Trying to figure out what stops need a shore excursion.

[dlh015]

2 hours ago, Stockjock said:

While I could change it, for Kusadasi, we booked a Turkish wine tasting that sounded interesting.

 

Overview

Enjoy a scenic drive through the Turkish countryside to visit the Seven Sages Vineyard or "Yedibilgeler" in Turkish, a charming wine-making facility in the Kusadasi region. During the drive, your guide will impart fascinating facts about your surroundings and Turkey's wine industry - like the little known fact that Turkey is actually the world's fourth leading producer of grapes, and is home to hundreds of distinct varieties. The winery, housed in a stone chateau, is a state-of -the-art winemaking facility set in a lush green valley, with lavender gardens and, of course, beautiful vineyards. The resident wine expert will welcome you and escort you on a tour of the facility. You'll sample some of these award-winning wines, accompanied by an assortment locally produced specialty cheeses. After your winery exploration, you'll stop at a handicraft village; see Turkish weaving arts, and a carpet presentation. This tour is provided by an operator that has been third-party certified to meet the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's Criteria for Tour Operators.

Highlights

• Visit the beautiful Seven Sages vineyard in the heart of the Turkish countryside.
• Enjoy the chance to sample the locally produced wines and cheese.
• See Turkish weaving arts, and a carpet presentation during a stop at a handicraft village.

 

 

Can't help noticing you're gonna have a 'carpet presentation'...lol...

 

As you have said, 'ruins are ruined'...but truly, Kusadasi is really about Ephesus...it is amazing.

Wine tasting? Blah...no comparison...I enjoy a good wine but...

 

And, we just told our guide that we had *no* interest in stopping for a carpet demonstration...and we went directly back to the ship...see my earlier post for the website/agency...

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, HeddaGarbled said:

Has anyone ever managed to find an Ephesus tour that didn’t end with a carpet demonstration?

 

Private tours. Specify no carpet demo or other 'mandatory shopping' shop.

[Stockjock]

FWIW, I have a friend who is a dentist in Turkey, so here's what I asked him and his response.

You are in Turkey, correct? Next year in the summer, we stop at Kusadasi. Everyone tells me we should see Ephesus. But we are not really "ruins" people, plus it sounds quite hot and crowded.

Instead, we booked a winery tour (see link), although I think we'll get a carpet and other hussle/hassle. There are some other tours, but we like eating and drinking wine, so we thought it would be a safe bet. Any thoughts?
http://www.yedibilgeler.com

Hello. I’ve been to Kusadası many times in the past. Mostly in late 70s and 80s. Last time was 2004. Never been to that vinery but most of them are very quality places. You’ll like it. And for the carpet. Lots of very nice carpets there but you should negotiate very strong for the price. Efes is very interesting and cool place but you are right about the heat. You’ll forget what you see anyway . Good decision to skip. Have a nice trip.

[Stockjock]

I also wanted to comment on what I booked for Santorini.  All of these excursions are refundable if I change my mind, for some reason.

I found a lot of long and inexpensive private tours that sounded great and I was ready to book one of those.  Some were as cheap as $55-$60 per person and seemed to include quite a lot.

But what I didn't realize is that the ship's tenders drop you off at the "Old Port", which really doesn't have any roads connected to it.

So you basically have 4 options.

1. Take the tram cars 700' up.  It's inexpensive at only €6, but a multi-hour wait going up and/or coming down is a possibility.  Plus, once you get to the top, you still may have to find a cab to get you Oia (the cute town with all of the scenic blue-domed buildings).  I also read that long waits in the heat can be miserable, and read stories of people cutting in line or allegedly faking a disability to get to the front of the line.

2. Walk the stairs to the top of the hill, which is torture.  That's out.

3. Take a donkey up the stairs.  That seems cruel and smelly.  That's out.

4. Take a water taxi somewhere and make your way to a private tour.  But, water taxi schedules can vary and they often wait until they fill up before they leave.  So can you get there in time to grab a private excursion, many of which leave fairly early, plus figure out where to meet them?  Plus, I think there are 5 ships in port, so it could be a bit of a mess, competing with others.

