Greece: Greek Odyssey Meets Thread

I chuckled when I read your comment "nothing says tourist like an Adventures by Disney backpack ". ;-). Lol

Keep in mind, you are walking in a group, with a tour guide holding an "Adventures by Disney" sign. Lol. Backpack, or no, we are tourists. ::tee Hee::

(Someone in Paris walked past and said, "oh look! It's Walt Disney!")

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
 
When I looked it up, I thought it was. So you are far from the market area? Or is it still a walk away?
Well, nothing is really far away on Santorini. :goodvibes But Vedema is in the southern Megalohori area of Santorini, and is like 4 or 5 miles away from Fira. So not within easy walking distance.

Sayhello
 
When are you going? Who is in your travel party? I'll be happy to add you to the Roll call!

Sayhello

Hello Sayhello,

We'll be on the June 20, 2014 trip, me (Sabrina, but you can call me Bree) and my son, Payton, who will be 13 at the time. We are very excited for the trip :goodvibes !

Are you back from your trip yet? Would love to hear about it when you get a chance to catch your breath.

Also, we are planning on learning some phrases in Greek before we leave - is there anything you think might be particularly helpful other than "do you speak English?" and "where is the toilet?" :)

Thanks so much!

Bree
 


Hello Sayhello,

We'll be on the June 20, 2014 trip, me (Sabrina, but you can call me Bree) and my son, Payton, who will be 13 at the time. We are very excited for the trip :goodvibes !

Are you back from your trip yet? Would love to hear about it when you get a chance to catch your breath.

Also, we are planning on learning some phrases in Greek before we leave - is there anything you think might be particularly helpful other than "do you speak English?" and "where is the toilet?" :)

Thanks so much!

Bree
Got you on the Roll Call!

Yes, I'm back from my trip, and it was FABULOUS! I've posted a little mini-report (I'll be doing a full-blown Trip Report with photos & everything, but I have house guests showing up in less than 2 weeks, and the house is in post-vacation disaster mode! :eek:)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3056219

You are going to *love* this trip! It's really, really amazing!

Greek is really, really hard to learn & pronounce. The only words I learned were "Efharistó" which means "Thank You". (Landon said to remember it as, basically "Ef Harry's toe") and the response: "Parakaló" (You're welcome). I found those went a long way. They always got a smile. Oh! And "water" is "neró". We stopped at one place and the woman, who did speak some English, had no idea what "water" meant! And water is *VERY* important in Greece! Drink *lots* of it!

I found the majority of folks I dealt with spoke English, and loads of them spoke it very well!

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer!

Sayhello
 
Got you on the Roll Call!

Yes, I'm back from my trip, and it was FABULOUS! I've posted a little mini-report (I'll be doing a full-blown Trip Report with photos & everything, but I have house guests showing up in less than 2 weeks, and the house is in post-vacation disaster mode! :eek:)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3056219

You are going to *love* this trip! It's really, really amazing!

Greek is really, really hard to learn & pronounce. The only words I learned were "Efharistó1" which means "Thank You". (Landon said to remember it as, basically "Ef Harry's toe") and the response: "Parakaló1" (You're welcome). I found those went a long way. They always got a smile. Oh! And "water" is "neró1". We stopped at one place and the woman, who did speak some English, had no idea what "water" meant! And water is *VERY* important in Greece! Drink *lots* of it!

I found the majority of folks I dealt with spoke English, and loads of them spoke it very well!

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer!

Sayhello

Thanks so much Sayhello!

I'm excited to read the rest of your trip report when you get to it, the information you already shared makes me even more excited for our trip!

We'll still plan to learn a few words/phrases in Greek just for the fun of it, but it is a relief to know that English is widely spoken.

My only other concern is the food, I'm excited to try new things but we don't eat seafood and my son is a rather picky eater - I know you were on an adults only trip so the offerings may be a little different, but did they seem to accommodate different tastes/preferences well? I read that they accommodated your dietary requests - was that something you arranged in advance?

Also, everyone's clothes seemed very casual from the pictures you shared, did people generally change into nicer clothes in the evening for dinner? And did you or anyone in your group take advantage of the laundry service at the hotel(s) or did you just pack enough to last the whole trip? I always over pack and I really don't want it to be an issue on this trip, but I also do not re-wear clothes without laundering so I'm kind of torn - pack a bunch or have things laundered (which I haven't done as of yet, so I have no idea how long it would take or how much it would cost)?

My son and I have traveled quite a bit, but only once to Europe so far, is there any advice you can give me on travel necessities - bags, hats, power adapters/converters, etc? Do I need to look at one of those cut-and-snatch proof bags for this trip? I generally wear a crossbody bag while traveling, but it isn't one of the security bags, not sure if that would be necessary or not?

