Eastern Med - Reserved Tour Guides or Shore Ex or Pier?

[lcccbeloeil]

We are two couples and a 15-year-old girl on the Navigator Eastern Med in July stopping at Messina (Taormina), Iraklion (Knossos), Athens, and Ephesus. In Ephesus, we will be using EKOL.

 

We have been told by family who did these ports that cruise shore excursions are a waste of time and money.

 

Please help us decide what we should do to visit Taormina, the Acropolis (and Plaka), and Knossos... shorex, or tour guide we reserve ahead of time, or, as our relatives have suggested, going with someone waiting at the pier.

 

Many thanks!

[tiyana4]

Have you tried doing a search on the individual Port of Call for each of these stops. Surely you can find something worthwhile in these ports.

[ibfern]

We are two couples and a 15-year-old girl on the Navigator Eastern Med in July stopping at Messina (Taormina), Iraklion (Knossos), Athens, and Ephesus. In Ephesus, we will be using EKOL.

 

We have been told by family who did these ports that cruise shore excursions are a waste of time and money.

 

Please help us decide what we should do to visit Taormina, the Acropolis (and Plaka), and Knossos... shorex, or tour guide we reserve ahead of time, or, as our relatives have suggested, going with someone waiting at the pier.

 

Many thanks!

 

If you want to see the ruins at Ephesus, it is hardly a waste of money but it will be the highlight of your trip! Do take the private excursions.

Amelia

[lcccbeloeil]

We've decided to do Ephesus using the EKOL tour company. I have looked at the posts for the other ports. I guess I was hoping to get definitive opinions for and against shore excursions through the cruiseline vs. reserving with a tour company ahead of time vs. just going with someone waiting on the pier.

 

To me, the cruise shore excursions are a no-brainer... easy to book, a little more expensive, but there's no guess work and no risk.

 

Booking ahead like we are doing with Ephesus is an option and I'll read the posts to discover recommended companies.

 

They want to go with someone waiting on the pier. I've done that in the Caribbean but I think Greece and Turkey are different and I don't speak the languages. Not sure we wouldn't get ripped off. Not sure we'd get a guide as opposed to a driver. Not sure our ride would get us back to the ship on time. A lot of uncertainty.

[Susan-M]

There were quite a few taxi drivers waiting for business at the pier in Iraklion when we stopped there in October. We (4 adults) wanted a ride just to Knossos (we were going to take a local bus back), but none of the drivers wanted to just take us there ... they wanted to take us on a tour for 50 or 60 euros. One finally agreed to take us to Knossos for 20 euros, but we knew that was double the price it should have been (it's only 3 miles from the port), so we walked outside of the port area and flagged down a taxi who took us for 10 euros.

 

You are right about likely finding drivers only (vs. guides) at or near the piers, most with limited ability to communicate in English. We did this a few times since we knew where we were going and had our guidebook material with us. If all you need is a ride, that's OK, but if you need a driver who can speak English and give you some detail about what you are seeing, it's best to arrange it in advance.

[chipmaster]

We are two couples and a 15-year-old girl on the Navigator Eastern Med in July stopping at Messina (Taormina), Iraklion (Knossos), Athens, and Ephesus. In Ephesus, we will be using EKOL.

 

We have been told by family who did these ports that cruise shore excursions are a waste of time and money.

 

Please help us decide what we should do to visit Taormina, the Acropolis (and Plaka), and Knossos... shorex, or tour guide we reserve ahead of time, or, as our relatives have suggested, going with someone waiting at the pier.

 

Many thanks!

 

I can only comment about Ephesus and Athens.

 

Ephesus, we did it with EKOL, it was wondeful, a bit hot, but a great value. Far cheaper and better then the cruise tours.

 

Athens is doable on your own with a bit of walking and public transportation. If all you want to see is Acropolis and Plaka then DIY is $ smart. We used private as we had a larger party with 3 generations. I thought it was money well spent as we got to see a lot and the conditions in the summer are hot hot hot, and its nice to have a driver get you to acropolis bright and early to beat the crowds and have the nice AC van waiting for you at every site.

 

I agree that a cruise tour is never a value, but an overpriced convenience. You can always get better for cheaper going private.

 

Good luck with your planning.

[texancruzer]

Just returned two days ago......

 

Ekol tour was fantastic. You won't be sorry you booked them !

