Tips for honeymoon for first timers?

[ChristyW]

My husband and I are going on our honeymoon (married last week) on 25th August for 2 weeks on the Calypso, on Ionian Treasure / Aegean Wonders Itinerary. We are in one of the cabins on one of the higher decks that used to be a suite but I'm told is now reorganised to be classed as a premier outside or something similar.

I have read loads of reviews (both good and bad!), we are quite young (25), do people think that we will be the odd ones out, or are there plenty of younger people too?

My husband wants to do excursions in basically every port to see as much as possible but this is quite expensive. He wants to see as much "history" and authentic (not too touristy) places as possible, if anyone can recommend any DIY historic / authentic places within walking distance/taxi/bus etc. of any of the ports on either Iterinary I am trying to work out if there is anything we can do by ourselves. He is most interested in Athens.

Does anyone have any tips for people who have not really cruised before? Anything I should know, any etiquette we need to follow, anything special we should pack etc?

Also one thing I can't find is how long the coach transfer is from the airport to the boat, and how easy is it to find the coach and to get your luggage on the ship and get checked in?

Very nervous but looking forward to it tremendously!

[mtek]

Christy, I did both of these cruises in June and I will try to dig out the various bits and bobs of paperwork to see what I can come up with. You will have a great time on the Calypso. I was on her last year and again this year and booked on two cruises of next year. I have never been on her during August but my guess is that you will probably be towards the youngest people on board.

Coach travel from the airport is about an hour depending on the time of your flight. You go to collect the cases and there is a rep in the area who will direct you out into the car park area where there is the cruise rep at a desk all set up. Sometimes this rep is just inside the doors of the arrivals area but you can't miss her. Once you get your bags and yourselves on board just relax. You will be given some documentation to fill out before you arrive at Thessaloniki port. There is usually a short delay before getting processed through embarkation - credit card details etc and then its on to the M'd for table assignment for dinner. In June the seatings were 6.30 and 8.30. I chose the later one because I was out almost every day and it gave me time to get ready of an evening. I'm not one for the evening entertainment so being late for a show did not worry me. In fact the production shows are on twice a night (once for each sitting). They only last about 45 minutes and those who attended were full of praise.

Getting back to embarkation - once you have the table assignment you board the ship and have your photo taken by the ships photographer. The display of photos this year was different to last year. Last year all the photos were displayed on deck 4 but this year only some were shown and the photographer had a computer on which all the photos were available so there were queues forming to look at these before purchasing. There is no obligation to buy any of the photos and they were about 9 pounds each.

After the photo a cabin steward/ess takes you to your cabin. Cases could take up to 2 hours to arrive so just go up on the top deck to the bar and have a drink and relax.

On the Aegean leg a lot of the sights are close to hand and inexpensive to get to. In Aghios Nikolaos, Crete you can wander around the very pretty port for free or take an excursion to the very special island of Spinalonga (a former leper colony) from the port just minutes from the ship for about 10 euro. Santorini - well you can get the cable car up to the top for 3 - 4 euro. This is a tender port and the queues for the cable car can be up to an hour long so get off the ship on the first available tender. Rhodes - this year the ship berthed a few miles outside Rhodes town but there was a free shuttle bus. Rhodes Old Town and its fortress gardens are free but do go inside the Fortress if possible - its well worth it and only a few euro. Lindos is also worth a visit and this year the half day trip cost 29 pounds each. A nice drive down, a wonderful historic sight and beautiful views but if this is your first time in Rhodes I would just wander about the harbour and the old town. Kusadasi is the last stop and again the town is just a couple of minutes walk away. However Ephasus is a great historic sight. Thomson were charging 36 pounds each for the half day tour here. However some people got there cheaper by local taxi who dropped them off and returned after a few hours.

Thessaloniki - its not necessary to do any trip here. You can walk along the seafront to the White Tower and into town easily from where the Calypso berths.

