Trip Report - Istanbul to Istanbul, RSSC Explorer, 10/19 - 30, 2022

[mj_holiday]

Thank you for posting about your trip, great information.  Istanbul is one of our favorite cities.  Another place to think about going to is Topkapi Palace.  Then when back home check out a copy of "Topkapi" movie from your library.  Great movie to watch along with visiting Istanbul. 

[2012_Alaska_bound]

I think what I have learned so far is to get a guide for touring Istanbul. Just not as stalwart as @forgap

[forgap]

Yesterday was embarkation day and it went pretty smoothly although the process is much like doing the “stations of the cross”.  We put our luggage out at 9am for a scheduled departure to the port at 11:45.  But, we had to identify our luggage at the hotel prior to getting on the bus.  This required going to the mezzanine level where all the luggage was stacked in a large circle, kind of like a heavy jigsaw puzzle.  Of course our luggage was in the middle which required moving aside other luggage to make a path to roll out our luggage.  I did let an F-bomb slip.   From there we took our luggage to the lobby and sat with it.  Some busses were leaving and, although we had a later departure, we just rolled our luggage to a bus, stowed it in the hold and got on the bus.  
 

The new cruise port was about 10 minutes away and is much like entering the Starship Enterprise.  After the bus was checked out by bomb sniffing dogs, we rode to the far side of the terminal where our bags were removed, then we exited the bus, then we collected our bags, then we lined up for a health inspection where we filled out a form, showed our vaccination cards, and had our temperature taken.  We were then awarded a gold Regent sticker and a blue wrist band.  From this station we rolled to the baggage drop.  We couldn’t see what was happening but we had to wait until a mysterious signal was given and we moved on to the next station, security, where, just like in the airport, everything came off and was placed in bins, and through you went.  
 

The next stop was the Regent check-in and on to passport control.  Only one officer was working this station so that was the longest wait.   Once cleared, we walked through the duty free shop and what seemed like a mile to gate D, and another long, switchback ramp to the ship.  Along the way, there was another stop to collect our ship security card.   I wasn’t wearing my Fitbit but I imagine we achieved a significant step count.  
 

Finally, champagne in hand, we were taken to our muster station and then set free to make our way to the pool grill and lunch!

 

Our sail away took us past the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi.  It was a drizzly cool day but the sky started to clear at the perfect moment for me to get this iconic shot:

 

[Gilly]

3 hours ago, forgap said:

the process is much like doing the “stations of the cross”.

 🤣   best description I've read of the embarkation procedure!

 

So glad you are safely on board.  I am looking forward to "our" cruise 😉  Thank you for taking us along with you!

[LouChamp]

Smooth sailing and enjoy!

[Aloha 1]

I felt the embarkation process yesterday was the absolute worst I 've ever experienced. As Forgap stated , the lines are interminable. We departed the Grand Hyatt by cab at 1:45 PM. The cab drivers are still mostly unfamiliar with navigating the new Galataport terminal. Once our driver found the entrance to the underground area he stopped 3 people to ask for directions and each gave a different answer as to where to go. There are no signs at all pointing to Embarkation, just signs that say "pedestrian exit". You are actually in an underground parking ramp which makes it all the more confusing. As we were passing another set of glass doors with no signage, an employee stopped our cab and pointed to the glass doors. We exited the cab about 12:15 and made our way into the labyrinth that was check-in. I completely understand that Regent is at the mercy of the Port Authority but when you have only 3 people doing the health check and are asking all passengers to fill out vaccination info, the line was the longest I've ever seen. After finally getting through that, we followed the same process of dropping luggage , going into another long line for security, then passport control with only one person doing it, then more long hallways  and a line to get our room keys, then the final walk to concourse D to board the ship at 1:20 PM so over an hour from the time we arrived at the right door. Surely there are things that R could do to speed up this process such as on line documentation for vaccination status when you check in.

But champagne in hand, we made it!

Edited October 20, 2022 by Aloha 1

[forgap]

HA!   It was not the absolute worst for us…that was in August on Silversea in Tromso, Norway.   Took us about two hours at the hotel next to the ship with hoards of people cramming themselves into the hotel ballroom to navigate health checks, passport, and credit card stations.  Once through that, we trudged to the ship through driving rain and wind, only to be turned away from the dining venue and directed to the pool grill.  All I can say is thank God for heaters, blankets, plastic curtains, and, of course, alcohol.  

[forgap]

Today we are in Lesbos, a tender port, after a very calm sail from Istanbul.  
 

