Staying in one port and rejoining another allowed if ship has Overland tour?

[Musicgirlcruiser]

We’re going on an Eastern Med cruise this July which includes a 2-day stop in Istanbul (7am dock on day 1, 1pm departure on day 2) with the next port stop at Kusadasi (11am – 8pm). We would like to see Cappadocia as well.

 

Celebrity offers a 3 day 2 night overland tour, which goes like this:

Day 1 – Tour of Istanbul, fly to Cappadocia, check in hotel

Day 2 – Tour of Cappadocia, return to hotel

Day 3 – Fly to Kusadasi, tour of Ephesus, rejoin ship

 

We’re not too keen on joining this because

1. We are a party of 10 and generally prefer going on private tours rather than ship tours

2. The tour is marked as strenuous. My 2 elderly parents might not be able to keep up. We prefer the flexibility of a slower pace, alternative sites that require less walking or can be driven up to closer.

3. My parents have been to Istanbul and Ephesus and are willing to sit these out

4. Leaving my parents on board ship while we go off for 3 days, 2 nights is not an option.

 

We would like to follow the Day 2 and 3 portion of the above tour on our own so my parents can rest on Day 1 and 3.

Day 1 – Tour of Istanbul, parents stay on ship, we return for dinner together

Day 2 – Fly to Cappadocia, tour, stay overnight at hotel

Day 3 – Fly to Kusadasi, return parents to ship, we continue tour of Ephesus

 

Has anyone done something similar? Will Celebrity allow this since they have their own tour? Or is it easier to do this since it’s not a rare exception from their route but rather, similar to an offered tour?

 

Please advise.

 

Thanks!