Do I have enough time to visit Olympia from Katakolon?

[Katgoesonholiday]

I've been looking at the timings for our upcoming cruise in a July and it seems that the ship is only going to be docked for four hours - from 8am till 1pm - and it's a tender port.

 

So now I'm concerned that there just isn't time to visit Olympia unless we are part of a ship excursion (pricey!). We are sailing MSC and will be staying in the Yacht Club suites - which I believe gives us priority on the tender. Then we had planned to hire a car but then there is time taken to do paperwork (Avis - my husband is an 'Avis Preferred' so his details should already be in the system) and then the 30-40 min drive each way to and from Olympia.

 

Will an hour be long enough there or is it too risky to be doing such a short stop by ourselves instead of as part of a ship excursion?

[Ewoodspark]

I've been looking at the timings for our upcoming cruise in a July and it seems that the ship is only going to be docked for four hours - from 8am till 1pm - and it's a tender port.

 

Are you sure about this?

[John Bull]

Certainly there's berthing at Katakolon, I've not heard of tenders being used but mebbe if the berth (berths?) is booked for another ship. Certainly worth double-checking.

 

Car hire is very close to the port gate, formalities should only take five or ten minutes - though if there's a line .............. :eek:

The drive is 35 to 40 minutes, traffic is light so there should be no delays & parking is close and easy.

 

But yes, even if berthed it's all very tight on timing.

I avoid ships' excursions when possible, but with such a short time in port I might be inclined to bite the bullet.

 

JB :)

[cruisemom42]

The tender issue aside, I think it's pretty tight timing.

 

Much as I don't like ship tours, I'd probably use it, if only for the guaranteed transportation. If you are DIYers, you can strike out on your own once you reach Olympia. I found it a pretty site but don't expect it to be massively reconstructed.

 

Spare a few minutes for the small but fantastic museum on the site if possible.

[Ewoodspark]

I've been looking at the timings for our upcoming cruise in a July and it seems that the ship is only going to be docked for four hours - from 8am till 1pm - and it's a tender port.

 

So now I'm concerned that there just isn't time to visit Olympia unless we are part of a ship excursion (pricey!). We are sailing MSC and will be staying in the Yacht Club suites - which I believe gives us priority on the tender. Then we had planned to hire a car but then there is time taken to do paperwork (Avis - my husband is an 'Avis Preferred' so his details should already be in the system) and then the 30-40 min drive each way to and from Olympia.

 

Will an hour be long enough there or is it too risky to be doing such a short stop by ourselves instead of as part of a ship excursion?

If you are on MSC Preziosa and arriving at 8.00am on 7th July, the Disney Magic does not arrive until 9.45am, so why would you be tendering?

[John Bull]

if you are on msc preziosa and arriving at 8.00am on 7th july, the disney magic does not arrive until 9.45am, so why would you be tendering?

 

$$$ ?

 

jb :)

Edited April 12, 2014 by John Bull

[Ewoodspark]

$$$ ?

 

jb :)

What do you not understand?

Your signature is a Joe Pasquale quote by the way

[Katgoesonholiday]

If you are on MSC Preziosa and arriving at 8.00am on 7th July, the Disney Magic does not arrive until 9.45am, so why would you be tendering?

 

No idea. I'm only going by what it says on the website and it definitely states that port as a tender port. :/

 

Any idea how long the tender would take if they do decide to use that?

[Katgoesonholiday]

The tender issue aside, I think it's pretty tight timing.

 

Much as I don't like ship tours, I'd probably use it, if only for the guaranteed transportation. If you are DIYers, you can strike out on your own once you reach Olympia. I found it a pretty site but don't expect it to be massively reconstructed.

 

Spare a few minutes for the small but fantastic museum on the site if possible.

 

Good advice! Thank you!

