Guided tours in mediterranean ports

[swh&cv]

i will be on the galaxy in august and was wondering which ports i could kick around with my partner and the ones that i really need a tour guide. we will be in sicily,athens,mykonos,ephesus,rhodes,santorini and naples. also, we leave from rome. thanks for any suggestions of private tours as well.
wade

[Rev22:17]

Wade,

Originally Posted by You

i will be on the galaxy in august and was wondering which ports i could kick around with my partner and the ones that i really need a tour guide. we will be in sicily,athens,mykonos,ephesus,rhodes,santorini and naples. also, we leave from rome. thanks for any suggestions of private tours as well.

If you want to see the major attractions in a port like Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Pireaus (for Athens), or Naples (for Capri, Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, or Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast), a tour is the best way to do so due to the distances involved and the fact that many of the major attractions tend to have long lines for general admission that the tours are able to bypass.

Also, in ports where the real destination is some distance from the actual port (the same ports are great examples), it's best to use the ship's shore excursions for transportation to and from the real destination. In most of these ports, the ship has shore excursions with a name of the form "<destination> on Your Own" or something similar that basically consist of seamless transportation between the pier and the real destination. The timing of these "shore excursions" will maximize your free time at the real destination, and the ship takes responsibility to get you back aboard (and to provide accommodations and transportation to the next port of call if required) if an accident or some other unforeseen situation delays the return trip.

In ports that are the major attraction, like Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes, you can go ashore on your own quite easily.

Norm.

[swh&amp;cv]

thanks norm, that is very helpful. also could you give me some reassurance on the galaxy. my partner are looking for a nice, relaxing vacation with beautiful ports of call. the ship isnt the most important thing to us but definetly matters being that we will be on board for 10 nights. there is so many different opinions until we are erally confused. the seasoned cruisers need to be a little more objective for us newbies!
thanks
wade

[Rev22:17]

wade,

Originally Posted by You

thanks norm, that is very helpful. also could you give me some reassurance on the galaxy. my partner are looking for a nice, relaxing vacation with beautiful ports of call. the ship isnt the most important thing to us but definetly matters being that we will be on board for 10 nights. there is so many different opinions until we are erally confused. the seasoned cruisers need to be a little more objective for us newbies!
thanks

MV Galaxy was in good shape overall when I was aboard her last November. The crew was actively working on a few outstanding maintenance items (replacing the sink units in the cabin heads, for example), and she is scheduled to go into the yards this month for other needed maintenance, including replacement of the fogged windows in her disco/nightclub. I think that she will be in great shape for your cruise!

Norm.

[Parrot Mom]

We were on the Galaxy on its trans-atlantic in December and yes, it needed some new carpeting and refurbising...Sadly we hear the ship is to be taken out of the line within a few years. What ports are you going to and then I can give you some information.. especially if your going to Barcelona.. we have a fabulous guide.. We will be back on the Constellation in September..parrotmom@verison.net

[CruiserDan]

I was on the Galaxy for a Caribbean cruise New Years 2007 and had a wonderful experience! A few wear spots, but definitely did not impact my holiday negatively. Co-incidentally I will also be doing a mediteranean cruise on the Galaxy this August (same cruise??). I suppose you should take that as a good sign regarding the Galaxy!