Our 10 night Greek Island Cruise on Constellation

[wendyam76]

I use a walker or a cane. Is it difficult and long to walk the so called wall? Also, how about the city? I would not do a private tour but we are considering the boat tour. We are women, both 75 and are Leary of taxis.We do not want to miss the beautiful city but do not want to stay on the ship. Any opinions or advice would be much welcomed.

Oh please don’t be leary of taxis - just take your usual precautions that you would at home. Put it this way we have found taxi drivers much better in Europe than in the USA and much prefer Uber/Lyft drivers to taxi drivers! As for walking the wall, in the height of summer I wouldn’t do it myself and no way for my 84 year old mum who also uses a cane. We both love wandering round the city and love going to Cavtat.

Wendy

[bama4cruisin]

I use a walker or a cane. Is it difficult and long to walk the so called wall? Also, how about the city? I would not do a private tour but we are considering the boat tour. We are women, both 75 and are Leary of taxis.We do not want to miss the beautiful city but do not want to stay on the ship. Any opinions or advice would be much welcomed.

 

 

 

We visited Dubrovnik 3 years ago and chose to walk the wall. I am very glad we did this; however, I will say if you have mobility issues climbing the stairs may be a challenge. We walked only the seaside half, and since you can only walk counter-clockwise, there was a specific stairway. It was 87 VERY steep steps, with one very small landing halfway up. As there is a line and the steps are not wide enough to pass anyone, you just kept going. The most challenging aspect for me was the height of each step; they were probably 10" or so. Since I have short legs, I had to move both feet to each step, no alternating steps with each leg. All that said, once atop the wall, the walk itself is amazing! While there are additional stairs on that half (which if the side affording the spectacular seaside views as well as views down on the Strada and alleyways)), there are only a few at a time and with a much more reasonable pitch. Here are some photos; you can catch a glimpse of the stairs leading to the top of the wall behind the water fountain; the others were taken from the top of the wall

 

 

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[Nancy717]

I use a walker or a cane. Is it difficult and long to walk the so called wall? Also, how about the city? I would not do a private tour but we are considering the boat tour. We are women, both 75 and are Leary of taxis.We do not want to miss the beautiful city but do not want to stay on the ship. Any opinions or advice would be much welcomed.

 

..I did not climb the stairs,as I have problems with my knees, and have to go very slow, also I need something to hold on to,

I was able to appreciate the beauty of the area, without climbing up.

As far as taxis, don't even worry they are very safe

I have heard the boat ride is also fun,

And if you have the time Cavtat is very worth it.

I hired a car to take us both ways, very clean and professional..

[Iamthesea]

Agree with everyone else. I have been twice, and both times took a cab. The cab driver can take you up to a viewpoint high above the walled city, so you can get an idea of what it looks like if you were on the wall. It's even better than being on the wall! Then once back down, you can have the city to explore and not worry about those steps. They are brutal! On one end of town, opposite the water cistern, you can take steps gradually up to some shops, bars, etc.. They are wider and set apart in different areas.

[Viktoria]

How helpful you all are. My main concern would be holding people up. My spouse would be on my side so I guess we would block the way for others. Can one visit the city without going up the wall? Also would the ship excursion be doable.

[Presto2]

How helpful you all are. My main concern would be holding people up. My spouse would be on my side so I guess we would block the way for others. Can one visit the city without going up the wall? Also would the ship excursion be doable.

 

Really easy to do without the walls. The ship's shuttle drops you off about 100yds from the main gate. There are steps or a ramp into the town. Then it is all yours. All flat and easy to do :-)

[Viktoria]

Thanks! I can do that:)

[scubamommy!]

Loving your review! Going in May for our 20th anniversary and I am taking notes here! Thank you! Looking forward to more!

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Nancy717]

]Cavtat and Kayaking..

Just to update, I have checked in with guest services daily about the luggage and we were told that they found the luggage,but it had been sent to the hotel, after we left:rolleyes:...and it would now be sent back to the airport and would meet us in Athens.

 

..the "kids" wanted to do something more than site see on our 2nd day ..I had researched and found a local company in Cavtat for Kayaking, called Sea Kayaking Cavtat, I emailed with the owner Mario, and he promptly responded and we settled on a private 90 minutes tour for 6, for 150 kuna each, which is $24 .

