Greek Isles - Port Questions

[classy_cruiser]

The Greek Isles are supposed to be hopping this summer/fall with several cruise lines planning to sail. I'm going to be on the NCL Jade cruise but I know several other lines are visiting the same ports. Hope this post is allowed.

 

Out of the following ports, are there any where you feel it really makes more sense to do a ship excursion vs. DIY due to time constraint/hassles/distance? - Heraklion, Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos

 

If the cruise is originating in Greece, will they be checking to make sure passengers aren't bringing foods from the ship into port? Would be nice to bring some snacks from the ship with us. Or is it really easy to get on and off the ship for lunch at any of those ports?

 

I'm also interested to hear about your favorite activities or excursions. 

 

I'm guessing no one has really been to these locations since covid, but if you have it would be great to know of any changes since then. 

[Lois R]

Hi🙂 yes, the post is allowed.

 

I would contact your cruise line concerning excursions.  Europe is still in a different place than here in the states and they may have policies in place for DYI in these ports.

 

I am also sailing to Greece....going next month and I know on my cruise they are having ship excursions only.   As for lunch......if you do a morning tour, you should be back to your ship in the lunch time hours....unless you are taking an all day tour.  If you are going on a tour in the afternoon then I would suggest eating lunch on board before you leave. if it is an all day tour, Lunch may be part of it.

 

I don't know what snacks are allowed to be taken off the ship........You might post these questions on the NCL forum as well. Maybe some regular cruisers over there can help with answers.

[djacobson]

My wife and I are cruising in November on the Jade. We are excited and looking forward to learning more about the ports of call. 

[arianna.capri]

Hi! I'm on the same itinerary on the Jade's 8/8 sailing. I've spent a LOT of time researching ports, distances, DIY options, etc, and this is what I landed on, if it helps at all. 

Crete/Heraklion- ship excursion (Knossos & Heraklion City) did this due to time/concerns about it being our first day after flying in the day of boarding so we wanted something easy and stress-free. Plus, its relatively low cost.

Rhodes- DIY Old Town Rhodes. Every trip report/review I have read states its super easy to get off of the ship and have a fun, fulfilling day in Old Town. Supposedly there are lots of ruins to see, shops to peruse, and good food. We aren't booking anything beforehand, just walking off the ship to see what the day brings.

Mykonos- DIY Old Town Mykonos area. Our goal here is to get beautiful photos on the streets of Mykonos and hopefully see some of the churches in the area. Also shopping, so we are planning on taking the Sea Bus from the New Port (where the ship docks) to the Old Port (walking distance of Mykonos Town)

Olympia/Katakolon- ship excursion (Olympia & Archeological Museum). Chose this again, due to time concerns and wanting an easy day where we can just really get lost in the history. After two DIY days, it will be nice to have someone else in charge. 

Corfu- ship excursion (Corfu Beach Break). Same reasoning as above. Figuring we might want a break from all the walking and sightseeing, a nice day at the beach with someone else handling the transportation sounds perfect and allows us to rest before Santorini. 

Santorini- the day I have way too much stress about, but we are going to DIY it. We want as much time in Oia as possible. At first, I was concerned about crowds so we were going to do the black sand beach. Then I saw that we are the only cruise ship currently scheduled in port that day, and this is a golden opportunity for good photos and to see Santorini without the streets packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Planning on paying for the boat transfer to Oia at the Fira port. 

 

[jas283a]

7 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi🙂 yes, the post is allowed.

 

I would contact your cruise line concerning excursions.  Europe is still in a different place than here in the states and they may have policies in place for DYI in these ports.

 

I am also sailing to Greece....going next month and I know on my cruise they are having ship excursions only.   As for lunch......if you do a morning tour, you should be back to your ship in the lunch time hours....unless you are taking an all day tour.  If you are going on a tour in the afternoon then I would suggest eating lunch on board before you leave. if it is an all day tour, Lunch may be part of it.

 

I don't know what snacks are allowed to be taken off the ship........You might post these questions on the NCL forum as well. Maybe some regular cruisers over there can help with answers.

Norwegian has already said you don’t have to do shore excursions through the ship, which gives a lot of options! 

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, arianna.capri said:

Hi! I'm on the same itinerary on the Jade's 8/8 sailing. I've spent a LOT of time researching ports, distances, DIY options, etc, and this is what I landed on, if it helps at all. 

