Istanbul - Which cruiseline?

[Juliadlf]

We are looking to do another cruise in 2011 and want Istanbul to be one of the ports we stop at.

 

Looking for cruiseline recommendations from either past cruisers who have stopped at this port or cruisers who are going for the first time.

 

Was 1 day enough or should we look at cruiselines which stay overnight?

 

Thanks for any recommendations you can give.

 

Julia

[cruisemom42]

Truthfully, if you are looking primarily at the major cruise lines, itinerary is more important than the ship in the Med -- IMO and the opinions of many others I've read here.

 

I've done Istanbul both as a long port day, an overnight port, and also stayed there on my own. For most itineraries, an overnight doesn't gain you much more usable time, as ships tend to dock in the mid-afternoon of one day and sail mid- to late- afternoon on the second. The main reason for wanting an overnight is if you wanted to see some kind of show or have a dinner ashore (or maybe an evening Bosphorus cruise).

 

Be very careful to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays in Istanbul if possible. On Mondays, all museums are closed -- and the Haghia Sophia is considered a museum. On Tuesdays, Topkapi Palace is closed.

[MsCruiserT]

Last year we took a cruise that finished in Istanbul. The ship overnighted before we disembarked plus we stayed 2 more nights in a hotel. Istanbul has so many wonderful sites just within the Old City. 1 day definitely does not do it justice, you'll only get to see 1 or 2 sites. Having an overnight lets you see maybe 3 places. If you really wish to see more, I would recommend a cruise that either starts or ends in Istanbul, and book 2-3 nights in a hotel. I would say the must sees are the Blue Mosque, Haghia Sofia, Topkapi Palace(allot at least 1/2 a day for this), Underground Cistern, all are within few minutes' walking distance. The Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are a tram ride away and if you like to shop you can spend a whole day just in those 2 places. The Bosphorous Cruise is also a highlight of any visit and that takes the better part of a day(ferry leaves in the morning and comes back at 3-4pm). So I guess you need to decide what you want to see - you obviously want to see Istanbul for some reason so if you have a long list of places to see then you will need to have 2 or 3 days there. Good tip from the above poster about places being closed. I believe the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaara are closed on Sundays.

[texancruzer]

We did an 11 night cruise with Celebrity that overnighted in Istanbul. We truly enjoyed this port and made the most of every minute we had here.

 

I would choose a cruise that at least overnighted.

 

And an added tip : use the tram !

[Juliadlf]

Thank you for the replies and the Celebrity lead. I started checking the cruiseline sites and came up with these 3.

 

Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. Haven't sailed on Royal C. or Celebrity so I need to do some inquiries and check the dates of arrivals /departures against the holiday / closure schedule.

 

The RC sailing does an overnight. Arriving on a Saturday(early) and then departing on the Sunday (afternoon).

Celebrity has ones that start and end in Istanbul and ones that stop over much like the RC cruise itinerary.

Princess is mainly a day stop.

 

 

 

Julia

[texancruzer]

Julia, while we love Royal Caribbean, we found our Celebrity cruise to be our favorite. Just a step up from RCI. See you cruise Princess so I would suggest Celebrity if you want a lateral move - comparable experience. I have actually been looking at a Princess Tahiti cruise. Wanted to do that one for our 30th anniversary - but dh has wanted to go to Egypt his whole life - so we are doing a 15 day tour in 11 days :eek: Perhaps Tahiti next year ;)

[cruise kitty]

Hi, we're booked on the Oct 20th Equinox cruise out rome next year. It does an overnight in Istanbul, arriving at 7am on tues morning, & leaving at 2 pm next day, we plan on doing Topkapi palace on Wed. morning. The itinerary is really great; Rome, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Ephesus, & Naples. So far, we've only cruised on celebrity, so I can't make any comparisons, but we've been very pleased:)

[KirkNC]

Truthfully, if you are looking primarily at the major cruise lines, itinerary is more important than the ship in the Med -- IMO and the opinions of many others I've read here.

