Istanbul - Private vs Ship Tour

[NEW YORK LADY2]

We are trying to decide between a private tour and a ship tour in Istanbul. Unfortunately the Hagia Sophia will be closed when we arrive so doing a private tour would not allow us to see this but a they will open specifically for a ships tour. Is this a must see or would the following tour put together by a private guide make up for that.

 

Topkapi Palace

Spice Bazarr

Cistern

Blue Mosque

Grand Bazaar

 

Also, if anyone has taken a Princess tour of Istanbul please comment on what you thought of the tour.

 

Thanks for any insight you can give,

Jackie

[cruisemom42]

We are trying to decide between a private tour and a ship tour in Istanbul. Unfortunately the Hagia Sophia will be closed when we arrive so doing a private tour would not allow us to see this but a they will open specifically for a ships tour. Is this a must see or would the following tour put together by a private guide make up for that.

 

Topkapi Palace

Spice Bazarr

Cistern

Blue Mosque

Grand Bazaar

 

Also, if anyone has taken a Princess tour of Istanbul please comment on what you thought of the tour.

 

Thanks for any insight you can give,

Jackie

 

Istanbul is very easy to do on your own. All the sights you mention are easily reached by taking the tram that runs right beside the area where the cruise ships dock.

 

You are on the Nov. 18th cruise, and it is very disappointing to me that Haghia Sophia will be closed (part of the reason why I just took a separate trip to Turkey, lol). Of the things you list, I would put Haghia Sophia at #1, but others may disagree.... The wonderful Archeological Museum is also closed on Mondays.

 

BTW, I did take a Princess (elite) tour in Istanbul in 2006 with my mom. It was well done but expensive and a long day. The lunch at Ciragan Palace, while extremely nice, took time away from seeing the sites that I really wanted to see.

[NEW YORK LADY2]

Istanbul is very easy to do on your own. All the sights you mention are easily reached by taking the tram that runs right beside the area where the cruise ships dock.

 

You are on the Nov. 18th cruise, and it is very disappointing to me that Haghia Sophia will be closed (part of the reason why I just took a separate trip to Turkey, lol). Of the things you list, I would put Haghia Sophia at #1, but others may disagree.... The wonderful Archeological Museum is also closed on Mondays.

 

BTW, I did take a Princess (elite) tour in Istanbul in 2006 with my mom. It was well done but expensive and a long day. The lunch at Ciragan Palace, while extremely nice, took time away from seeing the sites that I really wanted to see.

 

Cruisemom,

Thanks for the info. I've been tossing this around as the guide I would use can't get us in to the Haghia Sophia but the Princess Tour would. I'll have to do some more research on Haghia Sophia.

 

Laughing cause I could have just asked you on our roll call, but I thought I might get more "bites" with a post to the Europe Board.

 

Jackie

[mrspaper]

we took the princess yacht cruise tour (our only ship's tour in 14 cruises) and were very happy. we were 5 people and saw instanbul from the bosphorous. it was enjoyable. then we went to the blue mosque and underground cistern, as well as shopping time in the bazaar. i recommend that one

[marving9999]

We are on the Ruby Princess - May 16 and will be stopping in Instanbul. We were originally going to do the ships all day tour of Instanbul, but after doing a considerable amount of research, determined that the TRAM from the pier in Instanbul will take you to every place you want to visit. So, we are going to do it on our own.

 

Once we return in June, I will post a review of doing the tours on our own for Instanbul and Athens.

[CoralReef]

Here's the report of how we did Istanbul on our own by tram:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=791793

It was very easy and relaxed, going at our own pace. I recommend it.

 

It's a shame the Haghia Sophia will be closed when you are there-- it's a tremendous sight, and I would agree probably #1 in Istanbul. (I might tie it with Topkapi.) I do think that it perhaps doesn't have quite as much surface appeal as the Blue Mosque or Topkapi. To fully appreciate the Haghia Sophia's significance, it helps to either have a well-informed guide, or have done some reading beforehand. And definitely don't miss the mosaics on the second floor, which are beautiful as well as having a fascinating history. So, if you're not planning to do some research on this site, it might be worth taking the guided tour-- especially as that's the only way you can get in on that date.

 

On the other hand, the ship tours we saw in Istanbul were VERY large and spent a lot of time waiting outside restrooms. And the Grand Bazaar is just not a place where you need a guide. (In fact, the guides we saw were setting people loose there and telling them when to rendezvous.)

 

So those are some pros and cons of a tour in your particular situation. I'm sure you'll have a great time, whatever you decide!

[CathyCruises]

Istanbul may be THE easiest port to do on your own, with the tram line running just outside the ship. We were there overnight on this trip and hopped on and off and saw everything we were looking for. Really no need for a guide here, of all places. You can be at Topkapi in 10 minutes! And everything else is right there too.

 

Cathy