NCL Star med cruise in November - what do you think of my plans for these ports?

[Analog187]

I'd appreciate some feedback on these plans for any/all of our plans for these ports.  It's going to be a very busy cruise with no sea days.  We really enjoy history and old cities so that's how I planned all of this out. 

 

-Saint Tropez - walk around, browse shops, possibly take the ferry over to Grimaud

 

-Livorno - take the train to Lucca, take the train to Pisa and then back to Livorno

 

-Naples - we've been to this area before so we are just gonna grab some pizza.  Otherwise will relax

 

-Messina - take the train to Taormina

 

-Corfu - hop on/hop off bus

 

-Katakolon - train to Olympia

 

Santorini - boat and then bus to Oia

 

Kusadasi - take a cruise excursion to Ephesus since this is a short port day and the prices are cheap

 

Istanbul - we want to take a tour of the city but still up in the air as to how we are doing it.  NCL has not released any excursions of this port yet so I can't evaluate them

 

Volos - We are going to Meteora and will almost certainly go through NCL.  They just haven't released these excursions yet.  

 

Whew, that's gonna be a lot but I'd appreciate any feedback on these plans.  Thanks.

[tony s]

46 minutes ago, Analog187 said:

I'd appreciate some feedback on these plans for any/all of our plans for these ports.  It's going to be a very busy cruise with no sea days.  We really enjoy history and old cities so that's how I planned all of this out. 

 

-Saint Tropez - walk around, browse shops, possibly take the ferry over to Grimaud

 

-Livorno - take the train to Lucca, take the train to Pisa and then back to Livorno

 

-Naples - we've been to this area before so we are just gonna grab some pizza.  Otherwise will relax

 

-Messina - take the train to Taormina

 

-Corfu - hop on/hop off bus

 

-Katakolon - train to Olympia

 

Santorini - boat and then bus to Oia

 

Kusadasi - take a cruise excursion to Ephesus since this is a short port day and the prices are cheap

 

Istanbul - we want to take a tour of the city but still up in the air as to how we are doing it.  NCL has not released any excursions of this port yet so I can't evaluate them

 

Volos - We are going to Meteora and will almost certainly go through NCL.  They just haven't released these excursions yet.  

 

Whew, that's gonna be a lot but I'd appreciate any feedback on these plans.  Thanks.

If you seen Pisa once that’s enough but Luca is great and underrated. As for Olympia NCL does a great Olympia tour with a stop at a winery that was one of the best tasting ever and NOT a tourist trap.

[ColdCruise]

Re: Naples — Have you been to Herculaneum? Just south of Naples, destroyed by Vesuvius but by ash not lava so ruins are different. Easy train ride and short walk.

[calcruiser64]

When we did the Med on the Epic we arranged for private transportation from Naples to Sorrento. Took a cooking class there (which was a blast), walked around the town, had some drinks on the waterfront, and took a ferry back to Naples.

[Analog187]

3 hours ago, tony s said:

If you seen Pisa once that’s enough but Luca is great and underrated. As for Olympia NCL does a great Olympia tour with a stop at a winery that was one of the best tasting ever and NOT a tourist trap.

 

Never been to Pisa so that's why we want to stop on the way back from Lucca

 

3 hours ago, ColdCruise said:

Re: Naples — Have you been to Herculaneum? Just south of Naples, destroyed by Vesuvius but by ash not lava so ruins are different. Easy train ride and short walk.

 

No, but I don't think we have it in us to do something every single day.  Thanks though, if we change our mind we might do that.  

 

2 hours ago, calcruiser64 said:

When we did the Med on the Epic we arranged for private transportation from Naples to Sorrento. Took a cooking class there (which was a blast), walked around the town, had some drinks on the waterfront, and took a ferry back to Naples.

 

We already went to Sorrento, spent almost a week there.  Really want to keep that day open so we don't fall apart by the end of the cruise.

[old nutter]

Pretty good list.  Ephesus is a superb place.  Naples still has a lot to offer.  I agree about Herculaneum - beware if it is a Wednesday when you go - it is closed on that day every week. If you have never gone North West to Campi Flegrei give it a go.  Not every day you can walk over a live super volcano.  This area was a centre of Greek and Italian civilisation around 2000 years ago.  You can see the entrance to Hades and the cave where the second most important oracle, the Sybil gave out her propheses.  I would advise you get a guide or go on a ship trip here because you will need someone to describe the area to get the most out of it.  Possibly have a look on the net for some of the documentaries before you go.

[Viajera7]

On the Jade at the end of last month we had 4 of the ports you have and I got Corfu in May on Brilliance OTS.

 

Kusadasi- We had an NCL excursion that had the Ephesus Museum, The House of the Virgin Mary and a Carpet place. (We booked it because of the House of the Virgin Mary and because it was very inexpensive).

 

Istanbul-Another NCL excursion that had a visit to a Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Bosphorus cruise. (We booked it because we would be around places in both continents, Europe and Asia during the cruise and it was worth it).

 

 Volos- We took the 5 Euros per person bus outside the terminal and it had stops in different places.

 

Santorini- We bought the cable car tickets both ways but separately because they don’t sell them round trip. I had read here that the lines were long and I warned my cousin but there were no lines. Maybe because it was at the end of August and beginning of September. We walked around town, the stores and had beverages at a restaurant with a magnificent view.