I also have a general question about luggage - if anyone can answer I would really appreciate it - I'm trying to spread out our trip related purchases over the next year so I don't have to put out a lot of money right before our trip, but with limited experience and the expectation that we will be traveling multiple times over the next few years, I am having a hard time figuring out what the best options are. Our better set of luggage was destroyed on the way home from London last year so we'll need either a new set, or probably better, two same sized very good quality pieces. What size luggage is best for travel in Europe? I don't mind checking luggage, but all four of my soft sided pieces have been destroyed over the past two years by baggage handlers so if I can get away with a carry on that might be better. I know they have a lot of restrictions on weight but if I go with a size that can't be carried on, is hard sided more durable than soft-sided, and is it worth the increased weight (which decreases the weight you can pack)?

I apologize for so many questions :blush: . We are the "world travelers" in our group of friends, so I don't have anyone to give me advice and opinions on this kind of stuff :) .

TIA!

Bree
 
Thanks so much Sayhello!

I'm excited to read the rest of your trip report when you get to it, the information you already shared makes me even more excited for our trip!

We'll still plan to learn a few words/phrases in Greek just for the fun of it, but it is a relief to know that English is widely spoken.
There was a family on our trip that decided to learn as much Greek as they could, and they seemed to do a pretty good job of it, especially the father. I say go for it! It was just a bit too much for me!

My only other concern is the food, I'm excited to try new things but we don't eat seafood and my son is a rather picky eater - I know you were on an adults only trip so the offerings may be a little different, but did they seem to accommodate different tastes/preferences well? I read that they accommodated your dietary requests - was that something you arranged in advance?
We actually did not get much seafood. There was a lot of chicken, lamb, mincemeat (Moussaka), stuffed (rice) grape leaves, a lot of vegetable-based dishes with meats added and a lot of Greek salads. I can't eat tomatoes or green peppers, and I let ABD know ahead of time, as well as discussing it with the Adventure Guides as soon as I met them. Everyone worked overtime to make sure I had salads without tomatoes, and alternate dishes if what they were serving had tomatoes or peppers. NOBODY went hungry! (In fact we were all positively stuffed most of the time!) If you tell them you don't eat seafood, they will definitely accommodate that, but it wasn't much of an issue on this trip. We didn't have any kids, so I don't know if they offer "kid's options".

Also, everyone's clothes seemed very casual from the pictures you shared, did people generally change into nicer clothes in the evening for dinner? And did you or anyone in your group take advantage of the laundry service at the hotel(s) or did you just pack enough to last the whole trip? I always over pack and I really don't want it to be an issue on this trip, but I also do not re-wear clothes without laundering so I'm kind of torn - pack a bunch or have things laundered (which I haven't done as of yet, so I have no idea how long it would take or how much it would cost)?
Except for the Welcome dinner and the Farewell dinner, people were pretty casual for the evening. Most did change (we wore shorts & T-shirt type of stuff during the day), but it was never more than business casual, even for the Welcome/Farewell dinner. No real dressy meals. I'll try & post some pics from our dinners once I get home.

I don't know anyone who had clothes laundered. I re-wear clothes, so I can't help you there. I brought some Woolite packages so I could hand-wash some items in the sink (bathing suit/rash guard, shorts made of quick-dry material). But that's it. I'm not big into doing laundry while on vacation.

My son and I have traveled quite a bit, but only once to Europe so far, is there any advice you can give me on travel necessities - bags, hats, power adapters/converters, etc? Do I need to look at one of those cut-and-snatch proof bags for this trip? I generally wear a crossbody bag while traveling, but it isn't one of the security bags, not sure if that would be necessary or not?
Definitely bring hats. A lot of this trip, you are out in the open (the Acropolis, Delphi, hiking the volcano, the sheep farm, kayaking) so a hat & sunscreen are a must. ABD will provide you with a lot of water; DRINK IT!!

I brought both a regular cross-body bag and a cut-and-snatch-proof bag with me, and I never touched the cut-and-snatch-proof one. I never felt like I needed more than wearing my bag cross-body and keeping it zipped (normal precautions).

You need the standard 2-prong European adapters for Greece. The only thing you'd need a converter for is things like a hair blow-dryer (unnecessary, as all the hotels had blow-dryers), a hair flat-iron, and, I'm told, electric tooth brushes. Most other things (phones, iPads, camera battery chargers) should be fine with just an adapter for the plug. I highly recommend getting a small universal power strip that will allow you to plug multiple items into one wall outlet with one adapter.

