Strikes/2011?: Greece Starting Today!

[TLCOhio]

From the various newswires in the last hour today, they have headlines on a major strike in Athens and affecting parts of Greece. From the AP story in Washington Post, there is this breaking news headline: "Stones thrown, riot police respond with tear gas and stun grenades at Athens march" with these highlights: "Stone-throwing youths are attacking riot police, who are responding with tear gas and stun grenades, at the heart of a march through Athens to protest the Greek government’s harsh austerity measures. No injuries or arrests were immediately reported following Wednesday’s clashes as thousands marched through the Greek capital, during a 24-hour general strike that brought most public services to a halt. The general strike suspended all train and ferry services, grounded flights between noon and 4 p.m. and disrupted Athens public transport. "

 

From the Wall Street Journal reporter on the scene noted: "The strike, the second to be called this year by the country's two main umbrella unions, comes just days before the government is due to present parliament with €29 billion ($41.76 billion) in further spending cuts and tax increases to slash the budget deficit over the next five years."

 

Fortunately our Med cruise next month does not stop in Athens or Greece. I hope others due there will not be adversely affected, but it seems that "things" are not solved or fixed in Greece for 2011. For those planning late spring and summer visits to Athens, you should be "flexible" and prepared for potential disruptions or schedule changes, if and if.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/greek-unions-hold-new-general-strike-plan-demonstrations-to-protest-stringent-austerity/2011/05/11/AFxUhDnG_story.html

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/05/11/3058729/new-general-strike-over-greek.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576316522301926858.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_world

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d73833c-7bb6-11e0-9298-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1M2mN4E50

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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[Fblack]

Terry:

 

Another year and more strikes in Greece. Last year I cancelled a planned cruise from Athens due to the strikes and violence. Here's a bit more.

 

MAY 11, 2011: Violence Mars Greek General Strike

 

ATHENS—A largely peaceful protest Wednesday by tens of thousands of Greeks against new government austerity measures was marred by violence in central Athens late in the day, when hundreds of youths wearing ski masks hurled water bottles, firecrackers and other objects at police who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. ....

 

Throughout the day, public services across Greece ground to a halt as civil servants, teachers and hospital staff walked off the job, in one of the biggest demonstrations in months. Central and local government offices were closed, hospitals and ambulance services were operating on skeleton staffs, and schools and universities were shut for the day. ... flight operations were hit by a four-hour walkout by air-traffic controllers....

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576316522301926858.html

[cruisemom42]

The good news (if there is any), is that last year such strikes were not very frequent, and most were nonviolent. There were few cruise ships impacted over the course of the entire Med season. I believe I read about 2 ships not docking on one date, a couple more had to alter their itineraries slightly (but still docked nearby and had tours going into Athens), and one or two that met with a few places being closed on their port day in Athens.

 

I was in Athens 3 times last year (one R/T cruise, and one cruise that ended in Athens) and spent several days there before and after, encountering no problems that impacted my visit.

 

I sincerely hope the same will be true this year. The best thing cruisers visiting Athens can do is to keep up with when strikes are planned, as they are rarely spontaneous. And of course, to be flexible and have a Plan B!

[5326jan]

The good news (if there is any), is that last year such strikes were not very frequent, and most were nonviolent. There were few cruise ships impacted over the course of the entire Med season. I believe I read about 2 ships not docking on one date, a couple more had to alter their itineraries slightly (but still docked nearby and had tours going into Athens), and one or two that met with a few places being closed on their port day in Athens.

 

I was in Athens 3 times last year (one R/T cruise, and one cruise that ended in Athens) and spent several days there before and after, encountering no problems that impacted my visit.

 

I sincerely hope the same will be true this year. The best thing cruisers visiting Athens can do is to keep up with when strikes are planned, as they are rarely spontaneous. And of course, to be flexible and have a Plan B!

 

I'm very happy to hear your voice of reason. We have a cruise beginning in Athens in September and will be in there for a few days ahead of time. Of course, strikes can happen at any time, but does the demonstration generally happen around government buildings, or is it more widespread?

