As we now steam our way toward Rome, we have two days to pack, exchange addresses with newfound friends, and thank the many staff members who've made our journey so enjoyable. Disembarkation is always sad for us, yet as we always say, there's no place like home. And once back, we have much to look forward to in terms of our oldest son getting married on the 23rd, preparing for Crown meetings, overseeding the backyard, going to the dentist, and list goes on just in the first few days. I didn't mention shopping, cooking, doing dishes or the laundry. We plan to do NONE of that!
Ever...
Since posting photos & commentary about Santorini, by far our favorite scenic destination in all of the Med, I've had no fewer than two dozen followers say they've now decided to schedule a visit. As such, I want to be 100% transparent here and offer some additional advice - no surprises for you once you arrive, so a few of the negatives and the best way to avoid them.
Santorini is like the big island of Hawaii - many beautiful views and hot tourist spots, but also some to avoid. So here's the real-deal my friends.
You will arrive by ship and float offshore - no anchors because the water is too deep...about 1,400 feet - you're sitting in the bowl of a volanco, and one that still has underground, detectable activity today. First, don't book any ship-sponsored shore excursions. All of them are way overpriced, and will take you to small destinations of very little interest. Your goal...the crown jewel...the place everyone wants to be...is Oia Village. Remember that. While all ship-sponsored tours end there, you won't have much time (if any) to truly enjoy the incredible majesty and some of the very best views in the entire Med.
This is what you want to do. Your ship will be met by several local water taxis. The taxis are free, and will take you directly to shore...a small boardwalk area with a few souvie stands, ticket kiosks, and cable cars. You have two choices at that point. Take a cable to the top and the village of Thira...take a donkey to the top. DON'T DO EITHER. Thira is a bit rundown - the narrow streets are hilly, the shops of low quality. At the boardwalk ticket kiosk, buy another water taxi ticket - the water taxi will take you on a very scenic, 15-minute trip around the base of the mountain to the base of Oia Village. From there, you will board a small bus that will take you directly up to Oia - THE CROWN JEWEL. That's where you'll want to spend your time - beautiful shops, relaxing cafes on the cliff, unbelievable, spectacular views. The boutique prices are very reasonable - quality of merchandise is much better than average. But go early. The ship-sponsored tours are off in another direction, but around 11am, they start arriving in Oia, and that's when it gets cramped & chaotic. Your return trip is not by water taxi, as they only run one-way. There are transfer buses that leave Oia every hour (part of your water taxi ticket price) beginning at 11:00, and thereafter on the hour until 2pm, that take you to Thira. You have no choice - you must take one of these buses. Don't wait for the last 2pm bus - if you do, there may not be room and you'll be forced to take a land taxi. Catch either the noon or 1pm bus to be safe. Now...ALL these buses end up in Thira, and the ONLY way back to your ship. You must either go by cable car down, or walk the very steep donkey path down. The cable car line can be as long as two hours...another reason to take an earlier bus from Oia. The donkey path is not safe - it's strewn with donkey-dung, and the stones are slick to begin with - plus, it's a long, very long hike down. Both the cable cars & donkeys end up back at the boardwalk where you started - it's there you'll catch a water taxi back to the ship.
Ideally, you should be able to take a water taxi back to where you started. I asked a 'local' why they were running empty boats back to the boardwalk from Oia, and he said it was because of the arrangements the ships have with the local merchants in Thira. The agreement is...they FORCE you through Thira and purposely route you through the cheap, lower-end shops to help the local economy. As I said, Thira's a bit rundown, and not representative of the famous SANTORINI. And the forced bus trip from Oia to Thira is a mixed bag. Out of Oia, it's a very narrow, conjested roadway because of all the tourist traffic. We've been stopped in traffic as long as 15 minutes. Eventually, the roadway widens and you pick up speed. The Med views are beautiful along the way, but the ocean front property itself is dry, desolate, unattractive. Again...my earlier analogy...parts of Hawaii are beautiful, parts are not. Santorini is the village of Oia...NOT Thira, Eborio, Perissa, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, Sigalas, Megalochori, or any of the other smaller destinations. Don't let the ship overcharge you for something very few of you will appreciate. Oia is THE place...and you won't regret a moment of it! But again...start early, and get out by noon.
Last 'formal' evening tonight. We decided to particpate. Have only 'dressed' once in over a month. I brought a suit, 2 sport coats, 2 tuxedos - have only worn one tux. We grossly overpacked for this one - but would much rather have more than less. Have been caught the other way too. Despite published dress code rules, it really depends on the passenger mix as the majority seems to rule. For dinner, while everyone must wear long pants, I typically wear a polo and sandals as well. Many of the guys wear uncollared shirts as well. Much better than a sport coat each evening. We don't like to dress - had enough of the white shirt & tie routine before retiring. But again, you gotta be prepared both ways. When I retired, I gave our oldest son over 30 suits, and mailed our middle son (literally) 45 pounds of ties. I have remaining about half-dozen suits and maybe a dozen ties, just in case - weddings, funerals, etc.
Rambling here, but a final note on cruise tipping. Those of you who've sailed know that your onboard account is automatically charged X# dollars each day per person for crew tips. The only exception is when you book a cruise with prepaid gratuities, but then, they simply jack up the gross price of the trip, so in reality, you're paying your 'daily tips' anyway. The cruise lines tell you they take the money in aggregate and split it up among ALL crew members, and this is actually true, though bottom line, you're helping the company meet its payroll. While I DO believe in rewarding these hard-working folks, I also strongly believe that I/we should have a stronger vote/voice in WHO actually receives the tips - THOSE who've rendered personal services above & beyond, etc. Earlier this morning, I had a heart-to-heart with our butler, or actually, the gentleman in charge of the Neptune Lounge...a small lounge on deck #7 for suite owner use only. I was able to convince him to back-out 75% of the auto-gratuities we've been charged to date - so do the math - $13.50 p/day each X 2 = $27 daily for the two of us. Instead, I said I'd like to have the ability to take the bulk and distribute to those who've really gone above and beyond for us. I'd like to give our room stewards more - our head waiter at dinner - a young man who cooks our omlettes in the morning (just the way we like them) - one of the security guards at the gangway who always takes special care of us - the folks in the laundry room who always return our dirty stuff within 12 hours...pressed & folded with a little smiley face on the ticket. I wasn't quite sure if I could negotiate such a deal, because the sailing 'terms & conditions' are what they are - it's in black & white and you sign an agreement. To my surprise, I was successful with my plea! We now have a significant onboard credit, and I plan to get the balance in cash and start stuffing envelopes with personal thank you notes for many well-deserving folks who've truly taken an interest in our well-being & comfort. Really a win-win...the general population of employees will still get a 'cut', and Cheryl and I can give more to the people we want to. I've thought about trying to do this in the past, but never suspected I'd be successful. And all truth be told, it was actually our tablemate (Roger) who said that earlier this week, he was able to renegotiate his gratuity payment. Had it not been for him, I'd probably still be thinking about it without the nerve to actually try. Thank you, Roger. And for you followers...this may be something for you to consider on your next trip!
Once in Rome, we plan to take 100's of pictures...so be prepared for a huge blog post Wednesday evening...and we can transmit free from our hotel! Ship internet price = 0.75 per minute. We've burned through just north of 2000 minutes trying to keep our travel blog up to date (for you) - so donations will be accepted to help defray our cost. Actually, make a donation to our non-profit youth performing arts organization...go to:
carolinacrown.org
No comments:
Post a Comment