IWantToLiveOverTheSea

I'd suggest staying in Bali, too. We went early and used a wonderful, inexpensive driver to take us around to see things that weren't available to see using ship tours. It was magical.

Saw this from Mount of Olives on my tour with Guided Tours Israel.

Yes, I had my whol day plotted out for seeing Akko, looking at dock location, train station, etc. But that fell apart when we lost a day there. But I was kind of wondering if I'd be able or willing to walk down to where I wanted to be in Akko, which did seem like a long way. And I'm not crazy about taking cabs, though I don't really know why I'm that way. But I was planning to see if the boat ran, and if so, use it, at least for the "to" portion. And then perhaps go back using the train. I am a lighthouse lover, and wanted to at least see the lighthouse in Akko, which is way down there where the boat lets off passengers. But at least I got to see Jerusalem one day and Masada the next, my choice and my spouse's choice But Akko, plus the Gardens in Haifa got missed.

I know not everyone's on Facebook. But if you ARE, you may want to find the pages/groups that people have set up for Viking cruisers. People are always asking if anyone else is on their cruise. I don't recommend posting info on there which lets people know when you'll be gone. However, if nothing else, you may find others on your cruise, and you can then send private Facebook message without having to be "friends" with them, or disclosing to a large group of people that you'll be going away, And people give advice on excursions, what to do in a port, post photos, etc.

Cruisemapper and that kind of site usually uses the original itinerary times, which can and often do change somewhere along the line. I always look for port websites.

On May 6 Sirena cruise, O held a session for completing the evaluation form online. I was so burned out from doing online (app) stuff for the various countries we were visiting that I never filled it out. I know they're trying to cut down on paper (not cut down trees?) but I felt bad that I wasn't able to do the evaluation. It's the first time I missed doing it.

I never thought I'd do needlepoint, but one day I decided to try it. There were cute little things to make like a case for my glasses. The activities person shows you what to do.

I just wrote a whole post and lost it when I hit a wrong button. So I'll try to summarize my experience in May: Stayed in Sultanahmet area. If things were closed or reduced in service, it was hard to tell. It was packed. This was our second trip to Istanbul so didn't do much touristy stuff. I didn't go to Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cistern, Topkapi, either bazaar. It was the week after Ramadan and the huge city of Istanbul was packed. Traffic was horrible. There were plenty of people going somewhere around there!! And if you want a nice mosque, I'd recommend one out by Galataport, not Blue Mosque. Or Rustem Pasa in Sultanahmet if you can find it (difficult). We enjoyed taking a ferry to Asian side and then just walking around there.Were surprised to see our ship come sailing slowly on the water near us! And people fishing like what's seen on Galata Bridge as is the Eminonu area. We took the tram around. I went to Gulhane Park. We ate at a couple places near our hotel in Sultanahmet. I had wanted to go out to the Kiz Kulesi (Maiden's Tower) but after seeing it with scaffolding, decided against it. We did the Cistern when we were there before. Did a cruise on the Bosphorus on previous trip - worthwhile, especially if you like photographing buildings. Our hotel arranged a covid test done at the hotel because at the time our cruise ship required a correctly-timed test. Airport to Sultanahmet hotel took over an hour and a half; hotel to port took 20 minutes. Galataport is quite spiffy, large, and a little confusing. But where ships dock is the same as before - just in a newly spiffed up area with shops and restaurants. The tram is near by, and two mosques (I'll think of one I loved after I push the post button) and nargile cafes and Istanbul Modern and redone/moved Clock Tower in a park. At Galataport, make sure if you're embarking, and arriving by taxi or car, that you're dropped at right entrance in the cavernous underground garage. We were not. The signage was poor, the person at the door spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish, so it was difficult. Security in the port terminal is quite good. I didn't see much else -- no ATM, tourism booth, food, anything like that. And walk to coaches for excursions, from what I heard, was kind of long. So is the ramp from the terminal up to the ship. Shops and restaurants are outside the terminal, with a tall metal wall in between.

If anyone wants info on Paphos, Cyprus, I was just there for a day and can tell you a little about it.

I have no clue, as I cruise on Oceania, and they include port fees in their basic cruise cost. But on occasion I've found port fee information on a port website for a city I've been curious about. It usually, however, is shown per gross tonnage of the ship or something like that.

Love that GPS my city app; also love downloading maps from maps.me while at home. Once in a city, you don't need wifi on your phone (just gps) to access maps, and find out where you are. Loved Lisbon. Used bus and tram. Took one of the funiculars...forget what they were called....fun! Tram through Alfama was worthwhile. Went to Lisbon a day early and did a 3 hour (or so) tour in a sidecar motorcycle with Daniel - Bike My Side. Wasn't terribly expensive, at least not at the time (maybe 10 years ago).

