Dare to do some of these destinations on your own
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Tours to Take, Tours to Skip
Here is a selection of commonly-offered shore excursions. (Starred entries usually require disembarkation by tender, see note below.)
Athens, Acropolis, City Tour, Plaka Dinner, Sound and Light
You can easily do the Acropolis and City Tour on your own via taxi. The Plaka Dinner is fun to do as a group, and does assure that you find your way back out of the Plaka, harder to do at night.
The Sound and Light Show is okay, but dress more warmly than you think will be necessary - you're on a hill, and the breeze can be chilly even in summer. Athens by Night tours are pleasant, a safe way of experiencing Athens' music scene, but bear in mind what you see is very pre-packaged.
Katakolon/Olympia This one is easiest to take from the ship, as Olympia is a considerable distance from the port.
* Mykonos - Archeological Island of Delos, Apollo Sanctuary - Worthwhile, hard to arrange on short notice on your own as it requires a boat ride.
Kusadasi - Ancient Ephesus - Worthwhile, but can be arranged independently by grabbing a taxi at the cruise terminal. If time permits, do it this way as the cruise tours are much too fast -as little as 40 minutes to see an entire sprawling, exceptionally beautiful ancient city, followed usually by another 40 minutes to try to force you to buy rugs at a partnered shop. The Ancient Ephesus plus House of the Virgin Mary with lunch off the ship is a better deal than Ephesus alone, though more expensive.
If the famous ancient temple of Diana of Ephesus is mentioned, be warned that the single remaining column is usually just pointed at from the window.
Istanbul - Highlights - Worthwhile. Istanbul is a big, bewildering city, and this tour lets you see many sights in a short period of time.
* Patmos - St. John's Monastery and Cave of Revelations - Depends on time, can be reached on foot independently. The port town itself, while pleasant, is not particularly compelling.
Rhodes - Acropolis of Lindos -This site is definitely worthwhile. Unless you have a long period in port, probably best to go with the ship tour as it is a substantial distance from the port. But if time permits, it can be reached by grabbing a taxi for a bit less than the from-the-ship price, and you'll probably miss a forced stop at a pottery factory. The tour itinerary may mention "seeing" the Temple of Apollo, but it is usually just pointed at from the bus window.
On the way back, tours often stop at the far side of the Old City for a forced-march back towards the ship. If time permits, break off from the tour group and wander it yourself rather than returning to the ship for another buffet. The cruise ships generally dock only a few moments walk from the city gates. The Palace of the Grand Master and the Archaeological Museum with its tombstones of the Knights Templar, among many other artifacts both ancient and medieval, are both worth visiting. If the Old City is offered as a separate guided tour option, skip it and walk over to it yourself. It's walled and easy to navigate.
Crete - Palace of Knossos and Archaeological Museum of Iraklion - Can be easily reached independently from the ship if time permits. Take a taxi to Knossos, just on the edge of town. Buses run regularly from Knossos back into the city. The Museum is an easy walk or a very quick taxi from where the cruise ships dock. If you want to save money on from-the-ship tour costs, this is the easy one. This is one of my favorite museums in Greece, by the way, and there's lots of interesting things to see. Don't skip one to make room for the other.
* Santorini - Oia Villiage and Fira Town - Fira can be reached independently via funicular (fast cablecar up the cliff), donkey, or by walking (this last not recommended - it's steep and hot) for independent wandering. Oia is beautiful and while it can be reached independently, depending on the timing, it could be difficult to do quickly. There are relatively few taxis on Santorini.
Santorini - Akrotiri - Easiest from the ship. Very, very hot during summer as the site is completely covered with a tin roof.
Santorini - Old Thira (primarily Roman-era remains) - Rarely offered, but worth taking as Old Thira is on the opposite side of the island, and, as noted above, taxis are few.
*Important Note: Sometimes the cruise ships will prioritize those on their paid tours and won't let other passengers onto the tenders until all the "tour group" people are off. This can cut into the amount of time available for independent exploration and may make it unfeasible to try to arrange something similar on your own. But sometimes some independents will be able to get off the ship before the tour groups disembark - take this option if at all possible.