In the end, I grabbed the Celebrity Best of Santorini excursion.  Many of the Celebrity excursions involved that tram either one way or both and I wanted to avoid that.  This one apparently takes you to and from by bus or minibus.  Also includes some food, wine and entertainment.  A bit pricey at about $372 for the two of us, but I figured it was worth it to have 7.5 hours of seeing Santorini and not having to worry about long waits and frustrations.

The photo shows the Skala Old Port, where the tenders arrive, and as you can see, it's a small patch not really connected by roads and such.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Stockjock

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

Efes is very interesting and cool place but you are right about the heat. You’ll forget what you see anyway .

 

Well, I found it unforgettable. YMMV. 🙄

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, HeddaGarbled said:

Has anyone ever managed to find an Ephesus tour that didn’t end with a carpet demonstration?

Absolutely,  Just book your own private tour and make sure the guide understands what you want and do not want.  Prior to COVID we were very pleased with Ekol Tours with whom we arranged for a private guide/driver (for just the two of us).  

[cruisegirlppp]

On 12/10/2022 at 2:15 PM, dlh015 said:

IMO, you definitely need a shore excursion for Santorini *if* you would care to see the ancient ruins of Akrotiri with a knowledgeable guide as well as the rest of the island.

 

Also the same for Kusadasi to see Euphesus. I can recommend ekoltravel for that. They were great.  

 

ETA: Haven't been to the other ports (yet)...

Agree, the Akrotiri ruins were special, so glad we did that excursion.

[JBare]

9 hours ago, Stockjock said:

The photo shows the Skala Old Port, where the tenders arrive, and as you can see, it's a small patch not really connected by roads and such.

 

Many of the ships tours start in the ferry port of Athinios (look it up) and the ships tenders will drop you there instead of the Old Port.

[BigAl94]

12 hours ago, HeddaGarbled said:

Has anyone ever managed to find an Ephesus tour that didn’t end with a carpet demonstration?

The one Celebrity took us to was horrendous, very threatening and high pressure - uncomfortable to say the least. Try to avoid Ephesus in the morning as it is usually extremely busy first thing. Afternoon tends to be quieter. Time of year needs to be taken into account though as can be very hot July and August.

[newtocruiseinblue]

13 hours ago, HeddaGarbled said:

Has anyone ever managed to find an Ephesus tour that didn’t end with a carpet demonstration?

Let's be real - every shore excursion seems to have a bathroom stop that happens to be at an exclusive leather store in Florence, a limoncello shop in Sorrento, a gift store in Barcelona..the rosary store after the Vatican...even the wine tasting is trying to SELL you something.

It is my understanding the ruins at Ephesus are 10 times better than what you will see in Greece. I had a conversation with a physician and his wife once at a party and they are very well traveled. I asked them what was the coolest places they have been and they said the African safari and Ephesus ruins. I have my Ephesus tour booked for this July. Doing Mary's house, Ephesus and lunch at a hotel. Was supposed to do this in May 2020 BC 

Edited December 12, 2022 by newtocruiseinblue

[cruisemom42]

Best Wine Producing Countries of the World:

1. France
2. Italy
3. Spain
4. Chile
5. Argentina
6. United States
7. Portugal
8. South Africa
9. Australia
10. New Zealand
11. Greece
12. Germany
13. Switzerland
14. Armenia
15. Georgia 

 

15 Best Wine Countries in the World, Ranked | Far & Wide (farandwide.com)

 

Hmmm.....Turkey not anywhere in the Top 15.

 

 

Eleven Roman Ruins Worth Traveling to See:

 

1. Colosseum (Rome)
2. Pantheon (Rome)
3. Baalbek (Lebanon)
4. Maison Carree (Nimes)
5. Villa of the Mysteries (Pompeii)
6. Zeugma Mosaics (Gaziantep, Turkey)
7. Library of Celsius (Ephesus, Turkey)
8. Roman Amphitheatre (El Djem, Tunisia)
9. Herculaneum (Near Naples, Italy)
10. Leptis Magna (Libya)

 

11 Roman ruins worth travelling to see | Faraway Worlds

 

 

 

[Stockjock]

4 hours ago, JBare said:

Many of the ships tours start in the ferry port of Athinios (look it up) and the ships tenders will drop you there instead of the Old Port.