 

Athens we did the metro into town. Quite a walk from ship to metro station. Alot further than I thought it was going to be as the Solstice was docked at the very end of the port. Metro part was easy though. Once off at the Monastriki station you look up and there is the acropolis. We actually taxied back to the ship as I was ill - took longer than metro and cost alot more. Athens outside of the antiquity areas is dirty, smoggy, crowded with people and full of graffiti. I have never seen so much graffiti. I did enjoy the Acropolis and Plaka area tho.

I WOULD NOT USE the drivers waiting at the pier area. We were swarmed by them as we had originally planned to take a taxi to the metro. They flatly refused. Only wanted to do a tour for the day. They are set tours and since we only wanted to do the Acropolis and Plaka area we declined.

[CintiPam]

Just returned two days ago......

 

Ekol tour was fantastic. You won't be sorry you booked them !

 

Athens we did the metro into town. Quite a walk from ship to metro station. Alot further than I thought it was going to be as the Solstice was docked at the very end of the port. Metro part was easy though. Once off at the Monastriki station you look up and there is the acropolis. We actually taxied back to the ship as I was ill - took longer than metro and cost alot more. Athens outside of the antiquity areas is dirty, smoggy, crowded with people and full of graffiti. I have never seen so much graffiti. I did enjoy the Acropolis and Plaka area tho.

I WOULD NOT USE the drivers waiting at the pier area. We were swarmed by them as we had originally planned to take a taxi to the metro. They flatly refused. Only wanted to do a tour for the day. They are set tours and since we only wanted to do the Acropolis and Plaka area we declined.

 

Welcome back, texancruzer; glad you liked your EKOL tour, particularly because I have written many posts praising our private tour with them in Kusadasi port last September!:)

 

Sorry you were ill in Athens; hope you now are in fine health. I look forward to hearing more about your cruise when you have the time.

[ibfern]

We've decided to do Ephesus using the EKOL tour company. I have looked at the posts for the other ports. I guess I was hoping to get definitive opinions for and against shore excursions through the cruiseline vs. reserving with a tour company ahead of time vs. just going with someone waiting on the pier.

 

To me, the cruise shore excursions are a no-brainer... easy to book, a little more expensive, but there's no guess work and no risk.

 

Booking ahead like we are doing with Ephesus is an option and I'll read the posts to discover recommended companies.

 

They want to go with someone waiting on the pier. I've done that in the Caribbean but I think Greece and Turkey are different and I don't speak the languages. Not sure we wouldn't get ripped off. Not sure we'd get a guide as opposed to a driver. Not sure our ride would get us back to the ship on time. A lot of uncertainty.

 

Ah, I just returned yesterday from a 28 day European Transatlantic cruise and I can offer an opinion here on this subject. If you don't really care about how you experience a city, go with what is easy for you. However, if the experience matters, you probably want to figure out what your priorities are and then plan for that.

 

I would advise you to be careful about hiring guides who are hanging out at the ports, especially if you do not speak the language. My guide in Italy, Fabricio Melaragno, told us that many illegal guides take people to places but don't pay attention to time and missing the ship, and this is a big problem in Italy. He routinely turns them into the police because they make all private guides look bad but there is a difference. All of these countries have official titles and requirements for guides and drivers; you can feel assured that a licensed guide or driver will make sure you do not miss the ship! Unlicensed drivers and guides are not certified, they hold no credentials and are not recognized by their own countries. Are you sure you want to hire this person?

 

If you have mobility issues, you need to make sure accommodations are available to you and you might want to plan on taking ship tours because they are designed to accommodate all people, the tours are explicit about access and the amount of walking you will have to do. This is important for a lot of folks. For others, this makes the touring a bummer. Lots of people want to walk briskly through sites and move at their own pace, choosing where and when they go and how much time they take at sites. Ship tours often include shopping experiences that make some people happy and others mad. These visits to rug/cameo/glass factories are time consuming and to some people this is a godsend, and others just hate it.

 

I hired a reputable private guide in Istanbul, even though I visited on a Monday when Hagia Sofia was closed to all but Ship tours. I knew I wanted to experience Istanbul for the first time guided by someone who knew and loved the area, so what if I didn't see Aya Sophia, I was under them in the Cisterns! I hired Kagan Kosagen and my tour of Istanbul was the highlight of my cruise. I also hired Yelda in Ephesus, through Kagan's company, and this was another cruise highlight. I hope this information helps you decide what is right for you, there is no right or wrong way to tour, its all about you!

