Just got back from Viking Star Athens to Venice

[G. GIRL]

It was in Venice. Like everything in Venice it’s expensive but the guide was very good.  They offer various itineraries and you can tailor them to your needs. 

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by G. GIRL

[G. GIRL]

On 1/24/2019 at 5:21 AM, Marguerite-a-Ville said:

G. Girl, can you please post a link to your review?  TIA!

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620462

Hi I hope this works. 

Regards

Gill

Edited February 1, 2019 by G. GIRL

[BruceB NYC]

2 hours ago, G. GIRL said:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620462

Hi I hope this works. 

Regards

Gill

Hi G. GIRL,

Enjoyed the review, thanks. On past VOC dining we also tended to go to the World Cafe for meals as the choices were great. Wondering on this cruise, did they have a selection of Greek themed items??

Any info appreciated. 

[G. GIRL]

9 minutes ago, BruceB NYC said:

Hi G. GIRL,

Enjoyed the review, thanks. On past VOC dining we also tended to go to the World Cafe for meals as the choices were great. Wondering on this cruise, did they have a selection of Greek themed items??

Any info appreciated. 

 

Hi, to be honest I don’t recall a big Greek theme in the food. They often had wines from the country we were visiting but I don’t recall seeing a Moussaka or I would have had some! They did have a fantastic choice in the world caffe my husband was very impressed by the seafood on offer. We enjoyed everything we had and the food was way better than anything we were served in Venice.   

[Marguerite-a-Ville]

5 hours ago, G. GIRL said:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620462

Hi I hope this works. 

Regards

Gill

 

Thank you G. Girl! 

[stardaisymoonbeamdakota]

On 5/25/2018 at 4:38 PM, lackcreativity said:

 

We did Empires last spring, and I think that is the same one G.Girl just did, as she talked about Zadar, which is on this itinerary. I give this cruise two big thumbs up. I haven't been to Split, so no slight on that port, but Santorini is spectacular. We were there in early April, and were lucky enough to be the only ship in port that day. We got to have this amazing place practically to ourselves. It's hard to say whether Santorini or Dubrovnik were our favorites.

 

Another point in this itinerary's favor is that it is two days longer that the other one you are considering. If you are traveling a long way, a few extra days are a bonus.

We are on the Empires next April 15th because my sweetie wanted to see Santorini.

[_alan_]

On 5/24/2018 at 6:26 PM, sawtooth said:

We are Venice to Athens June 2019.

Looking forward to your review

 

So are we!  In an explorer suite.

[sawtooth]

1 hour ago, flashfearless said:

 

So are we!  In an explorer suite.

6/18 departure?

We’ll see you on board.  We are in a penthouse veranda.

[JerryInIL]

May 2020 Venice/Athens for us.

[roothy123]

On 5/25/2018 at 5:58 PM, trinicruisegyal said:

Hello and thanks for answering questions and doing the review G. Girl. Will you also post your review here?

I’m thinking of doing a Venice to Athens cruise in 2020...Viking has two slightly different itineraries on this route Empires of the Mediterranean (10days)and Venice the Adriatic & Greece (8days), which did you do? Was there a reason you picked one instead of the other? I’m having a bit of difficulty deciding between the two as I would really like to visit both Split and Santorini and neither itinerary offers both. Right now Empires of the Mediterranean (Santorini) is slightly ahead.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm not the original poster, but we did Empires and loved it.  I haven't been to Split, just Dubrovnik.  However, Santorini is my favorite place in Europe of the ones I've been to.  It's just so beautiful, and the town of Oia is stunning.  Then again, someone else did the included tour in Santorini (didn't go to Oia, though!) and was disappointed with the tour and Santorini, so who knows?  But I vote for Empires and Santorini.  In Kotor, if you leave late afternoon/very early dinner time and it's not very cloudy, stay outside to see the Bay or Kotor bathed in beautiful light. It was stunning. 

[roothy123]

Oh, I just realized this is an old post, just being revived.  Oh well, my vote for Santorini still stands.    

[JerryInIL]

We thought May would be perfect weather, warm enough for Venice and not yet too hot for Athens.  Also figured we would do self or Viking extensions at both ports, so the 8 day cruise was the right length.

[JerryInIL]

On 2/11/2019 at 9:14 PM, JerryInIL said:

We thought May would be perfect weather, warm enough for Venice and not yet too hot for Athens.  Also figured we would do self or Viking extensions at both ports, so the 8 day cruise was the right length.

 

Also, the days (daylight) are fairly long.

[_alan_]

On 2/11/2019 at 9:14 PM, JerryInIL said:

We thought May would be perfect weather, warm enough for Venice and not yet too hot for Athens.  Also figured we would do self or Viking extensions at both ports, so the 8 day cruise was the right length.

 

Not to mention, school is still in session over there until mid June

[acwmom]

I asked this in a new thread, but haven't had any responses, so thought I'd ask here.

 

We will be arriving in Athens 7 short weeks from yesterday  Once we get checked in and settled, we would like to visit Plaka and wander around, explore, etc. On our first night, the ship remains docked in Athens. Will there be shuttle busses running from the ship into town, or will that service only be available on day 2?

 

And, if there are no shuttles on day 1, what is the best way to travel to Plaka?

 

Thanks, all!

 

Robin

[BruceB NYC]

1 hour ago, acwmom said:

I asked this in a new thread, but haven't had any responses, so thought I'd ask here.

