Rhapsody of the Seas - Out of Venice to Greece

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi guys,

We're looking a going on a cruise next year, hitting the Greek Islands. Can anyone tell me about good excursions to go on? What about local beaches? I'll be checking other places online (Cruise Critic, etc.), but hoping some of our fellow DISers have some first-hand experiences you can share with me.

Thanks!

 

[OKW Lover]

We did this cruise a couple of years ago. I'd recommend not doing any of the standard shore excursions. Especially with a group of 4 or 5. You'll do better (price wise) by simply getting off the ship and getting a taxi/van for a few hours. Especially in Athens!

Mykonos is a nice port to just walk around. Get off the ship and take a shuttle boat to the "downtown" area. Then just get lost in the little streets and shops.

Athens was a bit disappointing to us. Much urban sprawl with just a few historic sites. This is were having a small van-type transport is the real advantage. You can get to the best sites (pantheon, olympic stadium) without a huge group. You can also view the pantheon from an adjacent hilltop that the tour busses can't get to. I'll send you a link to my pictures separately.

Venice is a great place to wander. I hope you'll plan a day or two more there. We've now been to Venice three times and still want to go back!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We did this cruise a couple of years ago. I'd recommend not doing any of the standard shore excursions. Especially with a group of 4 or 5. You'll do better (price wise) by simply getting off the ship and getting a taxi/van for a few hours. Especially in Athens!

Mykonos is a nice port to just walk around. Get off the ship and take a shuttle boat to the "downtown" area. Then just get lost in the little streets and shops.

Athens was a bit disappointing to us. Much urban sprawl with just a few historic sites. This is were having a small van-type transport is the real advantage. You can get to the best sites (pantheon, olympic stadium) without a huge group. You can also view the pantheon from an adjacent hilltop that the tour busses can't get to. I'll send you a link to my pictures separately.

Venice is a great place to wander. I hope you'll plan a day or two more there. We've now been to Venice three times and still want to go back!

Thank you!

There will be about 10 of us, so there are four younger folks who might not be going on tours, but I was thinking of finding a company that will give us a private tour, or drive us to the places, like you said. We did this on a Mediterranean cruise back in 2007. There were an average of three families (different groups each day), and about 10 of us, and the tour company picked us up and local guides gave us tours. It was wonderful, and better than any ship excursion. Example - In the one day in Rome we went in the Vatican, Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, and in the Coliseum, in the Pantheon, and stopped at the Trevi Fountain/Spanish Steps (no waiting in line). There was no cruise excursion that did that. We're kind of looking for the same thing in the places that matter, and then visiting the local culture. I like that Mykonos is like that.

 

[OKW Lover]

Sounds like a good plan Mary Jo. It would be well suited for many of the stops on this cruise.