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| This section is intended to answer questions for those who have spent some time going through all other parts of the site. In themselves, a lot of the questions and answers will not make much sense. | |
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Does the trip starting date indicate the flight day or the Athens arrival date? |
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My schedule does not allow me to make the dates and join my classmates for my assigned school trip. May I join the trip of one of the other schools? What if I have received an invitation but there is no assigned trip for my school? |
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Can my friend join the trip? And how about alumni or other young professionals? |
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I have heard Mykonos is really fun and I'm very excited to be going. Why are we only spending two days there? Couldn't we give up a day in Patmos and Samos to visit Santorini, which I've heard is beautiful? I have never heard of Patmos. Is it really that amazing? |
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You have not arranged transportation to and from the airport. Why is that? How am I supposed to get to the hotel when I arrive in Athens? And what about getting to the airport to depart for my country? How much will it cost me? |
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What's the deal with alcohol? Why is it not included in the price? |
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Can I pay by credit card? |
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What happens to my deposit if I cancel my participation? What about final payments? |
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The cost of the trip is denominated in Euro, but you are obviously asking me to pay in dollars. Why are you doing that, and how is the exchange rate calculated at the time of payment? |
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A classmate of mine is the designated "trip leader" in each school. What does he/she do? |
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Who is this "MBA-type, late-twenties Greek" who will accompany the groups through the experience and make the guests feel right at home? Why are you doing that? |
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According to the schedule, I will get to spend a night sleeping in a ferry cabin. Is that comfortable? |
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Why are we renting cars in Patmos? Why not in Mykonos or Athens? |
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How will designated drivers be chosen from the group? |
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Is it dangerous to drive in Patmos? |
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What's the deal with the dinners? How come they are already priced if you don't know what we'll order? Will I ever be hungry or not be given enough choice? |
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What about lunches? |
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What if I am vegetarian, or have other food preferences? |
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What if I find the trip schedule tiring, or don't want to join an activity? |
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I am confused. Aren't we visiting the Parthenon while in Athens? What is the Acropolis? |
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What is the site of the Apocalypse that we'll visit? And the Monastery of St. John? |
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| Does the trip starting date indicate the flight day or the Athens arrival date? | |
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You should plan on being in Athens for Day 1 of the trip, as defined in the trip schedule--for example May 24th for HBS. Since Greece is seven hours ahead of Standard Eastern Time and the flight from the East Coast lasts roughly 10 hours, you should be departing from the US on Day 0, May 23rd for HBS. |
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| My schedule does not allow me to make the dates and join my classmates for my assigned school trip. May I join the trip of one of the other schools? What if I have received an invitation but there is no assigned trip for my school? | |
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You may join any trip that you like. MbaGreece has set up individual trips by school so that the groups that are shaped consist of at least some people who will share a common experience, but any MBA may join any one of the trips being offered. If, for example, you are a Columbia student but can only make the Stanford trip or a Babson student wanting to join one of the trips, you may do so. The MBA Mixer is a great opportunity to interact with more students from other schools. |
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| Can my friend join the trip? And how about alumni or other young professionals? | |
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The trips are designed for first- and second-year MBA students and significant others. Friends of MBAs may join the group upon recommendation by a student or coordination with MbaGreece. Also upon coordination, recent alumni or young professionals may join the trip if they miss the good old days and want to recapture the magic of the MBA life. |
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| I have heard Mykonos is really fun and I'm very excited to be going. Why are we only spending two days there? Couldn't we give up a day in Patmos and Samos to visit Santorini, which I've heard is beautiful? I have never heard of Patmos. Is it really that amazing? |
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You've heard the right rumors, and haven't heard of the most well-kept secret of the Aegean, Patmos, unless you've read flattering clippings about the island in the NY Times or National Geographic Traveler issues, or Lonely Planet's opening line on it: "Patmos may well be the ideal Greek island." MbaGreece has chosen the itinerary very carefully and based on multiple criteria: cost, boat and plane connections, events creating a set of trendy and more isolated activities etc. Thinking like true MBAs, it's not hard to understand that Santorini and Mykonos are overpriced because of their brand name. All the VIPs are visiting Patmos for a good reason; you just have to trust our experience in Greece. |
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| You have not arranged transportation to and from the airport. Why is that? How am I supposed to get to the hotel when I arrive in Athens? And what about getting to the airport to depart for my country? How much will it cost me? | |
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MbaGreece has not arranged for arrival and departure group transfer to and from the Athens hotel because we expect that individuals will catch different flights, arriving and departing throughout the day, creating a logistical nightmare. When you arrive, you can catch taxi cabs readily available at the airport to the hotel; for your departure, you can arrange for taxi cab pickups from the hotel. The hotel concierge and your trip host can assist you with the latter. An approximate cost for the taxi fare is 25 Euro, and you can always share a cab. |
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| What's the deal with alcohol? Why is it not included in the price? | |
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It is obviously impossible to estimate how much each of you will choose to drink. Dinners are all paid for, but alcohol and other drinks (soda, mineral water, etc) are out of pocket expenses. Prices are equivalent to the US for dinner-related alcohol such as wine and beer. As for drinks in bars/clubs, Greeks tend to order drinks by the bottle, "reserving a table" when in large groups. It is very convenient and way more cost-effective. Your MbaGreece host will arrange for you to have tables reserved at hip bars, but you'll pay the cost of what you order. The idea is simple: you start with one bottle on your table, and your group will then order more as you see fit. |
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| Can I pay by credit card? | |
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The 200 Euro deposit should be made by credit card. The remaining balance of 1025 Euro is a discounted price based on final payment by check. If you wish to make final payment by credit card, the balance will be 1055 Euro. |
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| What happens to my deposit if I cancel my participation? What about final payments? | |
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Deposits are nonrefundable, but replaceable. This means that if you need to cancel your participation prior to final payment, and another participant is added to the trip after your cancellation, you will be refunded your deposit. Final payments are nonrefundable, but you may purchase optional trip cancellation insurance through TravelMBA. This insurance, which will cost around USD100 for most students, can protect your financial investment if you need to cancel due to covered medical reasons. |
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| The cost of the trip is denominated in Euro, but you are obviously asking me to pay in dollars. Why are you doing that, and how is the exchange rate calculated at the time of payment? | |
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Fluctuations in the exchange rate cause a far smaller impact on each individual. In a sense, risk is shared among 200+ MBAs, enabling MbaGreece to provide nothing but the best quality of trip without charging you with a premium to account for the exchange rate risk. In fact, it is not necessarily the case that the Euro denomination will hurt you, as the dollar may appreciate. When your trip leader contacts you to make deposit or final payment arrangements, the e-mail will indicate the exact dollar amount that you will need to pay, which will correspond to the deposit or trip cost based on that day's exchange rate. |
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| A classmate of mine is the designated "trip leader" in each school. What does he/she do? | |
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The trip leader is a liaison between MbaGreece and the students who will be joining the trip. You will be hearing from your trip leader regarding details of next steps, trip updates, etc. The trip leader is simply a contact person who will be in charge of putting together the group and ensuring that organizational aspects run smoothly. |
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| Who is this "MBA-type, late-twenties Greek" who will accompany the groups through the experience and make the guests feel right at home? Why are you doing that? | |
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The whole idea of a Greek trip host exists to protect you from feeling lost: you will not be given an itinerary or get "dumped" on an island with a schedule and be expected to figure things out. Christos Stergiou will be a host himself for the Stanford trip, and for the rest he has recruited congenial, young, educated Greek friends of his; some are even taking time off their jobs (!) to make this trip. They are all carefully selected and will blend in perfectly with the MBA-type crowd. They'll escort you through the experience, teach you the Greek ways, and show you a good time! |
