WindSpirit - Istanbul/Athens/Istanbul

[cielolama]

Hi everyone,

 

We just returned from two weeks aboard WindSpirit, Istanbul/Athens/Istanbul. The cruise was great, everything worked out perfectly, transfers, hotel package, pre-cruise package, etc. If anyone has any questions about this cruise or ship, I'd be happy to answer.

[Pudgesmom]

Welcome back, cielolama,

 

Can you give me some information on the trade-over day? Did you have to check out and then in again? Were you able to leave your things on the ship?

 

Secondly, on your back-to-back, did you re-visit any ports? How did that work for you?

 

Thanks for the information

 

Beth

[cielolama]

Hi Beth,

 

The ports were completely different each week. The itineraries are exactly as published by Windstar for the two separate cruises.

 

Our cabin was the same for each week, and we didn't need to do anything special for the change-over. Windstar gave us new id cards, but that was it. The change-over port was Athens, and we had our choice of what we wanted to do that day - we could stay on board, go ashore, have lunch on board if we wanted, etc.

 

On-board charges were reconciled at the end of each week.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend it.

[marycang]

I remember your post pre-cruise re: cabin 104. Did you have any problems being that close to the engines. Hope it wasn't a problem. Windstar is a great cruise line. Would like to hear more about your ports of call.

[cielolama]

Cabin 104 was fine. This cruise was sold-out and we booked late so this cabin was our only option unless we wanted to change cabins for the second week. The noise was only a problem the first night when the captain needed to cover a long distance. It was also noisy in the morning when we docked, but we were usually awake by then anyway. When we travel with Windstar again, our preference would be a cabin further forward, but if our only option is one in the back, we would take it without hesitating.

 

The ports were all very interesting. Here's a short description of each:

 

Istanbul - We did a one-day pre-cruise package which included a half-day tour of some of the major historical sights (the blue Mosque, Haggia Sophia, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar). We did two excursions with Turkish guides, this and Pergamum, and the guides were excellent. Very knowledgable about the specific tour and Turkey in general. The morning prior to boarding Wind Spirit, we took a cruise up the Bosphorus, arranged through Wind Star at the hotel. I highly recommend this. The hotel was the Istanbul Hilton which was lovely, but if we go to Istanbul on our own, I would want a hotel in the old section of the city.

 

Canakkale/Dikili - This was a last minute port change. There were some safety issues with tendering at Canakkale so we went to Dikili instead. For us, this worked out well as we wanted to go to Pergamum and Dikili was closer. Pergamum was a great take, and it didn't look like the town of Dikili was that interesting. I'm very interested in ancient history so Pergamum was a highlight.

 

Izmir - 3rd largest city in Turkey. We did alot of walking and it was hot. For future reference, most of the things we wanted to see were along the coast and there is a good ferry system that has stops along the Izmir coast (like a subway). This would be the way to get around. Izmir is very pretty, lots of little cafes and restaurants, and many good museums. The disappointmet for us was that the museums are all closed on Monday and that's when we were there.

 

Patmos - This is a small Greek island and the important sight is the Monastery of St John. We didn't go to it, but looked at it from the town below. Patmos did not seem to be heavily touristed and we had fun going into the shops, sitting in the cafes and we also had a great lunch at a very local-oriented restaurant. Patmos had a late departure so we also had dinner on the island.

 

Kos - This is a larger island, and we stayed in Kos town for the day. There are ruins throughout and the more "modern" town is built around them so it's an interesting place to wander through. This is also where Hippocrates lived and taught medicine. We saw what is supposed to be the oldest tree in Europe and supposedly where he held his classes.

 

One note, on all the islands there were beaches that were easy to get to.

 

Crete - We did an excursion to Knossos Palace (ancient history, had to see it). We were disappointed with this excursion. The site was very crowded and our guide was not good. I think we probably would have been happier renting a car and driving around the island.