We agreed to meet at 10 AM , I went back and forth about taking the ferry, but in the end decided on a private taxi,

I booked Kiwi Taxi for $69 each way

 

Because we were leaving somewhat early each day, the "kids" found room service for breakfast very helpful to sleeping until the last minute.

I would head up,to the buffet, get a quick breakfast, head down to Al Bacio, and get a tea , cappuccino and croissant for DD ..

 

We were off the ship very quickly and easily found our driver Mario for our trip to Cavtat.

I must say every driver we had was professionally dressed, spoke good English and the vehicles were immaculate.

The drive over was stunning, very mountainous with some steep areas, but beautiful none the less.

Mario, gave us a nice history of the area on our trip over, it took about 35 minutes...

 

We arrived in the lovely town of Cavtat, and Mario fro sea Kayaking was right there to meet us, yes both named Mario!

He was a native of the town and very proud of it, and rightly so.

We had what I thought was a long walk to the Kayaks , the "kids" told me I was crazy, it was a short walk..:eek:

We were on one of the most popular paths along the water, along the way there were swimming areas and small cafes.

Mario told us this was a very popular area for families, I wish we could have spent more time there.

We arrived at the Kayaks and Mario set us up, he was very methodical in choosing the correct Kayak for each of us.

He was going to take me, 2 DD and SIL were in singles and DD#3 was in a double with her BF.

Mario had waterproof bags for our stuff, as well as a dry barrel

We each had a life jacket. Again every thing was clean and very nice.

I was the only one who wore water shoes...they could be helpful, but my "kids" did fine without them.

Our trip,was just wonderful, , the water was crystal clear and calm, the surrounding areas were beyond beautiful.Mario took us on a beautiful tour with lots of interesting facts about the area.

As, I had complained about the walk to the Kayaks, at the end Mario took the kids back to the starting point and he brought me further down towards our meeting spot so I would not have to walk so far, a very kind gesture.

I found a nice restaurant and went in for a cold drink, the "kids" made there way back stopping along the way for swimming..

They met me at the restaurant and we took the taxi back at 2 PM

I wish we had more time at Cavtat and would love to go back.

.....next up ...a relaxing sea day...

[Presto2]

Hi, our review of this cruise has just been posted. Thought it would be good to put it alongside your wonderful commentary :-)

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=632218&et_cid=3110946&et_rid=258803089&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_C

[Nancy717]

Hi, our review of this cruise has just been posted. Thought it would be good to put it alongside your wonderful commentary :-)

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=632218&et_cid=3110946&et_rid=258803089&et_referrer=Boards_WAR_C

I agree with you on that female singer :eek:

[Nancy717]

Sea Day..

We were all ready for a down day, as we had been busy everyday, and we knew we had some port intensive days ahead of us.

 

We slept late, and the girls and I lounged out on deck, we found plenty of chairs away from the pool.

As I have my own pool, I did not feel the need to go in,and honestly I never go into a public hot tub :eek:

The boys played basketball and went to the gym.

I also participated in the back scenes tour, I had always wanted to do it and had gotten a discount from Costco for $10 off.

I really enjoyed going up to the bridge and seeing how that all worked .

Very technical, but they did show us how they could do it the old fashioned way if need be, with paper maps and a glass hole to look down and observe for any ice :eek:

 

The kitchen and prep area were very interesting, and it made the service for dinner more impressive.

We also went to water purification, recycling, etc.

We really did not get to see much of where the crew stay, that was disappointing.

 

We also had a napkin demonstration, that was fun. I was glad I did it, since I got a discounted price, not sure if I would do it for the full $95.00

 

This was the first formal night or what they call classic chic, we wanted to have a photo taken , as well as go to the show.

Unfortunately we read the schedule wrong and had to choose between dinner and the show.

We decided on the show, which was a good choice, it was a combination of comedy and gymnastics from a Russian duo that won some show.

They were very good, and we had pizza and the pasta bar.

We then headed up to Reflections Lounge for dancing and fun.

We had a great time ...next up Crete and the White Mountain Jeep Tour

[Presto2]

I agree with you on that female singer :eek:

 

What about that classical duet? A violin and cello. What were Celebrity thinking of?

More to do with the arrangements of the music to be honest. but having heard some brilliant classical string players in the past these really were dire.

 

PS We did the jeep safari in April with another cruise line. Look forward to your review. We were terrified in April !!!

