mrssbi Posted January 18, 2011 #1 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Tried ports of call and search without much luck. Any ideas on what to do in Constanta. Is Bucharest worth the long drive and short visit? Also any information on the Danube Delta. Any other information would be helpful. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted January 18, 2011 #2 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Tried ports of call and search without much luck. Any ideas on what to do in Constanta. Is Bucharest worth the long drive and short visit? Also any information on the Danube Delta.Any other information would be helpful. Thanks I don't think so. While Bucharest is worth a visit, I would not do it from Constanta. The port itself is interesting enough for a short visit, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jpalbny Posted January 18, 2011 #3 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We did this port in June 2010 on Silversea. We took a half-day ship's tour to Ancient Histria which drives through the Danube delta on the way. The site is interesting enough - ancient ruins, and also a small museum with some of the finds from the site. In the afternoon we took the ship's shuttle into town (it is walkable, but maybe 30 minutes from port to town). We spent some time in town at the Archaeological museum, and wandered around town enjoying the architecture. There's a Roman bath house with a large mosaic floor that's worth a look. Some nice churches. A park with ruins and artifacts. Then we walked back to the boat which was, for the most part, a very picturesque stretch of coastline with a seaside park, lighthouse, and old casino which is now falling into disrepair, but still very elegant. The port area itself is ugly - mixed industrial and passenger - and it's about 10 minutes from the entry to the ship. Practical info: there are reportdly a TON of pickpockets so if you're out in a small group be careful. At least one person on the ship had a camera stolen. If this makes you squeamish then you may want to stick with an organized tour. We had no problem but you never know... They are not on the Euro (the Lev, or something like that?) but the museums and tourist sites will take US dollars and will make change. If you would like to see pictures of the tour and the town, follow my link below for the Black Sea cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toranut97 Posted January 18, 2011 #4 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We have docked in Constanta twice. The first time was on a Vantage River Cruise, and we enjoyed the archaeological museum, visiting the beach, and attending a lunch that included recreations of Romanian wedding customs. We actually continued on to Bucharest from there -- we flew home from Bucharest -- and I would say it is not a place to drive a long way to see. The big highlight there was the big Parliament Building -- I think they call it the "Wedding Cake" and we didn't even go in, and you have to pay a fee to take photos in it. Most of what the guide said during the city tour related to the downfall of Ceaucescu (sp?) and it was kind of a sad tour -- but that is reality, and if you want some modern history, this is it. Now that stop was some years ago, so I can't vouch for how it is today. Last summer we docked during our Black Sea cruise (in Constanta), but the cruise was so port intensive, and since the scenes to be included were about the same as before (including the wedding lunch) we voted to stay aboard and catch some sun and rest. We were really glad we did -- at least three passengers had encounters with criminals. A common practice is for potential muggers/thieves to pose as police and demand your passport, which then disappears. Be careful if you wander on your own in Constanta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted January 18, 2011 #5 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I am saddened (but not surprised) to hear the state of affairs in Constanta. We were there several years ago with Voyages of Discovery and had a pleasant stay and felt safe. BTW, the building in Bucharest that Toranut 97 is referring to is quite spectacular inside and well worth a visit (everything on larger than normal scale with lots of marble and gigantic carved doors, ceilings - a palace for a madman) - but not from Constanta. IIRC, it's the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrssbi Posted January 18, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thank you so much for your information. It helps quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain grandma Posted January 18, 2011 #7 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We have docked in Constanta twice. The first time was on a Vantage River Cruise, and we enjoyed the archaeological museum, visiting the beach, and attending a lunch that included recreations of Romanian wedding customs. We actually continued on to Bucharest from there -- we flew home from Bucharest -- and I would say it is not a place to drive a long way to see. The big highlight there was the big Parliament Building -- I think they call it the "Wedding Cake" and we didn't even go in, and you have to pay a fee to take photos in it. Most of what the guide said during the city tour related to the downfall of Ceaucescu (sp?) and it was kind of a sad tour -- but that is reality, and if you want some modern history, this is it. Now that stop was some years ago, so I can't vouch for how it is today. Last summer we docked during our Black Sea cruise (in Constanta), but the cruise was so port intensive, and since the scenes to be included were about the same as before (including the wedding lunch) we voted to stay aboard and catch some sun and rest. We were really glad we did -- at least three passengers had encounters with criminals. A common practice is for potential muggers/thieves to pose as police and demand your passport, which then disappears. Be careful if you wander on your own in Constanta. I agree with this post. We were there on our Oceania Black Sea cruise last Summer, walking around with another couple, and we actually were accosted by these criminals. Fortunately, we had been warned on the ship about the fake "police" and got away fast! There were several instances like this and one lady did lose her passport to these people. We were totally unimpressed with the town already so we went directly back to the ship when this happened. Several people who took the tour to Bucharest said that it was not worth the long drive. If you are also thinking that Nessebur, Bulgaria will be the same kind of town (like I did before we went there), think again. It was one of the most charming little villages I have ever gone to and with very friendly people. You don't need a tour--just walk on your own and enjoy the very old village architecture! The Black Sea itinerary was really great and we enjoyed it immensely with the exception of Constanta. We had private guides in all the larger ports except for Trabazon, Turkey where we took the ship's tour to Sumela Monastery. Have a great cruise. Billie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted January 18, 2011 #8 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We took the shuttle into town and visited the archeologic museum and a folk arts museum. We looked for a cafe for coffee and never found one, so we went back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruba Posted January 19, 2011 #9 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Has anyone done the Danute Delta excursion that Oceania offers from Constanta? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange County Murphy Posted January 19, 2011 #10 Share Posted January 19, 2011 We did this excursion on Regent last June. I don't want to be negative, but the excursion was boring and way too long. Your proposed excursion sounds identical to ours. The excursion lasted 9 hours, (2 hour bus ride from ship to boat, 5 hours on the boat, 2 hour bus ride back to the ship). This might not have been too bad, but the return bus ride was simply the reverse of the outbound trip. There probably wasn't any other route, but, nevertheless the scenery was boring. We did not see any charming villages, just fields. Five hours on the boat was too much, especially since the boat simply turned around after 2 1/2 hours, so the second half of the trip was a repeat of the first. There was forest on either side of the boat, and that was about all for 5 hours. We did see a few birds. A total of 2 hours on the boat would have been sufficient, but probably wouldn't have justified the 4 hours on the bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruba Posted January 20, 2011 #11 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks for the feedback. I don't think we'll be doing the Danube Delta excursion. :( Maybe we'll do Bucharest despite the long bus ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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