ATHENS arriving 2:20am for same day cruise

[jandbatsea]

Landing at ATH in the wee hours (2:20am) and trying to figure out how to kill time comfortably before boarding a cruise ship in Piraeus around noon the same day.  We are coming from the U.S. with a 5 hour London layover leaving there at 8:30pm.  Figure in a +10 hour time change. so no idea if we will be exhausted or ready to party, but I am going to go with exhausted!   Any ideas or insights would be greatly appreciated.

[CruiserBruce]

Suggestion #1, 2 and 3...fly in a couple of days earlier.

[princeton123211]

36 minutes ago, jandbatsea said:

Landing at ATH in the wee hours (2:20am) and trying to figure out how to kill time comfortably before boarding a cruise ship in Piraeus around noon the same day.

Agree with Bruce-- with the delays that are common now you are playing with fire a bit here. Coming in the day before at a normal hour would be a much better way to get a relaxing trip off on the right foot. Anytime I've flown in or out of Athens I've been delayed including Delta cancelling a flight outright once with no recovery aircraft. 

 

I'm not sure really what you're asking-- Athens International doesn't have any arrival lounges and even if they did they aren't open at 2:30am. Nothing in the city or Piraeus is going to be open at that hour except for nightclubs and some late night restaurants. Your ship isn't going to be boarding until later at least the early afternoon. 

 

Personally I would just get a hotel room and crash and see if they can provide you with a late checkout in light of the late night arrival. 

 

41 minutes ago, jandbatsea said:

We are coming from the U.S. with a 5 hour London layover leaving there at 8:30pm.

Rather than fly to Athens and arrive at 2am, why not stay at London Heathrow at a hotel there, at a normal hour, and fly first thing in the am? Heathrow is a much nicer place than Athens Airport. I still think you should be flying in the day before but doing the overnight at a Heathrow hotel (there's a Hilton by Terminal 4 and a Sofitel by Terminal 5) would be a lot more civilized than the 230am arrival into Athens. 

[marazul]

They could also check in at the Sofitel at the Athens airport.  But those flights are a terrible idea for all the reasons mentioned above.  Fly in a day or two earlier at a reasonable hour.

[roddy good boy]

On 5/20/2024 at 4:41 PM, marazul said:

They could also check in at the Sofitel at the Athens airport.  But those flights are a terrible idea for all the reasons mentioned above.  Fly in a day or two earlier at a reasonable hour.

I am assuming that changing flights isn’t an option, for reasons known to her and traveling companions. I do think checking into the Sofitel is a great choice. They can shower and perhaps catch a bit of sleep before heading to the port. 

[CruiserBruce]

Of course, the OP has not returned to give us any additional info or explanation. 

[jandbatsea]

OP here.  This is our 37th cruise, so well aware of all your criticism for arriving on cruise day. If I had a choice I would have taken it.  We have missed the first port  and gone without luggage for weeks thanks to booking "day before" arrival on Delta.  I honesty thought someone might have a helpful suggestion, but my bad. 

[princeton123211]

13 hours ago, jandbatsea said:

I honesty thought someone might have a helpful suggestion, but my bad. 

I did. I just don't know why there is an expectation that there is something to do or someplace to go at 2:30am in either Piraeus or Athens. 

 

If you have to stick to the plan and arrive at that hour I would just find an airport hotel to try and catch some sleep and ask for a late check out. If you can I would take the overnight layover at Heathrow in either the Hilton or Sofitel and fly first thing to Athens-- better hours. 

[Hlitner]

13 hours ago, jandbatsea said:

OP here.  This is our 37th cruise, so well aware of all your criticism for arriving on cruise day. If I had a choice I would have taken it.  We have missed the first port  and gone without luggage for weeks thanks to booking "day before" arrival on Delta.  I honesty thought someone might have a helpful suggestion, but my bad. 

Your criticism is misplaced and you have only yourself to blame.  To be blunt, you put yourself into a bad situation and the only reasonable solution would be to change your flight(s) to arrive at least a day (we prefer several days) in advance.  The best alternative, at this point, would be to upgrade to Business Class (with lay flat seats) which will be helpful in getting some sleep on the flight.  

 

As to losing luggage on a "day before" flight, yes this happens.  But what is more common is to have luggage delayed (not generally lost) which is a much more serious problem on "day of" flights, when luggage does not have time to catch-up.  Our own strategy to avoid luggage problems is to go out of our way to book non-stop flights, whenever possible.  Every flight change increases the odds of mis-routed luggage.  

 

Another idea, which most would find ridiculous, would be to book (and guarantee) a room at the Sofitel.  Assuming that you arrive on time (these days that is never assured) you can just walk across the road and get a few hours sleep before check-out time.

 

Hank

 

 

[rsachek]

On 5/26/2024 at 5:34 PM, jandbatsea said:

I honesty thought someone might have a helpful suggestion, but my bad. 

 

Several folks have already recommended reserving a hotel room to freshen up and rest. I agree. The Sofitel at ATH is pricey but it's the most conventient. It's only a few hundred feet walk from arrivals. 

 

If you're willing to accept some extra hassle to save money, you might investigate a nearby (but not walking distance) airport hotel that will taxi or shuttle you there in the middle of the night for extra cost. The total of transportion plus room might be (alot) less money than the Sofitel. For example, there is a series of airport hotels (multiple locations) called AVR that's owned by a taxi company.

 

Another option would be to make your transfer to Piraeus by bus, metro, or taxi in the middle of the night after your arrival, then stay in a hotel near the port. That way, you'd wake up close to the ship. 

[jandbatsea]

Thank you very much for the great options.  

[sambamama]

You had a choice and you made it. Now you cross your fingers and hope nothing goes wrong. Personally, for all overseas cruises, I fly in at least two days early. I've started doing that for domestic ones as well. Nonstop flights are almost nonexistent now, and I won't take any chances. You may end up flying on a domestic Greek flight or taking a ferry as well. 

[roddy good boy]

On 5/20/2024 at 3:42 PM, jandbatsea said:

Landing at ATH in the wee hours (2:20am) and trying to figure out how to kill time comfortably before boarding a cruise ship in Piraeus around noon the same day.  We are coming from the U.S. with a 5 hour London layover leaving there at 8:30pm.  Figure in a +10 hour time change. so no idea if we will be exhausted or ready to party, but I am going to go with exhausted!   Any ideas or insights would be greatly appreciated.

I’m in a similar position. We are flying in from the U.S., will transfer at Heathrow, but will land in Athens at 8 pm the night before our cruise. There’s not a lot of cushion for error, or mishap. My husband wanted to work a full day prior to departure, since we are going to be traveling for 2 full weeks. I’ve been to Athens, so we are just going to tour a day at the end of the cruise.

 

i think we’ll both be fine. I’ve travelled numerous times through Heathrow Airport. I’ve only had one mishap flying from that airport (back to the States). On that occasion, the fog was so thick the airport cancelled all flights that afternoon and evening. 😬 We were able to fly out first thing the next morning. If there are slight delays, we’ll be fine. It is, what it is! 🙂 

[jandbatsea]

18 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

I’m in a similar position. We are flying in from the U.S., will transfer at Heathrow, but will land in Athens at 8 pm the night before our cruise. There’s not a lot of cushion for error, or mishap. My husband wanted to work a full day prior to departure, since we are going to be traveling for 2 full weeks. I’ve been to Athens, so we are just going to tour a day at the end of the cruise.

 

i think we’ll both be fine. I’ve travelled numerous times through Heathrow Airport. I’ve only had one mishap flying from that airport (back to the States). On that occasion, the fog was so thick the airport cancelled all flights that afternoon and evening. 😬 We were able to fly out first thing the next morning. If there are slight delays, we’ll be fine. It is, what it is! 🙂 

Thanks for that!  I think you are right.  We will get to Heathrow mid afternoon and any potential problems should be easy to figure out and address.  Also, 2:30 am in Athens will be 4:30 pm the previous day for us and we will get lots of rest on the LAS to London leg and on our layover. 

[Hlitner]

9 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

I’m in a similar position. We are flying in from the U.S., will transfer at Heathrow, but will land in Athens at 8 pm the night before our cruise. There’s not a lot of cushion for error, or mishap. My husband wanted to work a full day prior to departure, since we are going to be traveling for 2 full weeks. I’ve been to Athens, so we are just going to tour a day at the end of the cruise.

 

i think we’ll both be fine. I’ve travelled numerous times through Heathrow Airport. I’ve only had one mishap flying from that airport (back to the States). On that occasion, the fog was so thick the airport cancelled all flights that afternoon and evening. 😬 We were able to fly out first thing the next morning. If there are slight delays, we’ll be fine. It is, what it is! 🙂 

An 8pm arrival is not a bad thing.  Unlike the OP, you have a pretty decent cushion to deal with a late flight, although we do not like the delayed luggage risk with that type of travel.

 

My suggestion, for you, is to book a room in the airport Sofitel.  It is a short walk from the main entrance doors of ATH (you can roll your luggage since it is a flat walk) and the hotel is quite fine for a decent night's sleep.  In the morning you can enjoy breakfast, and then either get a taxi or Uber to take you to the port (the hotel's doorman can quickly get you a taxi).  We have stayed at this Sofitel, a few times, and really appreciate its convenient location for late night arrivals or early departures.

 

Hank

[roddy good boy]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

An 8pm arrival is not a bad thing.  Unlike the OP, you have a pretty decent cushion to deal with a late flight, although we do not like the delayed luggage risk with that type of travel.

 

My suggestion, for you, is to book a room in the airport Sofitel.  It is a short walk from the main entrance doors of ATH (you can roll your luggage since it is a flat walk) and the hotel is quite fine for a decent night's sleep.  In the morning you can enjoy breakfast, and then either get a taxi or Uber to take you to the port (the hotel's doorman can quickly get you a taxi).  We have stayed at this Sofitel, a few times, and really appreciate its convenient location for late night arrivals or early departures.

 

Hank

Thanks for the suggestion! Our ship sails at 5 pm, so we may try to tour the Acropolis Museum in the morning, if all goes well. We are booked at a hotel a few feet from the museum. My husband is leaning toward going directly to the ship after breakfast, but I think it would be a good thing to walk around a bit. We are in the Haven, so we can board anytime after it opens up. 

[Hlitner]

Just now, roddy good boy said:

Thanks for the suggestion! Our ship sails at 5 pm, so we may try to tour the Acropolis Museum in the morning, if all goes well. We are booked at a hotel a few feet from the museum. My husband is leaning toward going directly to the ship after breakfast, but I think it would be a good thing to walk around a bit. We are in the Haven, so we can board anytime after it opens up. 

I am on your side (go to the museum around opening time to avoid the large crowds).  No reason to rush to the port (in the morning) as you will likely cool your heels in an ugly terminal.  No worries about getting to the port as you can always find a taxi, take the train (you would then want a taxi for the short haul to the port), etc.  DW and I really like the new Acropolis Museum and its especially interesting for anyone who has ever been (or is going) up to the Acropolis.

 

You will have no problem getting a taxi from ATH to your hotel, but make sure you don't get ripped-off on the fare.  If you use a taxi you will get charged the night fare which might cost you around 70 Euros.  There are other more economical ways (such as the Metro and buses) but a car is certainly the most convenient.  Although we have never done it, one can make a good case to pre-book a private transport (at least you will know the price).  I will sadly add that we have encountered too many dishonest taxis in Athens...so be forewarned.

 

Hank

[roddy good boy]

Yes, we were warned about the taxis, so we pre-booked transportation from the airport to our hotel. I think we got a decent rate. It was around $53 Euros.

 

I’ve been to the Parthenon, but my husband hasn’t, so I’m excited to experience it with him. I was on a NCL tour when I last toured the site, and can’t recall if we saw all of the acropolis, or just the one structure.
 

I heard it’s a good idea to go to the museum first, so you can appreciate the actual structures all the more. We’ll have time to see the entire acropolis  when we return from the cruise. 
 

Thanks for all your tips. I may even pre-book transport from the hotel to the port. I just need to finalize our plans. 

Edited yesterday at 02:33 PM by roddy good boy

[roddy good boy]

By the way, we booked transport with www.welcometransport.com  It was recommended by our hotel. And, I just double checked. The fare is actually 55 euros.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, roddy good boy said:

By the way, we booked transport with www.welcometransport.com  It was recommended by our hotel. And, I just double checked. The fare is actually 55 euros.

That seems like a decent price (a taxi might cost you more).  Keep in mind, that the Acropolis now uses timed tickets.  In the past we would simply walk up to the ticket kiosk and buy tickets.  Now, it is considered wise to pre-purchase.  The crowds are ridiculous (it was even packed in April) and we sometimes wonder why.  Many years ago, we would simply buy tickets (at the site) and stroll up to the top where it was never crowded.  In fact, the first time we visited (I think it was in the 80s) it was possible to stroll among the ruins.  Now, everything is roped/fenced off and folks complain it is just too darn crowded.

 

The Greeks did a terrific job with the design of the new museum, and you should be delighted.

 

Hank