How can the riots & strikes in Athens affect our upcoming cruise?

[kroozn]

We will be on the Azamara Journey May 2nd out of Venice and ending in Athens May 9th. I've read about riots, protests and strikes in Athens recently closing down the airport and public transport. If this is going on during our cruise will the Journey go to Athens anyway? I'm just trying to think ahead. Does anyone else have these concerns?

[bellebaby]

We will be on the Azamara Journey May 2nd out of Venice and ending in Athens May 9th. I've read about riots, protests and strikes in Athens recently closing down the airport and public transport. If this is going on during our cruise will the Journey go to Athens anyway? I'm just trying to think ahead. Does anyone else have these concerns?

 

Hi, Kroozn

 

I am not booked on a cruise that includes Athens, but have wondered the same thing.

 

Does anyone else have any thoughts/information on this topic?

 

B

[California Native]

Last year we were on a land trip that included Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

We flew out of Athens on May 1st to Istanbul

May 1st is particularly violatile throughout Europe for riots and strikes because it's their Labor Day.

We specifically made it a travel day, because usually everything is either closed or navigating the streets anywhere in Europe on that day should be done with a little more caution than your normal level of caution..

There were riots going on throughout Athens and Thessaloniki and Olympic Airlines did not fly.

Aegean and all other international carriers still flew out of the airport and there were no issues at the airport

There were also NO ISSUES in the Plaka, we were staying at the Hotel Plaka and wandered around before our taxi pick up time and felt perfectly safe.

There was rioting going on in Syntagma square, which we avoided

I think it would take a much larger scenario than what is going right now in Athens for AZ not to port!

As a precaution...

If I were you, I would not plan on taking the Metro from the port

into town or the airport. I would have a taxi hire pre arranged before my arrival...as a precaution. On a side note don't use Spiros as we found him extremely unprofessional and way too in our face about his political leanings ... compared to the normal complaining you will hear from other Greek drivers.

If you plan on staying in Greece after your cruise, speak with your hotel about current daily concerns. Have them call ahead to museums to verify if they are open or not. If rioting is taking place do not visit the Parliament Building and the Benaki Museum as you will need to route yourself by the Parliment to reach it.