This is the one I got. It's nice & compact:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...s_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=vglnkc5948-20

41el81HBeCL._SX342_.jpg


I also have a general question about luggage - if anyone can answer I would really appreciate it - I'm trying to spread out our trip related purchases over the next year so I don't have to put out a lot of money right before our trip, but with limited experience and the expectation that we will be traveling multiple times over the next few years, I am having a hard time figuring out what the best options are. Our better set of luggage was destroyed on the way home from London last year so we'll need either a new set, or probably better, two same sized very good quality pieces. What size luggage is best for travel in Europe? I don't mind checking luggage, but all four of my soft sided pieces have been destroyed over the past two years by baggage handlers so if I can get away with a carry on that might be better. I know they have a lot of restrictions on weight but if I go with a size that can't be carried on, is hard sided more durable than soft-sided, and is it worth the increased weight (which decreases the weight you can pack)?
European airlines can be really picky about weight restrictions, and their limits are generally less than for domestic flights. I would never go beyond a medium-sized checked bag. I can't imagine doing this trip with just a carry-on. But that's just me. I re-wear clothes, and I still could not have fit everything in just a carry-on (and sometimes they weigh the carry-ons, too. Technically they have weight & size limitations on carry-ons, too.] I bought this bag in 2 sizes, and they've served me pretty well for 4 vacations so far, and still are in great shape. The bottom is sort of structured, and the top is not. And they are really light:

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/...etech+2.0+mother+lode+mini+21"+wheeled+duffel

242273_1_1


http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/...ech+2.0+mother+lode+junior+25"+wheeled+duffel

242272_4_1


I apologize for so many questions :blush: . We are the "world travelers" in our group of friends, so I don't have anyone to give me advice and opinions on this kind of stuff :) .

TIA!

Bree
Don't be silly! :thumbsup2 I don't mind the questions at all! Feel free to ask all you want! You are really going to love this trip!

Sayhello
 


We did The Greek Odyssey Adventure on June 11 - June 20, 2013.

We all had an amazing time on our 1st Adventures by Disney Trip!!
We had Mary and Kira as our Adventures by Disney Tour Guides.
They were both AWESOME and they both had so much information on Greece.
Mary actually lives in Greece.
If you had any questions about anything on the tour they knew the answers.
They both were GREAT with all the kids.
We loved all the things that we did in Athens, Santorini and Crete!!
There was not one thing that stood out the most because everything we did stood out.

Although I have to say the weather was really HOT - 95 Degrees Farinheight some days HOTTER (They use Celsius in Greece) and HUMID and it rained on us one night.
Disney provided ponchos for us and everyone that saw us was laughing really hard!!

The Hotels and Resort were really nice and very American.
The Breakfast at ALL the Hotels and Resorts were the exact same every day.
When we went out to eat with everyone the food also seemed to be similar.

A little advice when you go out to eat on your own try to find a place that has different food to try and DEFIANTLY find a Gyro to eat sometime. They are GREAT!!
They are different then the ones we have in America!!

All of the other families we meet and our guides (Mary and Kira) were great to be around and we all became friends sometime during our adventure.
It seemed to happen the very first day we all got together.
By the end of the trip our guides (Mary and Kira) were part of our family and we all hated to say good bye.
We actually cried with everyone on the last night.
We got everyones email and said we would send pictures and keep in contact.
I have NEVER EVER had an experience like this before.
It was AWESOME!!!!
I would Never do a tour with the kids again without doing an Adventures by Disney Tour!!

The only bad thing that happened was my daughter's handle on her luggage bag got totally broken off.
It happened sometime after we put our bags outside our door in the morning at the Intercontinental in Athens and when we arrived at the Airport to go to Santorini.
Of course this happened at the beginning of our trip.
Disney would not do anything about it and did not write up a report when we told our tour guides about it.
Although our tour guides did call the corporate office about it and they were told to tell us to file a claim with the insurance company when we got back.

I also have to agree that the flight to Greece and back was a long one!!
Especially on the way home when we missed our connecting flight to fly home.
This IS one of those horror stories that make you NOT want to fly over seas on vacation for a very long time especially with kids.
We flew on British Airways (which was great) and on American Airlines (which was NOT) American Airlines is the Airline that would not do anything for us when we missed their connection.
British Airways said they called American to let them know we were going to be late.
We got to American 2 mins. before the door closed and told us we were too late after running through the Airport to try to make it.

Although we had the trouble with the Airlines on the way back the Adventures by Disney Greeek Odyssey Adventure was Amazing!!
We were so happy we chose Adventures by Disney and Greece!!
We will definitely do another Adventure by Disney Tour again.
We don't know when since they are so expensive.
We will have to save up to do another one in a couple of years.

