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Post by tiffany on Oct 1, 2014 18:52:04 GMT
As some of you know, I was hoping to book the Best of Greece Plus 7 Day Aegean Cruise Superior tour for October 2015. For some reason, however, Trafalgar doesn’t have a “superior” option on their website for 2015, only moderate and premier. Does anyone know if they are dropping the superior option and only offering the moderate and premier?
Also, I was hoping to go in October, however, for some reason, the last tour date of the year for this tour in 2015 is September 24. I know that they offered tours until mid-October both this year and last, and I’m wondering why Trafalgar decided to cut those dates. I have a really hard time with humidity, which is why I don’t want to go in September. Has anyone done this tour at the end of September before, and, if so, was it really humid? I don’t have a problem with dry heat, just humidity.
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Post by chech on Oct 1, 2014 22:16:16 GMT
I went in September. There was no humidity to speak of. And the seas are calmer in the fall. Not sure why they're dropping one class. Maybe they're changing ships or changing to an entirely different ship line. I know if you're looking to keep costs down, go for the inside cabin. You spend so little time in there, the few hundred you save can be spent on other things. The windows were not easy to see through and for pictures, I always walked to the end of the ship and took them from the back deck. None of the classes offered had balconies and while some on our tour tried to upgrade once they got to the ship, they couldn't. There were only like 4 cabins with balconies and they were long gone. I had taken the top class one and it wasn't worth the extra bucks. In fact, the cabin was a pain in the butt to walk around compared the the medium class one.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 2, 2014 0:46:00 GMT
Thanks Chech. It's good to know that it's not too humid in Sept. As for the cabin size, I'm not concerned about the size fo the room, but I'm worried about feeling claustrophobic without a window. That's why I wanted to choose the middle class. Otherwise, I'd have no problems booking the moderate tour.
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Post by chech on Oct 2, 2014 0:52:08 GMT
Yeah, the moderate with the window is the same size as the inside one...and both have the better configuration than the upper one.
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Post by Tulips on Oct 2, 2014 9:49:15 GMT
i chose the cabin with the window. I did an overnight once from Greece to Venice in an inside cabin. I slept way too late because the cabin was pitch black. I thought it was still the middle of the night.
From then on, I have always had a window. If for no other reason, than to have light.
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Post by Tulips on Oct 2, 2014 9:54:54 GMT
I meant to add, I don't recall it being humid, but it was very hot when I went in September of 2011.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 2, 2014 11:45:33 GMT
Thanks Tulips. Hopefully they will eventually offer the superior option. If not, I’ll choose the moderate, as I don’t want to pay the extra money for the premier. I don’t need a bigger or nicer room, I just want a window.
Glad to know it won’t be humid in Sept, and since I’ll be going at the end of Sept, hopefully it won’t be too hot. I don’t mind dry heat though, just humidity. Hopefully the tour date I want becomes guaranteed. I’m not booking and paying early this year as the early payment discount don’t apply to this tour. I will put my deposit down in Jan, and just make monthly payments. I’m also looking at going on a Caribbean cruise in Feb, so I need to save for that first!
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Post by chech on Oct 2, 2014 14:39:23 GMT
I don't mind dry heat to a point either and I don't recall being bothered by the heat though Kusadasi was hot and not a lot of shade. My tour ended around Sept 26, so if you go into October, you should find the temperatures comfortable. Best part is that you can sit out on the deck and comfortably enjoy the sun while reading a book....or taking pics of men who shouldn't wear speedos... I know..I'm bad...so very bad.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 2, 2014 14:50:43 GMT
Thanks Chech, although I could have done without the “eye candy”! European men are known for wearing Speedos, even when they shouldn’t!
I think it will be comfortable at the end of Sept/beginning of Oct, although, considering how unpredictable the weather has been around the world this past year, you never know.
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Post by chech on Oct 2, 2014 15:13:09 GMT
LOL...and he wasn't so bad compared to a couple of others who were a little more exhibitionist. I was on the deck with 4 women in their 70s and we were in tears we were laughing so hard. They were a riot!
