REVIEW: Planes, Trains, Automobiles & A New Cruise Ship: Our European "Odyssey" Without Our Kids

[SE fla]

Where was the best food for dinners. Did you try any the pay for restaurants?

[RCCL Fan]

Santorini...  Get Ready For Too Many Pics

 

 

 

One thing I truly loved about this cruise was waking up somewhere new each day... if your cruising addiction is like mine often book for a new ship, or a great price, or your kids spring break week.    The result... you go to the same places over and over again. 

 

I've been to Costa Maya so many times I actually guessed with pretty precision accuracy where we were one morning, just looking by the shore.

 

 St. Thomas, Maarten, Labadee, Coco Cay, Nassau, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Roatan, San Juan.   I've done each at least three times, Take Coco Cay and Roatan out of the mix and I've done them all at least six times.

 

Today though was different...  Santorini.

 

 

No clue what to expect and that in and of itself was just exciting.

 

We arrived midday to find other ships already anchored and tendering passengers and we looked up to see the city on a hill  as it seems from the ship. 

 

 

We tendered over at our assigned time, which I have to admit was a bit of a mess.  RCI doesn't tender much anymore but they do need to find an electronic means to the process.  Everyone had to line up in the music hall to get a ticket and the line was sooo long.  People were furious and complaining about their times.  It was a mess.

 

 

I do think loyalty should have given me a better tender time, it's an easy perk and one I was surprised we didn't get.   Nonetheless there were some very angry people about their assigned tender times.

 

Once we got off the ship and headed to shore though is where the real fun began.  If you don't know the geography of Santorini, it's crazy. My accuracy may not but strong but this is my understanding. 

 

***again i'm sure i'm wrong about something, and my apologies off the bat***

 

 

 The ship sails into a big circular bay, which in reality is the sea filled crater in the center of a volcano.  You're kinda down in the crater on the ship and the city is up at the top of the mountain that's in a circle around you.

 

So you sail into the crater of the volcano (open on one side)  and then have to get up to the top of it to get to "santorini"  

 

There's three options....   walk or ride a donkey up some steps,  take a cable car, or hop on a boat to the other side of the island where it's lower to walk ashore. 

 

 

 

This was the line for the cable car.   If you thought the tender line was bad, Ha.  We're talking 100 degrees and an hour plus wait in direct sun. It wasn't pretty.

 

 

Some of those who opted for the donkey were coming back down saying a mix of things from animal cruelty for the donkeys, so the steep incline, to the tons of donkey poop on the stairs. 

 

The boat wasn't an option for us as we hired a local tour guide who was meeting us up top.

 

 

While I think Royal can better handle the tenders, there's nothing they could do about the cable car, and it's just kinda part of the charm of visiting such a unique place.    

 

 

 

Once we got up top the views were amazing and you're like, yep.... all those lines and drama were worth it.

 

 

Our guide picked us up, and immediately took us for a bite to eat at a gyro place.   It was a place near his apartment that he loves.   Not touristy, just local everyday lunch spot. 

 

 

We had greek beer and tons of food and listened to stories about the island and each other!  We met the shop's owner and his son and learned their history.

 

 

Our bellies were full so what better thing to do next than... drink.    lol

 

Yes we went to a winery and learned all about how they grow grapes and make wine on this volcanic rock known as Santorini.

 

 

We did a tasting, chatted with people at the next table drinking after their donkey ride up the cliff...   and swearing they wouldn't do it again.

 

 

After we've eaten and drank, then the tour part has to go well...

 

 

We rode around the island, learning a bit about the culture and life there and then to Oia where we could see those iconic white buildings, blue domes, and Santorini sunsets.

 

 

We drove back to the town to be dropped off after that, and stopped for dinner.

 

 

We picked a restaurant based on who had seating with the best views and oh it paid off.  They were fantastic.  Even if it was an Italian restaurant!   whoops!   

 

 

  Just after we seated we remembered we had moved an hour ahead in time and likely didn't have time to eat, since there was a huge line to get back down the cliff on the cable car.

 

 

So we had a drink, apologized to the wait staff, and gave them a tip about 8 times our bill, and got in line to go back down to the ship.

 

The line down was rough though, people were cutting in line huge huge crowds of people were cutting and there was really no one to stop them.  One family of about 30  people walked past everyone saying "we already bought our tickets we don't have to wait in line"   and the rest of us were like,  what??

 

There was a couple who just nosed their way between our group, not realizing we were together, telling us they had been "in front of this couple the whole time"   People can be so frustrating.   I tried to not let it spoil nature at work.

 

 

 

 

 

Royal did have two staff members at the cable car monitoring lines and sending photos to the bridge so they could keep track of timing. 

