Star Clipper 7/18/15-8/8/15 Greece & Turkey

[smokinmike]

We're aboard Star Clipper out of Piraeus for three weeks in July and August. Will anyone be joining us?

[CassNJ]

Hi SmokingMike,

 

I think we met on a Star Clipper Caribean Cruise 3-4 years ago. I hope you enjoy your trip. We are doing Greece Turkey on 8/20 with my teenage kids and In-laws. Got the call from the in-laws today wondering how best to handle the money situation in Greece. They are coming in a few days early to explore Athens and then I had booked us to fly to Santorini for 3 days post the cruise. Would you mind posting when you get back with any tips regarding who is accepting credit cards (restaurants hotels etc). We are assuming ATMs won't be working and are trying to figure how much Euros we will need on hand. I am assuming while on the Clipper we are fine since everything can be charged to shipboard account.

 

Love to hear what you experienced.

 

Enjoy!

Cassie

[smokinmike]

Sure thing - will post some thoughts upon our return to the US. We checked into the Athens InterCon today for a pre-cruise visit. My initial impressions are these:

 

1. People are concerned but calm.

2. We did not see long lines at ATMs.

3. Our BA flight from LHR was completely full.

4. ATH was fully functional.

5. We saw no demos or strikes.

 

Again - these are the first impressions from our first few hours in the country.

[smokinmike]

Went out for a walk this evening heading to the City Center from the InterCon and ran into a small demo - about 2K people. Most were orderly and there was a wide cross section of demonstrators. It was mostly peaceful until a few anarchists began misbehaving - rocks were thrown, tear gas was utilized and an ATM was vandalized. A couple of injuries and a couple of arrests - as we used to say: "It's never a party until the anarchists show up!"

 

Apparently the City Center gets a little sporty at nights these days but is very calm and business-like during the day.

 

. . . sorta like a mullet.

 

We'll find out what Syntagma and Plaka are like tomorrow for we have a walking food tour scheduled.

Edited July 15, 2015 by smokinmike

[CassNJ]

Mike so appreciate the posts here's hoping no more demonstrations with rocks and tears gas.

 

Thanks for the boots on the ground info. Realized this am I am one month from leaving and can't wait!

 

Cassie

[smokinmike]

Just a short note to say that we had a wonderful three weeks aboard Star Clipper. The staff and crew did a terrific job making us feel welcome and we left the ship feeling more like family members rather than passengers. Hats off to to Captain Sergei Tunikov, HM Anita Benedetti, CDs Peter Kissner and Stefi Adels plus everyone else aboard who made our passage aboard Star Clipper such a great success.

 

Regarding the situation in Greece - with the exception of the situation on the evening of 8/15/15, we witnessed no violence of any sort anywhere. We saw no long lines at ATMs anywhere. Restaurants, cafes and stores of all types were functioning everywhere. Tourists from all over the world were visiting Athens, the Peloponnese and the islands. Ferries were operating in what seemed to be a normal fashion and were crowded.

 

Having said all that one needs to know that most restaurants and cafes do not take credit cards and work on a cash basis. We did not try to use debit cards so I cannot speak to that. We took more Euro than normal and were glad we did.

 

I would not hesitate to encourage folks to visit Greece in the near term.

 

Also - one comment on Istanbul. We felt completely safe walking around the Old Town and indeed, walked back to the ship across the Galata Bridge. Fears about Istanbul that I have read about on CC seem to be a little overblown.

[CassNJ]

Mike thanks for taking the time to post. We leave on Thursday and I can't wait!!! Packing today.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

Cassie

[smokinmike]

Have a great cruise!

[willwheels]

Thanks for the info--taking the Yachtsman's Paradise in three weeks!

[smokinmike]

We enjoyed YP - Lemnos was excellent! A perfect small, out of the way island with a castle to explore and a small waterfront with some excellent restaurants. Also we would recommend the Gallipoli shore excursion at Cannakale. Enjoy your cruise!

[smokinmike]

I must add that the dry white wines of Lemnos are well-known for their quality and we can attest to that!

[willwheels]

Well Lemnos sounds perfect, thanks! So ready to go!