[CruiserBruce]

There was much concern about strikes last year as well. However, it seems the unions and other groups striking know the importance of tourism to the Greek economy, so there was very little bad activity after June 1, and before mid October.

 

A couple of May cruises last year avoided Athens, but I don't think any after that changed course.

[cruisemom42]

I'm very happy to hear your voice of reason. We have a cruise beginning in Athens in September and will be in there for a few days ahead of time. Of course, strikes can happen at any time, but does the demonstration generally happen around government buildings, or is it more widespread?

 

The most common site for demonstrations is Syntagma Square. (In which case I would suggest not staying at a hotel in the immediate vicinity, such as the Grande Bretagne). Occasionally there will be a march associated with the demonstration through the surrounding major streets.

 

I can recall only a handful of times in the last year when sites such as the Acropolis were impacted by strike closures or partial-day closures. Generally these sites stay open and are not disturbed by demonstrations. (Except for one memorable instance where protesters hung banners and slogans from the Acropolis:

 

http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2010/05/04/APTOPIX_Greece_Financ_Lea_s640x418.jpg?349d669f1fb920eb523923d471d7c4824403ba4f

[5326jan]

The most common site for demonstrations is Syntagma Square. (In which case I would suggest not staying at a hotel in the immediate vicinity, such as the Grande Bretagne). Occasionally there will be a march associated with the demonstration through the surrounding major streets.

 

I can recall only a handful of times in the last year when sites such as the Acropolis were impacted by strike closures or partial-day closures. Generally these sites stay open and are not disturbed by demonstrations. (Except for one memorable instance where protesters hung banners and slogans from the Acropolis:

 

http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2010/05/04/APTOPIX_Greece_Financ_Lea_s640x418.jpg?349d669f1fb920eb523923d471d7c4824403ba4f

 

Thanks Cynthia, We plan to stay in Plaka and won't need public transportation. We have private drivers from the airport and to the pier already arranged, so I don't think we'll change our plans based on what could happen. We'd never get anywhere if we did that!:)

[greeneg]

Interesting discussion. Our September Cruise on the Constellation is scheduled to stop in Athens before finishing in Istanbul; as of this moment, there are no shore excursions listed or available, leaving people to wonder if perhaps the ship will divert to another port.

 

Guess we will all have to wait and see.

[TLCOhio]

Thanks Cynthia, We plan to stay in Plaka and won't need public transportation. We have private drivers from the airport and to the pier already arranged, so I don't think we'll change our plans based on what could happen. We'd never get anywhere if we did that!:)

 

Agree with the excellent points above, by the always-wise Cynthia, etc. Hopefully things will work out well. Most of the strikes are for "show" and/or in that one main Syntagma Square. Being over in/near the Plaka, having private drivers set-up in advance, doing a back-up/Plan B, etc., all help lessen the chances for major problems. Plan and prepare for the "best" and it will probably work out that well.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 39,900 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Vrilissia]

The protests are planned in advance and the police cordon off the affected areas - so if you see taped off streets with police there take a different route.

 

Most demonstrations culminate at the Parliament building in Syntagma Square, are peaceful and end quickly.

 

Yesterdays problems were exacerbated by the horrific murder of a man rushing his wife to maternity hospital - foreign thieves stole his camera and killed him. Greeks have had enough of the crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Crime was virtually unknown in Greece until the border with Albania was re-opened.

[Vrilissia]

@ Mods - sorry I couldn't edit my previous post to add a last comment

 

@ Members

FYI:

In all the troubles and demonstrations there has never been a report of a tourist being harmed in any way!

[5326jan]

@ Mods - sorry I couldn't edit my previous post to add a last comment

 

@ Members

FYI:

In all the troubles and demonstrations there has never been a report of a tourist being harmed in any way!

