Istanbul to Athens on Voyager

[Lynne A.]

My husband and I are sailing on the Voyager October 6 from Istanbul to Athens. We will arrive in Istanbul on the 2nd to explore that city before the cruise. I am SO excited and would love to hear from those of you that have done a cruise similar to this. How were the ports? Tips for Istanbul? Do the seas tend to be rough or smooth (I get seasick)? Any information or descriptions would be appreciated. I have heard wonderful things about the Voyager! We have sailed the Paul Gauguin and loved that.

Thanks,

LynneA.

[greytstuff]

We sailed Istanbul to Venice which was also a wonderful itinerary. Istanbul is a beautiful city and hope you have alowed a couple days (at least) to take it all in. By all means you need to visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace etc. We stayed a couple days at the Ceylon Hotel which was wonderful. If you get there, go clear to the top where's there's a really nice bar and have a drink. It looks our over the city and the Bosphorus, an absolutely gorgeous sight. The Turkish people are so friendly and nice, you will enjoy them. I'm sure one of your ports will be Kusadasi and a trip to Ephesus is a must - an amazing experience. There is so much ancient history in that part of the world, it's inspiring, and I feel I learned so much. Enjoy!! You will have a wonderful cruise.

[Grothj]

Hi Lynne.

 

My husband and I will be on that cruise. We arrive in Istanbul on 10-4 for a couple of days before boarding. You'll love the Voyager..even if I like Mariner a little better it is only but a "hair". Perhaps we will meet on board!

 

Jan

[jwas1]

We cruised Athens to Istanbul three years ago on the dear departed Diamond. I second the above comments about Istanbul. Beautiful city with friendly citizens and wonderful food. We had a good bit of wind for much of our trip, but the distances covered are relatively short and the captain was able to keep us in the lee of islands for a smooth sail. Enjoy.

[Lynne A.]

Thanks everyone for your tips! We are with a group from Albuquerque and have many tours planned pre-cruise in Istanbul. I think we are even staying in the Ceylon Hotel, will definitely find that rooftop bar and view.

It sounds like the seas are not any worse than around Tahiti and the ship is bigger, so it should be okay. I'll still take my sea bands, just in case!

 

Jan, I hope we will be able to meet on board!

 

Lynne

[RachelG]

We cruised Istanbul to Athens on the Diamond 3 years ago. Absolutely loved Istanbul. We hired a private guide for the day. The sea is much calmer than that around Tahiti (just came off the Paul Gauguin 2 weeks ago). I really never felt any significant motion, certainly nothing that would cause any type of discomfort. On the Paul Gauguin, there was one pretty rough evening when my son got kind of queasy. May have been partly due to him being out in the sun all day, but there was a lot of motion.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Make sure to be out on deck for the sailaway! It will be spectacular. The Bosphorus lit up at night is a memorable sight.

 

Also enjoy your pre-cruise. It sounds like you've given yourself a nice amount of time to explore a beautiful city.