Crete/Heraklion- ship excursion (Knossos & Heraklion City) did this due to time/concerns about it being our first day after flying in the day of boarding so we wanted something easy and stress-free. Plus, its relatively low cost.

Rhodes- DIY Old Town Rhodes. Every trip report/review I have read states its super easy to get off of the ship and have a fun, fulfilling day in Old Town. Supposedly there are lots of ruins to see, shops to peruse, and good food. We aren't booking anything beforehand, just walking off the ship to see what the day brings.

Mykonos- DIY Old Town Mykonos area. Our goal here is to get beautiful photos on the streets of Mykonos and hopefully see some of the churches in the area. Also shopping, so we are planning on taking the Sea Bus from the New Port (where the ship docks) to the Old Port (walking distance of Mykonos Town)

Olympia/Katakolon- ship excursion (Olympia & Archeological Museum). Chose this again, due to time concerns and wanting an easy day where we can just really get lost in the history. After two DIY days, it will be nice to have someone else in charge. 

Corfu- ship excursion (Corfu Beach Break). Same reasoning as above. Figuring we might want a break from all the walking and sightseeing, a nice day at the beach with someone else handling the transportation sounds perfect and allows us to rest before Santorini. 

Santorini- the day I have way too much stress about, but we are going to DIY it. We want as much time in Oia as possible. At first, I was concerned about crowds so we were going to do the black sand beach. Then I saw that we are the only cruise ship currently scheduled in port that day, and this is a golden opportunity for good photos and to see Santorini without the streets packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Planning on paying for the boat transfer to Oia at the Fira port. 

 

 

Excellent research, I'll just add....

Katakolon. Consider car rental - cheap, even with zero-excess insurance, add €10 for fuel for Olympia, 35-minute drive. Very simple route & driving. For two about the same cost as excursion but with more freedom on timing, for four it'll be cheaper than excursions. Katakolon itself is very very limited, just one street.

Corfu. Old town is just a simple and frequent 10-minute local bus ride from the port gate. Pleasant if unexciting town, popular for shopping.

Santorini. The problem here is too many cruisers and no road up the cliff from the tender/local ferry pier to the town of Fira , which puts a strain on the cablecar & donkey options. Problem is particularly the return to the ship, because ships' tour groups also return that way and because there's no ferry option. I'd be wary of ships-in-port websites, they're often inaccurate or incomplete - but ships tend to work timings out between them so that some are all-day, some are half-day, some depart late into the evening. So just one other large ship on your date and arriving / departing about the same time can create long lines for the cablecar, but three or four ships on the same day can be easy if their timings are different. Only fitness freaks would want to walk up the zig-zag path from tender pier to town, but walking down is pretty easy for most folk & takes about 25 minutes - so if you arrive at the top station at least half-an-hour before "last tender time" and there's a long line for the cablecar you can walk down with no fear of being late.

 

All my comments are pre-pandemic.

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by John Bull

[Hlitner]

Good posts.  We have explored all the mentioned islands (on our own and on some tours).  JB mentioned Rhodes Town and that is certainly easy to do on your own (just walking from the pier).  But the remainder of Rhodes (if you choose to do some exploring) does require transportation be it a rental car or tour/excursion, or (in a few cases) using public buses.    Crete is probably the most difficult island to explore because it is huge (we are talking about 150 miles from end to end).  We have been to Crete about a half dozen times and despite having had rental islands we probably have not seen 3/4 of the island.   Katakolon is our least favorite place (of the ones mentioned) but most first time visitors find themselves heading to Olympia (the museum is actually pretty decent) which can be done by excursion or on your own.  We have often rented a car (there are a few rental car places within walking distance of the pier) and explored the region, but other then Olympia there is not a lot to impress unless you are simply looking for a beach.  Santorini and Mykonos are both easy to explore..be it on your own with a rental car, using public buses (an option to get to many beaches), or just using your feet to explore the main towns (Fira and Oia on Santorini and Mykonos Town).  Mykonos also is the base from which to explore the nearby island of Delos which can be done on an excursion or by a tour (you need to go via boat) from Mykonos Town.

 

Hank

[irvington]

I’m mostly following this to learn for my upcoming cruise in August but I will give advice on the two ports that I’ve been to. I’m not sure exactly why, but my sons and I found Olympia kind of underwhelming. I did think the museum was totally worth it and i’m sure we were influenced by the fact it was an incredibly hot day. We had also been to a lot of ancient ruins that trip. 
 