 

Do you think the site is worth seeing? We are going to Ephesus the next day so my husband wonders whether Olympia is worth doing or whether we should do a winery tour instead.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Certainly there's berthing at Katakolon, I've not heard of tenders being used but mebbe if the berth (berths?) is booked for another ship. Certainly worth double-checking.

 

Car hire is very close to the port gate, formalities should only take five or ten minutes - though if there's a line .............. :eek:

The drive is 35 to 40 minutes, traffic is light so there should be no delays & parking is close and easy.

 

But yes, even if berthed it's all very tight on timing.

I avoid ships' excursions when possible, but with such a short time in port I might be inclined to bite the bullet.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks for the advice. The last timing we want is to be stressed about being left behind so it's good to get other peoples advice from their own experience and knowledge.

[John Bull]

What do you not understand?

Your signature is a Joe Pasquale quote by the way

 

"$$$ ?" was my shorthand for a guess that Disney were prepared to pay more for a berth than MSC.;)

Though the size of the vessels, or who booked first, may come into it.

 

BTW, the quote pre-dates Joe Pasquale. He's borrowed it, same as I did. It's generally attributed to someone called Will Kommen, though whether that's a real name is debateable.

 

JB :)

[cruisemom42]

Good advice! Thank you!

 

Do you think the site is worth seeing? We are going to Ephesus the next day so my husband wonders whether Olympia is worth doing or whether we should do a winery tour instead.

 

Well, you are probably asking the wrong person as I will happily visit any Greek, Roman, or other ancient ruins anywhere (some in much worse shape than Olympia).

 

However, I have to say the historic connection with the Olympics would make it worthwhile to a lot of people. There's something fun about putting your feet in the starting blocks in the stadium, or seeing where they (still) kindle the fire for the Olympic torch.... And as I said, the museum is modern, and has a few really fine things in it.

 

Ephesus has fantastic ruins, but they are totally different from Olympia.

[Holly2]

You could contact Katakolon taxi and see what they recommend. Andrew took us to Olympia and then a lovely winery. I'd feel more confident with a local driver than renting a car. He even got the tickets for us to save time and really knows his way around.

[Katgoesonholiday]

You could contact Katakolon taxi and see what they recommend. Andrew took us to Olympia and then a lovely winery. I'd feel more confident with a local driver than renting a car. He even got the tickets for us to save time and really knows his way around.

 

Good ideas! May I ask how long was your tour?

[Holly2]

We had a lot of time ( around 6 hours) and did a lot besides Olympia. We went to the beach, villages, and scenic lookouts. He could route you different ways and you'd get his commentary which was very interesting.

Think he'd also caution you if he felt time would be a problem. He is very well regarded and would make sure you are back in time. Hope you get to see something outside of Katakolon.

[Katgoesonholiday]

ARRRRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! :mad:

 

I should know better than to try do basic maths when full of a head cold!!! 8am-1pm is FIVE hours not four. So that actually makes quite a difference.

 

Thank you so much for all the good suggestions and advice!

[John Bull]

ARRRRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! :mad:

 

I should know better than to try do basic maths when full of a head cold!!! 8am-1pm is FIVE hours not four. So that actually makes quite a difference.

 

Thank you so much for all the good suggestions and advice!

 

No, your maths were pretty-well on the mark.

Allowing for the line to get off the ship & the walk from ship/pier, you'll be at the port gate about 8.30

With a 1pm sailing, latest back-on-board time is likely to be 12.30.

Which leave you four hours.

 

Or if it is a tender operation, even with some sort of priority disembarkation, you're likely to be at the port gate a little later.

And last tender back to the ship will probably be 12 noon.

That probably gives you 3 to 3.5 hours.

 

Travel to Olympia & back, including waiting (rental car, bus, whatever) will cost you about 90 minutes.

 

Hence the need to know whether you'll be tendered.

 

Car rental, see this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1274536&highlight=katakolon+rental

The agency's shop is right opposite the port gate.

