ptrpanpens

I hate to say this, but I was very disappointed with the food in Blu on Connie and the food on the cruise in general. This was my first time in Blu and we got rock bottom aqua prices due to the fact that the cruise went to Israel last October and many people cancelled because of the incidents there at that time.

There were quite a few of us in Aqua that chose to eat in the main dining room on many evenings, not because the food was any better, but because it wasn't much worse and it allowed us to sit with more people than at Blu. I would try Blu again but not unless the difference in price was reasonable. I know people rave about Blu and I am not a picky eater or overly critical about food but thought Blu was nothing special, at least on that cruise. In fact, I had to send two breakfasts back because the pancakes were like rubber and the egg whites looked like foam with asparagus on top. Sorry about the disgusting details. I am not a museli eater but hear that is very good, however I couldn't say the same for some other dishes.

Just my opinion on that particular cruise. I lost 7 pounds so there was a silver lining.:D

Did anyone eat on the bread and fish boats near the Spice Market? They look brightly colored, fun and reasonable. They are by the end of the bridge that ends up in the old part of Istanbul.

 

After reading about Rustem Pasha (or Pasa) mosque near the Spice Market, I am interested in that.

 

Watch out for Monday (and Sunday) closings. Also I found a site for locating the times of prayers in Istanbul mosques - handy for anticipting mosque closures (to tourists) while prayer goes on. In general, it sounds like mid-morning and mid-afternoon are "safe" times to visit, both in Jan. and October at least! It varies a bit...

 

I'm planning to do the funicular in the new town.

 

Thanks for the info on the Bosphorus cruises. Someone on our upcoming cruise is disappointed that a free land excursion has been replaced with a free Bosphorus excursion but to me, it sounds great. If we do that, we'll see some of the sights already mentioned - although just by water!

 

Does anyone know if there's still a light and music show at dusk outside the Blue Mosque? That's not important for me to see, but it might be fun. However, I haven't seen much about it.

 

Agree that Steves' book is excellent.

Rustem Pasha was my favorite mosque, out of the eight I visited. Dont miss it!

I did not eat at the fish boats but heard that there are many small bones inside the fish, so keep that in mind. I heard the fish was tasty and it looked and smelled good but I dont like bones so I passed it up.

You can take a boat from Eminonou pier to Kadikoy on the Asian side for $2.00 approx each way and the views back to the pier are gorgeous. Well worth it.There is a large interesting market on the other side which is alot of fun to wander around in with great food.

I was there for a week and hired three different guides, all of which were excellent. One took me to the Balat District, Chora Church, and we ate at Asitane, fabulous Ottoman cuisine. This is also the area of the original walls and several important Byzantine structures but out of the way and hard to do on your own. We also had a day tour with Lale Kosagan, Kagan's wife. She was outstanding not only for the historical information, but to give you a taste of personal insight into the religion and customs. Guides cannot be beat by any DIY guidebook or audio, IMO, so I highly recommend hiring one for at least a day. They are not expensive compared to other countries.

My hotel, the Sirkecki Mansion, included several fantastic private tours, free for guests. Included are tours through the back streets of Sultanhamet, which tourists do not see, and a trip to the Greek District of Fener and the Mosque of Mehmed the Great, also out of the way of the normal tourist areas. You get to walk through a huge Turkish market, and try various foods, including freshly baked simit rolls and delicious ice cream. They also do a food tour and a cooking class, as well as wine and cheese tasting. I highly recommend this hotel if you have time to take advantage of the tours and even if you don't.:)

If you take the Bosphorus cruise, you may be able to disembark at Ortakoy and if you do, I highly recommend trying one of the huge delicious baked potatoes there.

And dont miss the rainbow steps across from the terminal where the ship docks. Very picturesque and wonderful if you are a cat lover, as I am. Lots of cats everywhere in Turkey, I took over 100 photos and made them into a nice calendar. And be sure to go up to the top of the Galata Tower for the excellent views of Istanbul and the Golden Horn.

There is just so much to do in this city it is amazing. I am planning another extended visit to see all the places I missed.:D

I vote for the Marais, a wonderful place to wander around with charming shops, cafes and interesting museums, esp the Picasso. And I also love the Place Des Vosges. But expect much more security in that area due to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. I waited in line last May for an hour to get into Sainte Chapelle so I don't think you would want to do that on your first day. Also lines to enter Notre Dame are around the block if you want to climb up.

