Judge my Jewel Greek Isles itinerary!

Jewel of the Seas June 18, goes to Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon. We're two adults, 18yo son, 16yo daughter.

Getting in two 3 days early and going to Amalfi Coast. We'll go to Capri one day, Pompeii one day, and then staying Civitavecchia night before the cruise.

--Santorini arrive at 1pm and taking high speed boat to Oia at 15 euro PP. We'll grab a snack in Oia and then hike the Caldera Path to Fira, about 6 miles. We might grab dinner there, catch the sunset then either cable car or walk the steps to the tender port. All aboard at 9:30pm.

https://santorinidave.com/fira-oia-hike

-Mykonos arrive at 8am and guided tour to Delos 50 euro PP. Some of the best ruins in the world but pretty raw, nothing like Acropolis or the Forum in Rome.

http://www.delostours.gr/en/

-Athens off the boat about 9am and self tour of Acropolis. Might get hop on hop off right at the port, do Acropolis as long as we can stand it, get on the bus for a break and do something else. Boat leaves 6pm.

-Katakolon arrive 10am and half day guided tour of Olympia, 39 euro PP. Boat leaves at 5pm.

https://www.the-travel-insiders.com/olympia-katakolon-shore-excursions-all-tastes-and-budgets

Then we're staying in Rome for 2 nights. We plan to get off the ship as early as possible and drop the bags off to the hotel. At 8:30pm we're doing a VIP tour of colosseum that includes the undergroud, floor, and visit to third tier. I'm not sure if Forum is open in the evening but we'll go there as well if it is.

http://www.tickitaly.com/tours/colosseum-dungeon-upper-level-tour.php

I'm open to idea, especially for Athens. What do you guys think?

It sounds awesome to me. You've done a lot of research. I hope you have some sea

days to relax. Lots of bucket list items there. A trip of a lifetime.

Amalfi Coast is the most beautiful place. We did that and Pompeii in the same day

so I think you'll have an even more enjoyable trip than we did.

The second time we were there, we took a boat to Capri and spent the day there.

We've been to Oia a couple of times. Lots of photo ops there. I've never done the

hike but it would probably be too much for me at this point.

I'm glad to see that you are spending some time in Rome. I love this city and everything

is pretty much easy to walk to. Just explore, have a gelato and take it all in.

The Jewel is a lovely ship and a great crew. I don't know what room you have but there is

an excellent concierge there. I hope you have access to him to add to your experience.

Am impressed with your detailed plan. I am certain you will enjoy your trip!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

It sounds awesome to me. You've done a lot of research. I hope you have some sea

days to relax. Lots of bucket list items there. A trip of a lifetime.

 

The Jewel is a lovely ship and a great crew. I don't know what room you have but there is

an excellent concierge there. I hope you have access to him to add to your experience.

A sea day there and one back. We have a balcony on right side I think, I wonder how much coast we'll see. We'll be in the Diamond Lounge every night, wonder if they'll mind if my appropriately dressed 18yo and 16yo come with.

Jewel of the Seas June 18, goes to Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon. We're two adults, 18yo son, 16yo daughter.

 

-Katakolon arrive 10am and half day guided tour of Olympia, 39 euro PP. Boat leaves at 5pm.

 

https://www.the-travel-insiders.com/olympia-katakolon-shore-excursions-all-tastes-and-budgets

 

Krisko,

I have done the full day version of this tour with this group and you will LOVE them! On our trip last summer, it was our favorite day in Greece!! I wrote a full review of them here if your curious.

Whatever you do, you have some fantastic ports!

Jewel of the Seas June 18, goes to Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon. We're two adults, 18yo son, 16yo daughter.

 

Getting in two 3 days early and going to Amalfi Coast. We'll go to Capri one day, Pompeii one day, and then staying Civitavecchia night before the cruise.

 

--Santorini arrive at 1pm and taking high speed boat to Oia at 15 euro PP. We'll grab a snack in Oia and then hike the Caldera Path to Fira, about 6 miles. We might grab dinner there, catch the sunset then either cable car or walk the steps to the tender port. All aboard at 9:30pm.

 

https://santorinidave.com/fira-oia-hike

 

-Mykonos arrive at 8am and guided tour to Delos 50 euro PP. Some of the best ruins in the world but pretty raw, nothing like Acropolis or the Forum in Rome.

 

http://www.delostours.gr/en/

 

-Athens off the boat about 9am and self tour of Acropolis. Might get hop on hop off right at the port, do Acropolis as long as we can stand it, get on the bus for a break and do something else. Boat leaves 6pm.