We fixed up a reservation by e-mail. No payment or credit card number up-front, no penalty for no-show, but the reservation would lapse if we didn't collect within (30 ?) mins of the booking. Cost 18 months ago was 40 euros, return the car with the gas gauge needle in the same place (10 euros was plenty). Well short of the distance before any mileage charge kicks in. Nice straightforward people, good clean modern car. You'll be given directions & a very basic little map - but there's only two turns.

 

JB :)

Edited April 14, 2014 by John Bull

[Katgoesonholiday]

I trust your maths more than I trust my own at the moment!!! :D

 

That sounds like we do have time so long as we don't dawdle. Thanks so much for your help and advice.

 

Kat

[maryann120]

Katakolon is not a tender port (well at least not when I was there!) so that should not worry you at all. Ship excursions are very expensive and I personally find it much better to do everything on my own time instead of following the crowd. I rented a car while I was there and it didn't take more than 5 minutes to finish the paper work and take the key for the car. I used Avis, people there know that cruise passengers don’t have much time and they are doing their job really well, plus they will give you a very detailed map. Drive to Olympia is only 30 minutes, even less if you go out of the ship straight away and beet the buses (although there wasn’t much traffic on the streets). 4 hours are enough time; you will not need more than 2.5 hours in Olympia, plus aprox. an hour in the car. You could reserve the car (if your husband is an Avis Preferred, Avis office is just few meters from the port, and the manager will wait for you outside the gate).

A tip: Do go to the small museum where they keep the Olympic torches!

[CruiseIreland]

Katakolon is not a tender port (well at least not when I was there!) so that should not worry you at all.

 

I wish you were correct but, according to the MSC itinerary, Preziosa will tender there in September. I would like to visit Olympia, preferably DIY, but the short port stop together with the tendering means I will either opt for a ship's tour at €106 for two of us or just stay on the ship/visit Katakolon at leisure. This would be a shame as it will be our second visit to Katakolon and we have not visited Olympia. As I am less likely to choose an itinerary that includes Katakolon in future, it's now or never! Ken

[Elmartellama]

It seems there's a bit of misinformation regarding this port.

 

First of all, I am not able to find an official website (maybe it's in greek and I just can't find it)

 

The fact is that according to Katakolon Express (a bus company) the MSC Preziosa docks in Katalolon without tendering, they posted a picture on their Facebook page as proof. And unless there are many ships there the same day and time, there is no real reason to tender there since there are two big enough berths. So I find it hard to believe that they'll do tendering there with such a big ship.

 

Also, according to the local Avis branch (with information that the port authority has given to them), the MSC Fantasia will dock there at 12:00, and leave at 19:00, instead of 13:00 like the MSC webiste states. So, at this point I just don't know whether the port authority is giving wrong info, whether MSC plays it safe, or whether they do it on purpose so that people think that with such a tight schedule it's best to make an excursion with them.

 

It may seem irrelevant, but there is a big difference in a 7 hours or 6 hours port call when you plan that day.

 

Anyway, I find it really strange and bad that such an important port for cruises has not even a webpage with reliable information.

[T.O.cruisers]

Don't say you are unlikely to cruise again to Katakolon. There are ships that do spend a reasonable amount of time in the port so that you can visit Olympia. I once cancelled a MSC cruise in the Mediterranean just because the port times are way to short to visit the sites that the port is intended. When in the Mediterranean my choice of ship is dependent on the port times. Enjoy your cruise and next time choose a ship that will allow enough time to see the sites.

[Alex71]

It seems there's a bit of misinformation regarding this port.

 

First of all, I am not able to find an official website (maybe it's in greek and I just can't find it)

 

The fact is that according to Katakolon Express (a bus company) the MSC Preziosa docks in Katalolon without tendering, they posted a picture on their Facebook page as proof. And unless there are many ships there the same day and time, there is no real reason to tender there since there are two big enough berths. So I find it hard to believe that they'll do tendering there with such a big ship.