On Corfu, I organized a boat tour with Nautilus through the roll call. My teenagers thought it was the highlight of the trip.  I think we had about 12 or 15 people and it was a reasonable price with that many people going. The day was a lot of fun and the swimming and food were incredible. This was three years ago but looking at TripAdvisor they seem like they’re still in action. 

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, irvington said:

I’m mostly following this to learn for my upcoming cruise in August but I will give advice on the two ports that I’ve been to. I’m not sure exactly why, but my sons and I found Olympia kind of underwhelming. I did think the museum was totally worth it and i’m sure we were influenced by the fact it was an incredibly hot day. We had also been to a lot of ancient ruins that trip. 
 

On Corfu, I organized a boat tour with Nautilus through the roll call. My teenagers thought it was the highlight of the trip.  I think we had about 12 or 15 people and it was a reasonable price with that many people going. The day was a lot of fun and the swimming and food were incredible. This was three years ago but looking at TripAdvisor they seem like they’re still in action. 

What a terrific idea (boat tour in Corfu).  Many cruisers may not be aware that Corfu in a very popular port with yachts and smaller private boats during the season.  It is the gateway port to the Ionian chain which is a wonderful place to be with a smaller boat.  We once took a week cruise (out of Corfu) on a 20 person boat/yacht in the Ionian Islands and it remains one of our favorite trips...ever!  

 

Hank

 

 

[VMax1700]

16 hours ago, irvington said:

I’m not sure exactly why, but my sons and I found Olympia kind of underwhelming. I did think the museum was totally worth it

If someone wants a really 'lazy' day in Katakolon, then I recommend the 'Museum of Ancient Greek Technology' which is located in a small park at the other end of town to the port.  (It is a really short walk!).  It is only a couple of euro admission and there are many very interesting machines, models and exhibits etc from ancient Greek times.

[classy_cruiser]

Lots of great tips so far! 
 

For Santorini, I saw an interesting tip in the Rock Steve’s episode. He took a ship excursion that went to a different pier and got straight on a bus to Oia. Being on the excursion automatically got him on the first tender ship and skipped the cable car. He then left the tour early and did his own thing the rest of the day. 
 

I don’t think the cable car will be as big of a problem this year as in previous years,  but I like the idea of not having to wake up/line up super early to try and get a decent tender ticket and avoid losing any time in port. 

Has anyone else tried this in the past? Wondering if they normally give you a hard time about it. Ideally we would still get the cable car return ticket from them and would only be skipping the portion with the bus ride back to Fira. 

 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, classy_cruiser said:

Has anyone else tried this in the past? Wondering if they normally give you a hard time about it. Ideally we would still get the cable car return ticket from them and would only be skipping the portion with the bus ride back to Fira. 

 

I remember it being discussed pretty often here on the boards in the past. A number of people opted to take one of the early-departing ship tours to avoid the hassles. Usually the guides have the cable car voucher/ticket and don't hand them out until you get back to Fira (people being what they are, they will lose or misplace them...).  However, I imagine that if you ask for them and explain what you're doing it will be fine. 

[bennybear]

On 6/5/2021 at 10:53 AM, irvington said:

I’m mostly following this to learn for my upcoming cruise in August but I will give advice on the two ports that I’ve been to. I’m not sure exactly why, but my sons and I found Olympia kind of underwhelming. I did think the museum was totally worth it and i’m sure we were influenced by the fact it was an incredibly hot day. We had also been to a lot of ancient ruins that trip. 
 

On Corfu, I organized a boat tour with Nautilus through the roll call. My teenagers thought it was the highlight of the trip.  I think we had about 12 or 15 people and it was a reasonable price with that many people going. The day was a lot of fun and the swimming and food were incredible. This was three years ago but looking at TripAdvisor they seem like they’re still in action. 

I organized a trip with Nautilus as well,  it remains one of our favourite excursions ever! A lovely day visiting many beautiful spots, swimming, great homemade food and wine.  Highly recommend as well,  they meet you at the pier.  

[bennybear]

IIRC there is a transfer boat to Ammoudi,  which is at the base of Oia where you dock.   Although it is a bit of a hike up to Oia.   We have in the past rented a car, stayed on the island…. The easiest is just to walk up from the Cablecar to the bus stop and go to Oia first thing,  retuning before the buses get packed.  A swim and lunch at Kamari is a lovely way to finish.  Taxis are usually reasonable as well if you want to  avoid the bus.  
 

