Costa Cultural Mediterranean Cruise - Eastern Mediterranean "Ports" Review by CCDH

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Home > Member Reviews > CCDH's Port Reviews of Katakolon, Crete, Jerusalem (Ashdod), Izmir, Athens, Rome (Civitavecchia)

CCDH's Port Reviews of Katakolon, Crete, Jerusalem (Ashdod), Izmir, Athens, Rome (Civitavecchia)
Costa Mediterranea cruise in September 2012

Member Name:	CCDH
Cruise Date:	September 2012
Embarkation:	other
Destination:	Eastern Mediterranean
Member Review:	CCDH's Costa Mediterranea Review

	Katakolon Port Rating: This is a small port but very friendly, just to the left is a small beach with a small bar. The water was warm and clear and very refreshing as was the local beer, if you want to go to Olympia you can get local transport from here at a very reasonable price.
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	Crete Port Rating: Docked at Heraklion for a short stay, easy to walk into town 15/20 Mins only, good shopping and great food as we only had limited time here settled for a walk and light lunch a nice break from ship life
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	Jerusalem (Ashdod) Port Rating: This is a working port with little to see, Costa laid on a shuttle bus to centre of Ashdod for those passengers not going on organised trips,(â‚¬8pp) unless you needed something from the shops then it's better to stay on the ship as the town is just like any typical port town with little to see, however we did notice that there was a great looking beach about 1 mile from port, plenty of taxi's to do a deal with
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	Izmir Port Rating: This is a great port but we could find little info prior to travelling, once you leave the port turn right and walk for about 1 mile along the sea front, once past the second ferry terminal turn left and head for the bazaar and be prepared for a sensory shock, full of colour and smells you can spend hours here plenty to eat drink and buy, money exchange was better than on ship and most shops take Euros or sterling. Bartering is the norm and the locals don't get offended lots of bargains to be had, a great day out.
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	Athens City Tour Rating: After speaking to other people, decided to opt for bus tour of city. Go out of port and buses are on left (we got directions from very nice taxi driver). Tickets are â‚¬20 pp which gives you travel on 2 routes, 1 from port to city and 1 around city. Be prepared for a lot of walking and hill climbing as most monuments are elevated. Historically this is a great tour but disappointed with all the grafitti in the city. Be prepared for a long day.
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	Rome (Civitavecchia) City Tour Rating: Free shuttle bus from ship to port gates, when we got off the shuttle ALL the taxi drivers told us the local train would be on strike that afternoon so we would not be able to get back to ship. We checked at the first ticket offiec and found a sign confirming this, however this sign was false having been placed there by one of the taxi drivers, what a con. We and 2 more couples bartered with a taxi driver for a full days city tour down from â‚¬50pp to â‚¬35pp. The day turned out to be well worth the money as the driver took us to all the sights plus some we were unaware of, had a fantastic day. Seeing Rome in a day is immpossible and this was only a taster, will be back
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