I think the one I booked starts in the ferry port.  But...I don't think you can pick which port to go to.  If you don't book an excursion that starts in the ferry port, then I think you are taken to the old port.

[JBare]

8 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I think the one I booked starts in the ferry port.  But...I don't think you can pick which port to go to.  If you don't book an excursion that starts in the ferry port, then I think you are taken to the old port.

You are correct, apologies I wasn't sure what you meant when you said tenders took you to the old port.

[JBare]

Nafplion is a great little port, no tour necessary, it is an upmarket holiday resort used by Greeks. High end shops and fantastic fortifications at the top of a hill which gives far reaching views. You can climb the many steps or there is a bus or taxi ride to the top. Here are some pics of town and fort.

 

[dlh015]

5 minutes ago, JBare said:

Nafplion is a great little port, no tour necessary, it is an upmarket holiday resort used by Greeks. High end shops and fantastic fortifications at the top of a hill which gives far reaching views. You can climb the many steps or there is a bus or taxi ride to the top. Here are some pics of town and fort.

 

Thanks for posting these pics! Added this port to my list of desired destinations!

[JBare]

18 hours ago, HeddaGarbled said:

Has anyone ever managed to find an Ephesus tour that didn’t end with a carpet demonstration?

The Celebrity Ephesus tour that we were on, the carpet saleroom was in Kusadasi and the tour guide said that those who did not wish to do the carpet tour could leave now and head straight back to the ship, surprisingly only a few of us got off the bus.

Edited December 12, 2022 by JBare

[Stockjock]

44 minutes ago, JBare said:

Nafplion is a great little port, no tour necessary, it is an upmarket holiday resort used by Greeks. High end shops and fantastic fortifications at the top of a hill which gives far reaching views. You can climb the many steps or there is a bus or taxi ride to the top. Here are some pics of town and fort.

 

It looks really cute.  Thank you for the photos.  It's actually not terribly far from the little towns in the Lower Mani region of Greece where my grandparents grew up.  Sort of like returning to one's roots in a way.  

But I'm nearly half English (mostly around London) and nearly half Greek, and for some reason, I didn't feel that way when I visited London recently.  Maybe because many or most Americans have a largely English ancestry?

Edited December 12, 2022 by Stockjock

[HeddaGarbled]

2 hours ago, JBare said:

The Celebrity Ephesus tour that we were on, the carpet saleroom was in Kusadasi and the tour guide said that those who did not wish to do the carpet tour could leave now and head straight back to the ship, surprisingly only a few of us got off the bus.

Thank you 😊 

[HeddaGarbled]

And thanks to everyone else who answered my question. You are all so helpful, and I’m enjoying reading the responses to Stockjock’s original question, too. 

[montythecat]

Our delightful archaeology graduate guide offered us a carpet shop stop. We declined and said 

that we already have a very nice Turkish rug in our lounge (true, not a fib). It was no problem 

for her. I think she was actually pleased that we didn’t have to do it. She was so outstanding 

that I was happy to add a bit more to her already generous tip for being so gracious in not

insisting on the visit.

 

[PelicanLvr]

StockJock,

 

Have been to all the ports on your itinerary and as usual the CC faithful are giving "spot-on" advice.  I have 2 things to say:

1. Santorini:  You are absolutely doing the right thing.  Take a ship tour to get you off early by tender.  You are there until 10PM.  Don't miss the opportunity to have dinner in this spectacular setting at sunset either overlooking the caldera or at the Amoudi waterside restaurants, just below Oia (the restaurants will call for a taxi back to the ship).

 

2.  Don't miss Ephesus.  There are ruins, and there are ruins.  This is right up there with the best.  Book a private tour or put up with the carpet "show"....Ephesus is worth it.

 

Have a great trip!

