Edinburgh & Mediterranean Cruise

[drron]

Still beats a QF J Café brekkie!
We also enjoyed Edinburgh.Number One was on our list but not available the days we were there.

 

[Kolo]

I'm also using the last of my Hilton points for this stay. Having status
matched me to Diamond courtesy of the VA WP benefit, Hilton have enjoyed a lot of my business over the past 2 years. However I have stayed insufficient times to maintain Diamond, and am back to Silver, despite my suggestion that it was in their interest to maintain my status. So I am pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to the Executive Room for this stay, not that we'll be able to make use of the Lounge as we will be out to late and up early. The room is in the new executive wing, which is a bit of a hike from reception, but it is an excellent size with bed, bathroom and touches all up to the usual excellent Hilton standard.

 

[drron]

The Hiltons in the UK seem to be much better with Silver status.On our last trip we were using up mrsdrron's last HH points and she was silver-still got brekkie in the restaurant,free wifi,waters,a gift and usually coupons for free drinks in the bar.

 

[Kolo]

For LGW VCE, we are in business, or Club Europe as BA call it. The seats
are the same as economy except that the middle of the three is not sold, and a tray folds down over this seat. This is fine for the Europe short
haul. The hot breakfast is served again. I could say the only difference
is that the staff remove the foil for you, but that would ignore the lovely
bottle of champagne offered. Priority boarding works well for both
flights, but priority luggage is a fail in both destinations.

 

[Bolthead]

Looking forward to your cruise report as I was only taking to SWMBO yesterday about doing a similar cruise to the one you are doing... enjoy.

 

[Kolo]

London is finally highlighting its assets. This is the view from Millennium Bridge looking east to the Tower Bridge and the Shard.

 

[Kolo]

The flight path into VCE is perfect for the side of the plane we are on and
we have great views of the city and our liner. There is in fact two
Holland America liners in port: The Noordam, which we are on, and The Niew Amsterdam, which was the liner we had for our last cruise two years ago, also out of Venice.

 

[Kolo]

At VCE we have pre-booked a water taxi with Venice Link to take us to the cruise terminal. The booth is easy to find, but its a bit of a hike to the shore, which is OK considering there would be some inconvenience putting an airport on the edge of water. Although the taxi does not go into the canals to get to the ships, this is a great way to arrive in Venice.

 

[Kolo]

This is our fourth cruise, all have been with Holland America. Its also
our third Mediterranean cruise, so we have already been to some of the
ports we will be sailing to on this cruise. We like HAL as it seems a
little more upmarket at a reasonable price. Also, other cruise lines
appeal to different age groups (young adults and families) that are not of interest to us.

We have booked a deluxe verandah suite, which is the largest available
(apart from the single Penthouse). A verandah is a must but we don't really need the large room, its what comes with it that is important: priority restaurant seating, free laundry, priority tender service, a concierge in a dedicated lounge, and other bits and pieces. We choose to keep to ourselves so don't wish to share meals with strangers. You can still choose set timings for dinner, but we find them too early and too late. So we go for open seating, and our status enables us to pretty well get the time we want, and a table for just the two of us. As the evening goes on, its not uncommon to see people queueing as they wait for a table to become available.

 

[Kolo]

Venice is one of the world's great sailaways, but not for much longer as they are going to move the cruise ships out of the grand canal. So do it
now while you can.

Our cruise is stopping at Katakolon, Nafplion, Piraeus (for Athens),
Mykonos, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini and Naples before docking in Rome.

Our first night dinner is in The Pinnacle, HAL's premium restaurant for which you pay an additional fee. You can't book a time in the main dining room until you are onboard, but you can the Pinnacle, so we always book this for our first night, to be able to eat at our preferred time. As we found on our last cruise, the staff in the Pinnacle are a bit up themselves and we generally find the service and the food choices in the main dining room more to our liking. (The Pinnacle menu does not change through the cruise.)

 

[Kolo]

Our first day is at sea so its a chance to relax and check out the ship's offerings. Both pools are busy with no one in port but we have bought a spa pass for the cruise so find sanctuary in the large spa pool and thermal suite, where we relax on heated, tiled lounges as the sea and sky pass by.

