ptrpanpens

Take a taxi as they are so cheap in Istanbul. Not worth spending so much time for so little savings, at least IMO. Chora Church is a must see if you are into Byzantine mosaics but is being restored so some areas may still be off limits. And there are many tourists so go early. The area is interesting too. I enjoyed wandering around Balat as well as visiting the walls, Jewish synagogue, and Pammakatistos church. I found lots to see around there. Chora Church is not nearly as inpressive as the Ravenna mosaics because the mosaics there are not as pristine or as old, but it is definitely worth visiting.

Asitane is outstanding with authentic Ottoman cuisine - very inexpensive by my standards but not cheap for Istanbul. But I thought it was totally worth it.

I am returning to Istanbul this year for five nights before my cruise. It's a fascinating city - one of the most interesting anywhere in the world so be sure you allow plenty of time to see it.

Just to report back from my 5 day pre-cruise visit to Buenos Aires. A fantastic city where I in no way felt threatened walking around alone all over. I did not wear jewelry but did take my new IPhone with me and used it everywhere, even in La Boca, to take photos. I was very careful with it and put it away after using it but never once felt as if I was in danger of being mugged, robbed, pickpocketed or accosted, although as I said, I am careful, aware of my surroundings, do not wander alone in dicey areas or at night and use common sense.

I feel a little silly being so paranoid about the city at first but by day two I was my normal self and confident to explore the city as I normally do. I am reporting this to give anyone who may be a little concerned that you should just relax and will probably be fine.

Everyone I spoke to onboard had the same experience. Its a great city so enjoy it.:D

Left today for Buenos Aires. United staff checked to make sure I had the copy of the fee receipt.

Hank

Do you mind mentioning the street your condo was on in St. Germaine and how you found it? I always stay in that area on Rue Jacob or Rue de Seine and am looking for a condo nearby as an alternative to expensive hotels. I prefer that side of the Blvd closer to the Seine.

Thank you,

Anne

Does anyone know what kind of adapters are needed for Argentina and Chile? Are the two pronged rounded ones acceptable or is there another type? I hate to take a whole set of plugs with me. Thanks for any suggestions.

@ptrpanpens--

IMO, you still haven't 'got it'. Tourist crime is opportunistic. Don't give 'em the opportunity. Simple. "I will eliminate any jewelry when I am walking around" (period. Not just "alone") How about that kid on the bicycle who snatches what he can when he speeds by you on the margins of the tour group?

Who would you call in the type of emergency that might occur as you are walking around with your expensive phone? Are you getting a local SIM for it to call local authorities if something happens? Is your Spanish fluent? Or, if not, what is the advantage of calling home, or even the closest US embassy, from the street in a far away country vs. calling once you get back to the ship/hotel? And if you're with a group, surely the leader can handle an emergency.

Not "Rio, luckily". It's a wonderful place, unequaled anywhere in the world, with lots to see and do and hear. And, as respectfully as possible, not so risky if you get over your slightly arrogant sense of entitlement to wave your (even modest) first world devices in the faces of marginalized residents. Somehow, by being conservative about what I wear and carry, I have not had problems enjoying Rio and Brazil in over two decades of regular visits as a solo female, not quite the miracle you seem to want to consider it.

Thank you for your "expert" opinion on this matter. I guess I will just have to rely on my own common sense and expertise when traveling around South America, the same as I have done when traveling alone to Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Mexico over the past 40 years. So far I have never been robbed, accosted or scammed in any of those places so I guess I am not as clueless about life as it may appear.

Thank you. I will eliminate any jewelry if I am walking around alone. Everything I wear is very unobtrusive and does not call attention but I will leave everything valuable at home. I dont wear costume jewelry but alot of it is much more flashy than 14k and I agree that theives do not know the difference. Have to been to Buenos Aires? I do not want to get so paranoid I am even afraid to go out alone in Recoleta during the day.

What do you do about your phone? I would not want to be without one in case of emergency. I have an older camera so dont think it will be problematic and will almost always be in a large group, or with a tour. I have been all over Europe with no problems but am a little nervous about SA now. Not going to Rio, luckily.

Isn't this a bit of overkill? I have known several people who have traveled around Buenos Aires wearing small pieces of plain jewelry, nothing large or flashy but made of gold or silver, without incident.

