CM2J2R2S

This was SO helpful. Thank you!

@Tapi - Where did you rent the boat and how much was it?

Thank you to the OP, this was just what we were looking for.  Wrote to them last week and got a form answer that didn't answer my questions. Booked in tonight - all set.

On 1/10/2019 at 5:23 PM, mdchachi said:

I will also be there in February but on a very high load day with 8 ships and port load of 29,200. Definitely above average.

Mr Sanchos and Nachi Cocom are already booked to capacity. 

So now I'm weighing whether to bother getting off the ship or not.  We are a family of four with kids 10 & 12.  

Specific questions:

- Is it feasible to go to Paradise Beach w/o pre-booking?  I don't see a way to book directly on their web site.  Do they get full enough to turn people away?   Even if it's possible to get in, I'm worried about the experience there on such a crowded day. 

- I see references to a small beach area w/ free lounges at Playa Maya terminal itself but I can't find much information or pictures.  Is that a place one could hang out for a bit and get into the water?  Or is it more like just a sandy area for people to wait around while others in their party go shopping?

- Also considering Catamaran where you can snorkel near Paradise Beach / Chankanab. But I'm guessing you end up in the same churned up water where all the hordes are.  Plus you are locked in ahead of time regardless of weather.

- Playa Mia seems like it could be an option up until last minute. Tomorrow there is a similar port load and their web site lets me try to book it at least until I get to the enter-credit-card step.  But still worried how enjoyable it would be on such a crowded day.

 

Thoughts or other suggestions for things to do?

 

Thank you.

 

We must going on the same day as you.  Mr. Sanchos is sold out.  We have been to PB a number of times and always enjoy it.  My worry this time is that the load is heavier and MrS sold out early - so PB will also be picking up more of those passengers.  For us, we are five people, we will need two cabs or a van there and back - so $60 in transportation alone - and possibly not getting in or possibly a very, very crowded scenario.  We have also done the cooking class with Josefina and don't want to that again.  Not sure what to do.

Bumping this one up - is this a thing?

We did Roatan Ocean Adventures with Herbert - fab tour guide, great snorkeling.

Perfect, just what we needed to know.

We were in Cocida see in November with our two teenage girls. We had already seen a lot of ruins and thought we needed a change of pace. We took the girls to garden kitchen cooking class and had a lovely day. We feel like our time there was too short but really enjoyed the meal and the food preparation and the fellowship of the people we were with. This is just a wee bit different than some of the other posts I have read and I thought others may be looking for different things, especially if you'd already been to Ephesus.

If it is not safe, or becomes unsafe, the cruise line will not stop there.

I think I will start a new thread. We didn't go to Ephesus. We opted for garden kitchen cooking class. No walking unless you want to. Beautiful day. Check trip advisor for kusadasi.

Thanks!

Sounds like Jack's is getting pricey and busy. Has anyone been to GT lately that can comment on these two places. We are leaning toward LV after all the recent reviews.

Ultimately, we want to sit on the beach, enjoy good food and drinks and if they happen to have stuff to do nearby, that is fine, too.

We did this tour with a cc group of sixteen, aged 13 to 60+ last month. This was our review on tripadvisor:

We booked this tour six months in advance. Every time, no matter what hour, that I wrote with questions, I had a response within the hour. Potoula is excellent with customer service and she assisted us promptly and often with humour. We were a group of sixteen, ages 13 through 60, and the tour appealed to all of us. Paul was our driver, Michael was our guide and both were superb. We did not hit the museums as it was a national observance day, but spent a bit more time at the Greek Agora, which was fine. "Coincidentally", the order of our day made it so that there were not 100s of tourists everywhere we went. Most of the reading I had done said to get to the Acropolis early to avoid tourists, which I imagine many do. We went late in the day, and it was fairly quiet which was great for photos! We highly recommend this company and feel that they go out of their way to make each person's experience their own.

Did anyone purchase the 26EU combo train/tram ticket prior to departure and if so, where did you get it?

We were there. Any of the beaches on that side if the island are nice. They are a wee bit remote. I would say it is a good Twenty to thirty minute drive bit could be done faster depending upon the speed of your driver. Why don't you ask your driver to come get you at a certain time and arrange to meet at the drop off point.

This is Catherine's site, but you can find more info on trip advisor.

Thanks for sharing! Much appreciated.

I have heard that driving yourself can be tricky as the roads are narrow and winding? Does anyone know if that is true? Also, is it easy to find parking in Corfu town?

They are narrow and winding but not unmanageable. The trickiest part may be avoiding tour buses.

We found that stopping in New Corfu town was good. We went to a market and a few regular shops and found some interesting and inexpensive items to take home.

We did stop in the old city, and yes, parking can be difficult. We circled a few times to find something reasonable. Factor time in for that, just in case.

Melissa

We rented a car from Sunrise which is across the street from the cruise port. We made our reservations with them in advance and opted for a jeep instead of a small car, just for fun. We had about five or six hours in port and drove to Paleokastritsa and through Pelekas and Glyfada and then did some random driving and headed toward Corfu and into the Old Town for some wandering around.

Blue Grotto was very pretty. You might even find someone with a boat willing to take you out. There was a little town we wished we stopped in. Will see if a map might tell me the name.

We rented a jeep right across from the port gate. Best idea ever.

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We didn't love Monaco. Expensive and a bit dull. Not a lot to offer on comparison to other places. We took the bus from Ville Franche to Monaco. Very simple but next time would go to Nice instead.

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Most stops have stairs and escalators. Often they have elevators, too.

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We stopped in Toulon last November and did a private excursion with Catherine. You can find her on tripadvisor or pm us. We went to Aix and Cassis. Very nice way to spend the day. This time, we will try Maraeilles.

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We did an organized, non ship based, tour in Tunisia last fall. The souk is a very typical market with people enticing you in and being what some consider aggressive. But again, this is a typical souk. I enjoy the atmosphere, the exchanges and the browsing. Many do not. We liked Abu Sidi Said, very pretty. The town, though, seems very tourist geared and many, many shops that offer the same typical stuff from stall to store across the town.