Greek Meltdown

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Palarran

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I am planning on a 3 month summer cruise with my family and friends next year in Greece. As the financial turmoil builds, I'm wondering what the ramifications will be for us. Do any of you have a perspective of what may happen next summer?

The reason for wondering is also that I can change our route around and go to France and Italy next summer and then go to Greece in 2013. Thanks for any imput.
 
Palarran said:
I am planning on a 3 month summer cruise with my family and friends next year in Greece. As the financial turmoil builds, I'm wondering what the ramifications will be for us. Do any of you have a perspective of what may happen next summer?

The reason for wondering is also that I can change our route around and go to France and Italy next summer and then go to Greece in 2013. Thanks for any imput.
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I don`t think the civil war will have ended by 2013:(
It will be better if you come out next year and have a bloody good time, as the rest of us are having


I just noticed only 13 posts I AM JOKING
 
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The Greeks will need to go on with the business of living, no matter how much their politicians mess things up. You'll still be able to get fuel, water, food and the like, if for no other reason than the Greeks themselves need it! That said, there may be price increases if inflation takes off and occassional localised shortages.

I don't think you need worry about coming here next year. There have been riots in Athens but I haven't heard about any of any significance elsewhere in the country. Strikes are a daily reality but the further you get away from Athens, the lower the number and the less impact that they make. Don't let the media put you off coming here!
 
You gotta be joking.No one has a clue what's gonna happen tomorrow (or even today) but surely whatever that is will only affect us living and working here.If anything it will probably be a lot cheaper for people visiting and touring here.Strikes and riots?If you can figure out how 30 odd people can lock out a ministry or a street downtown and later be joined by another 30 "anarchists" who'll play hide and seek with the police then you have a picture of what is really going on so don't believe everything that you read or hear on the news.As for the comment in another thread about the Army taking control it just gives you a clue that extra terrestrials indeed live among us.Relax and enjoy yourself and the most important advice - wear sunscreen - Now that's the real precaution you should take...
 
I spent this summer in Greece, as usual.

This year life went on very much as it went on in UK. Strikes were threatened, and taxi drivers caused some visitors to worry about missing their planes. But tour operators found more buses, hotel owners pitched in with their own cars, as did small accommodation owners. Rubbish was more reliably collected than in UK. Shop supplies were less reliably distributed than in UK (lorry drivers . . .) but good fresh food, meat and fish were always available in the markets and smaller towns.

Fewer Albanians/Romanians were employed by the bars/restaurants in high season; instead Grandma, grandpa were pulled back from retirement, and the young ones at Uni were pulled back from leisure pursuits to help with the family business.

Yes, there were headline demos in Athens, and some headline blockages. A bit like the French farmers or fishermen creating traffic chaos to show how strongly they feel about losing subsidies. The "in" crowd (the employed, especially by the state, and those whose businesses rely on limited and expensive licences) realised there was nothing to lose by creating occasional chaos to intimidate the politicians. And they had the money to afford a few days off work. But the "out" crowd (the self employed, the unemployed, the black economy) is largely what makes the tourist economy work, and they didn't have the money to take days off - so they filled the gaps.

Impressively flexible . . . chaotic and unpredictable as usual, but it worked this year.
 
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Let me assure you of one thing, I live in the Ionian (Kefalonia) I honestly would not know about all the strikes problems etc if I did not watch the news on TV. The islands have suffered almost no disruptions, even the Taxis have been running on strike days (discretely) If visitors had any problems the locals at Their expence have sorted any problems out. Please do not worry, do not let the media spoil your holiday, and most of all please do not let the welcoming, friendly normal hard working Greeks lose out on valuable tourist money. They need it! It is not they who have caused the problems, they deserve your support, they know which side their bread is buttered on.Do not dessert Greece, they deserve better!
 
I agree.

Davy_S said:
Let me assure you of one thing, I live in the Ionian (Kefalonia) I honestly would not know about all the strikes problems etc if I did not watch the news on TV. The islands have suffered almost no disruptions, even the Taxis have been running on strike days (discretely) If visitors had any problems the locals at Their expence have sorted any problems out. Please do not worry, do not let the media spoil your holiday, and most of all please do not let the welcoming, friendly normal hard working Greeks lose out on valuable tourist money. They need it! It is not they who have caused the problems, they deserve your support, they know which side their bread is buttered on.Do not dessert Greece, they deserve better!
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+1
 
From what I read at the weekend, the economy is almost exclusively cash based with very little acceptance of credit cards - something to remember when visiting. There was a recent thread on here about major storm damage near Lefkas
 
Roaring Girl said:
Major riots including deaths then? Which country are you worried about?
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More worried about every-day activities rather than countries. Driving in Turkey, Greece and Portugal is probably the biggest life threat around. Walking around Barcelona is an invitation to have your bag snatched. As for sailing anywhere in the Med when there's unsettled weather around! Hair raising, if not sail splitting!
 
Greeks survive

I have never felt uncomfortable in Greece except during the civil war in 1948.
Cruising during the regime of the lousy colonels was still enjoyable for us, even if the Greeks were suffering.
I greatly admire the Greeks. They are among the friendliest and most hospitable people anywhere (until they get cross).. They are honest dealers
Why do they keep votong in such lousy leaders.?? They need their king back, at least he was straight.
 
jimbaerselman said:
More worried about every-day activities rather than countries. Driving in Turkey, Greece and Portugal is probably the biggest life threat around. Walking around Barcelona is an invitation to have your bag snatched. As for sailing anywhere in the Med when there's unsettled weather around! Hair raising, if not sail splitting!
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Exactly Jim - as I was in London throughout the riots here and it had very little impact but I bet put off some more nervous travellers., I think sensationalist news coverage has a lot to answer for.
 
The only impact of the disturbances in Messolongi has been difficulties getting to flights and last weds closure of airspace. Most Greeks are worried. If they have a job they worry about losing it, if they dont have a job they worry about getting one, if they have money or a business they worry about losing it etc etc. But in practice life goes on much as before. It is a lovely country with lovely people. Whatever financial mess happens yachtsmen and other tourists are going to be welcomed they are part of the solution not the problem.
 
No meltdown here

We've lived aboard in Greece for almost 7 years now. We winter every year on Crete. To be honest nothing much has changed except that food and fuel have increased in price and the locals whinge much more now than they used to.

The strikes and go-slows do have a small impact only because taxis, buses and government offices are often closed for a day or two. The air-traffic controllers also disrupt internal (and some external) air traffic on regular occasions too. One tip we've learned is never to fly into or out of Greece on a Wednesday, that's their favorite day for striking!

Don't be put off by what you see on the news!

Tony C.
 
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