Is it common there to have people approach you on the streets and try to rip off your purse or jewelry?

I am cautious wherever I travel, however this seems a bit excessive that someone would try to rip off a small silver bracelet? I walked around Naples, Istanbul, Rome, etc. with no problem... Is South America that much worse?:eek:

Title says 2017, but you quote 2016. Did you see something for 2017?

So sorry... This cruise is being offered in 2017 but with Silhouette out of Rome and without Istanbul, at least thst is what I remember. But I am speaking of the Constellation from Istanbul in October, 2016.

You didn't take it this year then - where they changed the itinerary at the last minute and dropped Israel? Annoying a lot of people. Turkey isn't looking great at the moment. We were tempted by that cruise this year because it was soooooo cheap c.w. Other Med Cruises. In the end glad we paid a bit extra and at least got the holiday we booked.

I took it in October 2014 and booked it again as it was fantastic. And yes I did follow the threads on the cancellation this year. That is why I said "For those brave enough to give the Holy Land itinerary a shot"...

I am going in with eyes open and if they cancel Israel at the last minute and substitute it for the Greek Isles I am OK with that considering the cheap prices.

Even a Greek isles cruise is OK for $799 pp for an oceanview but anyone booking this cruise has to be aware of the risks of cancellation of Israel and take that into consideration. Otherwise prices would be more than double.

I think there is little liklihood of them totally cancelling Istanbul since the cruise begins there and the prior cruise ends there, so the logistics of changing at the last moment would be more problematic.

And Istanbul is worth the cost by itself, so IMO it is worth taking a chance...but each person must weigh the pros and cons for themselves. I have been to Israel twice so it would not be as devastating for me as it would be for someone who has never been there. But buyer beware...

For those people brave enough to give the Holy Land itinerary a shot, there are some great deals on the October 21, 2016 cruise leaving from Istanbul. I noticed prices for Aqua cabins, without go big, start at $1,449 pp for special resident rates. Suites are going as low as $2,449 pp including all four go big perks. Pretty nice deals. Insides start at $699 pp and OV at $799 pp.

I took this cruise last year and the itinerary is fantastic. Worth taking a risk booking at those prices and just wait to see what happens next year.

Just thought I would interject a bright spot into the discussions about price increases. Happy holidays everyone!:D

Surprised about the TA comments. I have never experienced a majority crowd of young cruisers on any Celebrity or other TA I have taken. There are some of course, but in my experience, the average age on transatlantics is probably 50s or 60s, not 30s.

Or am I missing something?

Great review. I am boarding Jan 3 in Buenos Aires! First time in SA and first on Infinity although I have been on Connie.

Can you share some pricing examples? or at least some kind of general guideline as to what the offers are?

I received an email from Celebrity about an upgrade earlier this week on a cruise to SA on Infinity I am taking January 3. It was sent to me but had my TA's phone number. They were able to contact Celebrity and I got upgraded for $400 from an OV to a 2A balcony with large veranda (single occupancy). For me it was a great deal since it was a huge savings from the going balcony rate even for exciting deals and I was able to select the cabin I wanted (a good one), not depend on Celebrity to assign.

Very happy about the whole thing as the balconies were priced about $3,000 more than OV when I booked so I saved alot of money even with the upgrade cost.:D

I did not have any celebrity perks on this cruise so do not know whether those go away if you take the deal. But captains club points are awarded on the original cabin category, not on the upgrade.

This has been my strategy for a while now. Booking last minute as a solo is the way to go.

I like Celebrity but honestly other cruise lines are just as good. I like longer cruises and price and itinerary are more important to me than loyalty to one line.

 

Enjoy your river cruise Lois. I did one, Moscow to St Petersburg, a few years ago but their prices too are high.

Mary ann

I think we met one night on Serenade in October in the Diamond lounge. I was sitting with Joyce and Wendy. If so, hope you are doing well...Anne

Lois, I hope you will post a review after your Tulip cruise. I will be there April 21, right after you! Also my first river cruise and one I have been wanting to do for a long time.