 

There was no way we were leaving on time, the line was just way too long for everyone to get on the ship in time.

 

 

Once back on board everyone bee lined to windjammer for food.  It was packed.  I would expect this to be normal with a 1pm to 11pm port call but it took the staff off guard.   I heard one of the windjammer head waiters say, "call the main dining room, they have to send us help"  

 

Dinner was hot and great and plentiful and I do think they kept windjammer open past it's normal hours so everyone could eat.   It was a nice move.

 

With full bellies  we went back to the balcony and watched santorini slip away.

 

 

Tomorrow we go to Turkey.... but I had the beef!

 

 

[Crazy planning mom]

Those Santorini pics are awesome.

[RCCL Fan]

2 hours ago, SE fla said:

Where was the best food for dinners. Did you try any the pay for restaurants?

 

I posted about Chops on Day 1,  we tried Giovannis and Wonderland as well, they're coming up as the week goes on.

[karebare22]

Beautiful Santorini photos! It’s been a long time since I last had to take a tender.  For tender tickets, can one person stand in line to get tickets for the family?

 

 It’s helpful to know about the crowds and long lines, we’ll pack our patience. Our plan is to do the walk up and down (I think that will be an adventure in itself!). 

 

I was discouraged to hear your impression of the Effectors show, we usually enjoy the production shows and most of the entertainers. We know one of the dancers from the entertainment staff and are hoping to meet up with her. She danced at the same studio together with my daughters a few years ago.
 

Last question - do you know the name of the band that played in the music hall? 

[Coralc]

I don't know why they keep calling them donkeys?  They're mules. 

[Sea Dog]

23 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

I know supply chain issues are a challenge for everyone, I didn't feel it on this ship.  Great portions, good food, and everything was very tasty!

 

That's encouraging.

 

23 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

One thing we noticed tonight --- the wifi would disappear... like not even show up as an option. Happened a few times, during the week.  When it was there it worked great, just wasn't always there.

 

Another reason why I don't think I'll be doing any live reviews. Too much a pain.

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

There was no way we were leaving on time, the line was just way too long for everyone to get on the ship in time.

 

When we were there we did the mules going up and the cable car going down. I wish there was something easier. I felt bad for the mules and I was a nervous wreck afraid that we would not get on the cable car in time to make it back to the ship. It would be nice if they rebuilt the cable car to handle more people and a faster run.

[RCCL Fan]

17 minutes ago, karebare22 said:

Beautiful Santorini photos! It’s been a long time since I last had to take a tender.  For tender tickets, can one person stand in line to get tickets for the family?

 

 It’s helpful to know about the crowds and long lines, we’ll pack our patience. Our plan is to do the walk up and down (I think that will be an adventure in itself!). 

 

I was discouraged to hear your impression of the Effectors show, we usually enjoy the production shows and most of the entertainers. We know one of the dancers from the entertainment staff and are hoping to meet up with her. She danced at the same studio together with my daughters a few years ago.
 

Last question - do you know the name of the band that played in the music hall? 

 

Yes  one person can get tender tickets.   Funny side story that was supposed to be me.  But...... for the first time ever on a cruise the ship didn't stay on ship time.  We changed time zones when we got to Greece.  So I was late.  Luckily my work spouse knows when I didn't answer his texts I was likely asleep and he went and stood in line and got ours for the group.

 

I was surprised I couldn't get any in the diamond lounge... but i guess they don't consider it a perk. 

 

 

As for effectors.... we're a theater family.  My oldest is always working on one production or another between school, and a church theater group,  and she did dance when she was younger, so it's not like I have a low tolerance.  I hated it.  we all did.   It was just bad. 

 

and no, no idea of the band in Music Hall.   We never really wound up in there much.  

[RCCL Fan]

17 minutes ago, Coralc said:

I don't know why they keep calling them donkeys?  They're mules. 

 

I actually know!    

 

Our tour guide said there was always a mix of donkeys and mules that were on the island and used for various different tasks including transportation.  Historically it was always donkeys and then mules were mixed in as they're stronger thanks to the horse breeding.   But the caretakers and what not were always known as donkey caretakers and even though more mules are used today they're all still called donkeys as per tradition/history.

[Coralc]

1 minute ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

I actually know!    

 

Our tour guide said there was always a mix of donkeys and mules that were on the island and used for various different tasks including transportation.  Historically it was always donkeys and then mules were mixed in as they're stronger thanks to the horse breeding.   But the caretakers and what not were always known as donkey caretakers and even though more mules are used today they're all still called donkeys as per tradition/history.

Thank you! Your trip report is great! That makes more sense, than people calling them donkeys all the time. 

[perfect match]

Loved the pics from Santorini.

