Today we are enjoying time in the sea as we standup paddle board. I booked this excursion outside of the cruise line and the directions for where to meet were a little vague. The night before the tour, they sent a WhatsApp message with the specific coordinates. They tell us a Mercedes Van will be waiting and also give us the license plate number. We’re off to a great start.
We arrive to Chania, but we’re not in Souda like I was expecting. We’re anchored by Old Town which is about a 20 minute drive or two hour walk to the normal port. Our location is perfect for walking and exploring Old Town, but not ideal for our excursion. Luckily, the tour doesn’t start until 11am so we have time to get to the meeting point. We disembark the ship and get into a tender boat. We’re then taken ashore. It’s a pedestrian area so no taxis where we arrive. The plan is to find a taxi and take it to the meeting point. I also text the tour operator and ask them if there is another pickup location near old town. I explain that we didn’t arrive to Souda port. She was very responsive and said she would look into it. A few minutes later she thanks me for brining it to her attention and sends me a new pickup spot. The new spot is 5 minutes from the ship and the closest meeting point where cars can arrive.
The new pickup location gives us time to explore. We wander around old time. It’s quiet and peaceful. We come across several cats which is normal in this area. We also do some window shopping. We found the most beautiful chess set.
We walk to the meetup point and a van arrives for us. There are two people already in the van. We hop in and the driver says there are six more coming. It turns out that 8 out of 10 of us on the tour are from the Azamara Pursuit and after my text, they changed the pickup location for the whole group. The others said they got a text and call this morning informing them of the new pickup location. They had no idea the original location was a two hour walk away.
We arrive at the Bay of Souda where two young men welcome us in a sunny area. They have a private area with changing rooms, the equipment, and a picnic table. There is also a restroom nearby. They tell us the area will be locked so we can leave our things here. We’re also warned that anything that falls into the water won’t be retrievable. The water is crystal clear and you’ll be able to see your object down below. The depth and saltiness of the water make it nearly impossible to retrieve. It’s too bouyant here and weighted belts are needed to go to the bottom. We’re each offered rashguards and I use one. We’re also equipped with life jackets and paddles. The paddles are adjusted for our heights. We’re give instructions and then on our way.
We walk to a dock which is very close to the private area. Many of us leave our flip-flops here, but a couple people are wearing sturdy sandals that they keep on their feet. We swim to the paddleboards. We’re told not to stand on them until we are further out. We paddle on our knees until we cross through two large rocks. We’re now in deeper water and it’s safe to stand. We follow the shoreline around to another nook of the bay. We take a break and get into the water. We’re offered water to drink and move to the rocky shore. Here there is a little pool of water and we’re instructed to go into it. There is also a little cave. We go into the cave and he asks if anyone knows what this cave is. Someone guesses correctly, but it wasn’t me. It’s a nesting area for turtles. There are no turtles in it now though. We then go back and paddle board some more. We then go to another area of rocks where we can jump off of them. One of the guides has gone ashore climbing on rocks. He brings back this grassy look green that he’s collected from the rocks and tells us we can eat it. We all sample it and it’s good!
The tour finishes where it started and we’re each given a traditional Greek snack. It’s a bar made with sesame and honey. It was really good and a great snack after our little workout. It’s back in the van and back to the ship.
We still have some time to explore, but we decide to eat lunch on the ship and begin packing. This ship is filled with expert level travelers. The more I travel, the more tricks I learn, but there are still some things where I’m not yet an expert. I consider someone who can travel for two weeks with a personal item and carry-on bag to be an expert level packer. That’s not us. I brought a 50lb suitcase, my backpack, and my cpap bag. Brian also had a 50 lb. bag and backpack. We didn’t have our luggage for the first three days of our trip. Also, the timeline of making it to our ship wasn’t looking good. Due to the ship not being able to leave port on time, our luggage made it, but we had know way of knowing the ship would be delayed. In the end, we bought about five days worth of clothes. Now it’s time to pack it all and wow do we have a lot. We didn’t bring our little handheld scale with us, but my bag is for sure over 50lb now.
We spent our last night eating dinner in the main dining room and watching one more show. It’s been a really nice experience.
Azamara is a great cruise line for people who are interested in exploring different destinations and cultures. Many of their itineraries are port intensive and they prioritize ample time in ports and docking or tendering for the best experience. Also, the ships are relatively small so getting off and back on the ship is easy. The tender process is easy as well since there aren’t that many passengers onboard. We’ve seen so many interesting places on this trip. It’s been a nice way to sample what’s out there and then down the road we can come back to our favorite places for a more in-depth experience. Crete is an island I would love to come back to and further explore!
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