 

I’m not sure what it is about embarkation day, but we were both beat and decided to have an early dinner in Compass Rose.  All the staff in our section were consummate professionals.  The white wine of the day was a California Chardonnay which I usually don’t like so I didn’t even taste it.  Instead I asked for a French Chablis and in an instant it was poured!  Dinner was a beet carpaccio, mussels in a creamy herb sauce, and pasta shells with baby clams.  It was all very, very good. 
 

I mentioned that we were on our first Silversea cruise in August.  We were on Whisper.  I found the food not to be very good and todays lunch in La Veranda was a perfect example for a comparison.  The SS buffet reminded me of a collection of leftovers set up in a tight, circular space.  La Veranda had a French theme today with bouillabaisse on offer as well as a variety of cheeses, pate’s, vegetable salads, and poached leeks.  And, of course, there were other offerings  - all fresh and beautifully presented.  
 

We were scheduled to go on a tour of Lesbos today.  There were only two tours on offer, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  We arrived in the theater at 9:45 along with hundreds of passengers cued up to get a bus assignment.  This didn’t look like a scenario I would enjoy, so we promptly turned our tickets back in order to walk around on our own after lunch.  

 

Now, a minor rant about destination services.   This excursion procedure isn’t logical when it is a tender port as hundreds can’t fit safely on the boats.  Wouldn’t it have been better to stagger the meeting times?  Wouldn’t it have made more sense to assign a departure time and have passengers meet on shore?  As it was, an announcement was made at around 11:45 that passengers who were not on a tour could now go ashore.  So, many folks were standing around in the theater during a span of an hour or more.

 

Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos was a quiet town with a beautiful harbor and a mountainous backdrop.  I was curious about the origin of name Lesbos and why Lesbians (the sexual orientation Lesbians) are called Lesbians.  It has to do with the poet Sappho who was one of the greatest lyric poets and she may or may not have been in love with Aphrodite.  From various ancient writings, historians gathered that a group of young women were left in Sappho's charge for their instruction or cultural edification.  Not exactly clear, I know, but I did read that there is a lawsuit pending because the citizens of Lesbos, the true Lesbians, feel that their cultural identity has been co-opted.  

Anyway, we walked for a bit, had a beer at a seaside cafe, watched the world go by then strolled back to the ship.  
 

 

At this point the wind was picking up and we had bucking bronco ride back to the ship.  
 

Tonight is Pacific Rim!  
 

 

[1982CruzStart]

12 hours ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

I think what I have learned so far is to get a guide for touring Istanbul. Just not as stalwart as @forgap

That is what we did on our visit to Istanbul and it was the best decision we made. He did a great job and we saw a lot in a couple of days. 

[Linda VH]

14 hours ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

I think what I have learned so far is to get a guide for touring Istanbul. Just not as stalwart as @forgap

My late husband and I hired an historian (we didn’t realize that was what he was - we used Access Europe) many years ago and it was a wonderful experience.  Guides (as in Italy) go to the front of the line with their clients.  To go in the Blue Mosque he informed us I needed to buy a scarf (they supply one but many people have worn them and no guarantee they have been laundered that day).   It was a memorable day for us.

[Gilly]

7 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

The cab drivers are still mostly unfamiliar with navigating the new Galataport terminal.

@Aloha 1 we docked there on board Splendor almost a year ago in November 2021, so it's disappointing that adequate signage hasn't yet been installed!  I agree, it's a real labyrinth.

[mnocket]

On 10/19/2022 at 7:24 AM, papaflamingo said:

As for your comment "I should have just taken my phone off airplane mode,"  look into downloading a free GPS app.  I use Maps.me. I download all the cities or ports that our cruise will visit prior to leaving home.

Great tip!  Google Maps also allows you to download city maps onto your phone.  It's become part of my pre-cruise ritual.

[RachelG]

really enjoying your reports.  Your hike in Istanbul sounds like one George and I did a few years ago.  We have been to Istanbul many times, and I have no issue using the taxis there--have done it a lot of times and didn't feel like I got scammed ever, but I decided to try the tram.  We couldn't figure out how to get tickets, so we ended up walking, and walking, and walking, and pretty soon we had 20,000 steps.  at any rate, it is good exercise and we ate well without guilt.  

Agree about spacing the tours at tender ports--duh!

[boblerm]

9 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

We departed the Grand Hyatt by cab at 1:45 PM.

 

9 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

We exited the cab about 12:15 and made our way into the labyrinth that was check-in.

I want to learn how to do this!😁

 

9 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

. Surely there are things that R could do to speed up this process such as on line documentation for vaccination status when you check in.

That may be so, but I wonder to what extent Regent has control over the process, and to what extent they are at the mercy of the local authorities. 

[boblerm]

On 10/18/2022 at 2:03 AM, forgap said:

 Regent doesn’t require testing to sail but you do need evidence of not having Covid on boarding in order to have Regent’s help during quarantine if you contract it on board.  

