it before you go either so you'll have to go to a money exchange booth when you get there.

 

We did go to Patmos once as a replacement port when we couldn't get to Santorini. I remember it as a small but quite attractive place with cafes on the waterfront - we went on a half day excursion to the monastery of St John's of Syringe and iirc we had time in a pretty little village, possibly at the same place too. It was a pleasant trip and given the small town where we docked felt the balance of excursion/free time in port was right for us.

Edited March 29, 2015 by kruzseeka

[cruising cegi]

Thanks kruzeeka for info, will get currency when we arrive.

Fortunately we have a Halifax Clarity card so it"s only 1% to withdraw from atms.

[altiva]

We are visiting Odessa on a Saturday.

 

It is a great itinerary visiting new ports we havent been to, namely Thessalonika,Kavala, Chios Town and Patmos, not to mention Constanta, do not fancy a three hour drive to Bucharest so methinks a day on board for that port of call!

 

Any info. on any of these ports will be handy

 

Thank you

Every Saturday and Sunday there is a very cheap open for all tour of the inside of the Opera House. No English. It starts at 17.00. The tickets for this tour you can buy not in the Opera House ticket office, but in the central ticket office in Gorsad.

Or you can order a private tour. For this, you'll need a local guide. That local guide will have to go to the Opera House with their national ID and their taxpayer number, and sign you in. You tell them how many of you there are. Then, you can have a private tour, photos are allowed, in English. You'd better do it in advance, because if a boat arrives, all the nice slots are taken at once, plus, it takes up to two weeks to process your application.

There are numerous ATMs in Odesa. You can withdraw cash from them. It will need to be a debit card and you should call your bank to warn them that you'd be travelling abroad, and tell them what countries you'd be visiting, or else, they can block it, thinking that someone stole it. It should be also something world known, like Visa, not some obscure card, or else local ATMs won't recognize it.

Hope it helped.

[cruising cegi]

Thank you so much Altiva for all that information.

 

It has been said many times on Cruise Critic that members are so kind to spare the time answering questions.

 

Thanks to all

[altiva]

Thank you so much Altiva for all that information.

 

It has been said many times on Cruise Critic that members are so kind to spare the time answering questions.

 

Thanks to all

You are welcome, Cruising. Also, about currency exchange re: above. You can change your currency (US dollars, British pounds, euros), in any bank or even special currency exchange booths, which are numerous in the centre, they are basically on every corner. It takes less than one minute, and you will need to show them your passport. The people in the story above requested certificate №377, so they had to wait long. It's the certificate which allows foreigners to change hryvyna back into their currency. The law says that the foreigner can't change more hryvna into, say, dollars, than the amount of dollars, originally exchanged. For example, you changed 100 US dollars into hryvna, you can then change back 100 dollars, 99,99 dollars, 99.98 dollars and so on, but not 101 dollars. To prove that you are not changing more than originally changed, when you make the exchange the first time, you ask for the certificate №377, as a proof.

So, all the people who thought it was too long should have done is, to change some small sum of money quickly, without asking for №377, then spend it all and be happy.

[WeeCountyMan]

"Fortunately we have a Halifax Clarity card so it"s only 1% to withdraw from atms."

 

I thought Halifax Clarity only had the minimal daily interest cash advance fee - no other fees, unless imposed by the ATMs parent bank ?

Edited April 14, 2015 by WeeCountyMan

[kruzseeka]

"Fortunately we have a Halifax Clarity card so it"s only 1% to withdraw from atms."

 

I thought Halifax Clarity only had the minimal daily interest cash advance fee - no other fees, unless imposed by the ATMs parent bank ?

 

That's my understanding too WCM. Exchange at current bank rate with no fees then 12.9% p.a. interest payable from the date of withdrawal. Since that only amounts to less than 1.1% for a month and we're home in about a fortnight at most, I reckon at most it only costs me about 0.5% on any withdrawal if I settle up as soon as I get home.

[happy v]

We are visiting Odessa on the Spirit in July, We hope to visit the theatre but do not think we will have time to fit in a show, we would still like to see the inside and my question is this.

Has anyone been to Odessa and do they know if it is possible to do this?, also are Euros accepted?

 

Thanks fpr any info

 

We've been to Odessa and have photos of the opera house /theatre but I don't think it was open to go inside, but this would have been morning so quite possibly it opened later. Is there not a tourist information site which would probably give opening times?

[cruising cegi]

Yes you are correct weecountryman, and you get the business exchange rate. We have never yet been charged local fees to withdraw cash.

 

We also use a Santander debit card to withdraw cash when in Spain and the Canaries, no fees from UK bank.

:)

[altiva]

We've been to Odessa and have photos of the opera house /theatre but I don't think it was open to go inside, but this would have been morning so quite possibly it opened later. Is there not a tourist information site which would probably give opening times?

You can't just stroll by and pop in into the Opera House as you please. The same as you can't just go inside any movie theatre further than the booking offices. It's not a thoroughfare for people to go in and out. It's open during the performances, to see which you must buy a ticket.

If you want a tour, you need to sign in at least two weeks prior with INN and pay for it.

As for your other question, here is the official site of Odesa Opera House:

http://opera.odessa.ua/en/