If anyone has any questions for me I will try to answer them.

Again thanks for everyone for answering all my questions before we left on our Adventures by Disney Greek Odyssey Adventure it really helped!!!!
 
were you impacted at all with the turmoil and unrest that is going on in Greece? Some of the protests appear on television to be fairly serious.
 
were you impacted at all with the turmoil and unrest that is going on in Greece? Some of the protests appear on television to be fairly serious.

We did not see any protesters at all on our entire Greece Trip!!
Everyone was very friendly and we had a great time shopping and exploring on our own in Athens, Santorini and Crete.
You would never guess that there is a problem at all there.

When you do start shopping for gifts that are not expensive make sure you get them in Athens.
We found that on Santorini there was some shopping (not a lot) and was more expensive than Athens.
Also there was very little shopping ( if any) in Crete.
At the Crete Hotel there in only 1 souvenir shop and 1 very expensive GOLD ONLY shop.

I hope this helps and makes you feel better about going.
Disney however would not hesitate to Cancel the Greece Trip if there was anything happening there when you go.

Have a GREAT time and enjoy your trip!!
 
We did not see any protesters at all on our entire Greece Trip!!
Everyone was very friendly and we had a great time shopping and exploring on our own in Athens, Santorini and Crete.
You would never guess that there is a problem at all there.

When you do start shopping for gifts that are not expensive make sure you get them in Athens.
We found that on Santorini there was some shopping (not a lot) and was more expensive than Athens.
Also there was very little shopping ( if any) in Crete.
At the Crete Hotel there in only 1 souvenir shop and 1 very expensive GOLD ONLY shop.

I hope this helps and makes you feel better about going.
Disney however would not hesitate to Cancel the Greece Trip if there was anything happening there when you go.

Have a GREAT time and enjoy your trip!!
We also experienced *no* protests or issues of that type when I was there in May/June. The protests mostly are contained to Syntagma Square, an area the ABD did not go to, and which you could avoid if necessary. The people we met & interacted with couldn't have been more friendly or welcoming. Unless something seriously changes, I wouldn't let that worry you.

I found a lot of good shopping in Plaka, on Crete (it's the town across from Spinalonga.) There was good shopping in Oia, on Santorini, but it *was* expensive. I agree the best shopping was in Athens (especially in the Plaka area below the Acropolis.)

Sayhello
 
We also experienced *no* protests or issues of that type when I was there in May/June. The protests mostly are contained to Syntagma Square, an area the ABD did not go to, and which you could avoid if necessary. The people we met & interacted with couldn't have been more friendly or welcoming. Unless something seriously changes, I wouldn't let that worry you.

I found a lot of good shopping in Plaka, on Crete (it's the town across from Spinalonga.) There was good shopping in Oia, on Santorini, but it *was* expensive. I agree the best shopping was in Athens (especially in the Plaka area below the Acropolis.)

Sayhello

And speaking of Spinalonga...did The Island enhance that part of the trip?
 
And speaking of Spinalonga...did The Island enhance that part of the trip?
Oh my goodness, did it ever! I'm planning on including it in my Trip Report as a handy hint from you! I got a little over half-way through the book, and it made kayaking to Spinalonga, and the tour, and lunch in Plaka much more meaningful! And of course, finishing the second half of the book after having been there, and having real images in my mind was just as wonderful. Thank you so much for recommending the book!

Sayhello
 
I know it is a bit early, but is anyone registered for the Adults Only trip next September? My wife and I have signed up?
 
I know it is a bit early, but is anyone registered for the Adults Only trip next September? My wife and I have signed up?
I'm sorry I didn't see your post earlier in the Trip Reports thread. I've moved it here to the Meets thread for the Greece trip, and added you to the Roll Call in the first post. So far, you're the only one who has reported signing up for that trip, but it's still a long ways away, so hopefully someone else will, too.

I did the Adults only Greek Odyssey trip this past May, and it was absolutely FABULOUS! You're going to love it!

Sayhello
 
My nieces and I are going to Greece with ABD on June 20, 2014. I was searching for comments from other travelers that have been on this trip and I happened upon this board. It is VERY interesting. Thank you all for being so gracious with information.

I was hoping to find other things to do with my nieces during our down time on this trip and I was looking for suggestions. We are doing two pre-nights in Athens and two post nights in Crete.
 
My nieces and I are going to Greece with ABD on June 20, 2014. I was searching for comments from other travelers that have been on this trip and I happened upon this board. It is VERY interesting. Thank you all for being so gracious with information.

