Greece's Many Issues

I will say this... And I WAS there in 2012 during the elections... Expect strikes which WILL affect tourist spots (particularly any government run ones such as the Parthenon which was closed the day we expected to visit). Expect disruption in public transit, including airports, buses, ferries, and trains. I am not saying it will happen all at once, but any visitors need to expect any or all of these circumstances and plan accordingly for them.

 

The Greeks were wonderful and welcoming and I can't speak highly enough for their warmth and generosity, but there were--and will be--disruptions which will affect tourists. Plan accordingly.

How can one "plan accordingly" for a strike? Im bringing extra cash. I have credit cards if they work. There is nothing else I can do. I also have the number for the U.S. Embassy. If there are strikes published I will try to make alternate plans. I hope to spend every penny I saved all year to spend in Greece. They need my cash, I need the vacation. Good Luck to all my fellow cruisers.

Thanks to the locals who ate keeping us updated. Please continue. It's of great help to us for planning our visits.

We did change a handful of plans to not include private tours in some placed, but kept our simple plans in a couple others. I'll let you all know what we find as we go. We're due back the first week of August. It should be interesting. In Athens 3 weeks from today :)

How can one "plan accordingly" for a strike? Im bringing extra cash. I have credit cards if they work. There is nothing else I can do. I also have the number for the U.S. Embassy. If there are strikes published I will try to make alternate plans. I hope to spend every penny I saved all year to spend in Greece. They need my cash, I need the vacation. Good Luck to all my fellow cruisers.

I would have back up plans as far as things to do. I would arrange alternate transport in advance. I would have Euros and not need to rely on ATMs.

By the way, the U.S. embassy will do what for you? Less than you think.

How can one "plan accordingly" for a strike? Im bringing extra cash. I have credit cards if they work. There is nothing else I can do. I also have the number for the U.S. Embassy. If there are strikes published I will try to make alternate plans. I hope to spend every penny I saved all year to spend in Greece. They need my cash, I need the vacation. Good Luck to all my fellow cruisers.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your trip. Must be incredibly stressful. We're playing by ear as we start in Athens, end in Athens & expect to fly to Santorini for a few blissful days if we can get there. All plans in place & we're hoping for the best just like everyone else. Hope you think to report when you return as those of us coming after you will want to hear first hand from a fellow cruiser.

Following thread...we leave 7/26

Maybe I'm different, but what about how the MIGRANTS feel? They are simply trying to survive, not stealing from anyone, not begging. I would feel inclined to offer to buy a meal or give them money for groceries. Just think what a horrible position that would be to have to leave your home with only what you could carry and try to survive with nothing. I would think people could be a little bit more humane and care about others instead of worrying about being seen eating!

Totally agree. The only "disgusting" thing I saw in the article was the lack of compassion shown by some of the tourists. Lovely of the Greek people to help the migrants out in spite of their own current troubles. We're all very fortunate to have the means to vacation.

Totally agree. The only "disgusting" thing I saw in the article was the lack of compassion shown by some of the tourists. Lovely of the Greek people to help the migrants out in spite of their own current troubles. We're all very fortunate to have the means to vacation.

When we were in Athens a couple of years ago, right after their first big troubles, we opted to just take a half day NCL excursion to the Parthenon. No problems there, but the Greek tour leader trashed the "illegals" all the way back from the Parthenon in really despicable terms. Most countries tend to blame much of their troubles on others, so I imagine this will increase.

I agree, take additional Euros and plan to be flexible in Greece as to any of your plans as all this develops and unfolds. If you are prepared and roll with the punches so to speak, you will still have a fine trip.

We have 10 ports of call in July in Greece starting in about a week. Hopefully everything will be calm

Could you come back to this thread after your trip and report back? It would be really helpful for those heading out in the next couple of months. We are all locked in after final payment so just need a practical tourist perspective and advice from a cruiser who has just been there since the vote, not the rose-tinted glasses thing or the bleak doomsday scenarios at the other end. Thanks

Keeping my fingers crossed for your trip. Must be incredibly stressful. We're playing by ear as we start in Athens, end in Athens & expect to fly to Santorini for a few blissful days if we can get there. All plans in place & we're hoping for the best just like everyone else. Hope you think to report when you return as those of us coming after you will want to hear first hand from a fellow cruiser.

Thanks. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time. I'll certainly report back.

I will be flying into Athens on 7/9 then taking the Celebrity Equinox cruise on 7/11. I will try and post what I observe on my stay there. Hopefully all goes well. Booked private transfers to take us from airport to hotel then from hotel to ship. Reconfirmed with company and they said all is ok.

