Sharing 2 Greek Tours on 1 October and 8 October Star Flyer Cruises

[donaldsc]

I know that you are supposed to put tour sharing offers on roll calls but nobody seems to read Clipper Cruises roll calls so I am posting here.  All of my posts on the roll calls have been totally dead. 

 

We are taking the 1 0ctober and 8 October Star Flyer Greek cruises.  I have booked and in the process of booking 2 private tours which will be better and only marginally more expensive than tours listed on the Star Clipper WEB site.  The tours are on Rhodes in the first cruise and to Ephesus out of Kusadasi on the 2nd cruise.  The tours will be small group tours limited to a maximum group size of 6 people.  If you think that you might be interested get back to me and we can correspond..  I am also trying to set up a walking tour on Hydra.

 

DON

[mapsd]

Small ships= small passenger list with a small % on this board, so I can see how it's tough to find a tour partner here.

 

After boarding, there is an extended cocktail hour, where a lot of mingling goes on.  I think that would be your best prospect for adding to your group.  It will be early enough that even those already signed-up will have time to switch.

 

We did the Ephesus group tour & it was excellent, but I think a smaller group would be even better.

It also ended with a demonstration/sales pitch for Turkish rugs in Kusadasi (interesting, but took up a lot of time).  My 2 suggestions for your tour:

1.  Make sure your tour starts at the top of the Ephesus ruins (it slopes the entire time & walking downhill is much easier.

2.  Make sure it includes the Terrace Houses exhibit (attach to the ruins, but has a separate ticket/restricted entrance).  Definitely worth it! 

[donaldsc]

10 minutes ago, mapsd said:

Small ships= small passenger list with a small % on this board, so I can see how it's tough to find a tour partner here.

 

After boarding, there is an extended cocktail hour, where a lot of mingling goes on.  I think that would be your best prospect for adding to your group.  It will be early enough that even those already signed-up will have time to switch.

 

We did the Ephesus group tour & it was excellent, but I think a smaller group would be even better.

It also ended with a demonstration/sales pitch for Turkish rugs in Kusadasi (interesting, but took up a lot of time).  My 2 suggestions for your tour:

1.  Make sure your tour starts at the top of the Ephesus ruins (it slopes the entire time & walking downhill is much easier.

2.  Make sure it includes the Terrace Houses exhibit (attach to the ruins, but has a separate ticket/restricted entrance).  Definitely worth it! 

 

Thanks a lot for the response.  Sounds like you have done one or both of the cruises.  Do you have any thought or tips to pass on to me.  This will be my first cruise on a sailboat unless you count the Maine windjammer cruise that we did many year ago.  We are really excited to do it although my wife is convinced that she will get seasick because of the rough seas or having to hold on when the ship heels over.  We owned a sailboat when we lived near the Chesapeake Bay and she always worried that the boat was going to capsize when we heeled.

 

With regard to your suggestions - our guide has already included the Terrace House exhibit as part of the tour and I will remind her that it is easier to walk downhill than uphill.  

 

A couple of questions if you don't mind.

 

1.  How strict are they about bringing wine on board?  I was hoping to drink some Greek wine and I like stuff like retsina which I am sure they will not have.  Do they inspect your bags very closely when you return to the ship from a port.

 

2) I was looking at the stuff to do and other information on line on our stops at Bodrum and Dalyan River.  Seems like there isn't much to do at those ports and the places where we dock don't seem very exciting.  What did you do at those ports.  

 

3) Most of the tours offered by Clipper seem a bit short to me.  Did you take many tours and how were they.

 

Again thanks a lot and I may come back w a few more questions.  I am by nature a bit of an over planner and it has been hard to do it on this cruise.

 

DON

[mapsd]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

Thanks a lot for the response.  Sounds like you have done one or both of the cruises.  Do you have any thought or tips to pass on to me.  This will be my first cruise on a sailboat unless you count the Maine windjammer cruise that we did many year ago.  We are really excited to do it although my wife is convinced that she will get seasick because of the rough seas or having to hold on when the ship heels over.  We owned a sailboat when we lived near the Chesapeake Bay and she always worried that the boat was going to capsize when we heeled.

 

The Star Flyer is large enough that there isn't the constant bobbing like a small sailboat, and its not a race, so not a lot of tacking.  Most travel is done during the night, so some gentle rocking is expected.  We had one day of bad weather where a few got seasick.

.........................

1.  How strict are they about bringing wine on board?  I was hoping to drink some Greek wine and I like stuff like retsina which I am sure they will not have.  Do they inspect your bags very closely when you return to the ship from a port.

My memory was that they allowed 1 bottle to be carried aboard.  No searching of bags happens so exceeding it wouldn't be hard.  Drinking it in the dining room wouldn't fly, but in private or carrying a glass on deck would be easy.  The on-board drink options are pretty extensive though & reasonable price.

