Italy/Greece 2023 – The Planning Process (Greece Ports)

Trip: Rome and Cruise through Italy and Greece (Norwegian Breakaway)
Dates: September 1 – 15, 2023
Who: Me (Jess), Emily (one of my best friends), Beverly (my mom), Jeff (my stepdad), Jen (my aunt), and ~~Lisa (well, for now)~~ my sister Megan.

Warning: This is a wordy post with zero to no photos. Truly, a planning post.

This cruise was going to be very port heavy. We had one Sea Day, at the very beginning. Then, it was all ports. Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming and some of my travel party were getting stressed out. Like, I’ve said before, my process is to casually explore my options and then start to narrow it down a few months out. Our ports also had a few changes about 6 months prior, we originally were going to Corfu (which I was so excited about), but it got changed to Katakolon (Olympia). While I wasn’t super thrilled with the change, Olympia ended up being one of my favorite days. I’d still like to make it to Corfu, at some point.

Another thing was that my coworker and his family were going in May. Ironically, I’d done a lot more researching than my coworker did (his wife was the planner). While we started out having the exact same itinerary, a couple of their ports changed and then a couple of ours changed. There was still a few the same, so I got some insight when he got back. We did different things at each place, but it was helpful to have an idea of what to expect getting off the ship, etc.

When looking for excursion options, I usually start with what the cruise line was offering. Then, I would read different blog posts for their reports and suggestions (literally just Googling “What to do in XX port for a day”) and websites like Viator, Shore Excursions Group, and Get Your Guide. I started a shared note with different options for each port, with links, pricing, etc. Then, once I got a feel for what the consensus was, I’d book mine and anyone who wanted to join me. We all agreed that we didn’t all have to do the same thing at every port.

Another factor was that we all got credit for excursions through our deal with NCL. It was $25 per port, per person. Not a lot, but was had 8 ports, so that adds up. My aunt ended up using NCL for a couple of ports (and thus taking advantage of the credit). However, I found that using off-ship tours ended up being a lot cheaper. There is definitely a risk in doing that. Going through the cruise line has assurances that the ship won’t leave you. That said, I always made sure to time everything out where we would have a buffer and only look at companies with good ratings.

ALL of that to say, let’s get into it…..

Santorini

Santorini is the quintessential Greece port. The blue domes and white buildings, the stone staircases, the water views….. this is what people think of when they think of Greece. NCL and the other tour websites had a lot of options. Or, at least a lot of variations of similar things…. Oia, Beach, Winery, Volcano Hiking, and Food were the main themes of all of them.

Something to note about Santorini is that you tender in and the port area is VERY small and narrow. There are some shops and restaurants along the bank, but really you have to go up. Either by cable car or by stairs. The cable car line is extremely long. They have donkeys that you can ride to go up the stairs, but I really don’t recommend that. The hike up is 588 steps that are more like 588 landings. Both of these options need to be taken into consideration when going down, too. The line for the cable car is even longer (everything I read said to plan for an hour) and the stairs are still 588 down which can be taxing. They are not joking about either of these things. The day we were there, there were four ships in port and the port area was extremely overwhelming. Just be prepared for that. I LOVED Santorini, but I HATED the port.

One excursion through NCL that I looked at pretty closely was Greek Style Celebration – Opa! It booked up, so we didn’t end up doing the excursion. However, my coworker and his family did it. They had a blast and their videos were so much fun to watch.

Most of my research pointed to visiting Oia. That’s the village with all the blue domes, etc. After a lot of looking around, Emily, Megan, and I decided on booking through Shore Excursions Group (spoiler alert: most of my excursions went through them) for the Exclusive Santorini, Oia and Winery Tour. I’ll detail our day further in the daily recap and in my specific excursion review, but we had a good day. There are a few things I wished had been different (more time in Oia being one), but I enjoyed it at lot.

