Corinth Canal excursion

[jantoby]

Has anyone done a P&O excursion through the Corinth Canal? 

I'm trying to find details for a friend whose last thing to cross off his bucket list is to transit the canal, and he will only do ship's tours (quite elderly and scared of going independently and missing the ship at the end of the day).

[joeecco]

5 minutes ago, jantoby said:

Has anyone done a P&O excursion through the Corinth Canal? 

I'm trying to find details for a friend whose last thing to cross off his bucket list is to transit the canal, and he will only do ship's tours (quite elderly and scared of going independently and missing the ship at the end of the day).

Could do a Fred Olsen itinerary where the ship itself transits the canal, pretty epic I bet! 

[Eddie99]

Yes!

It’s one of my all time cruise memories

I wrote quite a long account of it but I think it’s on a now-defunct site, so this is scraps from memory

 

Early start and comfortable, functional, non-scenic bus ride to start.  Halt at facilities/gift shop/snack bar, with opportunity to take walk on bridge over the canal

 

Actual canal traverse is very interesting, with a good English commentary.  Soft drink/toilets available. 
 

Return trip is via a coastal hotel where a 3 course buffet is available (and good).  This is quite late - perhaps 3-4 pm, so very welcome after the early start.  Consider taking a banana or cereal bar with you, or buy something at the first stop

 

I think it’s one of the best P&O trips I have done.  I think it would be fine for someone with restricted mobility

[annieuk]

We did a transition of the Corinth Canal when we did a cruise on Oceana in Autumn of 2018.  We drove to the canal, then got aboard a small boat to take us down the Canal.  Then we had to go through a sort of lock, out into the sea but then turned back and came back through the Canal again.  It's very impressive.  I think we then had time in the shops there and had a coffee and snack I think.  We certainly enjoyed the trip.

[Bloodaxe]

32 minutes ago, joeecco said:

Could do a Fred Olsen itinerary where the ship itself transits the canal, pretty epic I bet! 

Do Fred still have a ship small enough to transit the Canal?.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Bloodaxe

[joeecco]

Just now, Bloodaxe said:

Do Fred still have a ship some enough to transit the Canal?.

Yes it was the Braemar that made the passage and the headlines, she’s still in the fleet.  

[Bloodaxe]

Just now, joeecco said:

Yes it was the Braemar that made the passage and the headlines, she’s still in the fleet.  

Thanks

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

Do Fred still have a ship small enough to transit the Canal?.

They keep showing a ship going through, I presume the canal, on the sponsorship trailer for Place in the Sun, so I assume that it is still possible.

Just seen the other replies!

I must type faster! Everyone is obviously at a loose end today with the snow falling.

Edited January 14, 2021 by wowzz

[jantoby]

1 hour ago, joeecco said:

Could do a Fred Olsen itinerary where the ship itself transits the canal, pretty epic I bet! 

We're already booked on that but, thanks to Covid, Fred's had to put it back a year and my friend's worried that he might not be around in 2023.  He's now 85.  So I'm trying to find a way to do it sooner.

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, jantoby said:

We're already booked on that but, thanks to Covid, Fred's had to put it back a year and my friend's worried that he might not be around in 2023.  He's now 85.  So I'm trying to find a way to do it sooner.

I'm sure there will be someone else available to navigate the ship if he is not around!

[Eddie99]

Well, what do you know.  The ‘other’ cruise forum isn’t defunct and here is my report of Corinth, in all its glory 🙄.  The second part of the day, the visit to old Corinth, had quite slipped my mind , but it was very worthwhile.  Fascinating history, especially for any students of the bible and Paul in particular.  Hot though - it might be a bit much for an 85 year old?  He could go and explore the taverna 🙂

 

OK - are you ready for this ‘Epistle about the Corinthians’?  (April 2016 btw)

 

Well, this was it, our main project for this cruise, the trip to Corinth and transit of the Corinth Canal. We woke to clear blue skies and warmth and to find ourselves in a traffic system outside Piraeus. There were lots of commercial ships and inter-island ferries waiting their turn to be piloted in and we ate our breakfast on the balcony whilst waiting our turn. We saw one enclave of migrants in one specific area of the dock. Lots of little pop-up tents and at least they had been provided with water stand-points and portaloos but still not the best situation, especially for the children we could see playing.  

Despite the warnings in the excursion information we didn't 'eat a hearty breakfast' as there was to be coach travel and I don't do well on coaches at the best of times, never mind in high temperatures and atop bacon and eggs. Finally Azura moved forward and we made our way to The Playhouse to await our call. Brr, it was cold in there, compared to the balcony, but we didn't have to wait too long among the demi-chaos, till our call came. We followed our 'lollipop' through the huuuuge terminal and out into the heat of the port, then onto the coach. We were absolutely last on, so bagged the back seat; the coach was full, other than the 3 other seats at the back. Just in front of us were the couple who had given us their surplus olives yesterday!, so we had a good chat.