With the lines for the cable car being as long as it was, you might have had plenty of time to have dinner and still catch the end of the long line waiting to get back to the ship! 😱. No, we wouldn’t have done that either! Smart move making sure you got back on time. 😀🛳

[drjohn4]

Sunset in Santorini was definitely one of the highlights of our Odyssey cruise as well. Hearing about your tender experience makes me glad we bought the Key. We walked down the donkey trail after sunset.  Took a little while, but avoided the lines, and there were great views of Odyssey lit up in the bay on the way down. 
All the other ships in port sailed before sunset, and not all Odyssey sailings stay late. If you find one that does, seeing the sunset up there is totally worth it, even if you have to wait in line to get the tram back down. 
 

[sgmn]

We tend to cruise the Med more and have been to Santorini three times. The last time in June there was only us (celebrity Beyond) and a much smaller ship. Much better than the time before when there were five or six ships in the basin. 

We had a long day there so didn't rush to get off and there were no queues for the cable cars. Each time we've done the  boat that takes you to the other side of Santorini with a bus into Oia and bus included back to Fira a few hours later. Think it was €30. 

We've walked down twice, the steps are quite shallow and not too bad to walk down. In June there was no queue to come back down on the cable car so we took the ride.

Your tour sounds fab and you really got an idea of island life there 

[little britain]

Having dinner in Santorini was one of the highlights of our odyssey cruise, thanks to the late departure. 
We went to Volcano Blue restaurant which is about 39 steps from the top of the donkey path. Recommended.

And don’t worry about missing the ship as RCI have a crew member monitoring the queue. He says they’ve never left anyone behind!

Edited August 4, 2022 by little britain
View from our dinner table

[JessyCruises]

Yet another great review.  Thanks for taking us along for the ride.  Santorini looks beautiful.  Hopefully we will get over to Europe sooner rather than later!

[soremekun]

@RCCL Fan While in Paris, did you exchange any dollars for local currency?  If so, was your plan to use any "leftover" foreign currency for crew tips or to bring home to show your daughters?

[mo&fran]

37 minutes ago, soremekun said:

@RCCL Fan While in Paris, did you exchange any dollars for local currency?  If so, was your plan to use any "leftover" foreign currency for crew tips or to bring home to show your daughters?

Best way to get local currency is at the ATM.  Much better exchange rate that the money changers. Any money left over went back to our bank to turn back to US dollars. 

[wolfganghowell]

Stunning shots of Santorini.  thank you thank you

[irishgal432]

Would you recommend this Sanitorni tour.  If so would you share teh contact info.  We will have about 12 people looking for something like this.

Edited August 5, 2022 by irishgal432

[Roybthered]

Have a village and winery tour booked for Santorini and are so looking forward to it and seeing this beautiful Island.

[PSU]

Can’t wait for the rest of the review.

[RCCL Fan]

On 8/4/2022 at 2:10 PM, soremekun said:

@RCCL Fan While in Paris, did you exchange any dollars for local currency?  If so, was your plan to use any "leftover" foreign currency for crew tips or to bring home to show your daughters?

 

We ordered Euros from our bank before we left home.  It was great, told them how much we wanted and they took it out of our account and sent it to us FedEx at home before we left.    

 

It lasted us most of the trip as I paid for EVERYTHING I could ahead of time or with a credit card.  I avoided using cash as much as possible. but I had to get some more out of the ATM right before we came home.

 

With the dollar and the euro being worth the same thing (which happened while we were there) people were very willing to take dollars too. 

 

We prepaid tips, and did dollars for our extra envelopes  (guest services said ship operated in dollars mostly) 

 

Girls saw the Euros before we left. 

[RCCL Fan]

On 8/4/2022 at 2:50 PM, mo&fran said:

Best way to get local currency is at the ATM.  Much better exchange rate that the money changers. Any money left over went back to our bank to turn back to US dollars. 

 

It was even better to order from our bank before we left.  There was no service charge and just the banks going exchange rate which was 0.98 to $1 at the time. 

 

ATM's charged an exchange rate of 0.81 to the $1 even though at the time it was all over the news that the $1 was actually surpassing the Euro.  Plus every ATM we tried had a 10% fee on top of the exchange rate. 

 

We definitely did better ordering money before leaving home. 

[RCCL Fan]

On 8/5/2022 at 3:25 PM, irishgal432 said:

Would you recommend this Sanitorni tour.  If so would you share teh contact info.  We will have about 12 people looking for something like this.

 

I really wish cruise critic had a DM feature. I am unable to publicly   "recommend" any service/company due to employment.  There were some ups and downs to our tour but overall I would definitely repeat.  If we  can figure out a way to chat privately I can answer more questions. 

 

But do some searching, especially for tours by locals   and you'll find lots of options there.