Cruising the Black Sea

[Wandering Writer]

We just returned from our first cruise on the Black Sea. It was one of the most interesting cruises we've done taking us to ports we'd never been to before: Istanbul, Trabzon, Sinop, Sevastopol, Sochi, Varna. And before and after the Dardanelles, we stopped in Gythion(Gythios) and Kusadasi (Ephesus). We ended in Athens and then spent four days in Santorini.

 

Excursions seemed a little more expensive. Don't know if it was because of the area or if prices are just going up. We found alternatives in many of the ports and in some just walked around and absorbed the culture, the surrounding, the food, and met the people.

 

I linked some ports to my blog posts. I am still posting for the others if you are interested in pictures and what we did there stop by.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for linking these ports to your blog posts.

 

Keith

[2travelers]

We just returned from our first cruise on the Black Sea. It was one of the most interesting cruises we've done taking us to ports we'd never been to before: Istanbul, Trabzon, Sinop, Sevastopol, Sochi, Varna. And before and after the Dardanelles, we stopped in Gythion(Gythios) and Kusadasi (Ephesus). We ended in Athens and then spent four days in Santorini.

 

Excursions seemed a little more expensive. Don't know if it was because of the area or if prices are just going up. We found alternatives in many of the ports and in some just walked around and absorbed the culture, the surrounding, the food, and met the people.

 

I linked some ports to my blog posts. I am still posting for the others if you are interested in pictures and what we did there stop by.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Hi Karen. We are doing this cruise next summer. My DH really wants to visit Bucharest. We dock in Constanta and so far we have found no private guides willing to take us that far out with the guarantee that we will get back to the ship on time. So, we signed up for Oceania's tour. They list this tour as strenuous, and I am wondering why. My husband uses a walker to get around and I am concerned that after traveling on the bus for three hours, he may wind up sitting on the bus for the few hours we tour. Did you do that trip, or did you hear anything about the difficulty or ease of this tour from anyone who did it. Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks

Ronnie

[HDS]

Karen,

Thanks Karen. Great itinerary, who did you cruise with?

[altiva]

We just returned from our first cruise on the Black Sea. It was one of the most interesting cruises we've done taking us to ports we'd never been to before: Istanbul, Trabzon, Sinop, Sevastopol, Sochi, Varna. And before and after the Dardanelles, we stopped in Gythion(Gythios) and Kusadasi (Ephesus). We ended in Athens and then spent four days in Santorini.

 

Excursions seemed a little more expensive. Don't know if it was because of the area or if prices are just going up. We found alternatives in many of the ports and in some just walked around and absorbed the culture, the surrounding, the food, and met the people.

 

I linked some ports to my blog posts. I am still posting for the others if you are interested in pictures and what we did there stop by.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Hi Karen, thanks for the post. I see that you stopped at Sevastopol but not Odessa, is it true????

[Wandering Writer]

Hi Karen. We are doing this cruise next summer. My DH really wants to visit Bucharest. We dock in Constanta and so far we have found no private guides willing to take us that far out with the guarantee that we will get back to the ship on time. So, we signed up for Oceania's tour. They list this tour as strenuous, and I am wondering why. My husband uses a walker to get around and I am concerned that after traveling on the bus for three hours, he may wind up sitting on the bus for the few hours we tour. Did you do that trip, or did you hear anything about the difficulty or ease of this tour from anyone who did it. Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks

Ronnie

 

I'm sorry. I wish I could help. We've never been there. All I can offer is that many of the places we visited were hilly, sometimes with poor walkways. I know when some on our ship visited the Sumela monastery near Trabzon, they said the walk was really treacherous.

 

Maybe a little surfing on the internet for pictures of the places the tour goes would help or even Google Maps with a satellite view/street view. That's a long time to stay on the bus but at least he would get to see the countryside and some of the other interesting things in the area even if he can't get out to them. Tough call.

[Wandering Writer]

HDS: We cruised with Holland America. While I loved the itinerary and service and food were good, the Prinsendam really needs an overhaul.

 

Altiva: No, we didn't stop at Odessa. Would love to find another cruise in this area with some different ports and explore some more. We really enjoyed it.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the link. We will do the BS at some point so I like seeing what others have experienced.

[HDS]

Two Travellers,

 

Does your tour include the Palace of Parliament built by the Ceausecu husband and wife? When we visited in 2008 it was a very very long walking tour with many flights of stairs and no elevators available for tour groups. Absolutely not, even though it was very clear that several of our group were seriously challenged by the stairs. They were denied the option to retrace their steps and had to struggle on regardless.

This may be why the day tour is listed as challenging.

Can't recall anything else to do nearby. The building is away from town, nothing in walking frame assisted walking distance. Take a book as a long sit on the bus (if permitted by security) is the only alternative.

Bucharest is am interesting city, superb art gallery with great collection of early 20th century and we found rural Romania fascinating. Maybe best approached through a river cruise ending in Bucharest and private tour to follow.

[altiva]

 

Altiva: No, we didn't stop at Odessa. Would love to find another cruise in this area with some different ports and explore some more. We really enjoyed it.

 

Thank you for your answer, Karen, it was an eye opener. For some

reason, I thought that every Black sea cruise stopped in Odessa. Now

I know better.

[2travelers]

Two Travellers,

 

Does your tour include the Palace of Parliament built by the Ceausecu husband and wife? When we visited in 2008 it was a very very long walking tour with many flights of stairs and no elevators available for tour groups. Absolutely not, even though it was very clear that several of our group were seriously challenged by the stairs. They were denied the option to retrace their steps and had to struggle on regardless.

This may be why the day tour is listed as challenging.