 

-Katakolon arrive 10am and half day guided tour of Olympia, 39 euro PP. Boat leaves at 5pm.

 

https://www.the-travel-insiders.com/olympia-katakolon-shore-excursions-all-tastes-and-budgets

 

Then we're staying in Rome for 2 nights. We plan to get off the ship as early as possible and drop the bags off to the hotel. At 8:30pm we're doing a VIP tour of colosseum that includes the undergroud, floor, and visit to third tier. I'm not sure if Forum is open in the evening but we'll go there as well if it is.

 

http://www.tickitaly.com/tours/colosseum-dungeon-upper-level-tour.php

 

I'm open to idea, especially for Athens. What do you guys think?

Did this cruise (or close to it) in 2015. So, a couple of comments.

Santorini.. perfect. We took the high speed boat to Oia and then the free bus to Fira. Highly recommended. I think the hike will be wonderful, we are a bit older and likely would have been too much for our group. But I think it sounds perfect! Oia is, imho, beautiful! Take lot's of pictures.

Mykonos. We also went to Delos. Highly recommended. But we did it on our own. If your ship is early enough, uyou can catch the ferry to Delos right at the pier that you are dropped off of from the ships boat (as I remember you tender there). It isn't very expensive to go, and easy to get around. The ferry runs on a schedule between (I think) 8 am and 3 pm, so you simply have to make sure you are back in time to catch one back to Mykonos. To be honest, we found no need to set up a tour. But if you want a guide to explain in detail the sights, then not too bad a price. We simply walked around and read the explanations on the exhibits. If you choose to go on your own, get off as early as possible so you can maximize time, and take water. The only thing on Delos besides the ruins is the ferry stop and a museum. No shops other than that. But it was definitely a highlight of our cruise.

Athens. We did the hop on hop off. It was a rainy day so my wife and I simply rode it around until she wanted to head back to the ship, then we grabbed a cab back. That's an entire story, suffice it to say, if you cab make sure you have a MAP from the ship so you can SHOW the driver where you want to go. Our guy didn't understand "cruise port at Piraeus" and took us to "port....port.... AIRPORT!" "NO...NO... CRUISE PORT!" Luckily I had an app on my phone that showed where we want to go. And even luckier, we headed back well before departure time. But a "story for the grandkids" for sure. Anyway, the rest of our group (much smarter) got off at the Acropolis as the rain stopped, and really enjoyed it. I thought the hop on hop off bus route was scenic if you have the time.

Katakolon.. Olympia, excellent idea. We hired 2 cabs at the port and did a self-guided tour (there were 10 of us, 2 cabs). As I remember we did pay the drivers to wait, but with 10 people it was pretty cheap. Spent a couple hours out there. Seemed there were a lot of cabs at Olympia so I imagine you could just head out there and easily find a cab back. But the tour you booked sounds great.

Anyway, you asked for input, so there's mine. It goes without saying though, that you need a few weeks to really see Rome. I have been there a number of times (I'm retired Airline pilot), and my wife and I have been there twice for over a week each time. Still more to see. I think the tour of the Colosseum is a fantastic idea for the limited time you have. It used to be that the Forums were free to walk through anytime, no more. If you have time, walk to Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Beautiful, especially at night.

You'll love this cruise. It is a fantastic itinerary and highly recommended. Enjoy!

Your trip sounds fantastic!Please do a trip report- I am cruising next year on the Jewel for the first time, and we will have many of the same ports.

Such a long time to wait!

What hotel have you selected in Rome?

Have a wonderful time!

What hotel have you selected in Rome?

Aeterno Guest House, selected that because of location and it can accommodate 4 people.

Excellent itinerary!! Always awesome to plan and discover things your own way.

Re Santorini, google image and use Tripadvisor to source out various great restaurants with terraces and rooftop patios. I'm planning to pre-reserve dinner here in Fira and watch the sunset before going back down to the ship for 9:30pm all aboard. Reading several blogs looks like the best case scenario to get a "front row seat" is to make early reservations.

As mentioned, you can do Delos without a guide extremely easily as ferry tickets and the ferry are right there in Old Mykonos port, can't miss it. But sounds like you got a decent price for a guide.

The Forum is open until 7:15pm in summer. The VIP tour is already combined with the Forum so you'll be going there right away with the tour guide after the Colosseum to finish the tour, then you're left there for free time. IOf time allows, do go up to the rooftop of the Il Vittoriano building

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44291547&highlight=Il+Vittoriano+building#post44291547

Find out how many ships will be with you in Santorini and what times they will be leaving. It can get quite crazy trying to get down to the tender area - so based on what you find out, give yourselves plenty of time (walking or taking the funicular down).