 

Here is my review of Istanbul and Ephesus which I visited May 11th and May 12, 2009:

 

May 11, 2009 Istanbul with Kagan Kosegan

http://www.tourguidesinturkey.com/kagankosagan.html

Woke up this morning to a perfect day again! Sailing through the beginning of the Bosporus and Golden Horn, I see Aya Sophia, Topkopki Palace, the fort, more Mosques, and more. It is the best sail in I have had ever, the massive traffic in the water is intense, small ferries and boats come so close to the ship its is strange to see this happening. I am mesmerized by all of this, wake up early and don’t miss this.

Kagan picked us up at 8am and had his driver drop us off at the Prison that was in Midnight Express; it is now a 5 star hotel! From there we walk to the Blue Mosque, a beautiful temple where Kagan leads us in and we promptly sit cross legged on the floor in our own private section. He begins to teach us about Islam and the traditions around praying and living. Kagan is not Muslim, he is an Eastern Christian and he is clearly educated and compassionate, we learn a lot about this religion that we knew very little about. I love this aspect of travel; it fosters tolerance through learning and ‘being’ in different cultures in a hand on way!

Next we walk to the Palace, we head straight for the Harem; I am astounded by the beauty of the tiles and gardens. The crowds are not too bad, we are trying to keep ahead of the large bus tours but this is almost impossible since most people are on bus tours; you can only get into Aya Sophia with a Princess bus tour.

Kagan teaches us about the Harem, the way the women are chosen and how they are kept educated and wealthy, even if they are never picked to become a favorite. We enjoy the Harem tour so much because Kagan is walking us through each room and showing us how the Sultan walked, how the girls tried to allure him, and how they were kept in safe, educated environments where they are provided opportunities to gain massive wealth even if they were never chosen! I can see why families from all over the world wanted their daughters to become part of this Harem!

Next we walked to the Basilica Cisterns which are under Aya Sophia, these are very interesting and even if I did not get into Aya Sophia, I got under it. The Cisterns are still in use today, we learn about how there used to be a fish restaurant down here that closed and the owner filled the cistern waters with fish and they are still there today. I got pictures of huge Carp swimming everywhere. The Cisterns are fantastic, held up with ancient recycled columns (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian) including some with statue reliefs. Check out the upside down Medusa’s at the end of the Cisterns, but men need to watch the eye contact, lol!

Now we decide to eat lunch, we imagined no sit down meals (waste too much time) but have completely changed our notion of travel on this trip. After a full morning of walking and touring, we need to slow down and relax and rejuvenate ourselves at lunchtime. Kagan takes us to a local place, one of his favorites, and we sit and break bread together and enjoy an incredible meal and conversation. As we eat we learn about the spices used in cooking, the different foods and ways of preparing them, and even the traditions surrounding meals and tea. We have Turkish tea—not apple tea—as we finish the meal. Wonderful food, this is a must do with Kagan1

After lunch, we hit the grand bazaar. Kagan walks us through the market, starting at gate 1, and shows us where the leather is, the local crafts are, food, Jewelry, and junk! He explained how we should pay about half the initial price offered, and how I should explain that ‘my husband will only let me spend $___” to help the vender save face! This is the polite way of bargaining, and everything here seems quite civil to me. After he orients us, he sets us free to shop for about 45 minutes (our choice) and we love the vendors who are not nearly as aggressive as I expected. In fact, it is an entirely pleasant experience and nothing like what I expected. I got some great deals! We meet back up with Kagan at the designated time and he takes us back into the bazaar and has a man draw my name in Calligraphy, It’s gorgeous.

Now we visit the markets where all the locals shop, out of the grand bazaar, and then to the Spice market where it smells divine. I buy the freshest Turkish Delight, after sampling f course. I found Rose tea (calming) and Rose jam, and in a small perfume shop I found the best Rose oil I have even had. This is the real deal here, everything is of the highest quality, and I can’t believe how a small drop of oil stays with me the entire day. Finally, we find this Pomegranate sauce that we had on our salads at lunch, a must buy if you like pomegranate.

Next we walked through the old city, under the city streets through tunnels, and across the Golden horn to the Galata district in an old dinghy boat, very Turkish. This part of town is much newer, only 500 years old! We take the underground funicular to a wide pedestrian street and walk and talk about this area. We walk through a street market with tools, hardware, and home improvement stuff, among ancient buildings and walkways. We find “Venice in Istanbul” and learn the story of how a Venetian man fell in love with a woman from Istanbul whose family would not let her go to Venice, so he married her and brought Venice to Istanbul. We visit another shop for the freshest Halva around and I buy a small chunk to bring to the ship. Watch this; it is so good and so fattening, lol, not so good after all the great food on the Ruby!