When in port, we prefer to take only half day tours, unless it is to a place we particularly want to see. This gives us time to relax and enjoy the onboard offerings, and full day tours tend to involve long drives to and from places, which is very dreary.

The picture below is of one of the pools but taken on a day that most folk were on tour so it was a bit quieter.

 

[Kolo]

Our first port is Katakolon, from where you can visit Olympia. We've booked a tour for the afternoon so we wander off the ship in the morning for a coffee at a dockside cafe. Wifi charges onboard are excessive so all the cafes advertise free wifi to entice you to use their place. We're disappointed by Olympia. Previously we've thrilled at the ruins of Athens, Ephesus, Pompeii and Carthage, so Olympia is a real let down as there's very little to see. I suspect its only popular because of its significance, but really, I would recommend not wasting time there, and give this port a miss if you're weighing up multiple cruise options.

The picture below is of what is left of the original stadium.

 

[Kolo]

Next stop is Nafplion, on the other side of the Peloponnese. This is much more interesting, with a fort in the harbour and the solid ruins of Palamidi Castle on top of the hill. From here we take a tour to the ruins of Mycenae, an archaeological site, with a stop at a tomb presumed to be of Agamemnon. At Olympia, with so little to see, it seemed that we kept having interminable stops where the guide would drone on about nothing really of interest. By comparison, the tour from Nafplion is full of interesting information, with good historical background and some fun anecdotes.

 

[Bolthead]

Great TR, I was wondering if this style of cruise compared to a small ship cruise or a self planned tour would be better than the style of cruise you have chosen. What I mean by a self planned tour is you just follow your nose from island to island catching inter island ferries. (assuming there is such a thing). Some destinations the large cruise is sufficient to see all the sites however some large cruises only scratch the surface of where you are going. Have you (or any other AFF'ers) had experience in the Greek islands by doing it themselves rather than an organised cruise?

I hope I am making sense!

 

[Kolo]

Our next stop is Piraeus, the port for Athens. We've been to Athens previously so decided to stay on the ship. But first timers absolutely must go to the Parthenon, one of the great stops of world travel. Other options include the museums, or shopping, or you can stay onboard and enjoy the space as the majority of people head off on tours.

Holland America's loyalty program is the Mariner society. We are three star mariners, and will become four star after this cruise. The highest level is five stars. We get some modest discounts but at four and five stars you start getting some of the benefits that Deluxe Suite guests get. Perhaps because of our Mariner status, along with our suite status, we have been delighted by our Concierge who has managed to book us the same table at the same time in the dining room each night. We have not been able to manage this on previous cruises, despite being in the top suite category. We are delighted because apart from eating at our preferred time, we get to know the service staff who look after the same tables each night. Now our unfinished wine from the night before appears automatically at our table, as soon as our wine waiter spots us. Pictured below is our lovely wine waiter Jenalyn.

Next stop is Mykonos. We were due to stop here on our last cruise but the water was too choppy to launch tender services, so we had to give the port a miss. This time we are docked at the new port (the sea was also calm which worked for another cruise ship anchored out in the bay). We spent a leisurely morning getting lost in the streets, and stopping at Little Venice where we met the local pelican that happily wanders amongst the cafes. Then lunch at Fato a Mano, set back a little from the sea front, but with excellent food and staff. We looked for this restaurant specifically, based on Trip Advisor reviews, and it was worth it. The after lunch we stopped at a little beach between town and the old port for a cooling swim. There are renowned beaches on the island that you can go to, by tour, bus or taxi, but there are a few little ones dotted around the town and ports which are just perfect if you're looking for a cooling dip after a hot day in town, and don't want to spend the day there. Other pics below are from Mykonos.

 

[Kolo]

Bolthead, the options you have suggested are certainly available. It comes down to what you want out of the trip. For us, its unpacking once, being pampered, having a mix of relaxing time with sightseeing, having entertainment options. And of course you need to weigh up price vs. outcomes. Its very easy to move from island to island catching the inter-island ferries, especially big with the backpacker set. There are also smaller cruise ships that go to smaller islands that can't cope with the biggies. I guess its a case of working out what you want to do and where you want to go, and then seeing if any operators can deliver!