We’ve  visited Kataklon several times as well,  rented a car to drive to a bigger beach,  but the local beach accessible by taxi or the little train is a nice spot for a swim,  and there is a really lovely Local restaurant at the end of town nearest the taxis.  

[Hlitner]

Regarding booking a Santorini excursion (that gets you tendered to the Athinios Dock (you must be on an excursion to go to this pier) where you can board a bus...and then you later abandon your tour...is a valid strategy done by some folks.  So you could take an excursion that eventually gets you to Oia, then leave your tour in Oia and find your way back to Fira (bus or taxi) from where you would take the cable car down to the tender pier.  Keep in mind that all the tours do eventually end in Fira and everyone goes down to the tender pier via cable car, donkeys, or an "interesting" walk.   But to answer the question, yes you can leave an excursion.  Normal decorum is to make very sure your tour guide (and the ship's chaperone) are aware that you are leaving the excursion (so they do not waste time looking for you).    This is an OK strategy although you will not get any kind of refund for not staying with your excursion :).    Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get back to Fira since the bus between Oia and Fira does not run as often as one would like and can sometimes be full.  Finding a taxi at Oia is not always possible, especially if it is getting later in the day with many folks scrambling to get back to Fira.  Also keep in mind that there can be a long wait (especially in mid-late afternoon) to go down on the cable car.  If a few ships are in port that wait can be well over an hour.  The good news is that ships are aware of the bottleneck and seldom leave while they still have folks waiting for the cable car.  But you should ask yourself...do you want to gamble on your Captain waiting :).

 

Hank

[classy_cruiser]

On 6/6/2021 at 1:38 PM, Hlitner said:

Regarding booking a Santorini excursion (that gets you tendered to the Athinios Dock (you must be on an excursion to go to this pier) where you can board a bus...and then you later abandon your tour...is a valid strategy done by some folks.  So you could take an excursion that eventually gets you to Oia, then leave your tour in Oia and find your way back to Fira (bus or taxi) from where you would take the cable car down to the tender pier.  Keep in mind that all the tours do eventually end in Fira and everyone goes down to the tender pier via cable car, donkeys, or an "interesting" walk.   But to answer the question, yes you can leave an excursion.  Normal decorum is to make very sure your tour guide (and the ship's chaperone) are aware that you are leaving the excursion (so they do not waste time looking for you).    This is an OK strategy although you will not get any kind of refund for not staying with your excursion :).    Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get back to Fira since the bus between Oia and Fira does not run as often as one would like and can sometimes be full.  Finding a taxi at Oia is not always possible, especially if it is getting later in the day with many folks scrambling to get back to Fira.  Also keep in mind that there can be a long wait (especially in mid-late afternoon) to go down on the cable car.  If a few ships are in port that wait can be well over an hour.  The good news is that ships are aware of the bottleneck and seldom leave while they still have folks waiting for the cable car.  But you should ask yourself...do you want to gamble on your Captain waiting :).

 

Hank

Thanks a lot for the info! The excursions for our ship were just posted and I noticed the start time for the cheapest Oia excursion is not until 1:45pm. Our ship is supposed to arrive in port at 12pm. There are several tours for Santorini but only one has a start time before 1pm. The majority are between 1 and 1:45. Is it normal that it would take almost 2 hours to get off the ship and start the ship excursion? Doesn't seem like much of a time savings in that case. 

[Hlitner]

13 minutes ago, classy_cruiser said:

Thanks a lot for the info! The excursions for our ship were just posted and I noticed the start time for the cheapest Oia excursion is not until 1:45pm. Our ship is supposed to arrive in port at 12pm. There are several tours for Santorini but only one has a start time before 1pm. The majority are between 1 and 1:45. Is it normal that it would take almost 2 hours to get off the ship and start the ship excursion? Doesn't seem like much of a time savings in that case. 

I gather from you "nick" that you have some previous cruise experience.  So keep in mind that you are talking about an island where all the cruise ships (and there are days with several ships) must tender everyone ashore.  Most ships seem to do a good job getting their own excursions (the one's that will go to the Athenios port where they can board buses) ashore and if these Oia excursions are using that port I do not understand the delay.  Keep in mind that Santorini is an island that can be done on your own with often good results.  For example, if Oia is a priority you can just use the normal tenders (no idea how long this will take on your ship) to the regular small port below Fira.  Once you arrive at the pier you will notice one or more vendors (on the pier) touting one-way boat rides over to Oia.  With most of these smaller boats you pay for a ticket which includes a boat across the cauldron to a small pier below Oia, a shuttle bus from near that pier up to Oia, and they also give you a bus ticket for a bus from Oia back to Fira (which is where you ultimately need to go in order to take the Cable car or donkeys down to the tender pier back to your ship).  

