7/14/2014 - 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise (with Greece) Venice to Barcelona

[TammyAlphabet]

The maps are great!

Cam, did you use Rome in Limo? We used Rome in Limo in 2010 and I can't say enough good things about them.

 

[keenercam]

Cam, did you use Rome in Limo? We used Rome in Limo in 2010 and I can't say enough good things about them.

Yes, we did. I can't tell you how incredibly impressed we were with them. They set a very high standard for what I am going to want from a private tour company. And I can tell you, they were worth every penny and would have been a bargain at twice the price. I contacted them to ask if they provide services in Venice and sadly, they do not. And they couldn't recommend another company. But they thanked me very genuinely and profusely for my tripadvisor review of their company, which I thought was very nice.

 

[MPS516]

Thank you so much for the port maps!

On our 2011 Med cruise, we only used DCL excursions in two ports (Valetta, Malta and Palermo, Sicily). In Malta, our DD23 and DS18 did the Turkish Schooner, while DH and I just wandered around Valetta and went to a flea market to buy a lace runner. In Palermo, we did the Selinunte & Marinella tour and beach trip.

We had a private driver and tour guides for Naples, Rome, and Florence/Pisa -- all with the same awesome company. We did Corsica and Villefranche completely on our own.

I think it was the perfect mix of free, unstructured touring and really good tour guides. I am hoping that Howard and I will find the right mix on this trip, so that we don't feel like we missed out on seeing any significant cultural or historical sites, but also that we aren't completely wiped out my the sometimes rushed nature of structured tours.

We also used a private tour in Rome, Florence/Pisa and Almalfi Coast, it was beyond fantastic. We got a private tour of the Vatican and when we spoke to those on the Disney excursion at dinner found out we entered several areas not included for them. We also got to places in Rome we would have never found or even heard of on our own, totally believe in this way of touring.

 

[MPS516]

Thanks for the maps and itinerary, guess I need to start laying out the port plans, still hard to do with the Panama Canal coming up in a few months.

 

[SailingSeas]

Oh goodness, there's more than enough time to plan for this cruise. I'd love to be going on the Panama one - have you done it before?

This morning's installments:

Rhodes

and

Heraklion (Crete)

crap, i'm not sure how to make that first image smaller. Does this take common HTML tags?

 

[MPS516]

Have not done the Canal before, always had school conflict. DD graduates this May so finally get to go this Sept. Then DCL needs to do one more Baltic so I can complete my must do's

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I did the Panama Canal in 2008 and it was one of the best cruises ever. Just the right mix of sea and port days.

 

[denise]

Just quickly looking at this map...I have never been here, but I did get a good laugh this morning.Whoever translated it for the map company got something really wrong.
The map says MT AYOIS STEFANOS and they translated that to Mount Smith....

It really translates to MOUNT SAINT STEPHEN!!!

Too funny...not very many people, let alone a Saint in Greece, with the name Smith!!

But I did see a church I will be trying to get to. Saint Fanurios on the map. It should be spelled Phanourios....he is one of my favorite Saints of all time!!
His story is so interesting. Many Greeks don't even know who he is but our church celebrates Saint Phanourios day on August 27th. Phanourios, his Icon and story was lost for centuries in the ruins of a church, became the patron saint of things lost. To this day his name is invoked when prayers are asked for the recovery of lost items.

And that is your lesson for the day!

Oh goodness, there's more than enough time to plan for this cruise. I'd love to be going on the Panama one - have you done it before?

This morning's installments:

Rhodes

and

Heraklion (Crete)

crap, i'm not sure how to make that first image smaller. Does this take common HTML tags?

 

[SailingSeas]

But I did see a church I will be trying to get to. Saint Fanurios on the map. It should be spelled Phanourios....he is one of my favorite Saints of all time!!
His story is so interesting. Many Greeks don't even know who he is but our church celebrates Saint Phanourios day on August 27th. Phanourios, his Icon and story was lost for centuries in the ruins of a church, became the patron saint of things lost. To this day his name is invoked when prayers are asked for the recovery of lost items.

And this is why I am so happy your'e on this trip. I do know St. Phanourious... mainly because my koumbada used to tease me about needing him as my patron saint since I loose everything.