 

We will be arriving in Athens 7 short weeks from yesterday  Once we get checked in and settled, we would like to visit Plaka and wander around, explore, etc. On our first night, the ship remains docked in Athens. Will there be shuttle busses running from the ship into town, or will that service only be available on day 2?

 

And, if there are no shuttles on day 1, what is the best way to travel to Plaka?

 

Thanks, all!

 

Robin

Hi Robin,

I’m doing the reverse trip 3/26/19 

and don’t know the shuttle bus answer. You should contact VK

by email and ask. 

You can do Athens into town, metro or bus are possible. This web site has port info. 

 

http://cruiseportwiki.com/Piraeus

 

I will probably post a day by day review on my return. Right now dealing with the excursions. 

Very excited. Enjoy your trip. 

 BRUCEB NYC

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, acwmom said:

I asked this in a new thread, but haven't had any responses, so thought I'd ask here.

 

We will be arriving in Athens 7 short weeks from yesterday  Once we get checked in and settled, we would like to visit Plaka and wander around, explore, etc. On our first night, the ship remains docked in Athens. Will there be shuttle busses running from the ship into town, or will that service only be available on day 2?

 

And, if there are no shuttles on day 1, what is the best way to travel to Plaka?

 

Thanks, all!

 

Robin

On our last trip to Piraeus, we only had about 5 hours, so we walked around Piraeus.

 

However, many years ago, when visiting every couple of weeks, we caught the Metro into town. Recall the station being at the far inshore end of the port, so depending on which berth you dock, it could be a fair walk - 1/2 mile to 1 mile. On the train, I recall changing trains once to get to the Acropolis.

 

You can also catch a taxi or bus, but from those that headed to Athens, they all mentioned traffic was crazy, so suggest the Metro is probably the best bet.

[acwmom]

Thanks to both of you. It will all depend on how we feel by the time we get there. We may end up staying on board.

 

I just like to know my options.

 

Robin

[sarch99]

23 hours ago, acwmom said:

I asked this in a new thread, but haven't had any responses, so thought I'd ask here.

 

We will be arriving in Athens 7 short weeks from yesterday  Once we get checked in and settled, we would like to visit Plaka and wander around, explore, etc. On our first night, the ship remains docked in Athens. Will there be shuttle busses running from the ship into town, or will that service only be available on day 2?

 

And, if there are no shuttles on day 1, what is the best way to travel to Plaka?

 

Thanks, all!

 

Robin

Not sure of the rules re posting info for guides and don't have time to read them right now, but if you want the information for an absolutely wonderful guide in Athens, message me.  We used this gentleman after reading really great reviews on another travel website, and were absolutely 100% pleased.  I'm more than happy to share his contact information.

[acwmom]

1 hour ago, sarch99 said:

Not sure of the rules re posting info for guides and don't have time to read them right now, but if you want the information for an absolutely wonderful guide in Athens, message me.  We used this gentleman after reading really great reviews on another travel website, and were absolutely 100% pleased.  I'm more than happy to share his contact information.

We are allowed to post names, just not links. We are using Michael's Amazing Tours to pick us up from the airport, and for a full day tour the following day. We wanted to see both the Acropolis (walk to the top) and Cape Sounion, and Viking's tours overlapped.

 

Robin

[sarch99]

12 minutes ago, acwmom said:

We are allowed to post names, just not links. We are using Michael's Amazing Tours to pick us up from the airport, and for a full day tour the following day. We wanted to see both the Acropolis (walk to the top) and Cape Sounion, and Viking's tours overlapped.

 

Robin

Glad you're covered.  Suggestion for before you head to the Acropolis.  Have your driver drop you at the New Acropolis Museum and go directly to the third floor.  At the entrance to the Parthenon Gallery, there is a screen that plays a really good video about the Parthenon that will make your actual visit more meaningful.  This doesn't take long and you'll be on your way.  Have a great trip.  

[MarkTapley]

47 minutes ago, acwmom said:

We are allowed to post names, just not links. We are using Michael's Amazing Tours to pick us up from the airport, and for a full day tour the following day. We wanted to see both the Acropolis (walk to the top) and Cape Sounion, and Viking's tours overlapped.

 

Robin

 

We used Michael’s Amazing Tours one of our days in Athens.  They are very good!

[Mautakono54]

Which one is better, "Acropolis & Plaka District by Foot" or "The New Acropolis Museum & Plaka District". What is the difference?

[acwmom]

19 minutes ago, Mautakono54 said:

Which one is better, "Acropolis & Plaka District by Foot" or "The New Acropolis Museum & Plaka District". What is the difference?

It depends on what you want to see. The first involves climbing 80 steps to see the Acropolis, in person. The second goes to the museum, and you only see the Acropolis in the distance. Do you have access to the descriptions from MVJ? If not, I can copy and paste them for you.

 

Robin

[Ready to Sail!]

19 minutes ago, Mautakono54 said:

Which one is better, "Acropolis & Plaka District by Foot" or "The New Acropolis Museum & Plaka District". What is the difference?

You should carefully and completely read the description for each excursion.  The first one actually goes up to the Acropolis while the second goes to the museum.  If you want to actually get up close to the ruin sites you should do the first.  If you're more interested in a museum, then the second.   Or ideally, find an private excursion that includes both, or do on your own.