 

Also, according to the local Avis branch (with information that the port authority has given to them), the MSC Fantasia will dock there at 12:00, and leave at 19:00, instead of 13:00 like the MSC webiste states. So, at this point I just don't know whether the port authority is giving wrong info, whether MSC plays it safe, or whether they do it on purpose so that people think that with such a tight schedule it's best to make an excursion with them.

 

It may seem irrelevant, but there is a big difference in a 7 hours or 6 hours port call when you plan that day.

 

Anyway, I find it really strange and bad that such an important port for cruises has not even a webpage with reliable information.

 

We were in Katakolon on the MSC Fantasia last week. We were docked as was the HAL Eurodam, which was in port the same day, so there seems to be enough dock space to accomodate at least two ships. In case there are more, some might have to use tenders.

 

The official arrival time was 13:00, but MSC usually arrives an hour early, possibly to build in some buffer for potential delays. We were off the ship and outside the port at about 12:20.

 

As soon as we exited the port, we saw representatives from different bus companies looking to direct people to their offices. We turned to one guy who had a sign saying "Bus to Olympia 8 EUR". He told us that our two kids would be free and took us to a little office maybe 50m up a street, where we paid the 16 EUR for the two adults and were told that the bus would leave in 30 minutes.

 

We then spend about 20 minutes looking at some of the tourist shops in Katakolon and then went to the bus, which was parked further down the street. The driver arrived around 12:50 and got us to Olympia in a good half hour. We then had enough time to look at Olympia and for a quick lunch at one of the restaurants in town.

 

The driver arrived at the time he had indicated and took us back so that we were at the port well before before the all on board time. In total, the tour took about three hours, a little more than one hour on the bus and a little less than two hours in Olympia. The felt that the the time was sufficient since there really is not that much to look at.

 

All in all a very pleasant experience. It was a modern and clean bus an everything worked like a clockwork. No need to make arrangements up front, we were perfectly happy with what we got in Katakolon directly. Can't remember what the bus company was called, I think something like Vla...-Tours.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Alex71

[Alex71]

I just found our receipt. The bus company we used was called Vlachopoulos-Tours, the website is http://www.vlachopoulos-tours.gr. The website only has some general information in Greek with a Google Translate function though. Nothing specific to Katakolon.

 

Again, highly recommended.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Alex71

[luv2vacation]

We were in Katakolon on the MSC Fantasia last week. We were docked as was the HAL Eurodam, which was in port the same day, so there seems to be enough dock space to accomodate at least two ships. In case there are more, some might have to use tenders.

 

The official arrival time was 13:00, but MSC usually arrives an hour early, possibly to build in some buffer for potential delays. We were off the ship and outside the port at about 12:20.

 

As soon as we exited the port, we saw representatives from different bus companies looking to direct people to their offices. We turned to one guy who had a sign saying "Bus to Olympia 8 EUR". He told us that our two kids would be free and took us to a little office maybe 50m up a street, where we paid the 16 EUR for the two adults and were told that the bus would leave in 30 minutes.

 

We then spend about 20 minutes looking at some of the tourist shops in Katakolon and then went to the bus, which was parked further down the street. The driver arrived around 12:50 and got us to Olympia in a good half hour. We then had enough time to look at Olympia and for a quick lunch at one of the restaurants in town.

 

The driver arrived at the time he had indicated and took us back so that we were at the port well before before the all on board time. In total, the tour took about three hours, a little more than one hour on the bus and a little less than two hours in Olympia. The felt that the the time was sufficient since there really is not that much to look at.

 

All in all a very pleasant experience. It was a modern and clean bus an everything worked like a clockwork. No need to make arrangements up front, we were perfectly happy with what we got in Katakolon directly. Can't remember what the bus company was called, I think something like Vla...-Tours.

 

I will be on the Fantasia in May and this sounds like a perfect option for our day. Thanks for posting this information! Are you going write a review? I would like to hear what you did in the other ports. Also, do you remember the 2 dining times for dinner?