Mykonos and Santorini excursions (and others)

[exm]

Hi! I will be sailing on the 8/14 Odyssey "7 Night Greek Isles Cruise", and I am looking for some opinions about these two stops:

 

Mykonos

I really want to make this a beach day. There seem to be a lot of beaches in the area.

 

Santorini

I am considering "Island of Santorini and Oia Village", any other ideas?

 

I have the following excursions booked (any feedback is appreciated!)

Ephesus

Ephesus & Adaland Aquapark for Families

 

Naples

Taste of Sorrento & Pompeii

 

I have no problems going outside of RC for excursions, or going on my own! I have 6, 8, 11 year olds who will travel with me (thus the beach and aquapark, trying to balance sightseeing and some relaxation).

 

[SRF]

Mykonos can be done on your own.

 

There are some buses from the town are to various beaches.  And there are a lot of beaches.

[DCPIV]

I cannot comment on the specific excursions, but I tend to agree with your choices of concept. I'd say you're hitting a good balance.

 

Mykonos is gorgeous and pretty much a resort island.  Mykonos is a great place for a beach day because it actually has sandy beaches (as opposed to the gravel beaches on other islands--still beautiful, but not exactly what US folks tend to look for). You can do it on your own, but you also might enjoy the convenience of not doing it on your own if it's just you and the three kids.  That's totally up to you.

 

Santorini is a small, beautiful, and interesting island.  This might be a good place to let the kids have some input on what sounds interesting to them.  Chances are mighty good that you also would find it interesting.

 

You can't miss Ephesus and Pompeii if you've never been there.  Shoot, Pompeii is a tough one to miss even if you have been there.  I've been there three times, and it was a different tour each time (some overlap, but also something new each time).

 

If your kids are the sort that enjoy learning about places, it's not a bad idea to get a book or two (or some media something) that is written for their age level and that introduces them to the places you will go.  That was something that worked very well for us when we travelled with our boys.  They were more excited about going, and I would say that they had a better time than if they had just gone in cold.  There's something to be said for seeing pictures of and learning something about the history of a place, anticipating seeing it in person, and then actually being there.  It's a different depth of experience.

[exm]

38 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

I cannot comment on the specific excursions, but I tend to agree with your choices of concept. I'd say you're hitting a good balance.

 

Mykonos is gorgeous and pretty much a resort island.  Mykonos is a great place for a beach day because it actually has sandy beaches (as opposed to the gravel beaches on other islands--still beautiful, but not exactly what US folks tend to look for). You can do it on your own, but you also might enjoy the convenience of not doing it on your own if it's just you and the three kids.  That's totally up to you.

 

Santorini is a small, beautiful, and interesting island.  This might be a good place to let the kids have some input on what sounds interesting to them.  Chances are mighty good that you also would find it interesting.

 

You can't miss Ephesus and Pompeii if you've never been there.  Shoot, Pompeii is a tough one to miss even if you have been there.  I've been there three times, and it was a different tour each time (some overlap, but also something new each time).

 

If your kids are the sort that enjoy learning about places, it's not a bad idea to get a book or two (or some media something) that is written for their age level and that introduces them to the places you will go.  That was something that worked very well for us when we travelled with our boys.  They were more excited about going, and I would say that they had a better time than if they had just gone in cold.  There's something to be said for seeing pictures of and learning something about the history of a place, anticipating seeing it in person, and then actually being there.  It's a different depth of experience.

 

Thanks for your reply, and it seems that you agree with my strategy (always nice to hear 🙂 ) and I like you recommendation about books. My 11 year old already knows about Pompei!

 

Any specific beach recommendations for Mykonos?

[DCPIV]

2 hours ago, exm said:

Any specific beach recommendations for Mykonos?

 

I wish I could, but I don't recall where it was we went.  It's been a while, I'm sorry to say!  Someone might chime in here, and I bet you can get some good recommendations over at the Ports of Call board.

[exm]

9 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

I wish I could, but I don't recall where it was we went.  It's been a while, I'm sorry to say!  Someone might chime in here, and I bet you can get some good recommendations over at the Ports of Call board.

 

That's a good tip! I'll head over there! Ty

[rockmom]

3 hours ago, exm said:

 

Thanks for your reply, and it seems that you agree with my strategy (always nice to hear 🙂 ) and I like you recommendation about books. My 11 year old already knows about Pompei!

 

Any specific beach recommendations for Mykonos?

Do your research on beaches--many in Greece are 'clothing optional'.  I think there are several RC excursions that have a beach transfer.  I know one is to Elia beach and that is definitely a clothing optional/gay friendly beach so may not be your best choice.  If your sailing has Kalafatis beach listed, that is a family friendly beach.  

[exm]

Yeah, I know that's very European 🙂 I think I'll go to Platis Gialos Beach. Now onto Santorini...

[SRF]

On most European beaches, one end may be clothing optional. But not the whole beach in most cases.

 

But on Mykonos, in the high season, they may not adhere to the one end of the beach unwritten rule. 😄

 

If you go counter clockwise from the town, that side has beach after beach.  The other side are less beaches, but also less people as many of them require you drive to them (no bus service).

 

IIRC, there is also a water shuttle from beach to beach.

[cruisequeen4ever]

You have great plans! I do recommend the beach close to Mykonos Town in order to explore the beautiful town. Katarina’s has amazing food! Be sure to eat in Sorrento, too. Have fun! 

[DesireeC03]

thanks for asking this as we are doing a similar itinerary this summer - so helpful