Delos in 3D

[cruisin cousin]

Our ship offers two excursions to Delos. One is a standard tour. The other is called Delos in 3D. They give you tablets that you can point at the ruins and see what they (might have) looked like in antiquity.  I assume it also includes the tour part. That sounds really cool. It is also about $80.00 over and above the already quite expensive standard excursion.  Has anyone taken it or a similar one?  Is it worth it?  Do the gadgets actually work? We are in our 50's, do quite a bit of history and archeology, and would like a solid experience. 

 

(I am not going to sign up for a non-ship excursion to Delos because the last time we were in Mykanos there were rough waters and I waited at least 2.5 hours past the time my tender was supposed to be called. Not going to risk it.) 

[cruisemom42]

Isn't what we normally see 3-D?  😉

 

Just teasing a little. I hate incorrect things like that, I was an editor for 30+ years...

 

Anyway, it's only quite recently that these virtual reality/3-D type tours have become available. I have mixed feelings about them, as someone who has looked at a lot of ruins in my time.

 

On the one hand, if well done, they can add a lot to our understanding of how the site or ruins would have looked, how they were constructed, decorated, and used. A good example is the one I've used at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. Some people find them very immersive.

 

On the other hand, if the set doesn't work well, it's not very immersive at all, and you run the risk of missing out on what's actually there because you're too busy toying with technology in order to see what's not really there. It's sort of like people who take pictures constantly. They sometimes miss just seeing things with their own eyes, rather than through a lens.

 

(Also if you have a guide, and that guide has to use his/her time helping people on the tour trouble-shoot their sets, then you get less attention and information from the guide overall.)

 

In your case, there are two reasons I would advise against doing the 3-D tour. First, you say that you've had a fair amount of experience looking at archaeological and historic sites. So you know what to look for and have some idea of how to fill in the gaps. And second, the Delos site is pretty well preserved (or restored), so it is not as difficult as some sites to understand what you're seeing. 

 

Just my 2 cents....

[cruisin cousin]

Thank you, CruiseMom42.  You give a very helpful framing. MTS