Can't recall anything else to do nearby. The building is away from town, nothing in walking frame assisted walking distance. Take a book as a long sit on the bus (if permitted by security) is the only alternative.

Bucharest is am interesting city, superb art gallery with great collection of early 20th century and we found rural Romania fascinating. Maybe best approached through a river cruise ending in Bucharest and private tour to follow.

 

Thanks for the heads-up HDS. This past summer the group that did this tour didn't see the Parliament Building because they were there on Sunday and it was closed. I am going to have to research this. It is an expensive tour and I am doing it because my husband is such a history buff. If he has to spend the day on the bus, I would rather lay on the deck and read :p.

Ronnie

[Wandering Writer]

Blog posts are now up for Sochi, Russia. We did the ship's excursion on this one because our local guide backed out at the last minute.

[Wandering Writer]

More Black Sea cruise posts on my blog:

 

Trabzon, Turkey

 

Sinop, Turkey

 

Sevastopol, Ukraine with a visit to Balaklava where the submarine pens are.

 

Varna, Bulgaria where we did a free walking tour.

[cruisin'tex]

Enjoyed your blog...

[Wandering Writer]

Enjoyed your blog...

 

Thanks!

[NoWhiners]

Karen

 

we are doing this cruise next october. I have read conflicting reports of visa for Russia (Sevastapol and Soichi). can you provide any info?

 

Thanks

ML

[Wandering Writer]

Karen

 

we are doing this cruise next october. I have read conflicting reports of visa for Russia (Sevastapol and Soichi). can you provide any info?

 

Thanks

ML

 

There always seems to be conflicting reports for Russian ports. Basically, if you want to go off on your own you definitely need a visa. If you go with a tour operator, you need to qualify that with them. Be sure that they are licensed or approved by the authorities and will either take care of the visa or that they are allowed to have you with them without the visa. Check out some of the tour operators that have been used by CCers. If you go with a ship excursion, you need no visa. No matter which tour--excursion or private, you must stay with the group.

 

I hope that helps. The private tour we had originally booked with was Tours By Locals. Our guide for Istanbul was excellent and we had no problems. The guide for Sochi backed out a week or two before we left so we scrambled and got on a ship's excursion.

 

On our roll call there was the mention of another tour for Sochi being organized by Val. You might check and see what tour operator they used. Contact info:"E-mail me at vbower@rogers.com if you are interested in joining us.

Val "

 

Hope that helps!

[NoWhiners]

There always seems to be conflicting reports for Russian ports. Basically, if you want to go off on your own you definitely need a visa. If you go with a tour operator, you need to qualify that with them. Be sure that they are licensed or approved by the authorities and will either take care of the visa or that they are allowed to have you with them without the visa. Check out some of the tour operators that have been used by CCers. If you go with a ship excursion, you need no visa. No matter which tour--excursion or private, you must stay with the group.

 

I hope that helps. The private tour we had originally booked with was Tours By Locals. Our guide for Istanbul was excellent and we had no problems. The guide for Sochi backed out a week or two before we left so we scrambled and got on a ship's excursion.

 

On our roll call there was the mention of another tour for Sochi being organized by Val. You might check and see what tour operator they used. Contact info:"E-mail me at vbower@rogers.com if you are interested in joining us.

Val "

 

Hope that helps!

 

Karen

 

yes, this was helpful. I will see what I can find out, thanks for the info! Going to show hubby your pix/blog over the weekend!

 

ML

[little britain]

Karen

 

we are doing this cruise next october. I have read conflicting reports of visa for Russia (Sevastapol and Soichi). can you provide any info?

 

Thanks

ML

Sevastapol is in the Ukraine, not Russia.

[altiva]

Sevastapol is in the Ukraine, not Russia.

 

It's Ukraine, not THE Ukraine, like you it's not THE Germany, THE France or THE Italy.

[Avida]

Hi Karen.

 

We are in the UK and just booked a Celebrity Cruise to the Black Sea in October 2014!! Yes I know somewhat early to be planning but we are really looking forward to it. I really have enjoyed reading your blogs. The itinerary is new for Celebrity and includes Sochi, Sevastapol, Yalta, Odessa and Istanbul.

 

Could you let me know who you used for the private tours, where you took them. I have found the link to Tours by Locals in Sochi and thought that they may be the ones to use. But reading of your experiences with the late cancellation perhaps we need to look wider. I have also emailed Val, as you suggested on one of your posts to find out who she used.

 

If altiva reads this post perhaps he can make suggestions relating to Odessa. We are overnighting there. I have really enjoyed reading some of his daily blogs.

 

Grateful for any information that you or Altiva can provide. Many thanks.

Bryan

[whyme]

Karen

 

we are doing this cruise next october. I have read conflicting reports of visa for Russia (Sevastapol and Soichi). can you provide any info?

 

Thanks

ML

 

if you like drop me an e mail ,we did the Black Sea 3 years ago and used private guides in each port

 

whyme71842@aol.com

[whyme]

Karen

 

we are doing this cruise next october. I have read conflicting reports of visa for Russia (Sevastapol and Soichi). can you provide any info?

 

Thanks

ML

 

If you like drop me an e mail we did the Black Sea 3 years ago , and used Private tour guides ib each of the ports in th black sea

whyme71842@aol.com

[whyme]

we did the Black Sea cruise( Oceania) 3 years ago and used Private tour guides in each of the ports. if you like drop me an e mail

 

whyme71842@aol.com

[cruisecountess]

For "one stop shopping," try contacting Crimea Consulting. They offer tours in all these ports and have been easy to work with. Our cruise is not until late July so I cannot advice beyond this.

Harriet