 

Another option for Oia is to tender to below Fira, take the cable car (or donkeys) up to Fira, and then walk through town to either the public bus station (where they have some buses that go to Oia) or the taxi stand (near the bus station) from where you can get a taxi to Oia (used to be about 25 Euros for the entire taxi).  

 

Understand that a "tour" to Oia will get you to Oia, usually involve some kind of walking tour (the only way to see Oia and/or Fira is on your feet) and then a bus back to Fira.  IMHO a "walking tour" of Oia or Fira is a complete waste since you don't need a guide to walk around narrow streets/walkways and browse shops.  You can get delightfully lost in the labyrinth of Oia, but that is part of the fun and this town is not very big.  DW and I have often sat in Oia cafes/restaurants watching the walking tours and feeling sorry for those folks who must stick with their group when many of them would love to just sit down at a cafe and relax (most walking tours do give you some free time).

 

We will again be on Santorini in August (from a small cruise ship) and I guarantee you that DW will follow our own advice,  tender ashore, take a boat over to Oia, and spend at least an hour enjoying a cafe with a view.   Nothing wrong with tours on Santorini, but if it is just a matter of Fira and Oia I think tours are a waste of money (unless you are doing it to get to a bus in Athios and avoid the cable car).  There is certainly more to Santorini then Fira and Oia as the island has some wineries, the ruins at Akritori, and even a few decent beaches (not normally part of tours).  Another option on the island is to rent a car at Fira and just explore the island on your own...although I think this is best left to those with a long port day.  When we rent a car on Santorini it is usually because we want to do a few different things such as head all the way out to Red Beach and later to a restaurant or perhaps one of the wineries.

 

Hank

[Rob-Bob]

Great thread.  We are on the Jade 7/25/21 and are getting some solid advice.  I will keep checking back for advice from those who have experience.

 

Thanks again to all who posted.

[Lindancer]

Traveling with Holland America, August 15-19, a back-to-back with a stop back in Athens in the middle.  I have not yet heard whether they are insisting one take their shore excursions, or whether one can go off on their own.  (Seems weird, since we can wander around Athens all we want BEFORE the cruise...)  My contact at HAL says they are still conferring with Greek authorities, blah blah blah.  I'd sure like to know, before I spend time researching stuff to do on my own.  There are 3 of us and looking at one of their shore excursions (Santorini), I see the cost is $170 per person which comes to %540 for the day.  Multiple that by 6 or 7 different ports and that adds a hefty cost to the trip!

If anyone has heard anything about what Holland America is doing, I'd sure like to hear about it.

Thanks!

[little britain]

@Hlitner - can you please recommend a car hire company you have used in Santorini - I'll be there twice in Sept and Oct (and again  next June) so am looking for something different to do!  Thanks

[Hlitner]

I cannot reasonably recommend anyone at the moment for 2 reasons.  It has been over 5 years since we last rented a car (we will be on Santorini in August and might rent at that time).  But the other more important reason/concern is that COVID has shut down the island for more then a year.  Like in many places, businesses have closed, some have changed ownership, etc.  At the moment we hesitate to recommend any business until we can get some first hand info (or info from very reliable sources) about the current situation.

 

At the moment I suspect there will be nobody with recent information since tourism is just beginning to resume on the island.  In a few weeks we should begin to hear from some folks and get updates on the current situation.  We really look forward to getting back to Greece (next month) but will go with an open mind (and eyes) and as COVID will have obviously changed many things.

 

Hank

[Skai]

I will add our personal experience here (which may concur with other advice posted).

 

As with anywhere frequented by an insane amount of tourists (especially smaller locales visited by cruise ships disgorging thousands of passengers ashore any given day).....The early bird gets the worm.

 

That means for a tender port(such as Santorini), to beat the crowds(DIY), one has to plan on being on one of the earliest tenders to shore(if not the 1st).

 

For Oia:

 

I absolutely recommend taking the water taxi to the base of Oia, and taking the shuttle bus up the steep hill to the town itself -- The fastest route there(DIY).  At the top, make sure to reserve a time for the return shuttle-bus back to Fira -- if wanting/needing a specific (early afternoon)time to return. 