[Nancy717]

Crete and the White Mountain Jeep Tour..

..my "kids" wanted this trip to,be a combination of sightseeing, beaches and activities..Athens was going to be a lot of sightseeing, so they choose the White Mountain Jeep Tour:eek:

I had transferred my reservation to Costco and received some discounted excursions, this was one, it was $89 from Costco, as opposed to $119 via Celebrity , for 6 of us that was a big savings...and it was the same excursion

 

We met with our guide , just outside the gate, very easy off the ship.

There were 3 keeps in our group, 1 family from the ship,in 2 and the 6 of us in one.

We were supposed to have 2 other people join us , and honestly, the jeepswould have been tight with 8 :confused:

They were clean and appeared well cared for , BUT no A/C ..there were some nice breezes , but it was a little warm at times

..As I have a big fear of heights I wondered why I went, but I kept reminding myself why we were on this trip. If my one DD could give a kidney to her sister, I could ride in a Jeep..:)

 

This was an all day excursion, our driver was absolutely great, he gave us so much history of the area and had a great sense of humor.

 

I sat in the front and he was a very careful driver ( I've been with some drivers where I felt my life was at risk)

 

We left the city and headed high into the mountains, my " kids" loved it,

We had a restroom stop, after leaving the city and before heading up the mountain.

We were on sharp, winding roads with some steep drop offs , but although terrified I did feel safe. We did a lot of off reading

We climbed to 3000 ft and it was beautiful, I stayed in the Jeep at many photo stops..

 

We did even more off roading when we climbed on this barely visible road to the shepherds home..

We learned all about the life of a shepherd, had a demonstration on how to milk sheep.

There were no restrooms, other than " this tree" or " that tree"

I did have to use the " restroom " while there I heard the jingle of the herd of sheep coming my way.

Everyone had a good laugh calling me the ship,whisperer .

From the shepherds home we traveled down the mountain to a lovely taverna , where we had a 5 course lunch of yummy local food / lamb:eek: as well as wine and after lunch uzo.

The food was plentiful and delicious, this was all included in our price.

After lunch we headed the rest of the way down the mountain and back to the pier, in plenty of time to board the ship.

I did give my driver a nice trip for his safe and kind understanding of my fear

..we headed to cafe al Bacio for iced lattes and enjoyed the sail away from my cabin ..

 

...next up Mykonos

Update on luggage...still waiting :')

Edited September 12, 2018 by Nancy717
typo

[Nancy717]

Mykonos..

We were told the night before that we would be docking in Mykonos, rather than tendering, and that we would have an extra hour.:)

We had planned to do a beach day in Mykonos, and had not made any specific plans. We thought we would just get a cab to one of the beaches that we had researched ( Kalo Lavida) .

We arrived an again easily off the ship, there was a short shuttle (free) to the city center.

Our plan to take a cab to the beach was quickly becoming more complicated as we were told there were only around 30 cabs on the entire island. We realized getting back might be a challenge..after quickly dividing up to investigate other options, bus, boat , we settled on renting 2 cars, my DD had made some friends who were with us.

We found a local rental agency, and within 15 minutes negotiated for 2 cars, 85 Euro each car, the friends gave us 40 Euro and off we went.

It was an easy ride to the beach, we arrived at the most beautiful beach , which was mostly empty, we got 2 easy parking spots.

 

The beach had lounge chairs with umbrellas to rent for 50 Euro, they quickly told us there was 1 person to a lounger, although they were big enough for 2 people easily. While we were getting settled they again pointed out that the loungers were for 1 person only. Not sure why they were so uptight about it, maybe because 8 of us arrived at once..

 

We got 2 , as we figured we would either be in the water, at the bar or walking the beach. The beach area had waiter service , and security which kept those selling things out of the area.

The water was calm, cool and so beautiful, there was a beach bar and a very clean bathroom.

 

Now the negative part, for some reason no waiter came by to see if we wanted to order, so my DD went up to the bar and got me a ginger-ale, they brought it back, a can , a glass with ice, no sooner did I start to drink it did 2 security guards were at my lounger yelling at me that I could not bring anything in from someplace else, they demanded to see my receipt . I said to them that as NO waiter had come by , and as you could see every lounger around me had been serviced, my DD went up to the bar for me. I then said do you seriously think I brought a glass with ice cubes from the ship. :mad:

I asked to speak with the manager, who did not come by , so I had to seek him out. I told him what happened he gave a luke warm apology, did not offer anything to make up for it..

