Greek Island/Turkey shore excursions - Please help!

[ManhattanLawyer]

Hi,

 

I have several questions and would greatly appreciate your input.

 

I will be going on the 7 day cruise on the Perla (Louis Cruises) this August. The ports of call are:

 

Istanbul

Mykonos

Patmos

Kusadasi

Rhodes

Crete

Santorini

 

Has anyone been on this cruise? If so, did you do any shore excursions through the ship? If so, which ones did you particularly enjoy and think were worth the money, and which ones did you think were not worth the money? Which ports do you think you could easily navigate on your own?

 

I know that in places like Istanbul and Kusadasi, several independent tour companies and travel guides offer their own shore excursions. Have any of you taken those tours instead of those offered through the ship, and if so, which ones do you recommend?

 

Thank you all for your valuable help!

[middy]

Hi :)

Have not been on MV Perla but travelled on her during a previous incarnation Airtours Seawing.

Rhodes you actually dock by the old town easily accessible by foot and loads to see.

Santorini is a tender port. Need to take cable car or donkey to top as quite a climb. We did the volcanos including climb to top ( strenuous ) then boat around for bathing in volcanic mud then to finish off visit to winery, hic hic.

Not sure if louis cruises offer this trip but we enjoyed it.

Middy :)

[ManhattanLawyer]

Hi! Thanks for the reply.

 

I should have mentioned in my original post that I would welcome input from anyone who has been to any of these ports of call, not just on the Perla.

[alwayssingin]

We cruised on the Aegean I last year (which I understand from reading is now a part of the Louis line). I won't get into the ship and food here, but we did enjoy our trip.

 

We did not go to Istanbul, so I can't help there.

 

In Mykonos we docked fairly close to the city and just walked through the city, etc.

 

On Patmos we hired a taxi and he took us up the the Grotto, dropped us off, then came back to pick us up later. We had plenty of time and didn't have to pay him until he returned us to the dock. I don't recall what amount we agreed on, but it was much cheaper than booking an excursion, and we were able to beat the tour buses up the mountain. There were also couples who paired up and saved even more $$.

 

The only excursion we purchased from the ship was to the Ancient City of Ephesus. This was because after researching and checking our Rick Steves Guidebook, we felt this was the safest way to go. We had a great tour guide and were so glad we splurged on this tour. It was very well organized and informative. Upon our return we had plenty of time to walk through the shops and have a snack.

 

We also hired a taxi in Rhodes to take us to the Valley of Butterflies. There weren't a whole lot of butterflies, but it was a nice hike (we took the downhill route). Our taxi driver was very informative and gave us history of the area, answered questions, etc. Again, I can't remember what price we agreed on, but definitely worth it and cheaper than booking through the cruise line. Again, we had plenty of time to eat in the city, walk through shops, etc.

 

For some reason we decided to stay onboard in Crete. I think we were just exhausted and took a day off!

 

I loved Santorini. The white buildings made it look like snow-capped mountains from afar. We took the cable car both up and down, and just spent the time there on our own. We decided to have dinner at a resaturant where we could watch the sun set. It was simply an amazing view. I hated to leave Santorini. It was just like the pictures I had always seen.

 

Hope that helps! As you can see, we're not much for excursions. We like to get into the cities and walk around, preferably further away from the tourist areas right in port. Everyone we met spoke English, which was a good thing since all the signs were definitely Greek to us! :D

[Be a Traveler]

I orginally posted this message on the Louis Hellenic Cruises - Greek Islands thread in May 2006. This is an update with more thoughts on the whole experience. Go to that thread for my thoughts on the Perla (it's mainly positive).

 

We did all of our excursions with the cruise line as we heard that disembarkation starts with those tours. Looking at the time in port vs. the length of the tour, we were afraid we wouldn't have the time to see and do all the stuff we wanted by going with another tour. That said, we encountered several people who went on these tours and found it to be the same (i.e. seeing the same sights, sometimes more, depending on the tour guide experience and the tourists' preferences) for less than what the Louis-endorsed tours were charging and they go back to the ship without problems.

