Tips for Star flyer Eastern Med June 06

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a few weeks and decided it was time to ask a few questions. We've never cruised before and have booked onto Star Flyer for it's June 11 out of Athens.

Are there any particular tips which people can pass on to make organisation and packing more efficient. There will be 3 including a 10yo girl in 2 Cat 2 cabins. I know there's no kid specific activities. She's perfectly happy with a good long book and a sun lounge.

What are the side trips like? has anyone done this trip before and recommend must sees?

Thanks for any replies

Gwife

Hi

We did 2 weeks in Greece and Turkey on Star Flyer in 2003 and loved every minute! We were in a category 2 on the clipper deck. The cabins are small but very efficiently organized. There was a place for everything and had no trouble unpacking. I wouldn't worry about the 10 year old - they do watersports at every stop. For sides on Northern Cyclades, a must see is Kusadasi to see the ruins at Ephesus. We also did one on Patmos to see the cave of the revelation. Historically interesting but also do-able on your own. Those were the only two sides we did on that week. We also enjoyed exploring the ruins at Delos on our own but not everyone did. One of our favourite islands was Sifnos. We took the local bus up to Apollonia and explored on foot. Let me know if you are doing the second week and I can send some tips on that. If you haven't cruised before, I hope you know this isn't your typical cruise. It is a true sailing experience. You're going to have an amazing time. Have fun and let us know how you liked it!

Karen

:) Thank you so much for the info Karen. We're only doing the one week.we can always go back for more another time. Will definitely go to Ephesus side trip.

We chose flyer because it's not a typical cruise..sail and less formal are both very appealing.

Thanks also for the info re watersports, I wasn't sure if they still did them in the Med (as opposed to Carribean and Thailand).

We are doing the Star Flyer on June 25th with our 12 year old. How did you hear about this particular cruise?

Karen -

Thanks for the info on the cruise. Could you write about what a typical day aboard is like. What time do you have to wake up, activities, etc. It would be very helpful. This is our first trip to Greece and I am hoping to maximize the amount of islands we visit to get a good introduction to the country. I just don't know if I should just island hop via ferries or airplanes or cruise. We will be in Greece for two weeks and plan on staying in Athens for 2 nights and then visiting Santorini. Any help and guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Yargo

I saw the cruie listed in the back of a wholesalers book when I was searching for our accom on Santorini and Mykonos (we had planned to go on a silver seas). The itinerary was more what we wanted and sailing was appealing. My husband was not really keen to take a jacket as we are spending another 3 weeks travelling in Europe and Asia. Size of boat also appealed (ie number of passengers).

Deni

Hi, We are also looking at this same cruise. We have 4 kids, ages range 19y, 17y, 12y, and 10 y. So it is good to hear that there will be another child if they end up liking each other. I was a little concerned about how accepted the kids are on a cruise such as this. Would like to talk more if we decide to take this cruise for sure.

Tricia

Dishda,

My daughter read your post and asked where you are? We live in sunny Sydney (Australia). If you decide to go on the trip let us know!

Deni

Deni,

We are in Illinois, USA. I will let you know as soon as we decide. We have to decide this week, so we'll talk soon.

Tricia

Deni,

We are officially on the cruise. Star Flyer out of Athens on the 11th of June. Ports include Kusadasi, Mykonos, Delos, Patmos, Samos,etc. It is the one you will be one right?

My daughters have been asking a ton of questions about your daughter. Like, does she like to go swimming? I think we will end up being in 3 cat 2 cabins. Look forward to meeting you.

Tricia

Quick reply, it's dinnertime here. Yes we're on the same cruise. My daughter loves swimming and snorkelling and most forms of water sports. She's a bit of a chatterbox!

We are getting so excited about the cruise. Are you doing the pre cruise Athens? My husband is Greek so we are doing Athens by ourselves and then joining the cruise when it sails. I have 1 19yo girl, 1 17yo boy, 1 12yo girl and the 10yo girl. Both of the younger ones are also chatterboxes. We are to be in 3 cat 2 cabins. What do you do in Sydney?

We're flying out on the 27th may ang doing Bangkok (as a flight break) Prague and Oxford first, then down to Athens for 2 nights independently.

We have as you know a 10yo girl, we also have a 13yo boy who will stay behind with his grandparents. It's not school break in Australia and he felt he'd miss too much:confused: . We'll be away for a month. His teachers said he was fine to go (has been with us OS for the last two years and survived) but he feels uncomfortable. There is a lot of pressure from peers to do well.

I work 3 days a week as an Elementary (primary) school teacher (6 and 7yo). Up until this yeat it's been 5 days. The other two are spent either catching up on everything or with my other half.

What keeps you busy...other than having 4 children?

We got our cabin allocations (330 and 332) last week. It's only just over 2 months till we leave so organisation is in full swing.

If you want to talk more away from the message board you can use this email dns_hns@yahoo.com to contact us.

Deni

Yargo,

Sorry for delay but I got busy and didn't check posts again until today! You asked what a typical day is like...

We used to get up fairly early because one of our favourite things was to grab a coffee on deck and watch Star Flyer sail into port. We would then go for breakfast before going ashore to explore whatever island we were visiting. We would typically visit the island during the day and get back in time for afternoon tea and to watch her sail out. Then dinner and whatever entertainment was offered that day.

I think breakfast, lunch and dinner were available over a 2 - 3 hour time period which worked well. Afternoon tea was served on deck around 4:00 p.m. when most were back from exploring. They offered various activities mostly when under sail such as aerobics, napkin folding, captain's story time etc. They also did Mast climbing, sail hoisting, and a photo safari - they take you out on the launches so you can see her under full sail! Watersports were offered at most ports. We spent most of our time exploring Greece since that was our first time in the islands but did do the Banana Boat. They also offered sailing, water skiing etc. They have a parrot mascot (Celeste on Star Flyer) that everyone liked to visit! Another of our favourite things to do was go on deck at the end of the day when she was sailing out to watch them hoist the sails. They would play Vangelis over the loud speakers while the sails were going up - very moving to watch! After dinner, they would have games or local entertainment such as Greek dancers. One night they had a talent show and they had a pirates night on another. Writing about it is bringing back wonderful memories! Hope this helps!

Karen

Thanks Karen for that information,

It answered a few things that have been swimming around in my mind eg watersports opportunities.

Just as a matter of interest did the ship pretty much stick to schedule and how was disembarking in Athens. We've got a 10.20 flight to Santorini...do you think we'll make it?

Deni,

I tried to email you using the address you left but it came back to me. Could you check it and let me know. Thanks

Tricia

Tricia,

It should work it has an underscore between the dns and the hns

dns_hns @yahoo.com (obviously no space but so it doesn't hyperlink I've left a space.

Deni

Tricia,

:eek: That email doesn't seem to be working, which it was before I replied???. I'm not sure what the problem was or is. Try denise_hines@yahoo.com. This really should work!

Deni,

Yes, the ship was always on schedule. There was only one slight delay because of choppy seas. They arrive at Athens between 6:00 - 7:00 a.m. so you shouldn't have any trouble getting to the airport for your flight.

Karen

:D Thanks Karen,

I was beginning to hit the panic button!

Deni