I was hoping to find other things to do with my nieces during our down time on this trip and I was looking for suggestions. We are doing two pre-nights in Athens and two post nights in Crete.
Welcome to the DISBoards and the ABD Forum! Glad you found us! :thumbsup2 I've added you to the Roll Call in the first post of this thread. It looks like you will be on the same trip with fellow DISer brinalyn530 (Bree) and her son (13).

I took this trip this past May, and I absolutely *loved* it! You're in for a real treat. I'm in the process of posting my Trip Report (honestly! I've started posting it again!). Check the link in my signature if you're interested.

Feel free to ask any questions you'd like! There are a few of us here on this Forum who have taken the Greece trip.

I think the pre- and post- days are a great idea. The hotel in Athens is beautiful, and they run a shuttle into town that is very convenient. The Resort in Crete is spectacular. You will really love it there, and a couple of extra nights will be great.

I joined another DISer on a tour to Cape Sounion on our pre-days, and I highly recommend it. It's a gorgeous area (with the ruins of the Temple of Posidon) and the drive from Athens is really nice. I also recommend the Museum of the Acropolis and the ancient Agora in Athens. Both are fascinating, and the ABD does not go there.

Sayhello
 
Welcome to the DISBoards and the ABD Forum! Glad you found us! :thumbsup2 I've added you to the Roll Call in the first post of this thread. It looks like you will be on the same trip with fellow DISer brinalyn530 (Bree) and her son (13). I took this trip this past May, and I absolutely *loved* it! You're in for a real treat. I'm in the process of posting my Trip Report (honestly! I've started posting it again!). Check the link in my signature if you're interested. Feel free to ask any questions you'd like! There are a few of us here on this Forum who have taken the Greece trip. I think the pre- and post- days are a great idea. The hotel in Athens is beautiful, and they run a shuttle into town that is very convenient. The Resort in Crete is spectacular. You will really love it there, and a couple of extra nights will be great. I joined another DISer on a tour to Cape Sounion on our pre-days, and I highly recommend it. It's a gorgeous area (with the ruins of the Temple of Posidon) and the drive from Athens is really nice. I also recommend the Museum of the Acropolis and the ancient Agora in Athens. Both are fascinating, and the ABD does not go there. Sayhello

Thank you for the information sayhello! So you have the info for your post, I'm Dawn and I will be traveling with my two nieces who are 13 and 12.

The side trip to Cape Sounion sounds perfect! Did you use a tour operator? If so, would you recommend them?

I noticed that the ABD trip did not go to the Museum of the Acropolis and it seems like something we would enjoy. Do you know if tickets should/can be purchased in advance? Is there a long wait to get in? I've read a few things that mentioned long wait times.

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. I'm sure I will have many more questions as I dive into planning.
 
Thank you for the information sayhello! So you have the info for your post, I'm Dawn and I will be traveling with my two nieces who are 13 and 12.

The side trip to Cape Sounion sounds perfect! Did you use a tour operator? If so, would you recommend them?

I noticed that the ABD trip did not go to the Museum of the Acropolis and it seems like something we would enjoy. Do you know if tickets should/can be purchased in advance? Is there a long wait to get in? I've read a few things that mentioned long wait times.

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. I'm sure I will have many more questions as I dive into planning.
Thanks, Dawn, I'll update the Roll Call!

We did use a tour operator for Cape Sounion, but I did not make the arrangements, fellow DISer NoraG did. I'll see if I can contact her for the information on the operator.

I did the Museum of the Acropolis on my post-day in Athens (I chose that rather than staying in Crete). That was June 2nd, which was a Sunday. I don't know if that counts as off-season or not, or if it was because it was a Sunday, but there were no lines at the Museum. I walked right in, only waited for a couple of people to buy my ticket, and walked right into the exhibits. I did go mid-afternoon, so that may have been part of it also (I did the Ancient Agora in the morning, then the Acropolis Museum in the afternoon.) Hopefully, others will chime in here with their experiences, but I had absolutely no problems. Also, there's a restaurant in the Museum with a fabulous view of the Acropolis. It's really too nice to be called a cafeteria. And the food is really good there. I highly recommend it!

Feel free to ask all the questions you like. It's a great trip!

Sayhello
 
Hi there, anyone going on the Aug 12th adventure tour to Greece. We are a family of 3...my hubby, son who is 10 and myself. Greece has been on our bucket list for years and we are finally doing it. It's our first time to Europe and our first ABD tour! We are all very excited. Happy to meet anyone who is on this trip or has any words of wisdom for a newbie family.
 

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