Port Day Perfection Part 2
Our last update was packed full of information and we only covered the first port (Santorini)! In this update, we will cover ideas and recommendations for Rhodes, Bodrum, and Mykonos.
Excursions On The Islands
All of the islands we are visiting can be great places to wander without booking an official excursion. They offer great views, unique architecture, shopping, and amazing food. If you do choose to book an excursion, we recommend booking directly through the cruise line or by using a reputable third party like Viator. The big difference between booking with the cruise line and third party is that if you experience a delay, the ship will not depart without you if you are on an official Virgin Voyages excursion. Excursion bookings are open now on the app and website. If you want to use any onboard credit you have on your account for an excursion, you would need to wait to book that until you are physically on the ship.
Rhodes - Tuesday, October 14th
Rhodes is one of the larger Greek Islands and it has a normal cruise port for us to dock at, so exploring on foot is a great option here. It’s only about a 10 minute walk to get into Old Town (a medieval fortress with seven gates and 6,000 residents), where there is lots to do and see.
Last October we traveled to Rhodes and it was absolutely beautiful! We stayed for a few days and made a trip out to Lindos, which was a really cool spot—even though it’s about an hour drive from the cruise port.
We also explored Old Town Rhodes at night, and it felt like stepping into a living castle with shops, restaurants, bars, and even people living within the walls. This time, we’re planning to wander through Old Town during the day to see it in a whole new light and maybe check out a beach.
If you want to see Lindos, we recommend booking an excursion available from Virgin for this. “Acropolis of Lindos” (4.5 hours) is one option that focuses on just Lindos but there are a couple others that include Lindos with other stops as well.
Bodrum - Wednesday, October 15th
Wedding Day!
Just a reminder to plan to be at La Pasion by 1:00 PM (Bodrum time), ready to celebrate!
Bodrum is packed with shops, so if you love shopping, bring your bartering skills—you’ll have a few hours before the ceremony to browse. If shopping isn’t your thing, you could explore Bodrum Castle or relax at the beach and soak up the sun.
La Pasion is about a 20-minute walk from the cruise port where the ship will dock and is located right in the heart of the shopping district, so everything you might want to see or do is close by.
At sea - Thursday, October 16th
We’ll have a full update dedicated to the ship soon! There’s so much to do, see, and eat on board—you definitely won’t get bored while sailing. Or you can just kick back and recover a bit from the wedding night.
Mykonos - Friday, October 17th - Saturday, October 18th
Mykonos will be just as busy as Santorini because there will be four other ships there between the two days. This is a very popular place! Mykonos does have a large cruise port, but we may need to anchor in the bay and tender to shore depending on weather and other ships. Either way, Virgin provides a free shuttle bus from the port to take you into town if you are not on an official excursion. Since we are in Mykonos overnight, tenders will run 24/7 if we are anchored so you can come and go as you please.
For excursions, we’ve heard that Delos is really amazing and there are some good wine tours available as well. We are hoping to plan a meeting spot Friday night for anyone who wants to join for some drinks and dancing- more details on that soon.
In our next update we’ll cover dining reservations and lots of details about our ship, Resilient Lady! Dining reservations open in the app at midnight Eastern Time on Thursday August 28th (11pm CST on 8/27). We will share group dinners we have planned before reservations open, so that you know what meals you’ll need to reserve/plan on your own.