Tours to Take, Tours to Skip
Here is a selection of commonly-offered shore excursions. (Starred entries usually require disembarkation by tender, see note below.)
Athens, Acropolis, City Tour, Plaka Dinner, Sound and Light
You can easily do the Acropolis and City Tour on your own via taxi. The Plaka Dinner is fun to do as a group, and does assure that you find your way back out of the Plaka, harder to do at night.
The Sound and Light Show is okay, but dress more warmly than you think will be necessary - you're on a hill, and the breeze can be chilly even in summer. Athens by Night tours are pleasant, a safe way of experiencing Athens' music scene, but bear in mind what you see is very pre-packaged.
Katakolon/Olympia This one is easiest to take from the ship, as Olympia is a considerable distance from the port.
* Mykonos - Archeological Island of Delos, Apollo Sanctuary - Worthwhile, hard to arrange on short notice on your own as it requires a boat ride.
Kusadasi - Ancient Ephesus - Worthwhile, but can be arranged independently by grabbing a taxi at the cruise terminal. If time permits, do it this way as the cruise tours are much too fast -as little as 40 minutes to see an entire sprawling, exceptionally beautiful ancient city, followed usually by another 40 minutes to try to force you to buy rugs at a partnered shop. The Ancient Ephesus plus House of the Virgin Mary with lunch off the ship is a better deal than Ephesus alone, though more expensive.
If the famous ancient temple of Diana of Ephesus is mentioned, be warned that the single remaining column is usually just pointed at from the window.
Istanbul - Highlights - Worthwhile. Istanbul is a big, bewildering city, and this tour lets you see many sights in a short period of time.
* Patmos - St. John's Monastery and Cave of Revelations - Depends on time, can be reached on foot independently. The port town itself, while pleasant, is not particularly compelling.
Rhodes - Acropolis of Lindos -This site is definitely worthwhile. Unless you have a long period in port, probably best to go with the ship tour as it is a substantial distance from the port. But if time permits, it can be reached by grabbing a taxi for a bit less than the from-the-ship price, and you'll probably miss a forced stop at a pottery factory. The tour itinerary may mention "seeing" the Temple of Apollo, but it is usually just pointed at from the bus window.
On the way back, tours often stop at the far side of the Old City for a forced-march back towards the ship. If time permits, break off from the tour group and wander it yourself rather than returning to the ship for another buffet. The cruise ships generally dock only a few moments walk from the city gates. The Palace of the Grand Master and the Archaeological Museum with its tombstones of the Knights Templar, among many other artifacts both ancient and medieval, are both worth visiting. If the Old City is offered as a separate guided tour option, skip it and walk over to it yourself. It's walled and easy to navigate.
Crete - Palace of Knossos and Archaeological Museum of Iraklion - Can be easily reached independently from the ship if time permits. Take a taxi to Knossos, just on the edge of town. Buses run regularly from Knossos back into the city. The Museum is an easy walk or a very quick taxi from where the cruise ships dock. If you want to save money on from-the-ship tour costs, this is the easy one. This is one of my favorite museums in Greece, by the way, and there's lots of interesting things to see. Don't skip one to make room for the other.
* Santorini - Oia Villiage and Fira Town - Fira can be reached independently via funicular (fast cablecar up the cliff), donkey, or by walking (this last not recommended - it's steep and hot) for independent wandering. Oia is beautiful and while it can be reached independently, depending on the timing, it could be difficult to do quickly. There are relatively few taxis on Santorini.
Santorini - Akrotiri - Easiest from the ship. Very, very hot during summer as the site is completely covered with a tin roof.
Santorini - Old Thira (primarily Roman-era remains) - Rarely offered, but worth taking as Old Thira is on the opposite side of the island, and, as noted above, taxis are few.
*Important Note: Sometimes the cruise ships will prioritize those on their paid tours and won't let other passengers onto the tenders until all the "tour group" people are off. This can cut into the amount of time available for independent exploration and may make it unfeasible to try to arrange something similar on your own. But sometimes some independents will be able to get off the ship before the tour groups disembark - take this option if at all possible.