 

2) I was looking at the stuff to do and other information on line on our stops at Bodrum and Dalyan River.  Seems like there isn't much to do at those ports and the places where we dock don't seem very exciting.  What did you do at those ports.  

We didn't stop in those locales, but renting a mini-cabana on a local beach was popular if not taking the tour, or just exploring/shopping on your own.

On those kind of stops, we rented small vehicles and drove ourselves around, stopping at everything that looked interesting (there was a lot to see!).  Vehicles vary from US 4-wheelers or side-by-sides to what they call a "buggy" - think a mini version of our dune buggies.  All are street legal and never needed an international driver's license.  Easier/cheaper than getting a car and parking was much simpler.  

3) Most of the tours offered by Clipper seem a bit short to me.  Did you take many tours and how were they.

We did the provided tours most of the time.  It's not at all like big cruise ship shore excursions.

Smaller groups, not much downtime.  Usually a few steps from the dock to boarding a small bus (they broke groups into smaller sections, each with a guide.  A few of the shorter stops are geared towards not missing the "one big thing" which makes sense.

Most tours allowed a few hours of personal time before returning to the boat.  A few times, we left the group towards the end of the tour and found our own way back to the dock (just tell them you're leaving.

Staying with the group is definitely the easiest/safest though.

 

Again thanks a lot and I may come back w a few more questions.  I am by nature a bit of an over planner and it has been hard to do it on this cruise.

No problem.  I'm the same way.

We're doing the Athens->Venice trip next summer & I'm already planning!

 

 

[RSSNewsmaster]

Hi Don,
I'm new today to Cruise Critic and new to Star Clippers, as well, so please excuse my ignorance, but how do you find out about Star Flyer shore excursions? My group of four are booked on the Oct 8-15 Northern Cyclades cruise on the Star Flyer and have heard nothing from Star Clippers other than the Passenger Confirmation Invoices. When our travel agent and myself have tried to contact them we've heard nothing and I don't see anything on their website other than ancient PDF summary of shore excursions. The StarClippers.com email addresses I've tried are sales@, info@, and confirmation@, but haven't even received a reply. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Ray

Edited August 11, 2022 by RSSNewsmaster

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, RSSNewsmaster said:

Hi Don,
I'm new today to Cruise Critic and new to Star Clippers, as well, so please excuse my ignorance, but how do you find out about Star Flyer shore excursions? My group of four are booked on the Oct 8-15 Northern Cyclades cruise on the Star Flyer and have heard nothing from Star Clippers other than the Passenger Confirmation Invoices. When our travel agent and myself have tried to contact them we've heard nothing and I don't see anything on their website other than ancient PDF summary of shore excursions. The StarClippers.com email addresses I've tried are sales@, info@, and confirmation@, but haven't even received a reply. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Ray

 

You can get a list of the ship tours on their WEB site at https://www.starclippers.com/us-dom/destinations/star-clippers-shore-excursions.html.  Also I have had success when I called them or sent an e-mail message to them at info@starclippers.com.  They usually respond within 1 day.  

 

I have a tour to Ephesus booked from the Kusadasi port stop.  The ship tour is 69 E and the trip length is 3 h 30 m with a minimum of 12 participants.  My tour will be $61 plus about $25 for entry fees each for a group of 4 people.  Also the tour will be longer at 5 or 5 1/2 hours so we will have more time at Ephesus than you get on the ship tour.  Remember that the drive time from Kusadasi to Ephesus is about 30 minutes so if you take the ship tour you loose 1 hour of your 3 h 30 m getting to and from Ephesus.  I believe that she can take a group of 6 people but I need to verify it w her and also what the cost for 6 people will be.  I will get back to you once I verify that she can take 6 people. 

 

I will have paid for the tour in advance before we leave for Greece.  So if you do join is on the tour your would have to give us cash when we start the tour to cover your part of the tour cost.

 

We plan to visit Ephesus,  the Terrace Houses, an interesting village and perhaps a craft shop although I have emphasized to her that I don't want to waste a lot of time shopping.  The guide is also a bit of a foodie so I asked her to take us to a good local restaurant for a meal.  I should tell you that we are specifically not interested in visiting the home of the Virgin Mary.

 

I assume from your e-mails that this is your first Clipper Ship cruise.  It is also our first.  However we met a couple on our most recent trip to Alaska who had taken several of their cruises including the 2 that I am taking and they assured us that we will love it.  Also we have taken many ToursbyLocals tours and we have never had a bad tour from them.  One of the great thing about their tours is that within the tour time constraints you can modify the tour to see what you really want to see.  Sometimes we have even modified a tour program in the middle of the tour.