 

Naxos/Serifos - This was pretty exciting. There were gale force winds in the Aegean and so we could not go to Naxos. Instead, we went to Serifos which is a very small island. It was the first time a Windstar ship had gone to Serifos. I think everyone on the ship really enjoyed this island, small, pretty, lots of local color.

 

Athens - This was the last day of the first week and we spent the day in Athens. We had been to the Acropolis before and so used this time to go to the National Archaeological Museum. It a beautiful museum and well worth it if you have enough time to fit it in. We also went to the Plaka, also well worth it. The Athens subway system is new, probably for the Olympics and it is very good. I strongly suggest using the subways as much as possible as opposed to cabs. There is also an excellent hop on off city bus (I think it's #400). For 5 euros you can ride it all day and it stops at all the major sites. It's well worth using this to get around.

 

Mykonos - This is a beautiful island. We had alot of time here and we decided to take the ferry to Delos, which is a small island that the ancient Greeks considered to be the center of their world. It was also a very important trading center. Now, it's uninhabited and is a major archaeolocial site. I would recommend not missing the opportunity to see Delos. There are several ways to get there - windstar excursion, taking the local ferry and seeing it on your own, taking the local ferry and a local guided tour. The local guided tour was not a good option since there were 50 people! and it just didn't work for us. We decided to do it on our own with the guide pamphlet and this worked fine. There is much to see in the port town on Mykonos. We also ate dinner in town since it was a long port day.

 

Santorini - Probably the prettiest island anywhere. The ship docks at Fira along with several other cruise ships, meaning Fira is very crowded. We took a local bus to Oia. Oia is beautiful, serene and calm. There are also nice beaches on Santorini and it is a good island to rent a car and drive around. The thing to watch out for on this island is the transportation from the dock to the town of Fira. Fira is very high up and there are three ways to get there, cable car, walking and riding a donkey. For most people, the cable car is the best way. However, with all the cruise ships, it gets very crowded and the lines can be long. Go into town early! and don't cut yourself short at the end of the day. When we were there, people who waited until late morning had a 2 hr wait for the cable car.

 

Rhodes - Rhodes is a relatively large island with an important history from ancient times, through the crusades, through the beautiful mosaics that Mussolini appropriated from Kos. In other words, there is alot to see here and we stayed right in the old city. The modern city has a lovely harbor as well.

 

Bodrum - This is a town on the Turkish coast. There is an interesting castle, a bazaar and a Turkish bath. I did go to the Turkish bath and per previous posts, this is an excellent experience.

 

Kusadasi - The important thing to do here is to go to Ephesus. There is alot of shopping in Kusadasi, but I found it difficult because it's impossible to just browse without getting a very heavy sales pitch. This was not a problem anywhere else. Ephesus is not to be missed, however.

 

Sea day - we were a little concerned about what we would do all day, but it turned out to be a great day. There was alot to see as we were close to the shore for most of the day. We saw Gallipoli and WW1 memorials, and we also cruised through the Dardanelles. The captain was really good about pointing out important landmarks.

 

One of the things we like about Windstar is that the port times are fairly long. We spent quite a bit of time on land. The people in Greece and Turkey could not have been nicer; we felt very welcomed and appreciated as tourists. Even though the food on Windstar is excellent, we had lunch on shore everyday to experience the local cuisine and meet people. The food in both countries is wonderful.

 

I agree, Windstar is an excellent line.

[ama22]

cielolama: We will embarking in Istanbul next Sept. for our Sea Dream Yacht Club cruise. We are also going to do a 3 night pre cruise in Istanbul. Can you tell me what Tour Co you used? Was is thru Windstar?

 

Mary Lou

[cielolama]

We booked the tour package through Windstar, and they used a company called Sea Song. This was also the company Windstar used for the excursion to Pergamum. On both excursions, the guides were really, really good. Very knowledgable and enthusiastic about Turkey and were interested in any questions we had.