I hope and pray that you never need to know this from experience, but I am wondering what sort of help Regent provides in that unhappy event.

[ronrick1943]

Great report, enjoy your writing and your experience’s.  Sounds like a wonderful trip, looking forward to following your trip.  Enjoy and save travel, thanks so much for taking the time.

[forgap]

Today is a very welcome sea day after our long tour yesterday.  We docked in Piraeus with many tours on offer to Athens and the surrounding area.  We chose to tour the Péloponnèse  Peninsula, specifically Corinth and it’s ruins and the archeological site of Mycenae.

 

Our first stop was the Corinth Canal which is really a marvel of engineering and connects the Aegean and Ionian seas.  The first attempts were in the 7th C BC but the canal wasn’t constructed until the 1880’s.  There have been some recent landslides so there is no boat traffic on the canal at the moment, although a ship captain would have to have nerves of steel to safely navigate this very narrow passage.

We continued on to the site of ancient Corinth.  It was a very wealthy settlement with a huge marketplace paved with marble.  It was built by both the Greeks and the Romans.

 

Although much is in ruins, the temple of Apollo is still impressive. 
 

 

High on the mountain is the Acropolis of Corinth looking down into the marketplace. 

 

The museum holds many artifacts from the excavation of the site, including statues, pottery, metal objects and mosaics.  The museum had a robbery in the 90’s and it was not until 1999 that the museum, in cooperation with the FBI, traced the stolen objects to Miami, FL, where they were recovered and repatriated to Greece.   
 

The plundering of archeological sites is on-going.  If objects are in private collections, on discovery there are no fines or jail time unless outright theft can be proven





This is a sculpture of Nike.  There are two square on each shoulder where wings were attached. 

 

St. Paul also lived in Corinth for a year and a half and preached the gospel on the Bema in the central marketplace.  He then traveled to Africa where he sent back the famous Letters to the Corinthians.
 

Our next stop was Mycenae.  We traveled though rolling countryside, surrounded by olive and orange trees with high mountains in the distance.  The landscape was lush in contrast to the arid countryside we had been seeing. 

 

Mycenae is a walled city on top of a mountain, surrounded by two higher mountains. In the Iliad, Homer aptly described Mycenae as “rich in gold”.  Excavation of the burial circles found gold, silver, other metals and precious stones.  

The entrance is guarded by two standing lions dating back to the 13th C BC. The gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture,  and is the largest surviving sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean.  
 

 

Mycenaeans enjoyed a prosperous rule over the Greek mainland and areas around the Aegean Sea, with the elite living in comfort and style, and the king ruling over a highly organized feudal system.  It is probably best known as the home of King Agamemnon who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan Wars.  His burial site is believed to be this large beehive monument just outside the walls of the city.  
 

It was a long day and we were happy to return to the comforts of the ship.  Our reward was a beautiful sunset as we sailed away.  

Edited October 22, 2022 by forgap

[lincslady]

What a fascinating day - and gorgeous sunset.

 

A few of the really small cruise ships - like Seadream or the baby Seabourn ones - used to go through the Corinth canal.  We really enjoyed that;  everyone was on deck of course.

[Gilly]

@forgap we would have loved that tour! Thanks for taking us along and for adding one for our list!

[puppyluv1]

Sounds like a fantastic tour and your pictures are beautiful. Thank you so much for posting!  

[RJ2002]

Beautiful pictures and great narrative. Thanks for taking us along. 

[Linda VH]

Having a great cruise with you!  Thanks!

[PhD-iva]

If you are able to upload such lovely pictures, can I assume that the Internet is working well?

[forgap]

@PhD-ivaThe internet is slow, but it is working well.

[forgap]

Yesterday we had a most welcome sea day.   In any port intensive itinerary you just need a break from the frenetic pace.  
 

After a leisurely breakfast, we arrived at the Culinary Arts Kitchen for our lesson in cooking fish, “Bounty of the Sea”.    

 

The venue is just beautiful with floor to ceiling windows and closed circuit cameras so you have a birds eye view of all the action.  However, we were a small group and we could all get a position to see it all.  We each had our own station with everything laid out that we would need.  
 

I consider myself an accomplished home cook and I was really pleased that this was not dumbed down at all.  It seemed that all of our classmates knew their way around the kitchen, too.  We learned about making ceviche with an acidic cure, gravlax with a salt cure,  high heat cooking, shallow poaching, deep poaching and oven cooking techniques.  The chef would demonstrate, then we would go back to our stations and replicate the lesson.  Of course, we ate our lessons  while drinking a wonderful white wine from northern Italy.  

i can’t say we did much for the rest of the day, other than browse the boutique to see how we will spend our on-board credit!