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Post by tiffany on Oct 2, 2014 15:47:57 GMT
If these men are comfortable “showing it all off” good for them, and it least it provides entertainment for the rest of us!
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 12:31:00 GMT
I just checked my tour on the Trafalgar website, and the good news is that my tour date is guaranteed! The bad news is, the single supplement is very expensive for this tour, at $995.00 for the moderate cabin. I hope my friend is able to come with me!
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 12:48:05 GMT
I know I’ve asked this before, but I don’t remember the answer. For those of you who have done this tour, did you get your 5% return customer discount on the land portion of this tour? I know the discount doesn’t apply to the cruise portion of the tour.
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Post by chech on Oct 7, 2014 13:00:44 GMT
I do believe I did. The Best of Greece is actually a separate entity from the cruise. It's essentially the BOG and the Aegean Odyssey put together (for the 7 day cruise). People on the land portion may or may not be on your cruise and you'll see new people in your group on the cruise. So, the Best of Greece is treated as any other land tour.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 13:57:06 GMT
Thank Chech. I’m already trying to work out the cost of this tour, as it’s higher than expected once I factored in the porrt fees. I’m hoping my friend will be able to join me so I don’t have to pay the single supplement, but she’s not sure. The 5% of the land version of the tour would help a bit.
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Post by chech on Oct 7, 2014 15:44:28 GMT
Have you been to Turkey? Have you considered the 4 day cruise? The only difference between the 4 and 7 day cruise is the visit to Istanbul and there's like a $600-$800 difference in price.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 16:10:31 GMT
I went on Trafalgar’s Best of Turkey tour in 2011, and could consider the 4 day cruise option, although I would love to go back to Istanbul. I’ll look at the difference in price and consider it.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 16:49:00 GMT
Picking the 4 day cruise option would save me $666.00, and allow me to spend an extra day in Athens either before or after the tour. They also have later tour dates, although none of them are guaranteed. I think I will consider this tour if my friend decides not to join me.
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Post by chech on Oct 7, 2014 17:08:31 GMT
Cool. At least it's an option. I think you would have gotten the better look at Istanbul on the Best of Turkey. The tours offered would be the same, so unless you did your own thing, it wouldn't be much different. The dock for the cruise ship is some distance from the centre of the city (or rather, the happening part of the city...LOL) so a taxi would be essential if you went off on your own. When I went, I local guide was in a hurry on both days and our tours were very hurried and cut short. We had like 20 minutes in the Grand Bazaar...and that included walking to it. It was so bad, it will be like seeing the city for the first time again when I do a Turkey tour. Athens is a city where you can easily find a lot to do on an extra day and so much of it is within walking distance.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 7, 2014 17:53:06 GMT
Thanks Chech. The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards the 4 day cruise option, unless my friend comes with me. She’s never been to Istanbul, and I know she would really like to go there. She’s supposed to let me know at the beginning of Jan, which is when I plan on making my deposit.
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Post by Oz-T on Oct 7, 2014 21:52:47 GMT
We were planning to book the Best of Greece + 4 day Aegean cruise (superior cabin) + Best of Turkey. The dates all aligned nicely but then Trafalgar hiked the price up by 28%. I thought I could get that pruned back a bit with the 5% loyalty discount and a further reduction for an early-bird payment. Alas, Trafalgar doesn't allow early-bird discounts on its Mediterranean tours so that killed off the idea - purely due to Trafalgar pricing themselves out of it. We went to western Europe on a self-tour instead.
We haven't given up on Greece, Turkey and the Aegean, but is four days enough for the latter? Mrs Oz thinks we should wait a few years until we can find the time to spend a week on Santorini and maybe another week on Mykonos. We can do these islands fairly cheaply because we can use our time-share for the accommodation. The Aegean cruise part would therefore be a self-tour using ferries.
Is there much to see and do on these islands, or would a week for each mainly involve laying about on a sun lounge?
