Greece: Greek Odyssey Meets Thread

[tufbuf]

A little over 3 days to go!!!! Now, let's just hope the anibiotics work, and I get over my bronchitis!!! At least I got sick this week and not next week. (My doctor says I should be good.)

I am so looking forward to this!

Sayhello

Oooooh so exciting!!! Hope you feel better and have tons of fun and an eyeful of ruins!! Safe travels!!!

 

[sayhello]

Oooooh so exciting!!! Hope you feel better and have tons of fun and an eyeful of ruins!! Safe travels!!!

Thanks, tufbuf! That's all on the itinerary!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

I'm on my way!!! Flight left Columbus late, but luckily I had a 3-hour layover. After I scarf some lunch, I'm going to see if I can locate NoraG!!

Sayhello

 

[Bobo912]

I'm on my way!!! Flight left Columbus late, but luckily I had a 3-hour layover. After I scarf some lunch, I'm going to see if I can locate NoraG!!

Sayhello

Have a great trip, Tobi!

 

[nordkin]

I'm on my way!!! Flight left Columbus late, but luckily I had a 3-hour layover. After I scarf some lunch, I'm going to see if I can locate NoraG!!

Sayhello

Have a wonderful trip.

 

[brinalyn530]

Will the 2014 adventurers be "meeting" here as well or should we start a new thread?

-Bree

 

[dizneekrazee]

Will the 2014 adventurers be "meeting" here as well or should we start a new thread?

-Bree

I'm sure SayHello will take care of that when she returns from her ABD.

 

[sayhello]

I will! Wifi has been spotty, and I've been blissfully busy!

 

[DisneyCruisin']

I will! Wifi has been spotty, and I've been blissfully busy!

Can't wait to hear all about your adventure! Hope you had an awesome time!

 

[ugartefamily]

We are going on the June 11 - 20, 2013 Greek Odyssey Adventure.
Is there anyone else going on this date?
This is our first Adventures by Disney Tour.
There will be 7 of us going.
My husband, me, my mom, our daughters 21 yrs. old, 19 yrs. old, 15 yrs. old
and my son 12 yrs. old.
I am hoping that there will be someone around his age going on this date.
I am worried that he will be the youngest one and he will be upset.
Does anyone know how I could find this out if possible??
Does anyone have any tips on packing?
I need help on this one.
We are only allowed 1 44 Lb. Bag and 1 10 Lb. Carry-On Bag.
Thanks for everybody's help!!

 

[tufbuf]

We are going on the June 11 - 20, 2013 Greek Odyssey Adventure.
Is there anyone else going on this date?
This is our first Adventures by Disney Tour.
There will be 7 of us going.
My husband, me, my mom, our daughters 21 yrs. old, 19 yrs. old, 15 yrs. old
and my son 12 yrs. old.
I am hoping that there will be someone around his age going on this date.
I am worried that he will be the youngest one and he will be upset.
Does anyone know how I could find this out if possible??
Does anyone have any tips on packing?
I need help on this one.
We are only allowed 1 44 Lb. Bag and 1 10 Lb. Carry-On Bag.
Thanks for everybody's help!!

You can call ABD and find out how many kids are in the trip and their ages.

I would pack good walking shoes/sandals and dri-fit shirts. When we went late June last year, it was incredibly hot! The Acropolis floor/grounds is slippery and there will be lots of walking! I would try and stick with the luggage weight allowance. Aegean Air is very strict about it and members in our group paid fees because of this.

 

[JacksGirlz]

We are going on the June 11 - 20, 2013 Greek Odyssey Adventure.
Is there anyone else going on this date?
This is our first Adventures by Disney Tour.
There will be 7 of us going.
My husband, me, my mom, our daughters 21 yrs. old, 19 yrs. old, 15 yrs. old
and my son 12 yrs. old.
I am hoping that there will be someone around his age going on this date.
I am worried that he will be the youngest one and he will be upset.
Does anyone know how I could find this out if possible??
Does anyone have any tips on packing?
I need help on this one.
We are only allowed 1 44 Lb. Bag and 1 10 Lb. Carry-On Bag.
Thanks for everybody's help!!