 

I told the DD if they wanted to share the loungers to go right ahead..we did..they said nothing.

The beach was beautiful, and clean but this left a bad taste in my mouth.

At about 2 we headed back , dropped off the cars and walked up into town for shopping and some food.

My suggestion is have an excursion or rent a car, it was easy and fast..

 

...next up Athens..and maybe a suitcase

[VitaminSea53]

Nancy, You mentioned that your “kids” were vegetarian and one was Vegan. Did they feel like they got enough (quantity and variety) to eat? I have recently started following a plant based diet and remember past cruises focused mainly on the Meat Entree. I would be interested in hearing about their experience. Thanks

 

 

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[Nancy717]

Nancy, You mentioned that your “kids” were vegetarian and one was Vegan. Did they feel like they got enough (quantity and variety) to eat? I have recently started following a plant based diet and remember past cruises focused mainly on the Meat Entree. I would be interested in hearing about their experience. Thanks

 

 

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I actually asked my DD BF last night about that, he said he was pleasantly surprised by the choices at dinner, he thought he would be eating salads the entire trip.

There is a specific Vegan menu available, make sure to,ask you waiter

He said the buffet was a little harder, and a lot of times had the vegan pizza..surprisingly we had lots of vegan options at the port calls.

[Nancy717]

Athens..

 

We arrived in Athens early and had an early meeting with our driver and guide just off the ship at 7:45AM.

We used George's Taxi, it was a private tour, for 8 hours , in a beautiful,big,cool Mercedes Van.

 

It was 320 Euro for the driver and 200 Euro for the guide.

I had done something similar in Rome a few years ago and so worth the $$, we were able to have cold water, pack bags, umbrellas , which we safely left in the Van while touring.

 

We were on our way to the Acropolis , as it was a Sunday the traffic was very light. In about 30 minutes, we were purchasing our tickets, the driver brought us to someplace where there was no line and in minutes we were done.

He dropped us off and we started our climb up, it was not even 9 AM ..which was really nice as it was cooler and not very crowded.

I had been to the Acropolis 20 years ago and boy it seemed much higher with more steps..

We spent about 1-1/2 to 2 hours there, so worth it to have our guide..otherwise just a pile of rocks :')

 

After the acropolis we piled into our cool van and were off to other city sites, including the Olympic stadium.

As we were driving from place to place our guide was giving us tons of information and history..

 

We had planned to spend a few hours at the Plaka..there was a restaurant I had been to 20 years ago and wanted to go back we found it, Hermion ,it was the first place I ever had moussaka, and it was as delicious as I remembered :)

 

There were also many options for my vegan kids, we ate way to much..

After lunch we did some shopping..as we still had no luggage for DD she bought a few items.

The plaka was so much fun, just as I had remembered, I had lost my sunglasses someplace, so I was looking for a new pair.

I found a nice pair, for 6 Euro...a great buy!

..We met up with our guide,,walked to our cool van and relaxed while we headed back to the ship..we tipped each 20 Euro

 

Before going to our usual stop for an iced coffee, I stopped at guest relations...sadly

NO LUGGAGE?.and worse we were told that the airports at the next ports of call were to small ( this from Air France) to send the luggage to so we would not get it at all on the ship

It would be waiting for us in Venice:mad::loudcry:

[VitaminSea53]

Sounds like you guys are making the Best of a bad situation (lost luggage). I feel for your daughter. That is just wrong!!

And thanks for the Vegan food tips. On our upcoming cruise, we may partake of meat/fish but would rather stick to vege options. We feel so much better since we switched to plant based eating.

Cheers

 

 

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[Nancy717]

Santorini....

Our next port of call was Santorini, we arrived early and had to tender. We were so lucky to be the only ship in port that day:)

I had arranged for a tour with Sakavaras Kostas, it was scheduled to be 4.5 hrs the cost was 390 Euro

I had Elite tendering tickets, but did not need them, I guess since we were the only ship in port. We were told it would take about 60 - 90 minutes to tender, and take the cable car up to Fira . We were to meet our guide at 9 AM

We left the ship at 7:45 and were quickly on the tender, about 10 minutes or so, we landed and quickly walked to the cable car, I bought our tickets, I think 6 Euro each. You can only buy 1 way.