It's not a terribly beautiful journey, through the industrial and port area and then out into active and derilict industry towards Corinth. Our guide told us that we had quiet roads because it was Saturday and that the roads are clogged on weekdays. We arrived at the 'service station' beside the road which crosses the canal. It's typical of such places, offering snacks and drinks, nougat/Turkish delight (neither of which are called that of course), toilet facilities, tourist tat, postcards etc. If you are doing this trip it might be an idea to grab a pastry or packet of crisps to eat on the boat, as it was to be over 4 hours before we sat to our included meal.

We had a 20 minute pit-stop, during which we were able to walk on the pavement of the road across the canal and take pictures. It was very hot but not too heavily trafficked as to make it unpleasant. Nice to get some relatively fresh air after the air-con in the coach.

Then we piled back on for a very brief trip across the canal and on to our canal boat embarkation point, where our craft was waiting. The trip was two way, through the whole canal, with a recorded commentary to fill in gaps in ones knowledge. It is an amazing feat of engineering, with steep stark 'cliffs' at some points, and quite gentle undulating landscape at others. We saw several pairs of birds of prey which were nesting up high. We were the only vessel on the canal; I doubt there are ever boats crossing on the canal; it is pretty narrow. There was the offer of 'orange juice' on the return trip; I didn't try it as it looked rather more like Robinson's to me. So, that was the Corinth Canal. Another tick on the bucket list. We loved it; it's well worth a visit and we found it nicely uncrowded, which is a bonus.

All back on the coach again for the short ride to old Corinth. It was wonderful. We had been so canal-fixated that we had not taken much notice of the rest of the excursion, so the sights and history were a huge bonus. Our guide was amazing. We discovered that the Greek guides have to complete a three year full time course especially to become a guide - they are not former teachers or history graduates or whatever. The historical site at Corinth is fantastic and we found it nicely quiet; there were few other tourists there on the day we arrived. It was very hot, though the guide tried to stop in spots with a little shade when he told us things or showed us features.

We had about 20 minutes free time at the end of the site visit, so could visit the small site museum if we wished, or look at the few shops or take refreshment! We headed for a taverna (the one with red umbrellas you can see when nearing the end of the Corinth tour, if you are going) We had a beer on the roof terrace but the wonderful Greek cooking smells from the kitchen reminded us that we had not eaten since 8am and it was now after 3.30pm. Cruise Passengers Hungry - Shock! Horror! It was torture smelling lamb and herbs on the grill.

We had something like a half-hour trip to a very nice beachside hotel at which our buffet 'lunch' (at more like 'high tea' time) awaited us. Three courses, with cold starter buffet, hot and/or cold buffet main and a few desserts (no baklava), plus wine and coffee. Lots of choice, nice quality, something for everyone. We ate with our new 'olive friends'. There was about half an hour chill time after we had finished and it was good to walk by the shore, though the view back to the refinery outside the port wasn't the best. The hotel was smart though and had residents who were obviously happy at getting out of the city for the weekend or longer with only a brief drive.

Finally it was time to load up into the coach again and head 'home'. Still very hot. Our guide said the temperature was normal for Athens for that time of year, so that's a pointer as to a good time to visit. It was probably about six when we got back on board and the shower and change of clothes was good! 'All on board' was 9,30 pm and we contemplated exploring Piraeus, and had tried to spot likely tavernas near the post entrance on our coach trips but, although it's nothing like as doom and gloom and 'here be dragons' as some of the descriptions and warnings would have you believe, the nearest facilities appeared to be Irish bars and good ole' British pubs - not what we had travelled for. We were also fairly tired, after a busy, hot day. We had a light meal (Miditerranean) in the buffet and saw the end of Shaun Perry in Manhatten. We liked his act. We went in in the middle of Bring Him Home, which he did well and he moved on through BB King to 'tunes normally sung by girls', such as Over the Rainbow. We went back to the balcony to watch the sail out - interesting departing through a balmy dark night. There appear to be some waterside developments, like bars, which will hopefully help the area up. I think I read a report a few days ago about China investing squillions in Piraeus?

Well, that was a lovely day. A quiet day in Mykonos tomorrow, to recover before Santorini on Monday. Cruises often feel 'feast or fast' - lots of consecutive sea days or mad, port-intensive, flurries. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by Eddie99

[jantoby]

Thanks, Eddie99.  Sounds like a very good day.

[tring]

6 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

Do Fred still have a ship small enough to transit the Canal?.

Braemar still in Fred's fleet, but all her cruises before spring 2022 have been cancelled.  Cruises from then onwards will be in their new brochure due out in March, though some unusual itineraries have already been released for later than spring 2022 and Corinth is one of them.

 

Most of the Corinth cruises go from/to the UK and are very popular, so prices are very high.  Musy admit to wondering if Braemar will still be in Fred's fleet then if not sailing before that, but she does have the big advantage of being able to go into ports/locations the other ships cannot and she is not that old for Fred.

Edited January 14, 2021 by tring

[jantoby]

30 minutes ago, tring said:

Braemar still in Fred's fleet, but all her cruises before spring 2022 have been cancelled.  Cruises from then onwards will be in their new brochure due out in March, though some unusual itineraries have already been released for later than spring 2022 and Corinth is one of them.