The first post in this thread shows DISer richflour and his daughter, age 9, will be with you on this trip. And as tufbuf said, you can always call ABD and ask them the ages of children on your adventure. Have fun.

 

[ugartefamily]

Thanks everyone for your help!

I noticed on our itinerary for our Greece Adventure June 11 - 20, 2013 that
they changed one of the hotels.

They changed The Majestic Hotel to the Vedema Resort in Santorini.

Does anyone know why they changed the hotel and has anyone stayed at
the Vedema Resort?

Is it near the beach?

Thanks

 

[tufbuf]

Thanks everyone for your help!

I noticed on our itinerary for our Greece Adventure June 11 - 20, 2013 that
they changed one of the hotels.

They changed The Majestic Hotel to the Vedema Resort in Santorini.

Does anyone know why they changed the hotel and has anyone stayed at
the Vedema Resort?

Is it near the beach?

Thanks

I don't know why they changed the hotel but I find the stay in Santorini most enjoyable. Both hotels I believe are close to the shopping area in Fira which is a wonderful lace to hang out! The best place for a beach is in Crete. Santorini is high up on a cliff, it's quite a ways down the beach area. You will go to Kamari beach before you leave for Crete, hopefully they give you more time to spend there. It isn't a sandy beach though, more like rocks.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks everyone for your help!

I noticed on our itinerary for our Greece Adventure June 11 - 20, 2013 that
they changed one of the hotels.

They changed The Majestic Hotel to the Vedema Resort in Santorini.

Does anyone know why they changed the hotel and has anyone stayed at
the Vedema Resort?

Is it near the beach?

Thanks

I am currently on the Greek Odyssey trip! I don' know anything about the Majestic, but I have stayed at Vedema now. Our Guides said they did not know why the resort was changed, but they did feel that the Vedema was a nice upgrade.

The Vedema is not near the beach. You can see the Aegean Sea off on the horizon from the hotel, but it did not look to be close at all.

It's an interesting "boutique" hotel, made to blend in with the surrounding buildings. The place has a few very different configurations of the rooms (from standard hotel rooms to suites to multi-story suites.) I think we just got whatever was open. The rooms were all large & lovely. And the A/C worked!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

I don't know why they changed the hotel but I find the stay in Santorini most enjoyable. Both hotels I believe are close to the shopping area in Fira which is a wonderful lace to hang out! The best place for a beach is in Crete. Santorini is high up on a cliff, it's quite a ways down the beach area. You will go to Kamari beach before you leave for Crete, hopefully they give you more time to spend there. It isn't a sandy beach though, more like rocks.

The Vedema is not in Fira. It's down in the southern part of Santorini.

Sayhello

 

[tufbuf]

The Vedema is not in Fira. It's down in the southern part of Santorini.

Sayhello

When I looked it up, I thought it was. So you are far from the market area? Or is it still a walk away?

 

[ugartefamily]

You can call ABD and find out how many kids are in the trip and their ages.

I would pack good walking shoes/sandals and dri-fit shirts. When we went late June last year, it was incredibly hot! The Acropolis floor/grounds is slippery and there will be lots of walking! I would try and stick with the luggage weight allowance. Aegean Air is very strict about it and members in our group paid fees because of this.

What are dry-fit shoes??
Are they water shoes or sandals that can either go into water but be good for walking?

We were not planning on taking water shoes (some are heavy).
If the beaches are full of rocks and not sand we might need them.
We may also need the water shoes for the Kayaking Trip.

Are there any other Excursions or Adventures that we will be going on
(besides Acropolis) we might need the water shoes?

Also Adventures by Disney gave us Backpacks in our box.
Should we take them with us?
Nothing says TOURIST like an Adventures by Disney Backpack that actually says
"Adventures by Disney" in big letters on the back of the backpack.

