Mykonos

Mykonos is the only port I've ever missed in all my years of cruising. Part of the reason for booking our first Mediterranean cruise was to visit the Greek Islands. I had heard previously abuot the danger of missing Mykonos, but I guess I never thought it would happen to us.

When we arrived around midday to Mykonos, there was already another cruise ship there. I believe it was an Azmara ship. The dock at Mykonos can only fit one cruise ship, and docking space is given on a first-come, first-serve basis. As the other ship arrived before us, they were given the dock, and we were expected to tender.

But you could tell right away that the water was rough. The wind was blowing and there were plenty of whitecaps on the water's surface. After dropping anchor and waiting anxiously for an hour or so, the Captain came over the PA system and announced that due to the conditions it wouldn't be possible to operate tenders to land. The situation was just not safe enough for passengers.

So instead of visiting this lovely Greek island, we remained anchored offshore for a few hours before moving on.

I had originally planned to spend most of my time in Mykonos taking a tour to the archaeological site located on the neighboring island of Delos. After that, I would return to Mykonos town and explore the Little Venice area and wander up to the famous windmills.

When I was looking at cruise itineraries for this year's trip, I was pleased to see Mykonos back on the itinerary. Hopefully, this time around, we'll actually make it into Mykonos and the seas will be cooperative.

Again, I'm hoping to take a local ferry over to Delos in the morning hours to explore the island. Delos is noted as one of the most important, if not the most important mythologically, historical and archaelogical sites in Greece. Mythology made this island the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Today, the island is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. No one is allowed to overnight on the island, instead all visitors must make day trips from neighboring islands to Delos.

As I'm scheduled to be in Mykonos from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm, I'm planning on taking a morning ferry over to Delos, wandering for a few hours before returning to Mykonos, and then spending the rest of my time exploring around the Mykonos town area.

Let's hope that all goes according to schedule this time around!