Venice to Istanbul -- Tips, Traps and Tidbits

[kiawahdon]

Between June and the first part of November, the Odyssey and the Quest will spend all their time (over 287 days collectively) sailing between Venice and Istanbul visiting essentially the same ports. I have started this thread in the hopes that CC members will share their experiences and questions that are specific to Seabourn and the ports on these cruises. I know CC has a site for port reviews, but these are usually very general. Did you have a memorable lunch in a taverna on Santorini? Where does SB dock in Corfu? A not so hot tour on Rhodes? Have a question regarding how strenuous is it to walk the walls surrounding Dubrovnik? How was the SB tour of Athens for those doing a B2B? You get the idea.

I truly believe this thread can prove very useful and informative if a couple points are kept in mind. It is not a Roll Call. Therefore discussing a specific cruise or passenger communications regarding a specific cruise do not belong on this thread. Please use the Roll Calls and keep this tread focused on its intended purpose.

[ozecruiser]

What a great idea. We are sailing Istanbul to Venice on Quest in October and would love to hear the tips and experiences of previous cruisers on this route.

[jdick]

Totally agree. A new experience for us in October also. Look forward to hear all the experiences and wrinkles

Cant wait

[Bostonactor]

Absolutely! We are sailing B2B Istanbul to Venice next May on the Odyssey and would particularly like to know about SB excursion to Athens (Acropolis.) After the tour is there time to walk around the Plaka district before returning to ship with group? Will they, in addition, offer just a shuttle to the center of town so we can wander around on our own? I have been to Athens and would particularly like to show my husband the view of the city and Acropolis from Philippopos (sp?) hill above the city.

[Keith1010]

In Dubrovnik I would not do a tour but take the shuttle into town and see the Walled City. How strenuous it is depends on each person. You can turn back at anytime and there are places to sit. The sail into Dubrovnik is quite nice and from the walled city you can see how beautiful the local area is.

 

In Rhodes you can do a tour but this is another place where you can walk the old city. It has historic buildings and lots of stores, restaurants and cafes and is located within about a 5 minutes walk from the ship.

 

If you have not been to Athens I would take a tour that offers the opportunity to see the major historical sites.

 

Warning. It is very hot in many of these locations in July and August and also busy with tourists.

 

Personally, I think a perfect time to go is October when there are less tourists and it is not humid and the daytime high are much more moderate.

 

Keith

[Amalek]

Watch out for the Turkish Taxi Mafia in Istanbul. When you get off the ship, they will direct you towards a sign that says taxis. This is not the right place to get taxis - go out the gate and they are right outside.

 

What is at the sign is a "franchise" of the Turkish Mafia, who will shake you down for double or triple (or more). We were going a short distance and the fair should have been about 10 lira. We were quoted 50 euros and refused when we said that was too high. A taxi finally agreed to take us for 30 euros - about 6 times the proper fare, and immediately got into a fight with the mafia boss. The driver took out a club, the police got involved - what an adventure.

 

Then the taxi driver drops us off a few blocks from our hotel, claiming it was not possible to drive to the front door - it was possible, just difficult. He demanded a 5 euro tip for the "difficulty" he had with the mafia.

 

Think about booking in advance for pickup or at least walking out the gate. Do not trust the porters - they are in on the scam.

[kiawahdon]

Thanks Keith1010 and Amalek for your posts. This is exactly the kind of useful information I had hoped this thread would generate.

[BrentC]

My wife and I did Venice to Istanbul on the Odyssey in April so I'm happy to jump in here. There is a lot to say and don't know where to start other than to reply to a couple of the lead in questions.

 

Corfu - The ship docks at the main harbor in Corfu Town. The ship has a shuttle bus that runs from the ship to the gates of the Old Fort every 30 minutes and takes about 5 minutes. Or, you can walk it in about 15 minutes.