I'm going to try and hit up each iconic name-day saint while i'm there. I saw St. Nicholas church on that map and was so happy. I'm missing my name day by a couple of weeks, but I will be there on my birthday and i'm so wicked happy. What a dream!

 

[denise]

And this is why I am so happy your'e on this trip. I do know St. Phanourious... mainly because my koumbada used to tease me about needing him as my patron saint since I loose everything.

I'm going to try and hit up each iconic name-day saint while i'm there. I saw St. Nicholas church on that map and was so happy. I'm missing my name day by a couple of weeks, but I will be there on my birthday and i'm so wicked happy. What a dream!

So SailingSeas...I need to know what your "real" first name is...

What's your name day? Mine is in Dec....St. Dionysius....of Zakinthos. We have been to that island and saw his relic which is really almost his whole body!! Very moving...

I think St. Phanourious is from Crete so we should go to that church...I'll research it. We tried to go to the smallest church in '07, also St. Phanourious on the island of Amorgos. The town people gave us a key to go open it and light a candle. That was fun but it was the wrong one. It wasn't the smallest church...the smallest on holds only one person....seems there are two churches with the same name on that little island...next time..

On our Baltic cruise...when we were in St. Petersburg...my goal was to go to the Orthodox churches....they are so big and beautiful

Can't wait to go on this cruise.

 

[MPS516]

Don't want to come off as a real novice but I am wondering if th church used for the wedding scenes in Ma Ma Mia is at one of these islands

 

[SailingSeas]

Denise, it's Maria, so August 15th. I always thought I was lucky and had a whole name-week when i was really little. My son is St. Nikolaos, and daughter would be St. Michael (which fits each of them so wicked much)

My brother is Dionysius too. My father used to call him "the god of wine and song, Dionysius" Yes, nice, I know. My dad used to promise us he would always take us to Greece. Then as an adult, I used to say the same to him. Now he's fallen and ruined his hip and in a nursing home, and I made him promise he's going to "go to Greece" vicariously through me. I'm going to have the biggest internet bill, i swear. I'm going to be researching connectivity like crazy. He's Panayoti, and I've already brought him home something from St. Peter's tomb in Rome, now to find something right from Greece.

Although all he wants is a greek bride to make him feel young again.

I digress Denise, oh Goddess of Wine and Song... I would LOVE LOVE LOVE anything you uncover like that tiny church, or anything cultural you wish to share. I would be so very grateful to you.

Don't want to come off as a real novice but I am wondering if th church used for the wedding scenes in Ma Ma Mia is at one of these islands

totally not a real novice, and OMG i LOVED that movie! We should have a Greek Movie Film Festival in the weeks before our sailing, and that's a great one to have! Shirley Valentine is another, I think it was filmed near there too.

The chapel is the Agios Ioannis. I would love to get married there some day.

http://skopelos.travel/mammamia/
http://www.skopelos.net/sightseeing/aghios_ioannis.htm

It's near Mykonos.

 

[htmlkid]

Although I first started the fish extender list, another member (dizneeat) has also decided to keep a fish extender list. So not to add confusion with two lists, I decided to remove mine.

Sorry for any confusion.

 

[denise]

Yasou Maraki.....

I will get out my Greek Islands tour books and start reading...I will also ask my friends at church.. We are having a Glendi tomorrow to celebrate the start of lent...so are you Greek Orthodox?

Our daughter is Eleni...I will never forget, one day when she was very young, Fr. said for the kids to use their baptized name when they were getting communion... Eleni comes running back to us and says, "What's my baptismal name? We answer Eleni..she says no what is it..everyone starts laughing...and then she says...OH, I get it..."

Disneyland is having a Greek weekend at the end of May...the same as our festival weekend and when our God daughter graduates from college...darn would have been fun to go to.

talk to you soon,
Goddess of Wine and Song

Denise, it's Maria, so August 15th. I always thought I was lucky and had a whole name-week when i was really little. My son is St. Nikolaos, and daughter would be St. Michael (which fits each of them so wicked much)

My brother is Dionysius too. My father used to call him "the god of wine and song, Dionysius" Yes, nice, I know. My dad used to promise us he would always take us to Greece. Then as an adult, I used to say the same to him. Now he's fallen and ruined his hip and in a nursing home, and I made him promise he's going to "go to Greece" vicariously through me. I'm going to have the biggest internet bill, i swear. I'm going to be researching connectivity like crazy. He's Panayoti, and I've already brought him home something from St. Peter's tomb in Rome, now to find something right from Greece.