 

Upon returning to Fira, unless one is disabled/mobility limited, I would avoid the cable-car, and hike down the stairs back to the tender dock.  It's kind of a neat stroll to walk down; minding the presents left by the donkeys of course.  

 

In Oia, the crowds will eventually show up mid-morn, however, it is still possible to get away if one is willing to get off of the beaten path(s), and walk down a little ways to the less frequented walkways -- providing great views of both the caldera and the buildings hugging the hillsides.

 

For Rhodes:

 

If staying in town, in addition to exploring the Old Town, I would recommend visiting the Palace of the Grand Master of Knights.  We arrived fairly early and almost had the place to ourselves. The parklike atmosphere around sections of the old moat/outside the city walls(Gate D'Amboise) down to Liberty Gate/St Paul's Gate is also attractive.  For lunch/afternoon bites, I would recommend finding a nice rooftop restaurant.  Lindos Garden near the Suleiman Mosque/Medieval Clock Tower is where we went.  The food was nothing to write home about, but the scenic views made up for it.

 

For Corfu:

 

This a great place to rent a car.  We rented one right at the port, and drove to the West side of the island.  Starting in Afionos; where we took a nice mid-morning hike down to the Porto Timini Beach overlook.  From there, we drove through Agios Georgios; hiking up to the fort ruins @Angelokastro.  We then stopped for a bite and some ice cream in the hilltop town of Lakones to soak in some views; before heading down to Palaiokastritsa, and spending some time wading in the water at Rovinia beach(Gefira).  Upon driving back, we had about 45 minutes to stop in Corfu town; to walk a little around the park near the Venetian Fortress/Museum, before returning the car at the ship dock.

 

For Katakalon:

 

Having already visited a fair amount of ruins/historical sites, we decided to forego Olympia and instead took the tourist-train(motorized) to Agios Andreas(about 20 minutes from port).  The tourist-train does a loop from Katakalo which includes a stop at the Mercouri Estate winery, and Agios Andreas beach.  There is a restaurant there called Vriniotis(we didn't partake), instead opting for a later-lunch back in Katakolo and a stroll down to the beach cafe/bar by the pier.  As stated, there's not much to do at this port stop if one is not wanting to visit the ruins Olympia, so it could provide for a nice beach day (if desired).  We had perfect beach weather the day that we visited.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Skai

[tinkr2]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:14 PM, classy_cruiser said:

The Greek Isles are supposed to be hopping this summer/fall with several cruise lines planning to sail. I'm going to be on the NCL Jade cruise but I know several other lines are visiting the same ports. Hope this post is allowed.

 

Out of the following ports, are there any where you feel it really makes more sense to do a ship excursion vs. DIY due to time constraint/hassles/distance? - Heraklion, Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos

 

If the cruise is originating in Greece, will they be checking to make sure passengers aren't bringing foods from the ship into port? Would be nice to bring some snacks from the ship with us. Or is it really easy to get on and off the ship for lunch at any of those ports?

 

I'm also interested to hear about your favorite activities or excursions. 

 

I'm guessing no one has really been to these locations since covid, but if you have it would be great to know of any changes since then. 

The rule on food is that you can take anything sealed off. I always bring a box of granola bars. Do people sneak food off , yes. Is it allowed? No.

[tinkr2]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:14 PM, classy_cruiser said:

The Greek Isles are supposed to be hopping this summer/fall with several cruise lines planning to sail. I'm going to be on the NCL Jade cruise but I know several other lines are visiting the same ports. Hope this post is allowed.

 

Out of the following ports, are there any where you feel it really makes more sense to do a ship excursion vs. DIY due to time constraint/hassles/distance? - Heraklion, Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos

 

If the cruise is originating in Greece, will they be checking to make sure passengers aren't bringing foods from the ship into port? Would be nice to bring some snacks from the ship with us. Or is it really easy to get on and off the ship for lunch at any of those ports?

 

I'm also interested to hear about your favorite activities or excursions. 

 

I'm guessing no one has really been to these locations since covid, but if you have it would be great to know of any changes since then. 

The rule on food is that you can take anything sealed off. I always bring a box of granola bars. Do people sneak food off , yes. Is it allowed? No.

[tinkr2]

@HlitnerThanks for all the great info. First time to Greece, maybe 50th cruise. We hate group tours and love going off on our own. I had done zero research bc I was waiting to see if it was real . It seems to be. I usually rent a car in advance. Is it easier just to grab at port?