Frequently Asked Questions

Find below answers to frequently asked questions.
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General Questions

International airfare to Athens and returning from Rome will be the only major expense not included in the Cruise & Tour Package.
Other costs to consider are meals on lunches and dinners not on the ship. In the ports of Milos, Hydra, Liipari and Capri, you may want to purchase shore excursions through Atlas or other local tour providers such as Viator.
You may want to budget for personal expenses such as spa treatments (massages), Ship WiFi access, laundry service, etc.
Ship gratuities and tips to guides and drivers for included Shore Excursions are coverd. However, you may choose to tip for extra or exceptional services received from them. The amount will be up to you .
Going on all the tours that are included or not included are always optional…this is your trip. But, if you plan to go on the included Shore Excursions you should expect a moderate amount of walking on dirt, cobblestone, stone steps in Ephesus, Patmos, Corinth and Athens. Walking in Patmos and Athens can also be rather steep.
The temperatures for destinations are much like Dallas in late September.
These sites will be very difficult to cover in a wheelchair or on a walker safely. If you have specific questions, please call Darla or Jerry.
We recommend you contact Darla or Jerry about the ages and interests of the children if they are younger than 13 years old. There are no children’s programs on the ship and the pace of the tours is quite full so small children may not enjoy it and could be disruptive for the group.
The ship is very good about working with you to accommodate food allergies and special dietary restrictions. Please advise the restaurant maître d’ or your waiter. We also find European restaurants are very responsive to food allergies. Please advise your server at restaurants and/or hotels where we plan meals or where you eat on your own. Please note your food allergies or dietary restrictions on your Registration Form.
However, be sure you have communicated your needs/restrictions with the dining room managers and/or waiters to assure they are aware of your dietary needs.
All charges on the ship will be charged in US dollars and paid for by credit card before you disembark the ship.
No. Wines, spirits, beer, specialty coffees, teas and pressed juices are included in the cost of your Atlas cruise except for super-premium liquors and wines. If you want to purchase some of the super-premium liquors you can charge those to your room.
Europe plans to add the Electronic Travel Application, like the US and UK currently require by the time we will travel. The cost of an ETA is not included, but should fall in the range of $10 to $20 USD.

More information will be provided on this prior to travel.

Air Travel and Airfare

Arrival Airport
Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH)
Departure Airport
Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO)
We recommend arriving no later than September 21, 2027.
You can depart Athens anytime Saturday, October 2, 2027 or October 3, 2027 if you opt to do the Rome Tour Extension.
Airlines will not make schedules or fares available until late October or early November 2026. Therefore, you cannot purchase an individual ticket and we cannot offer Group Airfare at this time. So, stand by on airline tickets for now and know that we will notify you as soon as flights come available.
Once airlines release their schedules and fares and we determine if there are enough travelers from a major hub like DFW, we will check to see if there is a Group Air option that works for the group. A minimum of 10 passengers is required to travel on the same outbound itinerary to be considered a group.
In the meantime, be sure to let us know on your Registration Form if you are interested in Group Air Travel if it becomes available. This will help us know how many reservations to hold. You will then have the option to purchase Group Air Travel or an individual ticket.
If you prefer to purchase your own airline ticket using your own credit card, miles or points that is perfectly fine. Darla or Jerry can assist you with your airline ticket. They typically charge a 10% fee of the ticket cost for economy or a 5% fee of the ticket cost for premium economy or business class ticket for their service.

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Travel Insurance

We highly recommend the purchase of Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance covering the cost of your trip. The cost to you of cancelling a trip due to sickness or injury to yourself or a family member, flight delays, lost luggage, medical costs during the trip are all covered if you purchase a Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance policy. Coverage is subject to the amount of insurance purchased for trip cancellation and limited by other terms of the policy.
Many policies combine trip cancellation and travel insurance into a single policy. Trip cancellation insurance is the portion of a policy that covers the non-refundable portions of payments for trip in the event the traveler is not able to go on the trip due to reasons such an illness or injury to the traveler, a traveling companion or a member of the traveler’s family. Travel insurance is the portion of a policy that covers costs associated with trip delays, lost baggage and medical costs while on a trip.
Yes. We recommend Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance from Generali Global Assistance. Darla and Jerry have worked with this company for many years and have a relationship with the company. Purchasing Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance is a hassle-free and simple process you complete online. For example, click on the button above, enter some information about yourself and your trip and you will quotes for 3 levels of coverage. If you want to continue to purchase the policy then enter your credit card details and the policy is purchased.
For questions contact Jerry Baird
Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance policies should be purchased as soon as the non-refundable amount paid for tours, lodging and airfare exceed the cost of the policy. Please note, the date on which the policy is purchased may affect eligibility for some benefit provisions such as coverage for pre-existing conditions. If you have any questions please contact Darla, Jerry or Generali Global Assistance.
Some premium credit cards provide trip insurance benefits for trip costs purchased using their credit card. These benefits vary by credit card and are usually limited to a fixed amount. Contact your credit company to determine terms and limits of your benefits then decide whether this coverage is satisfactory or you need to purchase any additional insurance for your trip.
There are a number of reputable companies that provide Trip Cancellation and Travel Insurance. You can find them by searching for “trip insurance” on the internet. There are also sites that offer policies from multiple companies and show comparisons between them. Two such sites are www.insuremytrip.com and www.squaremouth.com.
When comparing policies, be sure to READ THE ENTIRE POLICY to make sure its coverage of trip cancellation and things like pre-existing conditions meets with your expectations and circumstances. Also consider the reputation and reviews on the company providing the policy.
The answer is it depends. Our offered policy’s definition of a pre-existing condition is as follows:

PRE-EXISTING CONDITION means a Sickness or Injury during the 180-day period immediately prior to your effective date for which you or your Traveling Companion: (1) received, or received a recommendation for, a diagnostic test, examination, or medical treatment; or (2) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine. Item 2 of this definition does not apply to a condition which is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the 180-day period before coverage is effective under this Policy.
In other words, a condition is pre-existing if a condition has been diagnosed or the treatment has changed in the 6 months prior to purchasing the policy.
If so, then a Premium level policy Premium must be purchased within 24-hours of paying a deposit. Otherwise we recommend postponing purchase of a policy until you have made more payments for the trip than the cost of the insurance.