 

I've done Istanbul both as a long port day, an overnight port, and also stayed there on my own. For most itineraries, an overnight doesn't gain you much more usable time, as ships tend to dock in the mid-afternoon of one day and sail mid- to late- afternoon on the second. The main reason for wanting an overnight is if you wanted to see some kind of show or have a dinner ashore (or maybe an evening Bosphorus cruise).

 

Be very careful to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays in Istanbul if possible. On Mondays, all museums are closed -- and the Haghia Sophia is considered a museum. On Tuesdays, Topkapi Palace is closed.

 

I totally agree with Cynthia.

 

Kirk

[KirkNC]

Thank you for the replies and the Celebrity lead. I started checking the cruiseline sites and came up with these 3.

 

Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. Haven't sailed on Royal C. or Celebrity so I need to do some inquiries and check the dates of arrivals /departures against the holiday / closure schedule.

 

The RC sailing does an overnight. Arriving on a Saturday(early) and then departing on the Sunday (afternoon).

Celebrity has ones that start and end in Istanbul and ones that stop over much like the RC cruise itinerary.

Princess is mainly a day stop.

Julia

 

Of those three lines (ignoring itineraries) I would go with Celebrity first, Princess second. Not knowing the rest of the stops for each ship and just basing it on the Istanbul stop I still like X (Celebrity) as you could spend some extra time there.

 

Kirk

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Try to find an itinerary that starts or ends in Istanbul. This city is magnificent and worthy of a few days visit at least.

[Bet & Peg]

Hi Julia ~ Istanbul ~ take a look at Celebrity's Constellation September 7, 2011 12-day cruise from Amsterdam to Istanbul. My DH has always wanted to see/sail by Gibraltar and see Istanbul - this one cruise has both ports.

Negative - fly in and out of 2 different cities but we feel its worth it! Positive - the Constelaltion is a fabulous ship!

[texancruzer]

Funny, I saw that one recently too ! Very interesting itinerary indeed !

[Juliadlf]

Thank you all for the feedback. It has been 3 years since our last cruise and I know nothing about RC or Celebrity so I need to do my research on those cruiselines. Princess, I guess I will need a refresher on what has changed in the last 3 years :o

 

I believe when I looked up the itineraries for September and October, I did see that both RC and Celebrity docked early in the morning (7am)and left the following day around 2pm. The question comes down to what is open during the days we are in port. Can't forget the possibility of not docking due to weather either :(

 

The other itinerary was from Celebrity to start and end in Istanbul. I have no idea yet as to the ease of flying in and out of Istanbul, how many connections, cost, etc.

 

My husband and I don't mind revisiting ports. As many of you know who have traveled this part of the region before, you don't get to see everything in one day so going back allows you the opportunity to see a bit more.:)

 

Julia

[TLCOhio]

There are many air options from NY to Istanbul. It will probably involve a connection and plane change through Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, etc. I would consider doing a cruise that either starts or ends in Istanbul. Then, maybe have your other "end" or "start" being in Athens, Venice or Rome. There are lots and lots of options. Much depends on what you want to see and do with the various port stops, which areas. The Croatian Coast, Greek Island and Turkish Coast are all super great and very interesting. How much are you interested in history, classic architecture? What size of ship are you considering, smaller or larger? Or, a mega large ship? Below are some visual samples/previews for what you can enjoy in these great areas.

 

This wise advice from Cynthia is very important to consider: "Truthfully, if you are looking primarily at the major cruise lines, itinerary is more important than the ship in the Med -- IMO and the opinions of many others I've read here."

