1st Timer in the Med

[Caly]

We have booked an 11 night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise:

Rome, Santori, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos, Naples, Rome

Any suggestions on tours? Did you book through Celebrity or did you book on line? Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

[lovestx]

We have booked an 11 night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise:

Rome, Santori, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos, Naples, Rome

Any suggestions on tours? Did you book through Celebrity or did you book on line? Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Have you joined your Roll Call on CruiseCritic? If you do, you will find others who are looking for folks to share excursions. I would also recommend reading the Ports of Call topics for your particular ports.

 

We are cruising on Equinox in June with the same itinerary and I have gotten great ideas from others on this board. Will do some DIY, some private tours and maybe one ship excursion in Santorini.

[suec12]

there are actually several threads running now with very similar scenarios so you may want to check in on those

 

some ports benefit from doing tours, either the ships or privately booked (probably a better idea) for a good overview get Rick Steves book for Med. cruises - it will help you sort out what you can do on your own and maximize your time and $$.

 

we did Ephesus with Ekol tours, Istanbul, Santorini, and Athens on our own. Naples is a great place to get a private driver for going down the Amalfi coast but if you get the book, it will give you all the options. Enjoy!

[USVI-4-me]

The comprehensive tour of Ephesus, the Roman Terrace Houses, and the Roman Lunch (in costume) is a favorite.

 

Since your cruise is port intensive, I recommend you plan an unstructured day in Mykonos.

 

Santorini makes a tough tour day because too many day visitors need access to the cable, donkeys, or share the path with the donkeys. If you've never been to Santorini, IMHO, you'll be disappointed if you don't go up. Therefore, I recommend an early morning ship tour so you'll be one of the first off the ship and probably take a tender to a sandy beach where you'll board one of those big buses for a tour of the island. It will be an adventure. You'll get to see the island, visit a winery with a view and get a glimpse of OIA.

 

We do Rome on our Own, with a bus ride in to the Vatican where you can take the Hop on Off bus or do a walking tour.

 

Most of all, you need to find your Roll Call because it will help you find the best information. Of course, you should visit the Ports section of the Cruise Critic Boards.

 

You'll have a great cruise. Get plenty of exercise to prepare for the touring.

 

You can expect Istanbul to be very crowded. Gather as much information as possible from the ports section and your roll call.

 

 

Maris

[TLCOhio]

We have booked an 11 night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise: Rome, Santori, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos, Naples, Rome. Any suggestions on tours? Did you book through Celebrity or did you book on line? Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Have recently been in six of these seven great places. Have lots of ideas, suggestions and thoughts. If you read below from my live/blog, you can see many more details on Rome and Naples, plus the wonderful options on these Solstice-type ships.

 

Tell us more about your party size/make-up, budget, ages, personal and travel interests, past Europe and France travel experience, etc. How much are you interested in history? Countryside vs. cities? Museums, food, wine, art, music, shopping, architecture, etc.? How much of it in a leisurely style versus fast-paced? Then, with more detailed information from you, we can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your needs and interests.

 

In some places here, private tours (such as RomeInLimo for Naples and Rome) can work well. Others can be done well on your own such as Mykonos. Ephesus and Istanbul are both very historic, special and unique. Ships tours are not perfect, but in some cases, they can be easy and help to give you the logistics basics.

 

You can check out my earlier post on “Athens Tips, Suggestions, Examples to Enjoy!” for many details, ideas and interesting visuals on this great city. Lots of ideas here from me and others experienced with Athens.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

For those who have not yet visited Greece, the good news is that the wonderful Plaka is right handy and next door to the famed Acropolis area. That makes things so much easier. On going up the hill, be careful as the stone steps can be slick in areas. And you will be looking up and forgetting to watch where and how you are stepping. It's well worth the effort getting there to the top. It is amazing history and architecture!! Also, we had a private guide to help us on this spectacular site. It's not cheap, but it was well worth it to know more on what you are seeing and why it is so important. Below are a few of my visual sample to get people excited about your upcoming visit.

 

Look forward to hearing more back from you. Reactions to this info, so far??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 63,133 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here’s a sampling of the narrow flowered street in Mykonos with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

 

 

 

This harbor view in Mykonos shows one of the charming windmills. From as early as the 16th century, these are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos. The island is 33 square miles in size and has a population of 9,300, mostly in its main village.:

 

 

 

Our first views of Istanbul from our just-docking cruise ship as we smell the sweet blend of this historic Turkish city. YES, you can really smell how “special” is this unique city with so much culture!:

 

 

 

Hagia Sophia, the former patriarchal basilica, later mosque, now a museum in Istanbul. It is a mix of both Christan and Islamic visuals on the inside.:

 

 

 

Looking downhill towards the library and other ruins from when Ephesus, along the Turkish Coast, was Rome's capital of Asia Minor. The history here is real and totally amazing!:

 

 

 

At Ephesus along the Turkish Coast, here is the famed outdoor theater that hosted Saint Paul preaching, plus rock stars, etc. At this site in the 1st century AD, the Apostle Paul spent over three years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel. This included a sermon condemning pagan worship in this theater:

 

[jacketwatch]

We have booked an 11 night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise:

Rome, Santori, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Mykonos, Naples, Rome

Any suggestions on tours? Did you book through Celebrity or did you book on line? Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

IST is easy to do on yor own. The major attractions are all in one are and if have no difficulty walking you can walk from one to the others. we started at the Grand Bazaar and exited to the Hag Sofia and the Blue Mosque which are close to each other, w/i easy walking disatance.

In Naples you will find plenty of cabs on the dock. Very easy to do on your own.

Haven't been to Mykonos or Santorini but hopefully some day.

I concur about getting a guide for ephesus. Its about 20 mins. from the dock but having seen it thru the eyes and expertise of a local guide it makes all the difference in the world. We used "Hello Ephesus" and were very pleased. If you choose them see if you can get the guide Oya. She is very knowledgable, speakes very good English and is very pleasant. Have a great time. :) Larry