 

Corfu- I had an RCI excusion so the NCL excursions should be different. We went to Ampelaki Beach, to the Castellino Restaurant to have a great view of the area (It was very high), Lazaris Distillery and Artisan Sweets with great samples and the center of Corfu to have some time to explore on our own. I have Corfu again next year with NCL so I’m following your suggestion of hop on /hop off bus since it will be my second time there.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Viajera7
Typo

[Markanddonna]

Ekol tours in Istanbul.

 

The ncl tour in Ephesus is only $35 and appears to be a do it yourself tour, but that is a great deal since we are in port only 4 hours.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Great plans!

[GreenFamily]

Are you sure you can catch a train to Taormina? It’s a hill top town. 

[KeithJenner]

10 hours ago, GreenFamily said:

Are you sure you can catch a train to Taormina? It’s a hill top town. 

Yes you can. We have it planned for our cruise next year.

[GreenFamily]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yes you can. We have it planned for our cruise next year.

So do you take a taxi up the hill? This is one port (Messina) I’m most concerned about doing on my own. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by GreenFamily

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, GreenFamily said:

So do you take a taxi up the hill? This is one port (Messina) I’m most concerned about doing on my own. 

I’ve not got that far yet (the cruise isn’t until next September), but I saw the train mentioned in a port guide and found it on the train timetables. I haven’t looked at the locations of the stations yet though.

[podgeandrodge]

On 9/18/2022 at 5:40 PM, Analog187 said:

I'd appreciate some feedback on these plans for any/all of our plans for these ports.  It's going to be a very busy cruise with no sea days.  We really enjoy history and old cities so that's how I planned all of this out. 

 

-Saint Tropez - walk around, browse shops, possibly take the ferry over to Grimaud

 

-Livorno - take the train to Lucca, take the train to Pisa and then back to Livorno

 

-Naples - we've been to this area before so we are just gonna grab some pizza.  Otherwise will relax

 

-Messina - take the train to Taormina

 

-Corfu - hop on/hop off bus

 

-Katakolon - train to Olympia

 

Santorini - boat and then bus to Oia

 

Kusadasi - take a cruise excursion to Ephesus since this is a short port day and the prices are cheap

 

Istanbul - we want to take a tour of the city but still up in the air as to how we are doing it.  NCL has not released any excursions of this port yet so I can't evaluate them

 

Volos - We are going to Meteora and will almost certainly go through NCL.  They just haven't released these excursions yet.  

 

Whew, that's gonna be a lot but I'd appreciate any feedback on these plans.  Thanks.

If it's the cruise on 5th November, they are showing excursions for Istanbul for me anyway, I booked

[Analog187]

2 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

If it's the cruise on 5th November, they are showing excursions for Istanbul for me anyway, I booked

 

Yeah, saw that they added that after I posted.  I'm still waiting for them to add Volos.  There's only one right now

[tammyjw305]

We used Ephesus Shuttle for our tour from Kusadasi. It was not sold as a private tour, but it was just our family of 4; it was affordable. Right, the NCL excursion is just transportation. Our tour guide was very good and shared lots of information in Ephesus. They fit the tour into the short port time without an issue (meet at 7:30 am, with a scheduled 6:30 am dock time). We had at least one stop before Ephesus to see an old Turkish bathhouse and learn about the history of Turkish baths. Our pictures and review at https://ww-wanderers.blogspot.com/2022/07/greece-and-turkey-family-cruise-on-ncl_47.html if you want to see more. We had time after in Kusadasi to walk around and try some local snacks. 

 

Tammy

Edited November 23, 2022 by tammyjw305

[Markanddonna]

Most people on the NCL Epic on Nov 10, 2022 had a rather nightmarish experience in Istanbul  getting back to port. The traffic back to ship between 4:30- 6:00 was gridlocked. We were on a private tour and with the guide, all exited the van and fast walked back to the ship.  Some with medical issues couldn't keep up with the group so the guide left us on our own to get a wheelchair for one lady.  All just got off the van in the middle of the street since no one was moving for quite some time.  The ship excursions were about 90 minutes late. We were wisely advised by our guide to NOT go to the Blue Mosque because it is covered in most places due to renovation. We went first to the Topaki Palace, had lunch at a fast food cafeteria, stood in line for Hagia Sophia and then did the Grand Bazaar. Skip the hippodrome which is really nothing more than a park with two pillars. 

 

The crew knew about this port and so they took the tram. If I ever went back, I would take the tram and walk. Do some research on exactly how to do this. Some friends who did a private tour were stranded with their guide by their driver and they walked three hours to the ship. Taxis during rush hour are as useless as vans or buses. 

 

Others on the NCL excursions told us that their large groups struggled to stay together in the crowds and were often separated. One bus got "stuck" with wheelchair people who were abandoned by their NCL driver. Istanbul was a nightmare at times. We wrote to the company and they said that day was unusually crowded, but our ship was only half full and the only other ship was a small one.  What would the port be like if you had several ships in port?  Not a good experience. BTW, Hagia Sophia, despite the very long lines, was the only place I really thought was worthwhile. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Markanddonna