Edited December 13, 2022 by PelicanLvr

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:09 AM, newtocruiseinblue said:

Let's be real - every shore excursion seems to have a bathroom stop that happens to be at an exclusive leather store in Florence, a limoncello shop in Sorrento, a gift store in Barcelona..the rosary store after the Vatican...even the wine tasting is trying to SELL you something.

 

My favorite remains the "official" Vatican City gift shop, which was clearly across the street from St. Peter's Square and not in any way official. We purchased several Vatican fridge magnet bottle openers as gifts, confident that they were sanctioned products blessed by the Pope 😂

[newtocruiseinblue]

4 hours ago, PelicanLvr said:

StockJock,

 

Have been to all the ports on your itinerary and as usual the CC faithful are giving "spot-on" advice.  I have 2 things to say:

1. Santorini:  You are absolutely doing the right thing.  Take a ship tour to get you off early by tender.  You are there until 10PM.  Don't miss the opportunity to have dinner in this spectacular setting at sunset either overlooking the caldera or at the Amoudi waterside restaurants, just below Oia (the restaurants will call for a taxi back to the ship).

 

2.  Don't miss Ephesus.  There are ruins, and there are ruins.  This is right up there with the best.  Book a private tour or put up with the carpet "show"....Ephesus is worth it.

 

Have a great trip!

 Interesting to note (and someone may have done this already) the description of my Ephesus tour says that we have the option of skipping the carpet demonstration at the end and going straight back to the ship.

 

[Stockjock]

7 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

My favorite remains the "official" Vatican City gift shop, which was clearly across the street from St. Peter's Square and not in any way official. We purchased several Vatican fridge magnet bottle openers as gifts, confident that they were sanctioned products blessed by the Pope 😂

I wanted to add a comment about the Vatican that some may not know.  I assume that this is still being offered, but it's possible that I'm mistaken, as I didn't doublecheck,

The Vatican does, or did, an evening happy hour.  It includes wine and snacks.  One can see the Vatican at a time where it is much cooler (we went in the summer) and not nearly as crowded.  Plus, having wine and Hors d’Oeuvres on the Vatican grounds made it a bit more interesting and special.  A live orchestra played classical music while we snacked.  It wasn't really very expensive either.

Again, not sure if they're still doing this, but if so, it's recommended.  I had hoped the Pope would join us, but that didn't happen, lol.

[Hlitner]

Listen folks, this is not rocket science.  When you take a typical cruise line excursion you will generally be in a large group (50+) and on a very structured tour.  Most (not all) cruise lines contract with a third party company to operate their excursion program.  These folks contract with various local operators.  The local tour company makes a profit, the tour desk company on the ship makes a nice profit, and the cruise line gets a nice cut.  Taking the herd (that would be the cruise passengers) to specific stores/factories is simply business.  The tour company either owns all/part of the stores/factories or gets a very healthy kick-back on sales (plus a promotional fee).  

 

You only have so many hours in port and on excursions and you will spend valuable time at stores (often overpriced for cruise line tour groups), waiting for everyone to go to the restrooms, waiting for the slowest to get on and off the bus, etc.  And when you take the long walks through places like Ephesus you will move at the pace of the slowest person in your large group!  There is some fun and decent shopping in Kusadasi (within walking distance of the port) and you do not need to go to "recommended" places that pay a fee to be "recommended."   There are plenty of other merchants that do not play the fee game and will be very happy when you walk in their store.  

 

In most places there are several options other than cruise excursions.  Kusadasi has multiple good tour companies and folks can go online and book small group private tours or even do a 2 person tour (we have done this at Ephesus).  The small group means you can call some (or all) of the shots!  If you want more time in the ruins (Ephesus is truly amazing) than you simply tell your guide, "slow down."  You want to visit the Terrace Houses (a MUST when in Ephesus) you make sure that is clear when you book a private tour.  You want to skip the usual (and somewhat phony) factories just make sure that is clear when you book a private guide.  If you want to join a small group (or organize your own small group) you can usually, do it right here on Cruise Critic by using the Roll Call board for your specific cruise.

 

Hank