 

We tendered only at Patmos and Santorini. In Mykonos and Crete, the ship docks far away from the sights you want to see. In Mykonos, take the Louis-arranged buses from the port to Mykonos town and soak in the ambiance-there are no tours for this island. In Crete, the port is in a commercial district, so not tourist friendly at all. Tours in Crete (whether the winery tour or Knossos) are the only good way to get anywhere as it's a long drive from the port, either tour.

 

Time is short in each port except for Rhodes and Istanbul. If you're goal is to get too a beach and catch some rays (it was too cold on our sailing), plan accordingly with a tour group/taxi service so you don't miss embarkation time.

 

If I had to do it all again, I would do the following:

 

1. Tour Istanbul by taxi and spend more time exploring the Bazaars myself the minute we got into port. Arrange for a tour of the sites myself.
   
2. Don't go on a tour at each port. You'll be tired because morning tours are at the crack of dawn. The only one I would have gone on would be Ancient Ephesus. If you're already visited the Acropolis, Olympia, Mycenae, or Delphi (as I did before the cruise began), you'll be sick of ruins (or "dead rocks" as referred to them--seriously, we came back and looked at the pictures of these sights and couldn't tell one from the other). The Lindos acropolis has a spectatular view, but nothing in comparison to the one in Athens. I didn't see Knossos, but our friends who went on that tour said that there were so many people and long lines everywhere that it's hard to see anything.
   
3. Just stay around the ports of Rhodes, Santorini, and Patmos. Everything touristy and intereting is there and you don't need to go on a tour to see that unless you really want to see St John's Monestary or Lindos Acropolis.
   

 

 

The following is my original post, with some additions:

 

The people I went with wanted to take as many tours as they could--meaning and extra $400 per person. Here's the rundown:

 

• Istanbul by Night: pricey, really long dinner program starts late (9p), if you want to see belly dancers and Turkish folk dances while eating kabobs, this is it. If that's not your thing, skip it and go out on the town yourself. There are taxis right outside of the port terminal. We got in early to port, so our tour (Highlights of Istanbul) started that afternoon, with literally 1/2 hour to go around the Grand Bazaar and another 20 min at the spice market. If you want to truly experience these shopping venues, forgo the tour and take a taxi to the bazaars/market. Remember, the bazaars and markets are closed on Sunday, so the Saturday afternoon you get into port is the only time for this experience. Otherwise, the tour guide continually insists "you will have the chance to look at good quality rugs and jewelry on Sunday," but it's kind of a scam set up between Louis and the rug/jewelry vendor. More on that later . . .
  
• Highlights of Istanbul: mainly a tour of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace--tour guide liked to hear himself talk, but good tour to see these sights. Half the tour started the afternoon we got into port (other half in the Sunday morn) so there was a short time to see the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. Beware of the rug shop/jewelry store on Sunday-under the guise of learning about how Turkish rugs are made, they then try to sell these rugs. It's like walking onto a used car lot. To save money and gain more time at the Grand Bazaar (remember to do this on Saturday when you get into port, it'll be closed on Sunday), go to the major sites yourself by cab--sites are really close to eachother and you can listen to the other tour guides there if you're too lazy to read about the sights.
  
• Mykonos: didn't take any tours as time in the port was short, the cruise line had buses to take us from the port to the town (6 euro r/t). I've heard of people walking from port, but there are no sidewalks and it's more than a mile away to Mykonos town. Good luck with the heat and dodging buses. Time alotted at this port seems small, but there's not much to do there after you look through the shops and take pictures of Little Venice and the windmills. It's enough time to get your camera shots and get a meal in if you want.
  
• Kusadasi-House of the Virgin Mary and Ancient Ephesus: Virgin Mary part not my choice and it was a long but trip to the site. It's a site that's not Vatican approved, but spiritual nonetheless. Ephesus was really impressive-- "the best ruins you'll ever see." Worth every penny and probably the only tour you need to take. Beware--this is Turkey and if you've already endured the rug shop at Istanbul, be ready for the same presentation from another rug shop. Go to the bazaar if you didn't get a chance to do so in Istanbul. It's smaller and less chaotic.
  