I didn't go by bus, but we did a shortish tour with Tours by Milo and mostly we went to Perast and the little island. We shared tour with another couple. Price was reasonable. So that might be something to consider. Once back in Kotor, I walked part of the way up to the church on the hill (mountain). Also remember that when coming into and out of Kotor you'll pass the little island. I was fascinated by it!

We did a taxi tour around part of the island (maybe 3 hours, not expensive; shared with another couple) and then in the afternoon I walked around the city quite a bit. Such a wonderful place.......if you get up early you can cover a lot of ground.

Agree with Edinburgher above, as well as the others. This was our second visit to Malta, so we found a taxi driver near the port to take us to Marsaxlokk (lots of cute, colorful boats in harbor there) plus Mdina, a walled city. It was $85 for 3 hours; believe that's a standard price. Then I went up the lift, and walked around the port, and all in all, it was a fun day. Most people love Malta. When we were there before, I took a public bus to Marsaxlokk and then met my husband in Valletta to explore the city. It was interesting but I like getting out of city more than staying in. If you want something kind of different, you can take one of the little boats across the dock to another part of the area. I forget what they're called, though, (dhasa maybe?) but you can see them from up in Barrakka Gardens. Take a couple euros for the lift. It was one euro in May up; free down. From port, you'll likely walk downward to get there.... There's a cool webcam which often shows part of a cruise ship when one is docked there, plus the walkway that you'll likely see if you walk down to the lift. And if you want a tourist info booth, we found one quite near the port, a bit up from the jewelry store when you exit the port. And there are a couple booths nearby which I think are normally staffed by excursion vendors in the morning. And there are ferries, and Blue Lagoon or Grotto or something like that, and Popeye Village way up north, and this and that...lots of things to do! And everyone speaks English, which is nice. And the cruise out at night is kind of nice - some of the fortifications are lit up, and you pass the two little lighthouses, and maybe the giraffe crane, etc. And getting through the terminal to the city (lower level, anyway) is easy..... As you can see, I like it all......Here's giraffe, Malta coming in (Siege Bell, etc.), Marsaxlokk, Mdina.

Get that visa! I messed up the one I did online at home for my spouse (a date, I think), and a Turkish official at the Istanbul airport made my spouse go over to a desk and pay cash to get one! Visa is easy, but program was quirky when I used it in April - hung up when I tried to pay. Be sure to give it time, then check to make sure payment went through before starting over. And make sure you don't put a wrong date on it - ouch!

Was there (Galataport) in May. I don't remember an ATM, but it's a new terminal, and very spiffy, but with no amenities that I could see. But I wasn't looking. You may want to google, as I know Galataport cruise terminal has a website with some info. They list hotels; maybe they list other things. And outside the terminal are lots of shops, so it's possible there are some banks with ATMs around there on the main street. If nothing else, perhaps if you googled, you could find bank icons on a map. Just be aware that Istanbul has only been using Galataport for a few months, so if you see info on the cruise port, it may be old....and if you embark in Istanbul and take a taxi to the port, make sure it drops you off at the correct place in the cavernous garage under the port- not an employee or crew or walking entrance down there. Signage was poor in May and we were dropped where a couple people were going in - but without luggage. Someone came and asked for our key card, and we struggled to explain we were embarking. We had to get our luggage upstairs on our own on escalators because we were dropped off in the wrong spot. And also, there's a kind of long walk up to the ship....don't take more carryons than you need!

And just for anyone interested (John Bull?): There appears to be a boat that goes to Akko from the port. It wasn't running the day we were there, however. But they do have a website.....

We used Guided Tours Israel. Israel turned our 3 day stop into 2 due to Covid testing in May, but GTI regrouped and we went to Jerusalem with them on one of the days. At least for their lowest priced tour (up to 18 people) you can't customize your tour, but we were happy with what we saw and did. Guide and arrangements were quite good.

We liked them; see my comments! They go to Masada as well as Jerusalem.

In May we used Guided Tours of Israel. We were happy with them. You can book them for one day or three days, although initially they ask when you'll be in port and plan accordingly. We were supposed to have 3 days in Haifa/Ashdod but Israel was testing at the time for Covid and we ended up having to sit on the ship all day our first day, which messed up our plans. They do not require you to book all days you're in port. And the price is very reasonable. We ended up doing a full day tour with GTS to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We then did Masada with cruise ship, but had planned to do it with GTS. Things were a little more crowded on their vehicle (not a bus, but not sure what to call it!) than I would have liked, but perhaps that's just because they had to do some re-arranging of tours due to Israel's somewhat last minute requirements throwing a monkey wrench into plans. But overall we saw and did quite a bit, with lunch mid-day (at our expense - moderate price). You cannot change the tour, so you can't customize it, although I believe they offer a Christian based tour versus a Jewish based tour, so you may want to ask about that if it matters. And if you want a better experience, they offer a more private tour. But in Jerusalem there are always crowds, so being with 16 other people was good enough for us. The guide was good; arrangements were good, and the vendor made it clear he could come to either port (Ashdod or Haifa). He's able to get right on the port grounds, too, which was nice. You can prepay or pay day-of. There's no time for shopping, though, so if that's a negative, you may not want to use GTS. But our group of 18 was happy.