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| According to the schedule, I will get to spend a night sleeping in a ferry cabin. Is that comfortable? | |
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Everyone visiting Greece for the first time is amazed at how huge the ferries are. Cabins are very comfortable, each having two bunk beds and shower. You will have a comfortable night's sleep and wake up fresh in Piraeus, the port of Athens. |
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| Why are we renting cars in Patmos? Why not in Mykonos or Athens? | |
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Having several cars available allows for some flexibility when individuals might want to come and go to particular destinations. The villages and beaches of Patmos are all relatively close to one another but it would be too far to walk and meanwhile you will want to experience the magic of freely moving around the island. That is not the case in Mykonos, where other than going to the beach, you have no reason to exit the town, where every non-beach activity takes place. We will use a charter shuttle to the beaches and hang out in the town upon return. You would never choose to drive in Athens if you are sane. We will have a charter shuttle for all Athens transportation needed that is far from your hotel. |
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| How will designated drivers be chosen from the group? | |
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You are asked whether you would be willing to become a designated driver for the Patmos part of the trip; if you feel very comfortable driving stick-shift please volunteer to do so. |
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| Is it dangerous to drive in Patmos? | |
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Thousands of tourists drive there every year. Roads are well-paved, but you should remember that you are responsible for your classmates and only volunteer to drive if you feel absolutely comfortable doing so! |
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| What's the deal with the dinners? How come they are already priced if you don't know what we'll order? Will I ever be hungry or not be given enough choice? | |
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You'll be doing minimal ordering in dinners. Greeks eat in a combination of family and individual style. Think of it as ordering a bunch of tapas as appetizers to share, and a main course that each person orders individually. Dinner arrangements have already been settled. Don't worry about the food, you will love it all and there will always be an abundance of quantity and choice! Imagine you have a table full of spinach pies, Greek salad, Greek traditional spreads, and stuffed grape leaves to name a few--at least some of that will be among your preferences! Top if off with some mousaka or lamb for a main course, and you have a dream dinner! |
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| What about lunches? | |
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Beach bars offer delicacies to make it through the day; you can adjust your food consumption at the beach bar according to your appetite, and therefore we chose not to include lunches in the trip price. Some of you might want to skip lunch if you've had a full breakfast, others might choose to have a salad, or a full lunch. All lunch expenses except for the cruise lunch are out of pocket. |
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| What if I am vegetarian or have other food preferences? | |
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You are asked on the sign-up form to indicate any food preferences. No one will be left hungry; to the contrary, you will most likely hit the gym to lose all the extra weight from that delicious food. |
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| What if I find the trip schedule tiring, or don't want to join an activity? | |
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You probably won't, but if you do, remember that this is not a "prison trip." You are always free to make your own choices, or skip activities, but never in the expense of others. Just remember that MbaGreece has prepared the best for you: anything you skip is guaranteed to be the best thing you will get to see in each destination. There is ample time given for rest on the trip and the schedule of activities is very well thought-through by people who have spent a lifetime in the Greek tourism industry. |
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| I am confused. Aren't we visiting the Parthenon while in Athens? What is the Acropolis? | |
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The Acropolis is the hill where antiquities including the Parthenon are located. On the Acropolis, in addition to the Parthenon, you will see a smaller temple called the Erecthium and a museum with world-famous works of ancient sculpture. You will also enjoy looking down on the theater of Herodion at the foot of the Acropolis, a view of the Agora, or ancient civic center, and a breathtaking panorama of Athens. |
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| What is the site of the Apocalypse that we'll visit? And the Monastery of St. John? | |
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St. John the Evangelist was in exile on Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation in 95 A.D. The cave where he had the vision is still a site that thousands of Christians visit every year. In the nearby Monastery of St. John, you will see treasures that belong to the most important monastic collection in all of Greece outside Mt. Athos: manuscripts as old as the 5th century, miniature icons, El Greco's original portrait of Jesus, Saints' remains, and other items, greatly valued by Christians. |
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