We never made it to the Galata Tower, not a biggie since I know I am coming back here, love this town. We ended of walking 5-7 miles, had the best tour of our lives, and one of the best port days as well. Istanbul was a wonderful surprise and gift to me, clean and sane and safe. I fell in love with this city, its people, and especially the Islamic customs and practices of this Muslim country. I loved seeing all the different religions and customs practiced everywhere. Kagan was an awesome guide; I highly recommend him and suggest you book very early as he is popular. We loved having him to ourselves on our walking tour, he charged us $150 E plus admissions and food, and we did tip him like 25%. It was a great port day!

May 12, 2009 Kusadasi—Ephesus with Yelda (Through Kagan)

http://www.tourguidesinturkey.com/kagankosagan.html

Kusadasi was quite surprising, I don’t know why but we were not expecting such beautiful country with an immaculate city. Our guide Yelda was incredible, she was a nice contrast to Kagan and also quite educated, knowledgeable, and charming. She was a plethora of knowledge about the area, with a real passion for it and that makes such a difference in guides. I hired Yelda through Kagan, we were all completely pleased.

First we went to Mary’s house, it was lovely and moving and I found it quite touching as a Jew. I bought some holey water and drank it up, it was delicious and I feel wonderful! We beat the large buses by a half hour, but they were right on our heels from that point on.

Next we went to Ephesus, an amazing place in beautiful country side, you sort of turn a corner in the country and suddenly Giant columns appear and you know you are in Ephesus. Oh My Gosh pops Mama Mia! This was an incredible experience; Yelda knew everything about the place including secret symbols and all sorts of secrets you never learn on larger bus tours. Those tours kept passing us up quickly, we could see they were barely explaining the info Yelda was lavishing upon us! We saw everything, walked the Marble road, visited the amazing Terrace houses, all guided expertly by Yelda. Most of people I’ve talked to loved Ephesus better than any ruins they saw including Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Acropolis complex in Athens. I find it hard to top the Parthenon in Athens but it is the only thing left that is beautiful, Athens is a dirty city and the locals do not seem to take as much pride in their city and heritage and it is quite sad considering they were they greatest society that lived at one time.

We had a tour for 6 although they brought a large bus for 16! It was a perfect size tour, I highly recommend keeping them small at this kind of sight. I also highly recommend Kagan and his guide Yelda in Ephesus; once again it was one of the highlight days on this cruise.

[DEL67]

We are taking the same cruise in August so I have been doing some research. However, the first decision you need to make is how much information you want about the sites you visit. You can save mmoney by visiting most of the sites with a guide book in hand, but you need a guide if you want indepth knowledge.

 

That being said, I prefer private tours. They are more personal and you can tailor the tour to your interests. And with 5 people you should be able to save money and/or see more than taking a ship excursion.

 

You could also hire some one at the pier, but I have found that, you are often better off prearranging a tour, especially if you use companies recommended on this board.

 

In terms of specific ports:

 

Messina: I did some research and found a couple of companies with interesting tours; however the cost was too high for just two of us and no one has responded to my post on the Meet and Mingle board. Therefore we will probably take the ship's Taormina on your own tour unless we can hook up with some one else. Note: The cost of the tours would be more reasonable when divided 5 ways.

 

Athens: We have been to Athens before so we are going to take public transportation into the city and visit the Acropolis Museum (if it is open by then) and wander through the Plaka. There are several recomendations on this board for private tours. If you want to go on your own, there is also a on-off bus, but we did not use it so I do not know how good it is. At the very least, I would definitely take a guided tour of the Acropolis to make it meaningful and I would also suggest visiting the Agora. From there you could walk to the Plaka.

 

Kusadasi: We definitely plan to take a tour that includes Ephesus and the Terrace Houses and are looking into several private vendors. Most cost much less than the ship's tours. What we have not decided is whether we will go with a shared tour or a private one which would cost more, but would allow us to visit Sirince and perhaps a mosque.

 

Crete: We plan to hire a taxi to take us to Knosses where according to some other posts we should be able to have an English speaking guide providing we are willing to wait 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Of course, do not forget, if you are taking a private tour or going on you own, be sure to be back at the ship early. You do not want to be left behind.

[lcccbeloeil]

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing all this information (please keep it coming - I love to read all opinions). I feel more comfortable now going with a prearranged tour company so I'll also read the posts for specific ports to get the names of recommended companies.

[MercedMike]

We usually do a mix of excursions. In some places, the ship's excursions go to the best places and do a very good job. In others, we like a private guide, especially if my mobility limitations will come into consideration, or if we want to go someplace off the beaten path. Picking up a taxi at the port is our last choice and we do it rarely. It has worked well on occasion, and badly for us on others.

