Malta? Ephesus?

[paulbjr]

I'm on the June 16 Rome to Istanbul cruise and want to book our excursions before it is too late.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on what to choose for a Malta excursion?

 

As far as Ephesus is concerned, I want hte archaeology, not shopping or crafts. The Ephesus with an Expert excursion is sold out. Any suggestions? Is this one to do on my own?

 

Thanks!

[poss]

We LOVED both places.

 

Malta: Be sure to be on deck for the sail-in: wonderful!

We did "Rabat, Mdina and Dingli Cliffs": enjoyed them all AND had plenty of time to wander Valletta (great ice cream) on our own afterwards. Bus will drop you off in the city and it's an easy walk back to ship. Loved the town (but liked Mdina better).

 

Ephesus: One of our favorite places: totally awesome. We did "Ephesus and Terrace House." Was great. Our guide was very good. (Didn't do the "expert" guide, but learned lots.)

 

Hope this helps. (Other folks may have enjoyed different excursions. Probably doesn't matter which you choose; both ports are terrific.)

[findacruise]

We LOVED both places.

 

Malta: Be sure to be on deck for the sail-in: wonderful!

We did "Rabat, Mdina and Dingli Cliffs": enjoyed them all AND had plenty of time to wander Valletta (great ice cream) on our own afterwards. Bus will drop you off in the city and it's an easy walk back to ship. Loved the town (but liked Mdina better).

 

Ephesus: One of our favorite places: totally awesome. We did "Ephesus and Terrace House." Was great. Our guide was very good. (Didn't do the "expert" guide, but learned lots.)

 

Hope this helps. (Other folks may have enjoyed different excursions. Probably doesn't matter which you choose; both ports are terrific.)

 

We did this same tour in November and loved it, too. Agree with comment on Ephesus, too only we didn't get to see the Terace house and regret that. I think you will enjoy both.

[Pepc]

Paulbjr - -

We booked back-to-back cruises - - so we go to Ephesus twice.

We selected "The Glories of Ephesus" and "Priene, Miletus and Didyma - Ancient Sites."

In Valletta, we selected "Rabat, Mdina and Dingli Cliffs."

We are not big shoppers, either!

Hope this helps.

Patti

[nana541]

Ephesus - used Ekol Travel ( and using them again next month) for private tour...picked up up at the ship, loved our guide Ali, don't miss the Terrace Houses... Unbelievable and as a bonus they are protected in an air conditioned structure... Temp can be extreme at the Ephesus site take an umbrella as there is no shade anywhere and bottled water Hot Hot Hot..

 

PS I was there in Mid Sept and heat was extreme but this private tour was the hi-lite of our entire trip and Ali is the reason!

[tombo]

We did Ephesus on our own. We got off the ship at the earliest chance and easily found a driver who would take us there and drop us at the top entrance, then wait for us until we came out at the bottom. Total cost was US$100, but I'm sure you could find it cheaper. Even going early, there were many, many tour groups already there and you could easily have tagged along to one in the language of your choice. We were happy with the guide book we bought and doing it on our own. If you want "shopping" you will probably find it more interesting in Kusadesi, but don't miss the Ephesus site.

[Travelcat2]

Just want to second what Poss said. Sailing into Malta is a feast for the eyes. IMO, any excursion you take in this unique place will be worthwhile.

[newlondon]

Ephesus is absolutely a don't miss. We were there with a private group but still couldn't do everything. You will surely do best with a prearranged guide, assuming you have a good TA. I would go that route even though the Regent tour is included. Don't miss the Terrace houses:)

[supersecdd]

Must do Terrace House tour no question about it

[commodore2010]

As said above, sailing into Malta is a special sight.

 

In Valletta, we just walked around and it was a wonderful town.

[Aloha 1]

We used Ephesus Shuttle last summer for three people to Ephesus, Terrace Houses, and Temple of Artemis. Total cost $60 plus tip. Excellent

[Travelcat2]

Almost all Regent tours of Ephesus are included. We are doing the Terrace House excursion later this month.

[HonTri]

Almost all Regent tours of Ephesus are included. We are doing the Terrace House excursion later this month.

We did the Terrace House excursion it was one of the highlights of our cruise! Ephesus was a large city.

[Travelcat2]

We did the Terrace House excursion it was one of the highlights of our cruise! Ephesus was a large city.

 

Thanks for that information. . . . now I'm looking even more forward to it:D

[Balloon Man]

Ephesus is certainly not to be missed, especially the Terrace Houses and the library. We visited twice on the same day with Seabourn - first to tour the city in daylight with guides and returned in the evening to enjoy a concert by the Aegean Symphony Orchestra (well, part of it) while canapes and drinks were served at elegantly set tables arranged just outside the open air theatre. Magical. Strangely we had to pay Seabourn for the daytime tour of the site but the evening excursion was free.

[gbp]

I'm on the June 16 Rome to Istanbul cruise and want to book our excursions before it is too late.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on what to choose for a Malta excursion?

 

As far as Ephesus is concerned, I want hte archaeology, not shopping or crafts. The Ephesus with an Expert excursion is sold out. Any suggestions? Is this one to do on my own?

 

Thanks!

I hope on the basis of the quoted post, that this private guide recommendation isn't out of line.

 

During out August 2011 Mariner cruise from Istanbul to Athens, we used private guides for a number of destinations, including Ephesus. I'm glad we did!

 

I was very impressed with Tijen Oral of http://www.************.com/. She met my wife, son, and me at the terminal with a comfortable, air-conditioned minibus, and we proceeded to take a several hour tour of Ephesus, including the famed Terrance Houses. Well, actually, my wife and son wilted soon under the intense heat, so they sat out most of the tour in a cool restaurant and strolled the shops, while Tijen guided me through the ruins.

 

Tijen knew the history of Ephesus and the surrounding area intimately, providing information would have been hard to obtain on my own. The tour wasn't rushed and was only limited by my stamina in the intense heat. Yes, folks, August is hot! It was great being able to see things at my pace rather than that dictated by a group. As others have commented, the Terrance Houses (in a large structure with transaparant walkways, cooled by an efficient ventilation system), the Library, and the amphithreatre are not to be missed. There are many more subtle aspects of Ephesus that might be missed without a good guide, whether a private tour or a group tour.

 

At the end of the tour, Tijen asked if we wanted to go to a carpet shop, look at leather goods, or go to a place specializing in pottery and tile. This was done in a low-pressure way, and we could have declined as we did at the conclusion of our Istanbul private tour. In this case, we shopped <g> and ended up buying a beautiful tile piece that we had shipped home.

 

Tijen went above and beyond. She discovered the contact information for a jeweler in Ephesus from whom we bought some jewelry whose value we questioned. Note that this jewelry store was one we visited at random and was neither recommended by Tijen nor part of our Ephesus tour. So Tijen didn't really have to do a thing. Nonetheless, she provided the contact information and followed up with us by e-mail after we had returned to the States to ensure matters were resolved to our satisfaction, which they were.

 

Sorry for the long post, but we were glad we met Tijen and I recommend her unreservedly.

[gbp]

I see the hyperlink in my above post was disabled. I've no idea why, since I wasn't posting information for a travel agency and was relating my personal experience with a private tour guide. I've no financial stake in their success or failure and was simply trying to provide useful information to someone who asked.

 

Moderator(s), please clarify your policy about using hyperlinks. I could find nothing in the Board guidelines that would prohibit their use in this fashion. Thanks!