Piraeus or Athens

Piraeus is nice, but since you want to explore Athens sleep there. You have plenty of time to get to your port the next day.

What time do you arrive exactly & you’ve given us the sailing time but not the boarding time which is usually quite a bit earlier. Unless you are arriving very early afternoon on Friday you’ll not get to see much at all :(

I think a great deal depends on how your family usually feels after a long flight. If they have any energy left, then I would vote Athens. You may not see a great deal, but you will still have a chance to view some of the sights and the Acropolis is quite striking when it is lit up at night. It stays open until 7-8 pm depending on the time of year. Check the website for the hours for your dates. The Acropolis opens at 8:00 am and if you get your advance tickets for this time you would have time to explore it prior to going to the ship, but I wouldn't try to do anything additional that morning.

I think the Acropolis visit in the morning would be cutting it fine & taking a risk which is why I asked what time they actually arrive on the Friday. Some of the cruises have a cut off time for boarding an hour before sailing time, others may vary, so to visit the Acropolis without constantly clock watching & then getting to the cruise port might be a bit much, especially if they want to see all of it properly rather than just a quick visit. I asked my friend who has worked a few years as a boarding host for the cruises & she recommends as early as possible, aiming for 2 hours before, she said don’t take the risk as even a few minutes past the cut off time can have you classed as a no show. I think it would be best to clarify the boarding time for this particular cruise before committing to definite plans.

I have no idea how far in advance passengers need to board, but according to the Celebrity Cruises website, the Celebrity Infinity departs from the Port of Piraeus at 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 27. (It’s the only departure at the end of June, so I'm assuming this is the one.)

If we assume they need to be at the port at least an hour before departure, plus about an hour (giving themselves a safety buffer) to get there from downtown Athens, that means leaving central Athens by 3:00 PM at the latest.

I checked the Hellenic Heritage website, and the earliest available time slot to visit the Acropolis on June 27 is at 11:00 AM. There is nothing available before that.

It’s doable, but it’s probably going to be a bit tight.

Just in case the OP decides to stay in Piraeus, there's also an interesting archaeological museum and a naval museum there. The marinas are also pretty nice for a stroll.

...fly into Athens on Friday afternoon...cruise leaves out of Piraeus on Saturday mid-day.

We have taken many Celebrity cruises, including in and out of Piraeus. And we are very familiar with their boarding procedures and the time they want you on the ship before departure. I fear you will not have time to do much of anything other than a quick walk about or drive by some of the sights.

If you will be content to do that, then stay in Athens. Otherwise, stay in Piraeus.

Thanks TC for confirming, my boarding host friend got back to me & said anything less than getting there 2 hrs before sailing time would be risky, 3hrs is better, the queues can be very long &=those who arrive the earliest are the happiest, time to get settled & unpacked then relax before sailing, grateful for your insight because although I live here & have seen the cruise ships arriving & departing I’ve never taken one myself, it is an awful lot of people to get checked in & on board!

Piraeus isn't just a place to get a ferry.

It's a vibrant city with a lot more to do and experience than people think.

Wonderful long waterfront and marinas, lots of options for shops, markets and tavernas, a great archeological web site and has it's own central markets like Athens but on a smaller scale.

If Athens is a must stay there but if you want to be close to the port then consider Piraeus.

Check out this great website for Piraeus:

https://www.destinationpiraeus.com/en

Thank you everyone for the tips. I have decided to stay in Athens. Our flight lands around noon. I am thinking Acropolis at 6pm. Thoughts???

Sounds like a plan. Not as many people will be there at 6p.