 

Specifically, in Athens it is fairly easy to DIY. Check out our report on the Antiquities Promenade at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/athens.html

 

You can also do it the opposite direction that we did it, which will put at Plaka's Gate just across from the Temple of Zeus and then explore the Plaka before returning from the Akropoli station.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[lcccbeloeil]

Thanks, Mike. Great write-up. I've printed it and will use it to plan our day. Much appreciated.

[Aprille]

Hey, lcccbeloeil! Looks like I steered you in the right direction. ;)

 

You have gotten a fabulous amount of information in a very short period of time.

 

Enjoy the rest of your planning and have a great cruise! I'm sure you will with all this helpful advice. :cool:

[lcccbeloeil]

Yes, thanks, Aprille! So many wonderful and helpful people on Cruise Critic!

[ny4cruise]

We are two couples and a 15-year-old girl on the Navigator Eastern Med in July stopping at Messina (Taormina), Iraklion (Knossos), Athens, and Ephesus. In Ephesus, we will be using EKOL.

 

We have been told by family who did these ports that cruise shore excursions are a waste of time and money.

 

Please help us decide what we should do to visit Taormina, the Acropolis (and Plaka), and Knossos... shorex, or tour guide we reserve ahead of time, or, as our relatives have suggested, going with someone waiting at the pier.

 

Many thanks!

 

Dear lcccbeloeil,

I can only advise about Athens since we just came back. We arrived at the Piraeus port with our cruise in April. We were a group of six, three adults and three children.

I wouldn't hire anybody from the pier without knowing him. Apart from personally feeling uncomfortable, when the cruise docks there is chaos at the pier.

We had reserved our driver guide beforehand and he was waiting for us. We used Nikos Loukas and were greatly satisfied with his services. Pleasant and courteous with a brand new Mercedes mini van. We had a tour of the city and then lunch. Be aware that driver guides cannot escort you to the sites. Nikos though was fluent in English and very knowledgeable so we had all the necessary information before we entered the sites. We highly recommend him.

You can contact him at nikosloukas1@gmail.com. He has a website but it is currently being upgraded.

Kind regards,

Richard

[lcccbeloeil]

Thanks, Richard. Oh, I didn't know that your driver guides do not accompany you into the sites. Just in Athens? Is that the same with EKOL Tours in Ephesus? Others say touring the sites without a guide is much less interesting. Tomorrow I'll have time to really study the posts here about the different ports we'll be doing.

Thanks for the info.

[texancruzer]

Thanks, Richard. Oh, I didn't know that your driver guides do not accompany you into the sites. Just in Athens? Is that the same with EKOL Tours in Ephesus? Others say touring the sites without a guide is much less interesting. Tomorrow I'll have time to really study the posts here about the different ports we'll be doing.

Thanks for the info.

 

Most places in Europe LICENSE their "guides". This is so you get a better experience when touring the sites. There are also "drivers" who basically will give you a "tour" driving from point A to B to C etc..... they usually give you tidbits of info while driving around but cannot go into say, the Vatican or Coliseum and give a "tour" there.

 

Be sure when you book a "tour" that you ask if their guides are licensed. Most countries give their guides a badge which they wear when giving tours.

 

We just used Ekol last week......they are wonderful and their guides are licensed.

[europeaddict]

Did you enjoy the show?

 

 

Just returned two days ago......

 

Ekol tour was fantastic. You won't be sorry you booked them !

 

Athens we did the metro into town. Quite a walk from ship to metro station. Alot further than I thought it was going to be as the Solstice was docked at the very end of the port. Metro part was easy though. Once off at the Monastriki station you look up and there is the acropolis. We actually taxied back to the ship as I was ill - took longer than metro and cost alot more. Athens outside of the antiquity areas is dirty, smoggy, crowded with people and full of graffiti. I have never seen so much graffiti. I did enjoy the Acropolis and Plaka area tho.

I WOULD NOT USE the drivers waiting at the pier area. We were swarmed by them as we had originally planned to take a taxi to the metro. They flatly refused. Only wanted to do a tour for the day. They are set tours and since we only wanted to do the Acropolis and Plaka area we declined.

[sashakelly]

Hi. Do you have an email address or website for EKOL and does anyone know a good guide that can drive and enter the sites in Athens.

Thanks.

[lcccbeloeil]

The EKOL website is:

 

http://www.ekoltravel.com/

 

I asked the same question about anyone recommending a licensed tour guide who can enter the sites with you in Athens and never got an answer.