Cruising Tips and Tricks

Here are a few cruising tips that may be helpful. If you have any to suggest, send them and I’ll include them in future blogs. Keep in mind that cruise lines vary.
--Pack a lighted alarm clock. Cabins don’t usually have them and with an inside cabin you won't have daylight streaming in a window to help wake you up. If you oversleep on the last day and get rushed to pack and get off the ship, you are more likely to leave items.
--Before leaving home, pack and label packets for each port which could include maps, sunscreen, insect repellent, camera batteries and memory cards, pen and paper, toilet paper (well...you never know) shampoo for after swimming, etc. It’s a time-saving tip so that each morning you just grab that day’s bag and slip into your backpack or daybag.
--Once you are onboard, have the gift shop make a hole in your plastic room key card (where it won’t interfere with the magnetic strip), and wear it on a lanyard around your neck. No wasted time waiting in line for a new card if you lose yours.
--Four tips for seasickness: 1) eat a green apple, 2) eat candied ginger, 3) inhale the rind of a peeled orange, and 4) wear Sea-Bands (bracelets that apply pressure to the inside of the wrist).
--The night before an early excursion, order room service for breakfast the next morning. You won’t get stuck in a long buffet line and risk missing your departure.
--Leave thank you notes for staff members who are particularly helpful. Being positive encourages good service in the days to come. Of course, everyone still tips…but a little extra something never hurts.
--To avoid the checkout bottleneck, ask for a printout of your bill the day before disembarking. The cruise itself is included in our tour, but you may opt for some additional charges for services, drinks, etc. during our trip. If there are any discrepancies, you can resolve them early and totally relax on your last day at sea.
--More seasickness tricks: 1) stay midship and as close to the waterline as possible as that area does not rock as much, 2) lie down where you can see the horizon as this places your head in a fixed position, and 3) eat pineapple…it tastes the same going up as it does going down!

Sailing with Louis Cruise Lines

We will spend our 4-day Greek Isle cruise on one of the flagships of Louis Cruise Lines, the largest line in Greece and the fifth largest cruise operator in the world. The fleet has a diverse collection of small to mid-sized ships.

Louise Cruise Lines specializes in sailing the Greek Isles, Cyprus and the Mediterranean and attracts a wide, multilingual spectrum of passengers, so our 4 days at sea should prove exciting.

If you choose to purchase any of the optional shore excursions, you will do it while on the cruise. However you do not have to purchase anything special to go ashore. As I blog about each of our destinations, I will make suggestions (based on someone else’s experience on this same cruise) on which excursions to take. The choice will be totally yours.

Louis Lines operates 10 ships to various destinations in the Mediterranean. I have read in several places that we will be told the name of the ship ahead of time, however I have also read that on occasion another ship may be substituted and we may not know until we get to port that morning.

Each ship features several dining rooms and bars, entertainment, spa and fitness, swimming pool, shops, beauty salon, medical facilities, library, internet facilities, and a casino.

Our tour package includes an inside room, which I expect to be small. Upgrades cannot be requested (I asked!). All rooms though have private baths with showers. The point to this trip is not stay in our rooms but to enjoy the fun on the ship and the beautiful ports of call.

You might enjoy this photo album posted by a group of women who took a similar cruise. Click on Day 4-6 "The Love Boat" to get a feel of the ship. You'll also get a glimpse of the size of room in one of the photos.

Enjoy these videos and dream of your cruise to the Greek Isles!

Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

Even though our visit to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon is on our final day in Greece, I’ve chosen to blog about it now as it is the final site we will see on mainland Greece. All other sites to add to the blog will be on the Greek Isles.

Located 43 miles south of Athens on the southern tip of the Attica Peninsula, Cape Sounion is best known for its temple dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea. In fact the ruins of the temple sit atop a cliff looking out over the Aegean Sea.

It is from the steps of this temple, legend says, that Aegeus, king of Athens, (for whom the Aegean Sea is named) waited for his son Theseus to return from Crete after defeating the Minotaur, the monster that was half man and half bull.

Theseus was to change the sails to white upon his triumphant return, but forgot and the black sail remained. His father, in despair thinking his son lost, cast himself over the cliff and into the sea.

Although the ceiling-high bronze statue of Poseidon is long gone, the magnificent view of the sea from the promontory point captivates all who visit if for nothing else but the breathtaking sunsets seen from the temple steps.

Built in 440 BC, 18 of the original 42 Doric columns remain of the rectangular building where ancient Greeks came to pay tribute to Poseidon for safe passage on the seas.

To look for: the romantic poet Lord Byron’s name carved at the base of one of the columns. Although the poet mentions Sounion in his poem Don Juan and is known to have spent time in Athens in 1810-11 (exactly 200 years ago!), it is not known that he carved his name himself. Who knows...you may even find your own name!

Travel tip: There are no guard rails around the cliff area and sometimes a brisk sea breeze can be chilly.