 

Athens - We did Athens on our own so I can't comment on how much time there is to explore the Plaka with the ship's excursions. If on your own, you can take a taxi but I've heard the horror stories about their fares, same as the Istanbul stories. Instead, we took the subway which has a direct line from the port to the ancient Agora (Monastiraki stop) and takes 15". Buy your combined Agora/Acropolis ticket at the Agora and avoid the huge lines at the Acropolis. Then wander through the nice ruins at the Agora on your way up the hill to the Acropolis. After seeing the Acropolis, head out the back side and into the Plaka for good food and shopping. We then took the subway back and were back at the ship around 2:30.

 

Note on the subway. The port station is a 25 minute walk from the cruise terminal along a busy street and a bustling port. It was hot even in April and will be much worse in the summer. So, if walking a lot in the heat (you still have a lot of that at the Acropolis) is not your thing, consider the ship excursion in an air conditioned bus.

 

Patmos - For good food, incredible views, and a nice proprietor, check out Jimmy's Balcony at the top of the hill just below the monastery. You'll pass it on your left as you walk up the street to the monastery entrance after you get to the point where vehicles can go no further. The fried cheese is fabulous.

 

You can walk up to the monastery via a nice hiking path that goes by the Cave of the Apocalypse. With a stop at the Cave, figure on a hike of an hour to the top. It will be hot again in summer so take water. Note that the monastery closes at 1:00. An alternative is to rent a scooter.

 

Scooter rentals are everywhere on most of the islands and a good way to get around if you don't mind the Greek drivers and have basic motorcycle skills. I rented scooters on Milos and Mykonos and it was great to be free to go where I wanted. Figure on 15 euros for a day rental.

 

That's enough for now. If you have specific questions, send them on!

 

BrentC

[BrentC]

Santorini tendering - Note that the first tender at Santorini is only for passengers taking a ship-based excursion and leaves around 8:45-9:00. If you're on your own for the day, don't bother getting down to the tender area early hoping to get on the first tender because it doesn't go where you want to go. This is because the excursioners have to catch shuttle buses that can only access a port several miles away from Fira, the main town. After those people are taken to their buses, then the tenders will start regular trips to the docks below Fira.

 

I note this only because this wasn't pointed out to us on our cruise and we did get down there early to be on the first tender. The crew was somewhat confused regarding the procedures (this was the first trip to Santorini for some of them) and many of us passengers ended up waiting around in the Club for about an hour. I think the first tender to Fira ended up leaving around 9:30 - 9:45. Hopefully, the communications will be better in the future.

 

Santorini hiking - If you're into hiking, do what we did and hike the caldera from Fira to Oia. You'll have the best views in the world for the entire hike. It's about 8 km and took us 2'45" with several rest breaks for water and photos. There is a lot of elevation change but the route is on nice trails and village streets so it's not technically challenging. The temperature was mid-60s in April but will be hot in the summer.

 

In Oia, enjoy a nice lunch at any of the great restaurants overlooking the caldera and then do a little shopping before taking the bus back to Fira. Or you can catch a cab. The bus fare was 1 euro 60 cents I think. The bus comes every 30" and was standing room only.

 

BrentC

[sundial]

We were on the Odyssey last October on a back to back from Venice to Athens to Istanbul.

 

Athens: We did the ship's tour here and were quite pleased with it. We spent most of our time at the Acropolis and the new museum which is fantastic. We did not have much free time before returning to the ship though and we were only able to do a little shopping at some nearby stores before we had to leave.

 

Rhodes: We took a tour to the Acropolis of Lindos. It very interesting and the views from the Acropolis were incredible. It does require climbing up steps though and it is not for the mobility challenged. We still had plenty of time to walk into the old walled city on our own in the afternoon.

 

Istanbul: If you visit Topkapi Palace be sure to tour the Harem. It requires a separate admission but we thought it was well worth seeing.

[64Driver]

Great thread, thanks for the information. For those starting a cruise in Athens- does Seabourn offer any sort of transfer from hotels to the cruise terminal, or do you have to find your own transportation? We are staying at the Grand Bretagne.

Charles

[LEESRE]

Great thread, thanks for the information. For those starting a cruise in Athens- does Seabourn offer any sort of transfer from hotels to the cruise terminal, or do you have to find your own transportation? We are staying at the Grand Bretagne.

Charles

 

Charles,

I think Seabourn only do transfers if you book the hotel through them, also if you do their air program also.