 

I will get back to you once I get a reply from the guide on 6 people.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:55 PM, RSSNewsmaster said:

Hi Don,
I'm new today to Cruise Critic and new to Star Clippers, as well, so please excuse my ignorance, but how do you find out about Star Flyer shore excursions? My group of four are booked on the Oct 8-15 Northern Cyclades cruise on the Star Flyer and have heard nothing from Star Clippers other than the Passenger Confirmation Invoices. When our travel agent and myself have tried to contact them we've heard nothing and I don't see anything on their website other than ancient PDF summary of shore excursions. The StarClippers.com email addresses I've tried are sales@, info@, and confirmation@, but haven't even received a reply. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Ray

 

I just got a reply from the guide.  She can handle 6 people.  The total cost for the 6 of us would be 300 E so that would be 50 E per person plus some incidental expenses.  I like to keep my private tours small so the total group will be 6 people.  As I mentioned - we will not be stopping at the Virgin Mary's home and I should also add that I am not into spending time shopping.

 

If you are still leave me your e-mail address and I will contact you off CC.  I always do my private tour arrangements off CC and I have neve had any problem w that.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:55 PM, RSSNewsmaster said:

Hi Don,
I'm new today to Cruise Critic and new to Star Clippers, as well, so please excuse my ignorance, but how do you find out about Star Flyer shore excursions? My group of four are booked on the Oct 8-15 Northern Cyclades cruise on the Star Flyer and have heard nothing from Star Clippers other than the Passenger Confirmation Invoices. When our travel agent and myself have tried to contact them we've heard nothing and I don't see anything on their website other than ancient PDF summary of shore excursions. The StarClippers.com email addresses I've tried are sales@, info@, and confirmation@, but haven't even received a reply. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Ray

 

Are you interested???

 

DON

[littleh]

Hi! We've done the stop at Dalyan and took the star clipper boat trip which was actually lovely . In general the tours will smaller groups anyway as of course there are less people to start with. I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a star clipper tour. Be prepared for the tenders! Taken good shoes, not your fancy shoes and rucksack or bag you have free hands with is great. You wil never be hungry I'm sure. In the event you wer late for dinner there are always the late night snacks!

Regarding ports in general the cruise director and other staff are usually excellent at giving you tips for self exploration. I think on Patmos we followed some directions from the director for walking up to the monastery for example.

Sorry not to have seen your post earlier. We are going on our 4th star clipper cruise in a fortnight. Try to relax and enjoy the ship and scenery and don't worry too much about planning. You are going to such wonderful destinations you will enjoy I'm sure! 

[donaldsc]

2 minutes ago, littleh said:

Hi! We've done the stop at Dalyan and took the star clipper boat trip which was actually lovely . In general the tours will smaller groups anyway as of course there are less people to start with. I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a star clipper tour. Be prepared for the tenders! Taken good shoes, not your fancy shoes and rucksack or bag you have free hands with is great. You wil never be hungry I'm sure. In the event you wer late for dinner there are always the late night snacks!

Regarding ports in general the cruise director and other staff are usually excellent at giving you tips for self exploration. I think on Patmos we followed some directions from the director for walking up to the monastery for example.

Sorry not to have seen your post earlier. We are going on our 4th star clipper cruise in a fortnight. Try to relax and enjoy the ship and scenery and don't worry too much about planning. You are going to such wonderful destinations you will enjoy I'm sure! 

 

We were thinking of doing the mud baths at Dalyan.  Sounds like a bit of a hoot.

 

Any other thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks.

 

DON

[littleh]

Ah yes sounds fun! 

 

[littleh]

14 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

We were thinking of doing the mud baths at Dalyan.  Sounds like a bit of a hoot.

 

Any other thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks.

 

DON

Just be prepared for the social aspect, which I'm hoping hasn't been too detrimentally affected by the COVID protocols. 

 

We switch between a large ship such as a royal Caribbean and a star clipper and they are just absolutely different worlds. 

Make sure you're on deck for sail away it's priceless. 

 

 

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, littleh said:

Just be prepared for the social aspect, which I'm hoping hasn't been too detrimentally affected by the COVID protocols. 

 

We switch between a large ship such as a royal Caribbean and a star clipper and they are just absolutely different worlds. 

Make sure you're on deck for sail away it's priceless. 

 

 

 

Do you mean nude??  Just wondering?

 

DON

[littleh]

Er, I just mean people will talk to each other! 

[mapsd]

5 hours ago, littleh said:

Do you mean nude??  Just wondering?

DON

 

Er, I just mean people will talk to each other! 

I think Don meant to quote/ask about the mud baths.

 

Several in our group did them.  They encourage you to strip down to nothing. 

Those we talked to kept their swimsuits on.

They suggested tight "biker" shorts would be the best thing  to have on instead of a loose swimsuit.

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by mapsd

[littleh]

17 minutes ago, mapsd said:

I think Don meant to quote/ask about the mud baths.

 

Several in our group did them.  They encourage you to strip down to nothing. 

Those we talked to kept their swimsuits on.

They suggested tight "biker" shorts would be the best thing  to have on instead of a loose swimsuit.

 

Ah makes sense now ,🙃