 

[Kolo]

Next stop is Kusadasi, Turkey, the port from where you tour to the wonderful Ephesus. This is our second time at this port and we do not take a tour today. But first timers absolutely must take the tour to Ephesus, a remarkable place where you will see many well preserved ruins. In particular you must go to the Terrace Houses (usually an optional extra) where you will see the exquisitely tiled floors and walls of the gentry from 2,000 years ago, that archaeologists are progressively uncovering.

But today we choose to take a walk into town, and into the old town. We're hoping to find points of interest, like in Barcelona's old town, but instead just find bazaar after bazaar selling tourist rubbish and fakes. More interesting in Pidgeon Island, pictured below, an old fort on a causeway near the docks. Last time we were able to enter the fort but today it appears to be closed, with people able to walk around the outside only.

 

[Bolthead]

Bolthead, the options you have suggested are certainly available. It comes down to what you want out of the trip. For us, its unpacking once, being pampered, having a mix of relaxing time with sightseeing, having entertainment options. And of course you need to weigh up price vs. outcomes. Its very easy to move from island to island catching the inter-island ferries, especially big with the backpacker set. There are also smaller cruise ships that go to smaller islands that can't cope with the biggies. I guess its a case of working out what you want to do and where you want to go, and then seeing if any operators can deliver!

Thanks Kolo. Enjoying the TR. One day we will get there.

 

[Kolo]

The next port is Rhodes. I first visited this island on my first Europe trip on a package tour from the UK at the end of my Contiki tour 28 years ago, and I'm looking forward to returning. You walk off the ship and straight into a mediaeval town, and its a real delight. Bypass the tawdry tourist shops and soon you are walking amongst centuries old buildings where people are still living today, and there's lots of points of interest including the Palace of the Grand Masters. After lunch in a recommended restaurant on the waterfront (would you believe Australia street) its back to the ship to hit the pool and spa. There's a little beach on the way which makes me wish I had have brought my swimmers and towel with me. For those who might be cruising to Rhodes, and like a quick dip after a walk in town, the beach is just around to the left of the cruise ship dock, only perhaps 200m or so. From my last visit I can also recommend trip to Lindos, for a gorgeous sandy beach and an acropolis atop the overlooking hill, but it is a bus ride day trip away.

 

[Kolo]

Santorini. We are looking forward to visiting Santorini again, having first stopped here on a cruise 2 years ago. Oia is the must see destination for Santorini, from where you see all those picture postcard views. Cruise ships stay in the bay, the Caldera, and tenders take groups to the base of the cliffs, below Thira. From there you take a cable car, the famous donkeys, or walk to the town at the top. Last time, we took a tour that took us to Profitis Illias, the highest point of the island, and then on to Oia. Tours get tenders to a different port, where buses are waiting. This is highly recommended for cruisers visiting Santorini for the first time. This time, we have decided to have lunch in Oia, but find our own way there via a town bus from Thira. Another benefit of our suite status is that while there are some 300 people waiting for tenders, we can sail past them to the front of the queue. But when we reach the shore, there is a huge queue for the cable car, aided by the fact there are three ships in the bay. So we decide to take a service that provides a quick boat to Oia harbour, a bus to Oia town, and then a bus back to Thira in the afternoon. At 25 euros this is a bargain, and we reckon we are in Oia by the time we would have been lucky if we had got to waiting for a bus at Thira, a saving of at least an hour.

Pushka has covered Santorini extensively so my photos are of the view from Floga restaurant at Oia, well recommended, plus the Santorini sunrise, and the cliff below Thira, where you can just make out the zig-zag line that is the walking/donkey path.

The bus back to Thira is fine, but the driver drops us off at a nondescript place. Trying to remember how to reach the cable car from our last visit, we end up getting lost in the lane-ways, but eventually find our way to the cable car entrance, where again there is a huge line. So we decide on the walk down, dodging the donkeys as we go. The walk down was hot but fine, but I couldn't imagine doing the walk up!

Despite the crowds and the transport issues I can't recommend this visit highly enough, a must do on a Med cruise. Oia is a most beautiful town and you'll treasure the memories for a long time.