 

Thanks! That's comforting to know. I am so looking forward to my first visit to Athens and then to the Monasteries of Meteora. :D

[Fblack]

For me, I was not worried about taking a cruise that visited Athens during the trip. I was worried about a cruise that started and stopped in Athens. Last year there were airport strikes, transportation worker strikes, dock worker strikes etc. I was worried about flying in or out of Athens; getting to and from the airport, hotels and the ship.

[Leesh77]

Interesting discussion. Our September Cruise on the Constellation is scheduled to stop in Athens before finishing in Istanbul; as of this moment, there are no shore excursions listed or available, leaving people to wonder if perhaps the ship will divert to another port.

 

Guess we will all have to wait and see.

 

Greeneg--

I am on the Constellation in/out of Istanbul departing on 9/19....and there are plenty of excursions in Athens. (I actually just doubled checked 5 minutes ago.) Where are you looking? :)

[TLCOhio]

Not any specific news out of Greece today on when the next strike will happen. Much will depend on exactly when their current government pushes through legislatively added economic belt-tightening measures.

 

From Time Magazine today, they have this headline on a very good and detailed summary piece: "One Year After the Bailout, Greece is Still Hurting". The story has these highlights: "One year on, most Greeks are still not convinced that the pain will pay off. And neither are the international markets that Greece so badly needs on its side. The mixture of cuts and tax hikes has succeeded in trimming the deficit by 5% — an impressive performance in a time of recession, economists say. But the austerity measures have also worsened the recession, now in its third year. And because of slumping output and rising unemployment, currently at 15.1%, the markets are still jittery, worried that Greece won't be able to pay back the loans it took out a year ago."

 

From Bloomberg News: "Greece’s GENOP-DEH, the labor union of Public Power Corp SA (PPC), the country’s largest electricity company, will hold rolling 48-hour strikes from the day the government’s plan to reduce its stake in the company is submitted to Parliament. The rolling strikes, which will last for about 10 days, will cause blackouts of as long as 3 hours in different areas throughout Greece. The labor union had originally decided to begin rolling strikes on May 15 in order to protest government plans to reduce its stake in the state-run electricity producer."

 

Full stories at:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2070941,00.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-12/ppc-union-confirms-strike-on-state-stake-sale-plan-ana-reports.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 39,960 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Vrilissia]

Thanks! That's comforting to know. I am so looking forward to my first visit to Athens and then to the Monasteries of Meteora. :D

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy Athens despite Greece's problems and Meteora is awesome! Do check the schedule as the Monasteries are each closed one day a week all on different day's. If I remember correctly Tuesday & Wednesday they're all open.

 

 

[greeneg]

Greeneg--

I am on the Constellation in/out of Istanbul departing on 9/19....and there are plenty of excursions in Athens. (I actually just doubled checked 5 minutes ago.) Where are you looking? :)

 

Interesting. We're on the cruise prior to you and when I saw your post I went back to My Celebrity, Manage My Reservation, Shore and Land Excursions, Athens ( we're there two days prior to your sailing) and Nada. It simply says that there are none available. Celebrity's website does make mistakes and it's possible that that is what's happening, but one of our Roll Call participants actually checked with Captain's Club and was told that they ( Celebrity) had not been able to come to an agreement with tour operators in Athens.

 

We'll see, I guess, when the time comes. Thanks for your help, though.

[Bet & Peg]

Ed ~ you're completely correct about the Athens shore excursions. If you go to "My Celebrity" and the shore excursions for our cruise ~ port: Athens this comes up: There were no shore and land excursions found that match the search criteria you selected.

Please broaden your search by specifying other or additional criteria selections.

 

If you go to the original Cruise Site and go to "shore & land excursions" then 2 pages of trip come up. Apparently between the time the trip was posted - around June/July 2010 - and now a lot has changed in Greece! We all know about the economy & strikes. Personally I can't really blame Celebrity for being cautious about Athens - who knows what will happen in the next few weeks/months!

 

When we originally booked this cruise while on our Baltic Cruise last year, DH said we'd stay on board in Athens ~ his crystal ball might have been correct!!

 

I think we'll just have to wait and see!!