Paris is my favorite city. I have been there more than 15 times over the years, and have found that I always get distracted when setting out and end up in a wonderful place I had never even thought of going to. The joy of Paris is not rushing around from one tourist attraction to another, but just taking time to see what you can on a leisurely pace and plan to return for a longer visit. At least, that is my opinion. :)

Four days will not be nearly sufficient so you will have to return anyway, so might as well not wear yourself out and miss the joy de vivre of Paris, the best part. In all the times I have visited, there are still many things I have not seen so don't be so structured in your approach and see what you can without stressing out over a schedule.

At the time of year you are going, it will be very crowded at the main tourist attractions, so I suggest tickets in advance, particularly for the Eiffel Tower. That way you wont be wasting alot of time in lines.

Great review and photos. I was in Istanbul for about a week in October before a cruise to Israel and Italy. It is the most wonderful city, but needs much more than 24 hours as I am sure you would agree. I hope you were able to visit the Rustem Pasha mosque next to the spice bazaar. It is my favorite out of the 8 mosques I visited, not touristy, small and intimate with the beautiful Iznik tiles everywhere.

It is hard to find the entrance and you have to go up steps to get there but highly recommended to anyone going there, a do not miss. Very different than the other huge mosques of Istanbul and gives a nice peaceful vibe, serene, not crowded.

There is so much to see there. I am thinking of going back for 10 days to visit again this year. The tulips are supposed to be out in April. One of my guides mentioned that the tulips began in Turkey and the Turks sold them to the Dutch, but I don't know if this is true or not. Still, it must be gorgeous in the spring with tulips and flowers everywhere.:)

I have also played in Quisine when other venues are full. On The last TA on Reflection there were at least 50 people playing all over the ship, including outside at tables. There were all levels of players, some more "serious" players than others. I stay away from playing for money as it sometimes becomes too competitive.:eek:

Does anyone know if the Constellation has MahJong sets to borrow?

Thanks

Yes. But be sure to check that they are complete unless they are new and shrink wrapped and get them early if you are on a TA or a cruise with alot of sea days.

and go on your Roll Call and you may find other players. I have always found "sets" on board...they are just too heavy to take on board...and the ""Travel Sets" are not that great...IMO!!!

 

It you can't find others via the R/C then a "sign up sheet" in the card room/game room may be available for you to search for other players...

 

A funny note....we were just on the Eclipse for the holiday cruise and a family from China/Japan or ??? came by and said "Oh...they are playing "Jewish" Mah Jongg"....pretty funny considering we call it "Chinese Mah Jongg"...it is a fun game...no matter how you play it...don't you think??? LuAnn

If you are playing with a card and using jokers, you are playing American (or Jewish) mah jong. Chinese mah jong is an entirely different game, played with no card, similar to gin rummy. There are many people playing Chinese mah jong on all cruises, and they always seem curious to watch when we are playing American mah jong. I learned how to play Chinese mah jong recently on the Constellation from a group of Chinese ladies who were playing on a sea day. It is much easier to learn than American mah jong, but still alot of fun.:D

If you have extra Delta miles, you can often get flights on Air France at prime times which would sell for $750 OW. The NS flights from FCO To CDG on Air France are very expensive otherwise, even though the schdules are the best.

Cornishpastyman, Your videos are outstanding. If you are not a professional you should be!

I spent a week in Istanbul last October and loved the city so these videos really brought it back to me and then some.

Thank you:D

PS: Love St. Ives, too! One of the most picturesque spots in England.

I walked all over Istanbul by myself last October at all hours in the tourist areas. As a single female, I never felt uncomfortable at all, but did stay in the well lit areas after it got dark. Not necessary to take any chances. I guarantee that Istanbul is safer overall than Los Angeles.;)

The Connie was my only experience on an M class ship. i was a little disappointed with the food in Blu but the hamburgers at the poolside grill were fantastic and the ship was great overall. It is more intimate than the S class ships and has the feel of an older oceanliner, especially in the decor of the MDR, which I personally prefer.