Can you also suggest how much cash in EUROS we should get before we leave
and what denominations would be the best for the whole Trip?

We are staying 2 Pre-Nights and 1 Post Night if that helps.

I don't want to take a whole bunch of $100.00 Bills if they won't take them because
they can't break it into small bills. If you know what I mean.

We are thinking of taking $1,600.00 in Euros for the 7 of us but we are going
to split the money between all of us.

Using the cash for Tips, Souvenirs (so we can bargain), Taxis and etc.

I know Travelers Checks are a real pain so we are not taking those but we are
bring our Credit Cards.

If anyone can help with the Euros I would really appreciate it!!

If anyone can think of anything else that would help us get ready for this
Greece Adventure I would appreciate that also.

You have all been a GREAT help to me thanks for all your suggestions!!

 

[tufbuf]

What are dry-fit shoes??
Are they water shoes or sandals that can either go into water but be good for walking?

We were not planning on taking water shoes (some are heavy).
If the beaches are full of rocks and not sand we might need them.
We may also need the water shoes for the Kayaking Trip.

Are there any other Excursions or Adventures that we will be going on
(besides Acropolis) we might need the water shoes?

Also Adventures by Disney gave us Backpacks in our box.
Should we take them with us?
Nothing says TOURIST like an Adventures by Disney Backpack that actually says
"Adventures by Disney" in big letters on the back of the backpack.

Can you also suggest how much cash in EUROS we should get before we leave
and what denominations would be the best for the whole Trip?

We are staying 2 Pre-Nights and 1 Post Night if that helps.

I don't want to take a whole bunch of $100.00 Bills if they won't take them because
they can't break it into small bills. If you know what I mean.

We are thinking of taking $1,600.00 in Euros for the 7 of us but we are going
to split the money between all of us.

Using the cash for Tips, Souvenirs (so we can bargain), Taxis and etc.

I know Travelers Checks are a real pain so we are not taking those but we are
bring our Credit Cards.

If anyone can help with the Euros I would really appreciate it!!

If anyone can think of anything else that would help us get ready for this
Greece Adventure I would appreciate that also.

You have all been a GREAT help to me thanks for all your suggestions!!

It's dri-fit SHIRTS, which are great to wear for super hot days. It does not absorb your sweat so it's more comfortable plus they are easy to wash and dry, in case you are thinking about laundry. Some brands are REI and Columbia.

Teva, Keen or Merrill sandals have nice walking hoes that can get wet. The kayaking activity in Spinalonga is another water activity. You don't need water shoes for the Acropolis, it's just a little slippery because of the marble flooring. In the off chance it rains, it will be extra slippery.

You don't need to use the backpacks from ABD if its not up to your liking.

There are only a few meals you would need to get on your own. Greece seems to be inexpensive in my opinion and you can buy meals for 7 for less than a hundred euros. If you feast on gyros, it will cost you much less! And they are yummy!!!!

Withdrawing cash from ATMs many say is the best deal. We carry our own cash beforehand so we do not use the machines.

Feel free to ask more questions!!!

 

[ugartefamily]

Thanks Tufbuf for the information about the shirts and shoes.
How much money did you bring with you??
In what denominations did you bring in Euros?
We are getting the cash before we leave.
We were thinking $5's, $10's, $20's, and $50's.
Does that sound about right?

 

[tufbuf]

Thanks Tufbuf for the information about the shirts and shoes.
How much money did you bring with you??
In what denominations did you bring in Euros?
We are getting the cash before we leave.
We were thinking $5's, $10's, $20's, and $50's.
Does that sound about right?

Yup, sounds about right. The amount you bring will depend on what you want to spend on. If its just meals, the amount you mentioned earlier should be enough. We kinda load ourselves with euros, for security but we don't spend it all. at some point, I get the ¬100 bills cause the lower denomination makes the cash pile too thick.