 

I was scared of the cable car, as I have an issue with heights, you have to walk up steps and wait at the spot for your car. There are 6 cars holding 6 people each. We had to climb up to car 5 almost at the top.

It takes about10-15 minutes for the car to go up, empty, refill and come back down. So you can imagine how long it takes with thousands of people off multiple ships.

We were on our way, I sat in the middle seat looking forward..

But was it worth it the view from the top of Fira was spectacular.

We were at the top, by 8:30, I think that would be the absolute minimum time needed we had virtually no waits.

While we waited we roamed around, not many shops were even open.

At 9 AM our driver arrived with a sign with our name.

The tour included:

• Fira
  
  
• Oia;
  
  
• The famous blue dome in Firostefani;
  
  
• Prophet Elias Hill to take panoramic pictures;
  
  
• One winery for a wine tasting and lunch ( this was an additional 16 Euro each )
  
  
• Return to Fira Town, where the tour ends at the nearest possible location to the cable car station.
  
  

We again were transported in a clean, well air conditioned Mercedes,with a very professional English speaking driver.

As we drove we were given lots of information and history of the Greece and Santorini, as well as some of the surrounding islands.

We arrived in Oia fairly early so it again was cooler and not as crowded. We did some shopping, photo taking and even stopped for a coffee.

Our next stop was the famous blue dome, there was a bride and groom there taking pictures.

We were told people actually will come there rent a dress and tux just to take a wedding photo!!

:eek:

 

 

The absolute highlight of our visit was the stop at the Venetsanos Winery, the view was absolutely spectacular, the winery was all white. We had a tour and given the history of the winery.

We were settled at a table overlooking our ship in the distance. We were served a 5 course, completely vegan ( by coincidence) meal and 4 types of wine.

We all agreed this by far was the highlight of the trip.

..as we were full and happy we headed back to Fira for free time.

We did a little more shopping and just soaking in the beauty..

 

 

The line headed back down started to build, so we sadly headed back down ..

 

 

Our wait was about 25 minutes, someone said we should wait until the end, and just hop on.

There was a Celebrity crew member at the top in communications with ship keeping count on how many passengers were still off the ship.

He told me they stayed at the top until every passenger was accounted for. And this was the only port they did this for.

We hopped on the tender and were back on the ship in no time..

...sadly we said goodbye to Santorini

 

 

[Nancy717]

Last Port Katakolon....

We did not have any excursions planned for this Port, and as we were so successful with renting a car, we decided to do that.

 

We were docked , and before we got off my SIL with his binoculars saw 2 car rental agencies..we decide that the fast walkers...not me :eek:would head off and see about a car for 6..

By the time I slowly walked from the ship to the town they had secured a van for 80 Euro...it was a pretty decent walk.

 

We were quickly off to,see Olympia, we took a wrong turn and ended up at the back end of the stadium, we were able to view it from above, we decided that we had seen enough and headed to the town, it was a really nice small town, we did some shopping, got to,hold the Olympic flame, and purchase a few things.

 

We then headed to the beach, Oea Beach..we found parking on the street and made our way to the beach.

We were told the loungers and umbrellas were "free" as long as we purchased either food/drink.

 

The beach was more plain than the one in Mykonos, but the staff was so much more friendly and attentive.

We ordered drinks, and food and really enjoyed it. We had a yummy seafood platter,

The water was a little rough ,but being Atlantic Ocean swimmers, we had no problem

The best part of the day, was the 45 minute massage for 30 Euro beach side right on my lounger:)

 

After spending a last beautiful day we drove back to the port, dropped off the car and did a little more shopping..

We were back on the ship and headed up to Al Bacio as usual.

This was also our last chic night...and some of us were looking toward to the lobster..

 

...next up..last sea day :')

[DisneyJen]

Taking notes ... this itinerary is on my list!

[cachouonacruise]

Thank-you very much Nancy717, I really enjoyed reading and learning about your experience on the Constellation and this itinerary.

 

We will be doing it in May 2019, and your review in addition to be helpful, just renewed my excitement!

 

 

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[dkksk]

Thanks for the great review. I do have a question for you. When you went on these excursions everything was in euros. Do you pay in that currency or did you use a credit card. Just wondering.