The service is excellent everywhere onboard and so is the captain. Sure you will enjoy it.

Would some of this effect be due to travel agencies who had been holding rooms releasing the unsold ones?

Yes, I know for a fact that is part of it.

Many prices go down, sometimes to rock bottom after final payment. But not if they are popular itineraries. I have found fantastic deals on Transatlantic cruises after final payment, and this year the Holy Land cruises went down as low as $499 pp for an inside cabin after final payment, as an example. Suites on that cruise went down as low as $1,499 pp.

It depends on supply and demand just like anything else. But I wouldn't wait if you really want a certain cabin or date because most of the best deals are guarantees, and you never know what will sell out and what won't.

As for tying up money making cruise deposits, at today's interest rates, it doesn't make much difference as the money doesn't earn anything.

Loved this captain. I sailed with him twice on Silhouette in Europe. He has a very humorous and engaging personality.

Nice to see he is a family man, not like that captain on the Costa Concordia. :eek:

Another thumbs up for Steve and his staff at tripinsurancestore.com

 

Betsy

Definitely Steve knows more about trip insurance than anyone I have found and will spend as much time as you need explaining it to you.

You will if you pay full fare. You won't if you pay a bargain fare. Been there, done that.

 

You will get double points if you pay 200% even if it applies to a bargain fare on exciting deals. You will not get double points if you pay 150 or 175%. I recently got double points on a single fare on exciting deals but I did pay double of what the double occupancy fare was pp. But the fare was really cheap anyway and the double points were a good bonus.:D this was from a cruise I just took in October.

If you paid 200% of any fare and didnt get double points, you should call Celebrity. At first they did not give me double points on the exciting deals fare until I called Captains club and brought it to their attention.

I did the same calculations and ended up booking concierge. We would not book a 2D or 2C cabin (lifeboats) so the cheapest veranda cabin is a 2B which is $4358 (CAN no taxes inc) A C3 is $4838 which is a difference of $480.

 

In a veranda I would receive $300 OBC less $264 for gratuities which would leave us $36 for the two of us to buy martinis:eek:

 

With the Concierge cabin I get $300 OBC + $275 for grats = $575

$575 - $480 (diff in cabin $) and I am ahead by $95 and I still have the drink pkg to boot.

 

I have always been bad with math:confused: but to me it made sense to book the Concierge Cabin

I just booked a single occupancy concierge on the same cruise. The difference between a 2D veranda and a C3 concierge was only $500. I received the 123 package plus an extra $100 OBC for booking concierge versus veranda onboard wih passages certificate, plus an additional $100 OBC from my travel agent for the higher cruise price. Plus I get double miles for solo occupancy, so will earn about 110 points for the cruise, enough to get me to elite plus by that time if I havent already reached it. Even with the 3 daily elite drink benefits I sometimes use the drink package for the martini bar as well as cafe el bacchio, fresh orange juice, etc. You cannot use the drink vouchers at the Martini or Molecular Bar, as far as I know.

IMO, It is definitely worth any small extra cost to end up with a great C2 location (1 category captains club upgrade) versus a 2C, even though the obstruction in 2C cabins is not really that noticable like the 2Ds. I do not care about the canapes in concierge or the footstools, which sometimes arent even available, but I did notice a big difference in the pillows, so I dont know if you can get the better pillow menus unless you have Concierge or above.

Just my thoughts.

The one I'm looking at starts in Istanbul, but I know celebrity has done this in a few places (Honolulu, Venice).

 

 

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I just took a cruise from Istanbul starting with an overnight on the ship. We checked in around 5 pm since I was on a tour. Celebrity told me I could check in later but would probably need to carry my own luggage on the ship. I would verify with them but pretty sure you wont have any trouble checking in late.

FYI, I would definitely try to get to Istanbul early if at all possible. Unless you have been there before, you will hardly be able to see anything in one day, especially since the ship departs around 2 or 3 pm the second day.I just spent five nights there before my cruise, not including the overnight on the ship and it was not nearly enough.

I took the Holy Land on the Connie in October and it was one of the best cruises ever!

I sail solo so get double points for my cabin. CC can rack up alot of points, so until I am Elite Plus will probably choose CC if the cost is only $100-200 more than a balcony, maybe a little more if the 123 benefits are included.