On the Ionian leg the first day is sailing through the Corinth Canal. That is a wonderful sight and has everyone up on deck. The next stop is Zakynthos. The ship berths in the centre of the two and if you leave the port area and head left for about 15 minutes you get to the gorgeous St. Denis Cathedral - all free and absolutely a gem of a Greek Orthodox Church. No need to go on a trip there. Then its Corfu. There is a free transfer to the port gates and then it is about a 20 minute walk into Corfu town. The trips there are rather uninspiring so I would just wander around the old town and sit and have a meal somewhere along the Liston. Next port is Itea - a very pretty old town and this year I went to Delphi on a ship's trip. Others on board used public transport for a fraction of the price. Then Pireaus for Athens. I had been there several times before so I just stayed on board. Last stop was Volos and I went on a ships trip to Meteora which was fabulous and I don't think it could have been done on my own.

Paula the Destination Services Manager is very willing to assist people who want to go ashore alone. In fact they hold a port showcase for each port the day before and give advice on those who don't want to book a ships tour.

What to pack - well get a flat two pinned adaptor for all electrical appliances. Don't bother with too much formal wear - there is only one formal evening each week. Ear plugs would be a good thing - this is a small old ship and does rattle a bit especially if the weather is a bit brisk.

In terms of ships etiquette - get to know the names of the staff and crew - they really appreciate you using them. They will know your names from day one. Got to dinner at the time assigned. Most people will wait if others at their shared table are late but it is not good for the staff who have a number of tables to serve. If you are not eating in the dining room on a particular night let either your waiter or someone sitting at your table know so they are not waiting for you. In June one table of 8 did not arrive down for 8.30 dinner until 9.15 and this caused no end of problems for the waiting staff. The Calypso is an old ship and does not have a lot of facilities so don't expect the QE2. Staff are friendly and more than helpful and most fellow cruises are great. The people who get commented on are those who complain about everything, those who do not cover up when coming in from the sun decks and those who treat the staff as servants and then at the end don't leave any tip. I know tips are supposed to be included but these are basic tips - a little extra at the end of the cruise is very much appreciated. Have a great time and if I find anything more I think will be of use I will post it here over the next few day. Marie

[mtek]

PS Christy - Congrats on the marriage

[kate52]

Hi- we have just returned today from 2 weeks on the Calypso.
We did Crimean Discovery followed by Ionian Treasures, so not quite the same itinerary as yours.
There were 4 honeymoon couples on the ship ( according to the Daily Cruise News) and a surprising number of young people (under 30!) compared to last year when we were on the same ship.
The transfer from airport to ship takes 30-40 minutes, and we were on board quite quickly. There is a "cruise Desk" just outside the airport where you get an envelope with cabin number stickers for your cases, so once you get them on the coach you don't see them again until they appear at your cabin door about half an hour after boarding. Plenty of Thomson staff in the airport to point you in the right direction.
We didn't do any of the trips on the Ionian Treasures, mainly because we had been to most of the places before, and were happy to explore on our own.
Thessaloniki is easy to explore, plenty of roman remains and an archaeological museum.
Corfu town is a lovely place to wander round on your own. Taxis outside port terminal charged us 10 euros into town, but we always ask the price first to make sure. Otherwise it's a half hour walk round the sea front.
Zakynthos we got a taxi to the beach and had a swim (the pool on the calypso is tiny) 12 euros each way.
Itea- the taxis were asking 50-60 euros to take 2 people to Delphi, wait 1 and half hours, and return. Slightly cheaper than excursion, but you won't get a guide.
Athens you could do on your own very cheaply by getting the metro, half hour walk to station, or negotiate with taxi drivers outside terminal.
Volos is closed on Sundays! A pleasant enough town, trips to Meteora were £51, and 8.5 hours. There isn't much else to do there to be honest, and the trip was too long and too early for us! There is also a half day narrow guage train ride, spectacular scenery. We did that last time- it gets booked up VERY early.
Only one "formal" night a week, but everyone makes an effort to look smart in the restaurant. No need for jackets or ties on the other nights though.
Hope this gives you some idea what to expect, if there is anything else you want to know just ask. Congratulations on your wedding, and have a fantastic honeymoon!
kate