We like Oceania because they go to some less traveled places, especially on their smaller ships like Sirena. While I love Santorini, I crave places like Crete (Chania) and Patmos, and don't particularly want to go back to Rhodes (awfully crowded, though I DID have fun last time I went!) But of course they're not cheap, and they attract a fairly older clientele, so they may not be what you're looking for. But the number of places they go, with new ports every year, is one of many things that make Oceania our favorite line. And they do have some mostly Greek cruises, or cruises with Greece combined with Turkey.

I didn't really do a snip very well, as I probably cut off the most important part of the map in order to show where shuttle dropped us. But at very bottom, you'll see mentions of taxi and buses below the "Agora" (market) I mentioned. This will give you a good idea of the area you'll be dropped off in if you take a shuttle. I believe Halidon or whatever it is called is the big shopping street where I ended up walking back to the main street by the Agora. And the other big street with long name (in east) was probably what I used to get down to the old warehouses along the waterfront - and remains of old town walls. Splanzia area is charming; Topanas also worthwhile. Cafes are along the waterfront, more to the west than east. Hope this helps.

I was in Chania in mid May on Oceania. Yes, you dock in Souda Bay at the ferry port a little north of the city. We and another ship docked there, so probably you will too. There was a shuttle from right outside port to the market, as described above. If you look on a map you'll likely see where the market is - large enclosed building, but closed for reconstruction when we were there. From there you can walk down to the waterfront, passing some shops (closed when we were there, which was a Sunday). When shuttle drops you (free for us, but 5 euros roundtrip (I think, or maybe $5, for the other ship) you will just go to main street there, turn left, and then right on cross street to head to the water. But you may want to check a map to make sure I remember things correctly! I went to the right and down, as I wanted to end up on the side of the waterfront that has the breakwater out to the charming lighthouse. I ended up at the other end of the waterfront, so walked back a different way - one that brought me back via a shopping street. There was a big map thingy posted so you could get your bearings, but I just set out to take my chances at getting where I wanted to get. And on the breakwater, if you go at least 5 minutes or so, you may see the mountains behind the town - with snow on them in May! I enjoyed just exploring Chania. It's a very pretty city. To go back to the shuttle stop, I'd suggest downloading a Chania map from maps.me before you leave home. Once in Chania, assuming you have gps in your cell phone, you'll be able to pull up the map without wifi and see where you are, and where you want to be. Back to the shuttle stop location was a little confusing after I roamed around quite a bit along the waterfront and in the "Splantzia" district and more. Back at the stop, I had to wait maybe 5-10 minutes before a bus for the port, an Oceania-bound bus, appeared. If I had taken the one that came first, I suppose they may have asked for my ticket, as I was on the other cruise line. But the port is the port - so each bus was no doubt going same place. I think it was around a 15 minute ride from Chania to Souda port. There are other things to do and see in that area like monasteries and a beautiful Greek (National?) cemetery, or the nearby city of Rethymno, with another lighthouse, and a bus from Chania. But I happily spent the morning, and then a couple hours after lunch, in Chania. In addition to maps.me, you may want to google the website of the segway operator in Chania. It was a helpful website, though the segway excursion was not available Sunday, so we couldn't take it. Also, if you go off on your own (to shuttle and town) and you leave by noon, it's possible there will be a tourist info person with maps stationed at the port. Someone was there until 12.30 when we were there, with a great map for people to grab, but I don't know if the person comes for all cruise ships or just when asked. (Oceania usually arranges that service if it's available.) Whatever you do, hope you enjoy Chania. I found it to be a wonderful place to explore and take pictures. My pictures are in a photo gallery here if interested, but you'll have to find the Chania gallery:www.pbase.com/roothy123

Not sure; see my post!

Just in case this helps anyone, I think pre-cruise we corresponded with Dewa using the dgrock1140 yahoo address, but if his last name was in the gmail address itself, I didn't see it. But he gave us a card, and I think he listed two phone numbers on there. One may have been his whatsapp number and one his cell number, but I forget. If you're a Facebook user, you may be able to contact him initially by looking for him on there. However, I would just use that as an initial contact with little information on your travels and name, just in case other drivers see your post and decide to offer their services! I'm not saying that will happen, but I know that Dewa Gede is a common combination of names in Bali. On a subsequent cruise, a waiter on Oceania from Bali was named Dewa. I asked if his second name was Gede and he said it was! (Ask Dewa about naming in Bali - it's interesting). Anyway, here's the photo of Dewa that he currently has posted on Facebook, just in case there are similar Dewa's from Peliatan, Ubud on Facebook.