Also, it is possible a balcony guarantee on S class could get you a 2D obstructed or a cabin directly above the smoking area on Deck 5. Unless i could switch, the cabin above the smoking area would be a deal breaker.

Otherwise, on S class ships, no real benefit to concierge cabins. As stated above, they are a little larger on M class ships although I liked the location of the full length mirror better in the smaller regular veranda cabin than in Aqua class or concierge on Constellation.

I was also on this cruise and took the same drive in kotor as you did. With a different driver, of course. I agree with you, that it was very scary and I would never drive it myself. Nor would I drive it again even though it was beautiful the first time. :eek:

Thanks for posting the video. It captured the experience perfectly.

Eight months ago I bought 2 business class fares, one way Miami to Buenos Aires, through Choice Air. They are AA and on their website it says "ticketed". This flight is in February 2015.

 

After reading all of this I am wondering if this was a huge error. :confused:

 

Between now and February I need to buy our flights for Fall 2015, NYC to Dublin, one way business class. I was going to call Choice Air again but now I'm thinking I'll just book through the airline. :eek:

Prepare yourself for sticker shock. OW flights to Europe bought through most airlines are about 4X as much as Ow through Choice Air, so it might pay to take a chance. Although there may be some airlines where you can purchase OW tickets to BA for less. Check the ITA Matrix site.

I have never had problems purchasing through choice air so far but only puchase OW tickets to International destinations as there is not enough savings on RT tickets or domestic to take a chance on problems if the flight is cancelled or rerouted. Always allow yourself a few days before the cruise just in case, reduces your chances of anything going wrong.

Just. My opinion.

We recently opened up a Chase Sapphire Card. We are new to the points/reward system. We always just paid cash for everything before but then someone mentioned going about it this route so we can accrue miles/points/etc.

 

Anyhow, whats the best way to go about getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to Chase Sapphire card? I've heard there are ways to get more out of your points, just havent been able to figure out how?

 

We just booked our flights to europe as well as cruise. With the points we are accumulating, we plan to use them to hopefully book hotel.

 

Eventually, we will want to use the points to pay our flights.

 

What suggestions, tricks, etc do you know and would kindly share with new people like us?

The best bang for the buck is with airline tickets. You will see this when you compare how many miles you need for a Rt airline ticket to the cost of using miles to book a hotel. I never use miles for hotels, only flights. You can transfer miles to UAL and get a RT ticket in the US for as low as 25,000 miles. For europe, it can be as cheap as 60,000 miles RT. United usually has pretty good availability and flies to alot of places with partner airlines. I just saved over $1,300 booking a Rt ticket to Europe, even after paying fees.

I hope you got the 40,000 mileage bonus when you opened the card.

Istanbul, without a doubt. One of the least expensive large cities by far, fabulous food, the most fascinating sights, and a cornucopia of sounds, sights and smells, all coming at you simultaneously.

And the skyline rivals that of any city, even Venice, which I also love. A photographers dream.:D

Definitely start or end in Istanbul, then plan to spend at least 5-6 days there in this amazing city. It is the only city that has more beautiful sail away views than Venice, IMO. Overnight is not nearly enough time to enjoy everything this city has to offer. I cannot wait to get back for a longer stay even though I was there almost a week in october. And it is totally safe. i walked around by myself at all hours with no problems. Everything is open until very late. And prices are way cheaper than any large city in Europe.

If not Istanbul, I would choose the Adriatic itinerary, also outstanding, with an overnight in Venice.

We have just published a review of our recent Spain, Portugal and Canary Islands cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse. There are lots of photos of the various beautiful and fascinating ports. I have also included bar and dining menus; as well as food photos. It is located on our website www.thepreismans.com. We hope you enjoy it.

Hi Mike,

I always look forward to your reviews, they are great.

I just returned from a fantastic cruise on the Constellation to Istanbul and Israel, among other ports. I will send you a copy of my slide show when I finish it so you can see them, although it is not nearly as well done as your reviews. I know you would love these ports. I plan to take the same cruise again in 2016 so I can get back to Istanbul for a longer visit. I spent five nights there before the cruise and it was not nearly enough for me!

Looking forward to reading your review,

Anne