My, My It's Mykonos: Greek Cruise Part Two

Katie Johnson
Aug 26, 2024
5 min read

After a full first day in Athens, it is finally time to pack our bags and get to the cruise port to board Holland America's Oosterdam!

Wednesday, August 7: Boarding Oosterdam

We were up and at 'em and eager to get on the ship and begin the rest of our trip! Knowing our cruise allowed boarding as early as noon, we checked out of our hotel and booked an Uber Taxi to the port around 11 am.

Cruise Terminal B - Piraeus

Our check-in process was easy and we were on board and eating lunch by 12:15! Then it was time to explore the ship and learn our way around our home-away-from-home!

This was the first cruise ship we have been on that had a full-blown library! I didn't know being a ship-librarian was an option, but now I'm contemplating updating my resume! Bryan and I each left the ship's library with a book to read and we were eager to get this cruise started!

After going so hard yesterday in Athens, today's slower pace was much appreciated! Bryan even re-taught me how to play chess!

Thursday, August 8: Mykonos

Now you know our slower pace wouldn't last long, and our first port call in Mykonos, Greece was a fun-filled day too!

Church of Agios Nikolaos of Kadena: Ναός Αγίου Νικολάου της Καδένας

We started the day with breakfast on board the ship and then quickly disembarked to figure out our first excursion. Since we booked the cruise through VacationsToGo, we decided to try out their partner company's excursions. With today being our first time with them, we gave ourselves more than enough time to get off the ship and find our meeting point.

Since we had an extra hour before our tour started, we decided to walk around the sleepy town of Mykonos, where we stumbled upon the first quiet gem of the morning, Church of Agios Nikolaos of Kadena. Located right on the water, Church of Agios Nikolaos of Kadena is a tiny Greek Orthodox church that felt more like a Japanese shrine than a full-blown church. This one-roomed church was painted bright blue and held photos of various saints, with candles to light and places to leave flowers. From the outside, it was the perfect photo spot to capture Greece's ambiance.

Agia Anna Church: Εκκλησία Αγίας Άννας

We continued our walk through town, where we enjoyed the white cobblestone streets and blue rooftops that the town is famous for. We also stumbled upon more small churches and tons of stray cats lining the streets! Seeking shade wherever they could find it, these stray cats were friendly and ready for extra pets!

Aegean Ventures - Daily Tours

By 10:30 am, we were ready for our day's main adventure: a day of swimming in various bays around Mykonos! Aegean Ventures is a family-ran day cruise company that prides itself on a delicious lunch, unlimited wine, and great swimming spots around some nearby islands; exactly what we needed!

Rhenia Island Bay

Our first swim spot of the day was on Rhenia Island, a short 20-minute boat ride from Mykonos. This island has barely any inhabitants and showcased some ruins surrounded by crystal clear waters. THIS is what Greece is famous for! I mean, look at those teal waters!

After about an hour of swimming, jumping off the second-story railing of the ship and exploring the island on foot, we had worked up an appetite. The provided lunch was amazing: chicken skewers, a Greek salad, and rice alongside a giant helping of Tzatziki. What more could you ask for?!

Archaeological Site of Delos: Αρχαιολογικός Χώρος Δήλου

Our next stop of the day was Delos, another island known as the mythological birthplace of Apollo. It was a major religious center and port during the 1st millennium B.C., leading to expansive archaeological digs, uncovering tons of ruins.

Now our tour included a stop here, but an additional entrance fee of €12 per person was required to walk around the area. Looking from the boat, Bryan spotted all the ruins and made the executive decision that we should save $25 and just stay on board. Lucky for Bryan, one of the boat's staff was nearby and discreetly agreed with him so we stayed on as 80% of the passengers got off on Delos.

Rhenia Island 2nd Swimming Spot

The ship then took the remaining 12 people to another swimming spot, where we passed an hour jumping off the high railing, swimming to the empty beach, and making new friends with an older Hungarian couple! Looking back on it, Bryan's executive decision was the best choice for us! Throughout this trip, we visited plenty of ruins but we loved meeting new friends and swimming in these beautiful waters.

I mean, life doesn't get better than this!

Eventually, we did have to go pick up the other 60 people from Delos and make our way back to Mykonos. I will say, we were a couple of glasses of wine in and had enjoyed an extra hour of exhilarating jumps into the water, while all those other Delos visitors looked like they spent the hour baking in the sun, looking at rocks. I think we won.

Windmills of Mykonos: Ανεμόμυλοι Μυκόνου

When we made it back to Mykonos, our Hungarian friends, Janos & Agnes, invited us to join them and some other Hungarian friends, including Andras, to walk around Mykonos! I'm pretty sure Janos and Agnes sort of adopted us for the rest of the trip! They were so kind and Bryan and I learned all kinds of hidden gems for our future Budapest trip (that hasn't even been planned yet!) We even left with Andras' number, so we can meet up with him in Budapest when we eventually visit!

With our new Hungarian friends, we walked through Mykonos, did some shopping, and made it to the Mykonos' windmills for some photos.

I have to add here that Mykonos was crazy expensive. Bryan and I collect pins, and simple lapel pins were being sold for €13. We may have been in a touristy area, but we weren't born yesterday! Thank goodness we visited Mykonos on a cruise, where we could go on board to eat and buy souvenirs in other areas. Whew!

Back on board, we showered and enjoyed a fancy meal in the main dining room. Funny story there: in case you were wondering, this entire cruise visited places with temperatures nearing the sun's surface. Thus, Bryan didn't pack a single pair of long pants. Want to guess what's required for men in the one main dining room?

That's right. Long pants.

Being the man with morals that he is, Bryan refused to buy long pants during a port call. Instead, he shimmied into a pair of my oversized linen pants so he could eat in the dining room.

That's right- he was resourceful and I lost out on a pair of my pants for the trip. But I can say, it was totally worth it to eat that French Onion Soup several nights for my appetizer!