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 21,000 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

For Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, here is a longer, overall shot of its carpets where people still pray on a daily basis:

 

 

 

Along the scenic coast of Turkey, here is the Bodrum Castle and next a view from the Castle to our cruise ship:

 

 

 

 

 

Looking downhill towards the library and other ruins from when Ephesus was Rome's capital of Asia Minor:

 

 

 

On Athens’ Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide who helps us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there:

 

 

 

Greece's Epidaurus has totally amazing acoustic properties at its location on the Peloponnesian Peninsula:

 

[Juliadlf]

Thank you for the follow-up TLCOhio - Terry.

We have been to Kusadasi on our last voyage and enjoyed it very much. Your photos are wonderful to see of Istanbul.:)

 

I agree that ports of call are important but since we've been to most of the ones offered, it comes down to which ones would we like to see a second time and venture ashore.

 

I think I've found most of the cruiselines that stop or start/end in Istanbul.

Someone mentioned Celebrity's Constellation which I am still researching.

 

 

Julia

[H2Oregon]

We just booked Celebrity Constellation for October 1, 2011. The cruise begins with an overnight in Istanbul, then Kusadasi, Bodrum, and Marmaris Turkey. Then Rhodes, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos and Chania (Crete) Greece before returning to Istanbul. I believe there were three dates for this itinerary, one in September and two in October.

[Juliadlf]

H2Oregon We just booked Celebrity Constellation for October 1, 2011. The cruise begins with an overnight in Istanbul, then Kusadasi, Bodrum, and Marmaris Turkey. Then Rhodes, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos and Chania (Crete) Greece before returning to Istanbul. I believe there were three dates for this itinerary, one in September and two in October.

Thank you. I see there are a couple of ports we haven't visited on that itinerary.

 

When I do a search on the Celebrity board, is Constellation also known as "Connie" or am I mixing things up? Trying to get the lingo straight for what I should be using for the search criteria on the Celebrity board and not get wrong information.:o

 

Thanks for the help.

Julia

[TLCOhio]

Thank you for the follow-up TLCOhio - Terry.

We have been to Kusadasi on our last voyage and enjoyed it very much. Your photos are wonderful to see of Istanbul.:) I agree that ports of call are important but since we've been to most of the ones offered, it comes down to which ones would we like to see a second time and venture ashore. I think I've found most of the cruiselines that stop or start/end in Istanbul. Someone mentioned Celebrity's Constellation which I am still researching. Julia

 

THANKS, Julia, for the nice comments on the pictures! Yes, the Constellation is called the "Connie" and we've heard good things about that line and their ships. I would consider flying into one city and then out of another. If you book your air tickets as "open jaw", your flight costs should not be that much more in doing your logistics that way. Keep do your research and planning. You've got lots of great options to consider. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 21,800 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[vintagebabe]

I would suggest looking at Azamara Cruise line(part of the Celebrity family). We just booked a cruise for September 2011 that starts in Istanbul. It is 7 days, goes to three Turkey ports, ends in Athens. It also stops at Sanitorini, Mykonos. The ship doesn't leave the port until late at night, so they give you plenty of time to check it all out!

[TLCOhio]

I would suggest looking at Azamara Cruise line(part of the Celebrity family). We just booked a cruise for September 2011 that starts in Istanbul. It is 7 days, goes to three Turkey ports, ends in Athens. It also stops at Sanitorini, Mykonos. The ship doesn't leave the port until late at night, so they give you plenty of time to check it all out!

 

Have heard good things about Azamara. We used Seabourn and it is nice being on a smaller ship as you get more flexibility when docking or tendering in the smaller ports of the Greek Isles or along the Turkish Coast. Unloading and loading a 2000-3000 passenger ship does add some challenges and time issues.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 22,800 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[UKBayern]

Princess also has some itineraries to Istanbul.

[tom_uk]

We visited Istanbul just over a year ago on a Celebrity overnight-stop cruise. We enjoyed the city very much. I blogged from that cruise; here and here are the entries for Istanbul.

 

As the blog entries suggest (and as an earlier poster has said) the secret of success in Istanbul is the tram.