Good luck to all those traveling soon and thanks in advance for reporting back.

We visited last week,we didn't have any issue,we payed almost everything with our credit cards even our coffees.

I will be flying into Athens on 7/9 then taking the Celebrity Equinox cruise on 7/11. I will try and post what I observe on my stay there. Hopefully all goes well. Booked private transfers to take us from airport to hotel then from hotel to ship. Reconfirmed with company and they said all is ok.

Who did you use for the transfers? We need to do the same thing, airport-hotel-port, on the 18th and have not heard back on our request from Dopios.com.

Could really use a suggestion on who might respond.

Here is a reassuring article about the situation on the ground concerning the cruise calls scheduled in Greece.

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/stylianopoulos.html

‘Capital controls have not impacted on cruise calls in Greece. Also, our ability to render smooth shorex and passenger handling services in Athens (or anywhere else in Greece) is unaffected,’ stated Stylianoplous.

We were just there (early May) and did have an issues …….. in Athens our guide took us to a restaurant not frequented by many tourists (we like to do that). We were treated like royalty ! Friendly fast service - AHHHmazing food - a carafe or two of raki and he even threw in a free desert plate. And the total bill for 5 people came to 50 euros :eek: DH even asked if that total was correct :D

 

In Santorini and Mykonos we were also welcomed and treated like they really wanted us there………

 

Go - have fun and enjoy.

hello - do you happen to remember the name and address of this restaurant, or recommend any others not frequented by many tourists.

We travelled throughout Greece and the islands for five weeks last Sept/Oct.

Absolutely no issues. It was wonderful. So good that we plan to return again this fall. The people are friendly, the prices are down, and the country is beautiful.

I think the issue with Greece was last year when the banks were closed due to defaulted loans etc. and there was a fair bit of uncertainty about whether the country would exit the Euro and what might result from that in terms of public turmoil and practicalities for tourists. Just before we traveled there last September that situation stabilized with an agreement, albeit, an humiliating one for Greece, that settled the uncertainty. We arrived in Katakalon the day after the election which returned the governing party and while Greeks were despondent about their situation, everything was business as normal for tourists. We visited five Greek ports including Athens on a weekend where Greeks were out enjoying the sunny day. All to say there are no issues about travel to Greece at the moment.

We just got off the NeoClassica yesterday after a 12 day cruise that included the Greek ports of Kalamata, Nauplio, Volos, and Athens. I was nervous about Greece and can say that we had a fantastic time there. Almost everyone could/tried to speak English and were very welcoming. We did not see any migrants and were told that they just want to pass through Northern Greece as they want to head for countries that have better economic opportunities than Greece.

Greece was a highlight of our trip that included Savona, Naples, Messina, in Italy and Marseilles, Menton, Nice in France.

I thought the places in Greece with migrant problems are Kos, Lesbos and on the Macedonian border. So, if you don't go to those places why would anybody be nervous of going to Greece

I thought the places in Greece with migrant problems are Kos, Lesbos and on the Macedonian border. So, if you don't go to those places why would anybody be nervous of going to Greece

I can see why a European would not be nervous as 30 minutes of BBC from my hotel in Nice is more migrant/political EU information than I've seen in Canada the last 6 months. Bear in mind that I no longer subscribe to a daily newspaper and seek more info only after a "tele" update.:)

Yes, there are a lot of migrants, but most are nowhere near the places tourists go to. A lot is media hype. We take our car to France on Eurotunnel to Calais quite frequently.

The last time we went was just before Christmas 2015 when there was loads of news about migrants.

We didn't see one single migrant and there was a huge police presence. In fact, earlier in the year we had seen lots in the centre of Calais, along the motorways and in service stations.

Don't believe everything you see on the news as most of these migrant incidents are in isolated areas.

I live in Rhodes and I have not encountered any migrants. Migrants that land on Greek islands, such as Kos, Lesvos, etc, are transferred to migrant camps on the mainland.

I live in Rhodes and I have not encountered any migrants. Migrants that land on Greek islands, such as Kos, Lesvos, etc, are transferred to migrant camps on the mainland.

Appreciate this update and these details from someone on location there. Very interesting and helpful!! "Media hype" and/or over-generalized reporting can be confusing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

ForAthens and nearby, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples from this city that is so great for seeing its great history, style and architecture. This posting is now at nearly 12,000 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

I am considering an Oceania cruise in summer 2017 that hits the Greek Islands and I'll be very interested to hear reviews of the islands from passengers this summer season...specifically relating to migrants, economic woes, overall feeling. It's such a beautiful country and the islands are so alluring. I truly want to go back!