As for Celebrity's prices yes they have gotten ridiculous for sure. But what goes up often comes down. I am leaving for South America in less than 3 weeks to go on Infinity around the Cape. I booked an OV because the cheapest balcony was $3,000 more (single occupancy). A few days ago Celebrity offered me an upgrade to a great 1A balcony for $400 so I saved myself about $2,500 by booking this way. The same thing happened to me last year on the Holy Land cruise in October 2014 from Istanbul. So their prices are not holding up even on some popular itineraries like South America.

Booking at the last minute or booking the lowest cabin I will be willing to accept (OV) and trying to upgrade after final payment will be my strategy in the future for most Celebrity cruises.

Anne

I just paid $400 for a single occupancy upgrade from OV to 2A balcony with a larger veranda on Infinity sailing next month to South America. Saved over $2,000 off the going price now for the lowest level balcony on that cruise. Thank you Celebrity! Well worth the cost of upgrade!

Much easier to make a flight if it is going to another Schengen country rather than to the US so you dont have to go through T5. I easily made a 10:20 flight to Bologna last year from Rome. But going through T5 to the US? Don't know if I would risk it.

We were just notified by the tour operator that the park was open again as of a couple of days ago and the penguins were back there.

Hopefully this is accurate although I have 2 backup plans just in case, both of which are better ports than Otway for penguins.

Has anyone been there in the past week to know what the up to date situation is?

So far only 2016 itineraries have been affected. I guess Celebrity is pondering 2017.

I did not see Istanbul on the new 2017 itineraries.

Prior to this we always sailed on Carnival and have no regrets, in fact we enjoyed four cruises with them. In 2012 we switched to Celebrity because we wanted to do its South American cruise, from Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aries, Argentina. It was a 14-day cruise and we were a little giddy at Day 7 saying we'd normally be packing to go home, and instead we had a whole other week of it. Because we travelled so far to get there, we assumed it would be a one time trip, so we added to it by staying a few days in Santiago, Buenos Aries, and then went to Rio.

 

All three are beautiful cities and you and your travelling companion can debate which is the best.

 

Of the seven cruises we've been on, this one came closest to absolute perfection. Service was above excellent, along with the food and entertainment. After dinner there was incredible night life, perfect for the 55+ set who sees dessert not as what you eat right before bed, but the prelude for a late night of dancing, or at least watching the bands.

 

What made the cruise really special was our time at the cape. They stopped the ship for at least one hour (maybe two) and lecturers explained the significance of it on the ship's PA system. Despite the cold weather many passengers stayed on deck just to bask in the idea that we were at the end of our hemisphere.

 

The only "flaw" was that we couldn't land in a beach resort in Uruguay. Of course this wasn't Celeb's fault. However, it was warm enough (barely) for bathing suits by the pool so we looked at it as a sea day, but one where you stay in port. I was expecting to do (and enjoy) my usual sea day routine of good book, cold beer and very little movement. Instead we ended up sitting by the ship's entertainers, who were as amusing and amicable off the stage as they were on it, so it was like we got sun and a free show.

 

There's a reason we've done two Celebrity cruises since.

Glad to hear this as I will be on this cruise January 3 plus 3 nights in Buenos Aires before and a night in Santiago afterward. Looking forward to my first time in South America after many cruises in Europe.

But so far if I had to choose just one favorite, it would have to be the Holy Land cruise last year out of Istanbul, where I spent 5 days before the cruise. Absolutely amazing. I have the same cruise booked again next October on Constellation but who knows if it will happen so glad I was able to go last year and hoping for the best.:)

The port in Istanbul is under construction for the next 2 years, which is why the cruises there are extremely limited.

I have seen some itineraries for 2017 and the Silhouette is currently scheduled to stop in Israel for 3 days on several cruises.

Where did you see the 2017 itineraries for Israel? Did you mean 2016?

Shopping in Paris....sounds like an excellent idea to me! :D:D:D

Hi Davey:)...how did you know I am sailing AMA? You must have seen

my posts over on the River Cruise forum;)......my TA has sailed on AMA

multiple times and she loves them.....and my sister and bil have also

sailed with them. They loved it too!:)

Lois

Me too and going down to Paris for 10 days afterward. I may skip optional excursion to Brussels though. Hope you will post how you like the cruise afterward.

Anne