We are on Quest from Athens and I have found some quite good taxi transfers from the airport, they also do hotel transfers.

Just Google transfers in Athens and up will come various sites.

Good luck and hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Bollinge]

DO NOT TAKE A WATER TAXI IN ANYWHERE IN VENICE, UNLESS YOU KNOW THE CORRECT FARE AND AGREE IT IN ADVANCE. OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE RIPPED OFF BIG TIME!

 

I wrote that in capitals because that was how much I was ripped off!

[kstauab869]

Is it a good idea instead to take the Alilaguna in Venice? Seems easy from the airport to get to various hotels in the city for a reasonable price.

[Decebal]

The Los Angeles Times had a very, very sad and scary article regarding the crime rate in Athens due to the economic crisis they are experiencing. The city has cut the police force and combined with major unemployment (especially among the imigrants), the perfect receipe for going downhill fast.

[merryecho]

In Dubrovnik walk around the walled city until you come to a hole in the wall with a sign that says 'cold drinks'. Step through the hole to a little cafe clinging to the side of the cliff with the most gorgeous sea view in the world. they play great music too- lots of sinatra and clooney type tunes. If you picture yourself standing in the middle of town, with the entrance gate at 10-11:00, the hole is at about 5:00.

[socalguy2010]

DW and I did a B2B Venice to Athens to Istanbul last September. I agree with other posters about several things: the Seabourn tour of Athens was very good for a first-timer (the New Museum is excellent, spent a good bit of time at the Acropolis (difficult climb for me who is walking impaired), the Turkish taxis (and people in general) are very aggressive and out to rip you off. Our experience disagrees with the poster about the Venice water taxi - we had no problem and the fare was as I'd been led to believe from these boards.

[Roxburgh]

The Los Angeles Times had a very, very sad and scary article regarding the crime rate in Athens due to the economic crisis they are experiencing. The city has cut the police force and combined with major unemployment (especially among the imigrants), the perfect receipe for going downhill fast.

 

Anyone got recommendations for a reputable company for the cruise port to airport transfer in Athens?

[freddie]

Roxburgh - We have twice in the last several years used Vassilis Vassalos for transfers from the cruise port to the airport. On one of the transfers, we took "the long route" and made a visit to the Temple of Poseidon on the way to the airport. Vassilis speaks excellent English, has a lovely car that is impeccably clean, and is quite a delightful chap.

 

Here is the link to his website: http://www.athenstours.gr/

 

Cheers, Fred

[Roxburgh]

Roxburgh - We have twice in the last several years used Vassilis Vassalos for transfers from the cruise port to the airport. On one of the transfers, we took "the long route" and made a visit to the Temple of Poseidon on the way to the airport. Vassilis speaks excellent English, has a lovely car that is impeccably clean, and is quite a delightful chap.

 

Here is the link to his website: http://www.athenstours.gr/

 

Cheers, Fred

 

Thanks Fred :):)

[lord of the seas]

the Turkish taxis (and people in general) are very aggressive and out to rip you off.

 

I find that if you ask the Turkish salesmen if they want to buy a carpet ,that usually shuts them up and they walk away from you.

[BrentC]

We had heard great things about the new museum at the Acropolis in Athens and were looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately, it is closed on Monday, the day the Odyssey is in port throughout the summer. :(

 

Maybe some of the other ships make ports of call in Athens on other days.

 

BrentC

[kiawahdon]

We have been to Olympia on a previous cruise and am wondering if the excursion to the Mercouri winery is a worthwhile alternative. Anyone done this excursion yet?

[Vanes12]

Hi There,

 

I'm look at booking the cruise on the Seabourn Quest in September (Athens - Venice) cruise. Its for my husbands surprise birthday, he loves cruising but I dont do well with rough waters. Are the seas generally rough this time of year and on this route?

And what is the general age group on the Seabourn Cruises?

 

Would appreciate your response

 

Regards

[LEESRE]

Who can tell what the weather is like and the seas. Some years you could have flat calm and others stormy weather.

Age group varies we had youngsters of say 20 to oldies in their 80's

 

It is not the age but the company of like minded people.