• Patmos-St John's Monestary: again, not my choice. We had to tender in the harbor. There were three ships that arrived at the same time, so our tours kept getting pushed back--it was a logistical nightmare that should not have happened. By the time you hit Mykonos, you will realize that the Perla is in a race to get to the next port because her bigger sister ship (Sea Diamond) is on the same route and the two ships invariably arrive at the same time to port, and passengers of each ship must contend with crowds. Anyway, if the Book of Revelations or Monestaries don't float your boat, save your money just stay in town and do some shopping/people watching.
  
• Rhodes and Lindos: If you've had your fill of ruins, for me, the tour was a waste of time and money. While the view from the top of the Lindos acropolis was great, but keep in mind there are over 300 steep steps to get up there--without guard rails. My nerves were shot by the time we got to the top--so many people trying to manuever the narrow path to the top was just too much. You can take the donkey and skip the hike to the entrance to the acropolis, and risk smelling like a$$. The tour of the Old Town of Rhodes was worth it. Those that went to the Philerimos/Old Town tour raved about it. If you want to save money, don't go one any tour as the ships dock at the port right outside the city walls of Old Town Rhodes--just walk 5 minutes and you're there.
  
• Taste of Crete--complete waste of time. Billed as a wine tasting tour with an additional visit to a taverna, the winery had us watch a 45-min film of wine, raki, olive oil, and olive oil soap production in Crete, followed by sampling one wine before the hard sell of all these products conveniently located in the store. The Taverna part was better, with Crete folk dancing and a good sampling of food. The other option was to tour Knossos if you want more ruins. There's nothing at the port of Heraklion, so either stay on-board and relax or pick a tour.
  
• Santorini-Thira and Oia: We tendered and took a bus to Oia. Oia was a long drive, but you can see why it is special as it is the subject of almost all of the postards you see from Santorini. But you get the same view of the caldera from Thira/Fira, so save your money and just take the gondola ride from the port to Thira and enjoy the view. There is a path that goes from the port up to Thira/Fira, but it is the same path that the donkeys take (smelly and poo riddled). Don't miss the interior paintings of Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
  

 

Questions about these excursions? Just ask me.

GPM

[tom_uk]

Mykonos is a great island for a chill-out relaxing beach day.... There are a number of good beaches there, including Gialos/Yalos/Ialos (all different anglicised spellings for the same beach), and Paradise & Super-Paradise, etc. There are cheap buses from the back of Mykonos town to all of these - it was about €1.50 to Ialos, each. Also there are caiques providing sea trips from beach to beach, if you want to do this. Each beach has a string of restaurants/hotels at the back of the beach, and loungers/sunshades on the beach - the loungers, etc. are managed by whichever establishment lies 'behind' them; you pay for a session's use of what you want (eg, two loungers & a sunshade), and you can then use the facilities (toilets, etc) of that establishment. Ialos is a family beach, Paradise & Super-Paradise are more youth orientated. In the past Paradise was regarded as a nudist beach, and super-paradise as a gay nudist beach, but I gather that these days most people on them will be young, clothed (albeit skimpily) and heterosexual! However both do have a clothing optional area as well. There will very likely be beach music on Paradise & Super-paradise but not on Ialos. All of the beaches have areas where you can hire water-sports equipment, eg jet-skis.

 

You can also hire Quad Bikes or scooters in Mykonos town, and at least one person on our cruise reckoned that exploring off-road on the quad-bike was one of the best bits of the cruise.

 

Finally, there are the bars & restaurants in Mykonos town itself. There are few things more enjoyable things than a cold beer in a bar terrace overlooking the sea in Little Venice after a hard day's sunbathing on the beach....

 

In the middle of a cruise that's big on history, ruins, and walking arund, Mykonos is a delightful rest.