 

Most of the Corinth cruises go from/to the UK and are very popular, so prices are very high.  Musy admit to wondering if Braemar will still be in Fred's fleet then if not sailing before that, but she does have the big advantage of being able to go into ports/locations the other ships cannot and she is not that old for Fred.

We were booked on Braemar to the Corinth Canal in April 2022.  That was cancelled along with all her other 21/22 cruises.  They've transferred us to her on 27th March 2023.  Not yet published, as they're giving passengers from the cancelled cruise first refusal.

[sueandphil]

Going under the road bridge towards the sea

[tring]

1 hour ago, jantoby said:

We were booked on Braemar to the Corinth Canal in April 2022.  That was cancelled along with all her other 21/22 cruises.  They've transferred us to her on 27th March 2023.  Not yet published, as they're giving passengers from the cancelled cruise first refusal.

Sorry got that wrong in terms of being on sale then.  I think I must have seen a comment written elsewhere from someone who has been transferred like yourself.  I hope it goes ahead and you enjoy it very much.  We may well be looking at Braemar for other things once the cruises are published, but probably not book early.

[Host Sharon]

23 hours ago, jantoby said:

We're already booked on that but, thanks to Covid, Fred's had to put it back a year and my friend's worried that he might not be around in 2023.  He's now 85.  So I'm trying to find a way to do it sooner.

There is a FO cruise transiting in Sept/Oct 2022 - I am booked on it.

[jantoby]

1 hour ago, Host Sharon said:

There is a FO cruise transiting in Sept/Oct 2022 - I am booked on it.

 

The 25 night one?  Unfortunately the dates clash with a holiday already booked that can't be changed.

[tartanexile81]

On 1/14/2021 at 5:45 PM, jantoby said:

We were booked on Braemar to the Corinth Canal in April 2022.  That was cancelled along with all her other 21/22 cruises.  They've transferred us to her on 27th March 2023.  Not yet published, as they're giving passengers from the cancelled cruise first refusal.

Thank you for that information jantoby. I've recently been in touch with my travel agent enquiring about the Corinth Canal cruise in 2023  to celebrate our Ruby anniversary. Have they given you a date by which you have to say yay or nay? 

[jantoby]

17 minutes ago, tartanexile81 said:

Thank you for that information jantoby. I've recently been in touch with my travel agent enquiring about the Corinth Canal cruise in 2023  to celebrate our Ruby anniversary. Have they given you a date by which you have to say yay or nay? 

 

 

Yes, 10th February.  As the name of the cruise has changed slightly - cancelled one was Greek Islands & Corinth Canal, and 2023 is Corinth Canal & Ancient Greece - I phoned to ask for the itinerary (not that it makes any difference, we'll do it whatever the itinerary) - they said I'd be receiving an email with it in the next couple of days.  That was on Wednesday so should get it soon.

[tartanexile81]

3 minutes ago, jantoby said:

 

 

Yes, 10th February.  As the name of the cruise has changed slightly - cancelled one was Greek Islands & Corinth Canal, and 2023 is Corinth Canal & Ancient Greece - I phoned to ask for the itinerary (not that it makes any difference, we'll do it whatever the itinerary) - they said I'd be receiving an email with it in the next couple of days.  That was on Wednesday so should get it soon.

Thanks for the speedy reply. Hopefully we'll meet you on it if we can get a cabin! So few cruises from the UK go to that area and we'd just love to do it 

[jantoby]

On 1/16/2021 at 10:18 AM, tartanexile81 said:

Thanks for the speedy reply. Hopefully we'll meet you on it if we can get a cabin! So few cruises from the UK go to that area and we'd just love to do it 

 

Confirmation and itinerary have come in the post today.  Same cabins as the cancelled 2022 sailing, and - most important - same price, too.

 

Itinerary's:  

Mon 27 March,  depart Valletta

Wed 29    Emoupolis, Syros

Thurs 30   Rhodes

Fri 31      Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Sat 01 April   Piraeus (for Athens)

Sun 02      Cruising Corinth Canal

Mon 03      Argostoli, Kefallonia

Tues 04    Katakolon

Thurs 06    arr Valletta

 

 

I hope you get on.   Yes,let's meet up!

[tartanexile81]

4 hours ago, jantoby said:

 

Confirmation and itinerary have come in the post today.  Same cabins as the cancelled 2022 sailing, and - most important - same price, too.

 

Itinerary's:  

Mon 27 March,  depart Valletta

Wed 29    Emoupolis, Syros

Thurs 30   Rhodes

Fri 31      Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Sat 01 April   Piraeus (for Athens)

Sun 02      Cruising Corinth Canal

Mon 03      Argostoli, Kefallonia

Tues 04    Katakolon

Thurs 06    arr Valletta

 

 

I hope you get on.   Yes,let's meet up!

Thanks Jan. I'll let you know how we get on but definitely very interested