Although all he wants is a greek bride to make him feel young again.

I digress Denise, oh Goddess of Wine and Song... I would LOVE LOVE LOVE anything you uncover like that tiny church, or anything cultural you wish to share. I would be so very grateful to you.



totally not a real novice, and OMG i LOVED that movie! We should have a Greek Movie Film Festival in the weeks before our sailing, and that's a great one to have! Shirley Valentine is another, I think it was filmed near there too.

The chapel is the Agios Ioannis. I would love to get married there some day.

http://skopelos.travel/mammamia/
http://www.skopelos.net/sightseeing/aghios_ioannis.htm

It's near Mykonos.

 

[denise]

Don't know how many of you live near Disneyland but they are having a Greek weekend in May of this year. May 25-27...

I guess they are getting ready for our cruise... Looks like lots of fun!

the Disney website is

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...greece-coming-to-disneyland-resort-may-25-27/

 

[SailingSeas]

I love the name Eleni. There's a little girl at our church with the wildest curly hair and the deepest dark eyes hiding under them. I do not think I've ever heard her speak. LOL

Yes, I am Greek Orthodox.

You do know that the president of WDW is Greek American as well, right?

HTMLKID, I thought you were doing the fish extender? that's what it says in th first post? did I miss something? or did I miss something in all my map gathering?

 

[dizneeat]

Although I first started the fish extender list, another member (dizneeat) has also decided to keep a fish extender list. So not to add confusion with two lists, I decided to remove mine.

Sorry for any confusion.

I am sorry for the confusion, but I offered the list to you, to keep in your post.
I have taken off my links. These lists are my personal copies and I was only trying to help as there were families willing to join and you were busy.

Again, I am sorry.

HTMLKID, I thought you were doing the fish extender? that's what it says in th first post? did I miss something? or did I miss something in all my map gathering?

They still are, I was just trying to help. I have taken off the link to my personal lists.

 

[SailingSeas]

Eh no need to apologize at least not in my eyes, I think everyone's so excited and wants to help. I'm sorry that I didn't see the hard work you'd done too.

Wait... Denise... you called me Maraki? I LOVE that name...!!! I've not heard of it before!

I'm too tired to look for decent maps for the last two stops this morning. MPS516's question sent me off looking for all the movies set in Greece I could find and I got distracted and now i have to work...

 

[denise]

Haven't decided if we are doing the FE yet. Did it on the Baltic and had the stuff shipped over before we got there. We spent a week at Disneyland Paris before the cruise. I shipped it out well over a month before we got there and it arrived the last day of our stay!!! And it cost over $60 to ship!!
I've done them when we can drive to the cruise (LA) which was fun....
As time goes by we will decide and let you know....

Maria...my DH Jimmy said to call you that..I had never heard it either!

I am only 1/4 Greek but he is all Greek...

 

[SailingSeas]

We pack so tight for the international trips, that I just have no room (or weight allowance) to participate in the FE, although they are wicked fun.

Tell your DH that I love that name! I told my Dad and he lit up and said thats homeland greek. When I was a little girl, he used to call me that, but my mother (VERY Irish) would flip out and demand to not speak greek around us. Now I'm wishing we'd learned it. Could speak as a child, but don't remember it unless I'm zoning out in church. I'm 50%; brothers look very greek, but I look like Black Irish (and hate my brothers for their lovely bronze-ability)

And as for the 'only', my dad says if you have ANY greek DNA in your body, you're GREEK. I laughed and said 'well, given Alexander's conquests, that means most of us of European descent could claim greek heritage.

Of course that made him proud.

I'm doing it again... totally distracted and should be at work! Don't tell the boss!

Oooh, as a side note, has anyone uncovered any good tour operators for Athens at all?