delraydoll

In conjunction with an Oceania Insignia cruise of the Black Sea (Athens-Istanbul May 29, 2014), my husband and I decided to fly into Athens early in order to revisit many of the sites we had seen in the 70s and 80s. We also wanted to go to Meteora (monasteries in the rocks) and Santorini. Not that I'm a snob, but we didn't want to take sightseeing tours with hordes of others, especially with the possibility of another language being spoken besides English.

After some research, we were lucky to find Travel2Greece by Travelive (http://www.travel2greece.com/). After several e-mails between the 2 of us to tweak the program, Senior Mgr of Sales & Client Services Marina Kiriazi (marina@travelive.com), came up with a customized program which included:

• Initial private transfer from the airport to our Athens hotel (which I arranged thru booking.com),

• Private half-day Athens sightseeing tour,

• Private 2-day (1 overnight) trip to Delphi/Meteora,

• 2 nights in Santorini (El Greco sea view suite) with private transfers/plane/half-day sightseeing tour (in a van with no more than 6 people),

• Private transfer Athens-Piraeus on the day of Insignia's embarkation.

Total cost: $3,678.

The insurance broker Travelive suggested was more expensive than the company I found on http://www.insuremytrip.com so we ended up paying an additional $384.21 for both of us (at the time we reserved, we were 69/79 respectively).

Thanks for sharing lovely photos and excellent report(s). We'll be there next May for 2 nites. Will check into possibly renting an ATV for our last day as our flight back to Athens doesn't leave 'til 7:40 p.m.

Pls pass on any info re renting the ATV. We're thinking of spending 3 nites in Santorini May 2014 before our Black Sea cruise. Want to stay in Oia. Send any info direct to my email cyr13408@yahoo.com. Many thanks.

According to travel.state.gov: ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS: You need a passport and visa to travel to Turkey. Passports should be valid for at least 90 days from the date of entry into Turkey and must have enough blank space to allow for Turkish entry and exit stamps. Beginning on January 1, 2013, if there is not enough space for entry and exit stamps in your passport, you will be denied entry into Turkey. If you are traveling as a tourist, you can purchase a tourist visa at a Turkish Embassy or Consulate outside of Turkey, or you can purchase a sticker visa at the Turkish airport or other port of entry for $20 (U.S.) cash. There is one exception: foreigners who are traveling to Turkey by cruise ship are allowed to enter Turkey without a visa for a maximum period of 72 hours, with permission given by the local security authorities at the port of entry. For additional information, please visit the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Frequently Asked Questions website. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1046.html#entry_requirements.

I just spoke with the Turkish gov't call center 1-888-566-7656 (located in Ankara!) who confirmed that if you enter Turkey for less than 72 hrs., a visa isn't required, i.e., a port stop in Ephesus.

The cruise we're contemplating for next year ends in Istanbul. Since we've been there about 5 times, we'll probably just fly out the same day. But even if we have to overnight in order to make our plane connection, we still don't need a visa as it'll be less than 72 hrs.

Visas can be issued for longer periods at entry points, i.e., Istanbul port for $20.

I've posted on this subject before. We're doing Viking for the first and last time in June, Berlin-Prague. The final payment date is negotiable, but you really have to "deal" with your travel agent and Viking. We booked the trip for May '13 in May '12, and they wanted full payment the end of that month. After negotiations, we didn't have to make final payment 'til Dec.

Uniworld and Avalon, at least, offer a deep discount if you pay in full up front, up to $2,000/couple!

Plus, with Viking, you might be charged foreign transaction fee depending on your credit card as the charge goes thru as Basel, CH (Switzerland). You'll be reimbursed the fee by your travel agent or Viking, but the fact that I hadn't been told about this in the first place is what annoyed the heck out of me.

Will be in Nosy Be with Nautica (Oceania) in January. Per the roll call, appears all private tours for the lemurs are fully booked. Any recommendations for seeing the lemurs? Oceania's excursion costs $170 pp. Please contact Ann, cyr13408@gmail.com, direct as I don't check CC website all that often. Thanks.

Vietnam is really a country that warrants a land tour vs. cruising. Just need more time than 6 hrs. in any given port! But that being said...

We did both as part of a land tour 2 yrs. ago and agree that Hoi An, if one has the time, is really delightful. Ate at 2 restaurants where they had a cooking school (can't remember names) but both were fantastic. The city is just a delight to walk around (hopefully not during typhoon season as they get regular flooding!!). Lots of shops to pop into, bridges over canals to cross, pedicabs, etc., etc.

Hue has the citadel and other historical sites but isn't as walkable.

Check roll call for your ship and see if anyone is going to do a tour separate from what the ship offers. Would be so much better to go in a small group to either place rather than a tourist bus of 40 or so. UGH!

We've booked them for July 24. When I reserved in October, amt charged to our capone visa was $181.57 for the 2 of us. They're taking us direct to our hotel (Comfort Hotel Hayes -- from the hotel, one can see the airport so they'll drop us off direct). See http://www.silver-fleet.co.uk.com