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Post by chech on Oct 7, 2014 22:21:03 GMT
Yeah, a week would be a couple days or so of exploring and the rest lounging around. I think 3 to 4 full days each would give you a good chance to see the islands in depth. If you wanted to explore another island, I'd go for Rhodes - for the walled city and the acropolis at Lindos. Three to four days at each island would really be a treat.
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Post by Oz-T on Oct 7, 2014 22:30:33 GMT
Thanks for that advice, Chech. Mrs Oz would happily lay on the beach for most days, but would be ok with some sightseeing. I'm more into seeing the sights, especially anything with history (but history bores her). I suspect that Mykonos is more for the younger party set, whereas Rhodes seems more appropriate. A week on an island would provide a nice balance of sightseeing and some restful days, keeping us both happy.
At some stage I shall check out my timeshare resort directory to see what accommodation is available throughout the Aegean.
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Post by tiffany on Oct 8, 2014 11:50:05 GMT
Oz, the Best of turkey is an amazing tour, and one I would highly recommend. It’s not very expensive, and the loyalty and early payment discounts do apply to this tour, at least they did when I went in 2011. You could always do this tour, and then travel independently through Greece. Four days certainly does not seem like enough time to see all of the Greek Islands, but, as we all know, these tours are about just seeing the main sights.
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Post by chech on Oct 8, 2014 12:31:26 GMT
I have my eye on Insight's version of the Turkey tour......hey Oz.....are you planning on it this winter? Can you imagine the two of us on the same bus? Yeah...we'd be put off on the side of the road somewhere around Ankara....
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Post by tiffany on Oct 8, 2014 13:27:57 GMT
If I remember correctly, the Insight tour is one day longer than the Trafalgar tour. I’m sure the Insight tour will also be a great tour.
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Post by chech on Oct 8, 2014 16:14:16 GMT
Just found something better....TT has a new Secrets of Turkey tour which includes 4 days on a yacht sailing off the southwest coast. And it's a small group tour. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
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Post by Oz-T on Oct 8, 2014 23:01:13 GMT
Oz, the Best of turkey is an amazing tour, and one I would highly recommend. It’s not very expensive, and the loyalty and early payment discounts do apply to this tour, at least they did when I went in 2011. ... Unfortunately, the early-bird discounts don't apply in the Australian brochures, Tiffany. When I look through my 2014 Trafalgar Europe/Britain brochure almost every tour has a red message saying "Book & Pay Early, save up to $....". Until I get to tours of Greece, Turkey, Israel etc. This was confirmed by my travel agent a couple of years ago because until then, I'd assumed the early-bird discount applied to every tour. The TA said that Trafalgar simply doesn't offer that with its eastern Mediterranean tours. It's offered with Spain and Italy, but definitely not Greece and Turkey. We will definitely get to Greece and Turkey some day; they remain at the top of our destination list. However, it's not as inexpensive for us as it may be for you. The Australian dollar had fallen quite a bit (14%) from 2011 when I was seriously planning these tours and I baulked at Trafalgar hiking the tour price up by 28%. Our dollar is expected to fall further in the near future, making any overseas travel more expensive. This doesn't trouble me greatly because we're unlikely to venture abroad over the next two or three years whilst Mrs Oz's father is in poor health and we're nearby if needed. Greece and Turkey suit us better after I've decided to take the plunge into early retirement, which is likely to be in three years. That way we'll never again be restricted in the number of weeks I can be away from work/business.
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Post by Oz-T on Oct 8, 2014 23:17:11 GMT
I have my eye on Insight's version of the Turkey tour......hey Oz.....are you planning on it this winter? Can you imagine the two of us on the same bus? Yeah...we'd be put off on the side of the road somewhere around Ankara.... That's be a real hoot! But I don't think we'd get as far as Ankara, Chech. And if my antics on past tours have been any guide, I'd half expect to be on a Trafalgar prankster watchlist. The Turkey jokes would be endless, I can assure you...
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Post by chech on Oct 8, 2014 23:38:21 GMT
Yes...yes they would be!
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