 

Istanbul is fascinating and with three days, you'll be able to see alot. Definitely try to fit in a cruise up the Bosphorus. We booked this through Windstar/Sea Song as well, after we got to Istanbul. There were only 16 of us and they used a small, very comfortable boat. Because of the size, the captain was able to get quite close to the shore. I'm mentioning this because there are larger excursion ships but they went much faster and stayed in the middle of the Bosphorus.

[irc2100]

What a great post. We're doing one week from Athens to Istanbul in Aug as part of a Tauck Tour, and your post really answered most of our questions. A few remain: It's going to be hot in Aug. Are shorts generally ok for men? Are there any water activities in the Aegean- snorkeling, kayaking, etc. My wife's a shopper - any particular things to look for, or any particular shops or bazaar's you found. Did you take the donkey ride in Santorini?

[irc2100]

What a great post. We're doing one week from Athens to Istanbul in Aug as part of a Tauck Tour, and your post really answered most of our questions. A few remain: It's going to be hot in Aug. Are shorts generally ok for men? Are there any water activities in the Aegean- snorkeling, kayaking, etc. My wife's a shopper - any particular things to look for, or any particular shops or bazaar's you found. Did you take the donkey ride in Santorini?

[screen-gem]

irc2100,

We just (June'07) returned from Windstar Athens-Istanbul and can answer most of your questions.

- it was really hot last month on our entire trip. Shorts for men were fine in Istanbul as long as they're not short-shorts. In only one mosque (Suleyman) did I attract a critical look from the local 'watcher'. My shorts were a little above knee length and I just slid them down a bit so they were at knee-length.

- there seemed to be lots of snorkelling and some scuba at the islands we stopped at (Mykonos, Santorini). We didn't participate, but I saw other Windstar passengers heading off to do underwater explorations. But certainly not the same density of snorkelling sites as you find on Caribbean cruises.

- we took the donkey ride down at Santorini. It was a blast. My wife was a little apprehensive at the top, but she quite enjoyed it.

- we did a lot of shopping in Istanbul at the bazaars.

- bought several boxes of Turkish Delight as gifts for the folks at home from what is reputed to be the original and oldest TD shop, in business since 1777! The sign on the window reads "Sekerci, Ali Muhiddin, Haci Bekir". It's a real shop, about a block from the Spice Bazaar. If you have a good local guide, he should know where it is.

- bought very nice gold jewellry from CEM Kuyumcusu. This is a tiny shop in the Grand Bazaar. No 46 Nuruosmaniye. The owner was a delightful gentleman, Mr. Can Ozkardesler. We also met his father, had photos taken.

- my wife bought pashminas at another Grand Baazar shop: Sultan Galeri. Our guide knew the owner. Here's the address - Sandal Bedesteni Güney Kapısı No:10-12 Kapalıçarşı. I've attached a photo so you'll know what to expect!

 

Take US dollars and don't be afraid to bargain. Enjoy!

[irc2100]

Thanks for the response. It's been printed and filed for the trip. Surprised about US$$ being OK. On recent trips to Italy and France, it was Euro's or Credit Card only.

[wendilev]

Hi everyone,

 

We just returned from two weeks aboard WindSpirit, Istanbul/Athens/Istanbul. The cruise was great, everything worked out perfectly, transfers, hotel package, pre-cruise package, etc. If anyone has any questions about this cruise or ship, I'd be happy to answer.

We will be doing the same back-to-back cruise Sept. 8-22. Any "don't miss" side trips?

[WeeCruiser]

Anyone do the Ephesus dinner/concert excursion...sounds out of this world.

[Capt. Mike]

Three couples, 2 from Texas and on from NY have booked the 10/08/2008 alumini cruise. This will be our first Med cruise and 3rd cruise on Windspirit and looking forward to it. Thanks for the great reviews. We got the last three cabins apprently per our TA. Wow is this cruise is popular.

 

Captain Mike

Clear Lake Shores Texas

[Capt. Mike]

Boy am I a dunce,my bride reminded me that the cruise is 10/11/08 not 10/08.