My parents booked through Shore Excursions Group, as well. They did the Panoramic Santorini with Minimum Walking Tour. Note, it says “minimum” and not “minimal.” There’s still some walking and it’s mainly uphill.

Jen went with a NCL excursion – a beach transfer (the exact one isn’t on there anymore, but the link is basically the same thing).

Athens (Piraeus)

There were a TON of options in Athens – it was hard to know where to start. The most important thing to know is that the port is about 20-25 minutes from actual Athens where all of the major highlights are located. Also, Athens is a busy city….. much like how Boston or Washington DC has a lot of historical sites, with a modern and moving city plopped around them. And, yes, I know comparing those two cities’ historical interests to Athens’ historical interests is laughable, but you get the general idea.

Anyways, there was so much and we were very aware we wouldn’t get to it all. However, there were a few things that we wanted to at least lay our eyes on. We all ended up booking through Shore Excursions Group, the Hop On Hop Off Athens Highlights Tour (Athens, Piraeus, & Beach Riveria). Had it been a different type of day, this may have worked out better. However, as it was, I am a little iffy as to if I’d do it again. More details in the day report and excursion review.

Also, I just can’t say I was thrilled with Athens. It was insane to see all of these ancient relics, to be sure. I’m glad I saw them. However, the city itself was super brown, busy, and just not what you think when you go to Greece. Maybe it’s because it’s SO ancient that they really do have to build this city around it, instead of incorporating it into their structure? I don’t know. Regardless, this is the one port that I wouldn’t be devastated if I didn’t make it back. If I happen to go on another cruise with it as a stop, I’ll definitely find things to do…. there was a lot we just passed by…. but I’m ok if I don’t. There’s zero charm, that’s for sure.

Mykonos

Another dream port for me, I was super excited to go to Mykonos. Something I learned (and really never saw anything about in all of my research) was that Mykonos is a small island with an even smaller area of tourist interest. I say it that way specifically because some people may think, “Oh, but I want to get off the beaten path and see the REAL island.” I get that and do agree, mostly. What I’m saying is that most of the island is spread out houses or small shopping strips. Any “off the beaten path” areas that aren’t private homes or small businesses will most certainly be seen in most of the tours you take.

My mom, Jeff, Megan, and I all decided to book through Shore Excursions Group – Exclusive Mykonos Old and New. Jen booked through NCL with their Scenic Views of Mykonos excursion. After reviewing our days, they were essentially the exact same tour.

Emily decided to just walk off the tender and explore the port village. While I enjoyed our day and the tour, I do believe you could do just this and have a full Mykonos experience. If I were to ever go back, I’d continue to meander through the village alleys, find one (or two) charming cafes to sit and eat, and take all the pictures I could.

Olympia (Katakolon)

Originally, I wasn’t super thrilled about changing from Corfu to this port. However, it was happening, so might as well figure out what to do. Most of what I found was Ancient Olympia, Olive Farm, Wine Tasting, or some combination of the three. You port into Katakolon and then have to get transportation to any of the major points of interest. There are beach options near the port, but everything else is 30-45 minutes away.

My coworker and his family made it a beach day. According to him, there is a local trolley that you can pay for and take around. Important thing to note is when the trolley makes it’s last pick-up, as they missed it and had to walk back to the port.

Originally, I found a tour through Viator (Private Katakolon Excursion to Ancient Olympia, Winery and Beach) that would allow four of us to go together. This was the plan all the way until about a week before we left, when I found something through Shore Excursions Group that we could all participate in. It wasn’t private and didn’t include the beach stop, but it would ultimately save us a few dollars and we could all go together. We did the Spirit of Olympia and Magna Grecia Farm. I’ll get into more detail in future posts, but this was one of my favorite days of the trip!!!

I will say, if you ever go to Olympia, don’t miss the Archaeological Site of Olympia. It’s extremely well preserved and the museums/grounds offer a lot, as well. You also don’t want to miss going to an Olive Farm. There are so many options to do both, so do it!

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts