Doing the Med. on a dime!

Well, our Med. cruise last year was just so fabulous we decided to book another one this summer! We originally had a 9 day Caribbean out of Bayonne, New Jersey booked for June 18th but when I priced a 9 day European Cruise out of Istanbul it was unbeatable! So, we went ahead and booked.

Having been in Europe last year and spending some pre-cruise days in Paris and some post-cruise days in Rome we spent a lot of money. We are thinking this time around we can it much cheaper using frequent flier miles, onboard credit, as well as being more conscious of what we spend and how we spend it. I mean who really needs to try gelato at every place who advertises to have the best? :)

I'm here to ask if anyone has input to share on how to do this trip pretty cost effective!

Any help is greatly appreciated!

We did a European cruise two years in a row. Different ports but we managed to leave and return to Rome both times. If think you already know that they are port intensive and tours leave VERY early. First, in Rome, we didn't book an expensive hotel. We literally spent less time in our Rome hotel room than in our cabin on the ship. We didn't buy photos from the ship. Didn't really have any time to spend in the casino because we were pooped at the end of the evening and would be expected up early the next morning for a full day of touring. The best and most cost-effective decision we made was booking private excursions. There were 5 of us so doing the math, it came out cheaper to book all excursions outside teh cruise line. We only went with highly recommended companies on TripAdvisor and CC. Get on your roll call and hook up with people going on private excursions. You'll save $$$. We had most of our wine in the cities we visited..MUCH cheaper than a glass of wine on the ship and we actually bought a couple of bottles two of the cities. No one stopped us and we had it in our shopping bags and ran it through the scanners. I'm sure they knew we had it. We didn't do many of the froo-froo drinks. We weren't really out by the pool that much. We had all our excursions booked ahead of time, knew how much it would be, including a tip and kept each days excursion money and tip in an envelope, marked with the port, in the safe (in euros). We didn't do any specialty restaurants, because we really didn't see a need, not because we were intentionally trying to save. Other than that, we didn't scrimp on seeing everything we could while we were there.

Not sure what ports you will be doing, but I did a review "Our families viewpoint on our Med cruise" in Oct.

As I was paying for 5 we did everything we could to save on cost, but not to the point of not doing what we wanted!

We stayed at Hostals (cheap hotel in Spain) they weren't fancy at all but they were clean which is all I cared about as we just used them to sleep 1 night pre-cruise and one after.

We took public transportation in several ports (only did that one time in NYC where everything was in English) so new experience for us

I had no luck on our roll call as very few people were on it plus with us having 5 it was too many people for the tours that only had room for 2 or 4 more

We did mostly DIY days I couldn't see spending $700 for someone to drive me to Rome when that didn't even include any admissions! I think the most I paid for transportation that day was $100

We ate all meals on the ship- we did grab pizza and gelatto a couple times as we HAD to try it in Italy!

Researched the ports and had tickets bought for the big places ahead of time.

I'm here to ask if anyone has input to share on how to do this trip pretty cost effective! Any help is greatly appreciated!

Mykonos - there's a passenger ferry in town (it was called ORCA 3 years ago with a booth by the windmills, 15min walk from the ship) that takes you over to Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. There's tons of info on line (google it and look at images... unreal!). The ferry and entry into the site were not expensive, this turned out to be one of my most glorious days ever in my world travels so far, totally unexpected great day

Santorini - take the local transit bus to Oia from the main bus station in Fira, right at the top of the hill of the tram about 3-4 blocks in. You can google map it, very easy to find and do. If you don't know about Oia, again google some images... iconic, glorious, superb day trip, and you can walk around all day in awe and take the local transit back.

Athens - It's a long walk (maybe 45min to hour) from the pier to the metro but easy enough if you're fit. You can map it, that metro takes you right up to the Parthenon and market areas, few blocks from everything.

Messina - Google Taormina. Messina train station maybe 5-6 blocks from cruise port. Train to Naxos likely around 10euros now (was I think 7euro 3 yrs ago) return, then you can taxi up and down to Taormina for 20 euro. Ensure your timing at port with the Trenitalia train schedule on their website.

Hope that helps. Have a great cruise!! :D

p.s. You M U S T stay at least one night pre-cruise in Istanbul. This city and the palaces are absolutely and totally awesome. You will not regret a day there

As you're flying into Istanbul, don't forget to budget for the online Visa everyone will need. Use only the site below, all others will be trying to scam you.

https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

I'll just echo that nearly every port is easy to do on your own (and, IMO, you get a much better feel for that area when you use the local public transit, etc anyway).

I'm not sure if things have changed in Athens (we haven't been there in about 2 years) but when we were there it was only about a 15-20 minute walk to a metro stop that then let us go to the Parthenon area. I can't remember if it was a main station or a smaller stop but whatever it was was simple to figure out without any Greek or prior experience with the area.

One of the best things you can do, if you are not trying to see a very specific attraction in an area, is just walk a block or two away from the main tourist thoroughfares. Shops, cafes, etc tend to be much cheaper then, and often more pleasant and better quality. Look for locals, take a seat, order something typical of the region and soak in the atmosphere.

It's too late for the OP but for anyone else who wants to experience some of the Med on the cheap look for a transatlatic sailing that starts or ends there. You save big chunks both on the sailing (less than the typical Med sailing) and the airfare (you only pay one way). Eastbound TAs have the advantge of eliminating the jet lag when you get there. TAs are scheduled during the shoulder seasons (April - early May eastbound, October westbound) so you can avoid the crowds and experience cooler weather.

After that, follow the advice of others on this thread on how to save at the individual ports.

To echo what many have said here and speaking from experience - the absolute most cost effective way to 'do' Europe is by yourself. Yes hooking up with others on your roll call to do private excursions will save you dollars compared to RCI excursions but considering you have been to Europe before ( and should be a little more comfortable than a first timer) I really recommend you take the train, metro, bus or walk it. That's how you really experience a place.

Myself and hubbie were looking at those cruises from Istanbul as they really are cheap right now, this is probably because the itinerary changed from various stops in Russia ( i.e Sochi) and Ukraine ( i.e Odessa) to now include Turkey and Greece. The beauty is that you have an overnight in Istanbul at the end so maybe just spend one night beforehand there. There is some great info in the port guides on here and google the port guides by 'Tom' they are so comprehensive for DIY. Are there any ports in particular you are struggling with ? List them here i'm sure you'l get great info.

Most of all enjoy the planning.

Thank you so much everyone!

We definitely don't want to miss out on anything. But, since this is slightly spur of the moment we know we need to make it more cost effect than last year. Keeping that in mind we also know we are early 30s and if we don't do it now, we may not be back until retirement (we don't have children yet).

Does anyone have the most cost effective and safe way to get from IST Airport to our hotel as well as from the hotel to the cruise line?

I have the transfers set up in Rome, which is where the cruise ends but Turkey I am still a bit confused.

Thank you again so much everyone!

Kreuzfahrtneuling has a lot of information about DIY port

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1890431

If you do the Greek Isles and Adriatic a lot of those ports are DIY:

Think Venice, Dubrovnik, Mykonos, Santorini

My best piece of advice is to get hold of a copy of Rick Steves' book on Mediterranean cruise ports. He gives priceless, detailed advice on how to sightsee in many of the most common Mediterranean ports on your own.

I would whole heartedly agree with cruisemom42 - use Rick Steves - great information. And seek out her past posts - she is also a great source of information!! There are a few others on the Europe boards to follow.

We did a 2 week cruise on the Jade last year from Rome to Venice hitting the Greek Isles. We stayed two night precruise in Rome and one night postcruise in Venice. Used frequent flyer miles to/from - crucial!!

I tracked almost every single penny. Spent about $4800. Yes.

Granted - it was the Jade and we had an inside cabin. We stayed VERY cheaply in Rome and Venice. Had a nice chunk of OBC from our TA and BOA. The cruise total was only $2800. That left $2000 for the rest.

We did splurge. Spent $350 in Rome just for food. Took a romantic hour gondola ride at sunset with a 3euro bottle of wine. Took 3 tours - Sicily to Taormina, Kopor to Lake Bled and in Katakolon to Olympia. But we hoofed it on cheap public transportation the rest of the way.

But this was my third cruise to Europe in so many years and if I have to do it on the cheap to be able to go every year or so (on top of my other vacations) - so be it.

I make a game of it. I beat my last cruise by $200.

 

But this was my third cruise to Europe in so many years and if I have to do it on the cheap to be able to go every year or so (on top of my other vacations) - so be it.

Ain't that the truth! (Seven Med cruises since 2006....plus my land trips!)

You can save a lot of money (sometimes thousands of dollars) by simply avoiding cruise line excursions (or any tour) and simply doing everything on your own. For example, most cruise lines will charge over $100 to simply transport cruisers between Civitavecchia and Rome. But for 12 Euros (about $15) one can purchase a BIRG ticket that will give you round trip train service to Rome (often faster then the cruise line buses) plus all day's use of Rome's Metro and extensive bus system. And it is similar in many places. DW and I will often rent a car (usually less then $100 a day) and do a lot more then an all day tour for hundreds of dollars less.

You mention Paris where DW and recently spent a week (before driving around Eastern France for another 3 weeks). We saved money in Paris by renting a furnished apartment for a week (in the trendy St Germain des Pres) for a lot less then a decent hotel, and had the advantage of a gourmet kitchen, living room, etc. And dining out can be done reasonably if one eats in local (not tourist) places and takes advantage of the daily specials. And it is the same in Rome where one can easily spend over $300 for a mediocre dinner, or can find a very good dinner for less then $100.

We do agree with Cruisemom that the Rick Steve's books are an excellent starting place for independent European trips/days. My only caution about Rick Steves is that we usually avoid their restaurant recommendations since nearly everyone in those eating venues will be another tourist with a Rick Steves book in hand. :). At the time they do their research and write the book they might have chosen some great eating venues, but being in the guidebook quickly ruins most places (and increases prices).

Hank

I concur with cruisemom and Hank. Go on your own. Another great resource are toms port guides which you can search for on the Internet. They have more and better maps than Rick Steves. Use public transportation, walk, go to small back street restaurants and just take time to take in the street life.

There is a Metro from IST into town, the line is M1, the info is here

In most Med countries, drinking something standing up at the bar is cheaper than sitting down, and the terrace outside is even more expensive. If you want a quick coffee, get it at a local workman's bar standing up, it will only set you back about 1-2 Euro. Sitting down on a nice touristy terrace on a major square in Italy overlooking a serious landmark, could potentially set you back 20 euro for the same coffee. Drink what the locals drink: a turkish tea is the cheapest thing to drink in Turkey, in Italy it is espresso. On the Med it is very normal to order 1 big bottle of water with multiple glasses (tap water is an American thing, and normally not given out for free, not even when you order something else with it).

Even more cost effective is popping in one of the many little minimarkets and buy bottled water or cans of soda.

We never take tours if we can help it, neither ships tours or private. These days you can find an answer to all your questions on the internet, especially if you are not travelling off the beaten track. OK, DIY takes up more time before the cruise, but the planning is also a lot of fun. When you want to go on foot or by public transport, have a realistic time schedule. Accept that you will not be able to see everything. Select 1 or 2 things you really want to see or do, and maybe have 1 or 2 things, which are not absolutely must-sees, in reserve if you have extra time or happen to walk by there anyway. Many tourist offices have free maps or walking suggestions online, or even offer english-language guided walks for little or no money (make sure to book ahead). Most public transport networks in larger European cities have an english-language website with advice on bus, tram, metro routes with prices, maps and suggestions for tourists.

Budget a little money for when things go wrong, and you need to make that important long distance phone call or grab a taxi. We hired a car in Malaga, and although we had planned plenty of extra time to get to the ship, on the way back to the drop-off we ended up in heavy road works. We seriously thought we would not make the ship. From the rental agency, we jumped in a taxi who drove us back to the port Formula-One-style. We had planned on walking back, so the taxi was an extra cost we had not counted on (but one well spent ;)).

Also important: get the local currency, and figure out what the exchange rate is beforehand. If you try and pay in another currency (dollars or something else), you will always get an unfavourable exchange rate, making everything more expensive than need be. It also tells the vendor: this tourist is not very savy and well-travelled, let's try and make an extra buck of him. Many state run museums, and most public transport, and the local corner shops, do not even take foreign currency.

As you're flying into Istanbul, don't forget to budget for the online Visa everyone will need. Use only the site below, all others will be trying to scam you.

 

https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

Not required for British Cruise Passengers, not staying overnight.

Gov.uk

British nationals need a visa to travel to Turkey (except for cruise ship passengers with ‘British Citizen’ passports entering the country for a day trip, remaining in the port of embarkation and returning to the ship the same day). If you’re visiting Turkey as a tourist or on business, you’ll need to get an e-Visa online before you travel. Only use the official e-Visa website. Avoid unauthorised websites as they may charge an additional fee.

Not required for British Cruise Passengers, not staying overnight.

 

Gov.uk

British nationals need a visa to travel to Turkey (except for cruise ship passengers with ‘British Citizen’ passports entering the country for a day trip, remaining in the port of embarkation and returning to the ship the same day). If you’re visiting Turkey as a tourist or on business, you’ll need to get an e-Visa online before you travel. Only use the official e-Visa website. Avoid unauthorised websites as they may charge an additional fee.

You need this if you are flying into or out of Turkey, which the OP is doing. It also applies to UK guests as well. If you're just doing a port of call, then no, you don't need one.

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I've been to quite a few ports in the Med and the Baltic, and other than in St. Petersburg and Granada, we did sightseeing using trams, trains, walking, rental car, occasional taxi and who knows what else (probably a ferry, but I forget which one, so I won't count it!) If anyone wants any specific info on using public transportation in a port, just ask for it. If I have it, I can probably cut and paste the info in there.

I also know a great, affordable hotel in Lisbon if anyone wants one.

As for saving money on a cruise, well I do that easily, but don't have any fabulous tips. I'm simply not someone who likes to spend money or time in the spa, casino, bars, ship stores, etc., so it's really easy. I might be the only cruiser on earth who has ever received a cruise bill of $2, and that is only because my husband wanted to wash his clothes!

There is some great info in the port guides on here and google the port guides by 'Tom' they are so comprehensive for DIY. Are there any ports in particular you are struggling with ? List them here i'm sure you'l get great info.

 

Most of all enjoy the planning.

tomsportguides.com is Tom Sheridan's site - love it.

Also, inyourpocket.com has a lot of online guides for the Baltic and Med. They update food and drink info frequently, which is helpful. Note that for many cities there is a special guide you can download in addition to the website info for that city.

In Athens, you may be able to take the X80 bus from the port to downtown Athens.

In Santorini during peak tourist season there is a boat from the tender pier to Oia.

Yep, easy and fun to (truly) DIY it!

Also important: get the local currency, and figure out what the exchange rate is beforehand. If you try and pay in another currency (dollars or something else), you will always get an unfavourable exchange rate, making everything more expensive than need be. It also tells the vendor: this tourist is not very savy and well-travelled, let's try and make an extra buck of him. Many state run museums, and most public transport, and the local corner shops, do not even take foreign currency.

Not to be so negative, and perhaps this is overblown, but here's what I've copied from other travelers' info on Istanbul or one site, Turkey Travel Planning by Tom Brosnahan:

Istanbul cab drivers are notorious for being untrustworthy. Be sure to get correct change in lira and make sure it is new lira, not old. I still have some old lira & they have 000,000 in them .. The group that may still have old lira are taxi drivers. Here's our experience from a trip eight years ago: After trip from Grand Bazaar, paid fare & started to exit taxi. The driver yelled at us saying that we had given him too large bill & couldn't make change. He returned bill to us & when I saw it, number on bill was indeed very large. However, I was baffled since we were leaving Turkey next day & we had been careful to draw down Turkish money. I couldn't understand how we could have had such a large bill in our possession. I simply paid since I felt there was nothing I could say with confidence, but I was mostly confused. When I went into hotel, I went to desk to ask about large bill & employee explained we were scammed. The taxi drivers keep money passengers pay first time around, but return worthless old lira claiming they don't have change. ...I'm glad to read this comment about hotel doorman since it gives me take-away lesson. The taxi driver took advantage of where he dropped us off to pull his scam. The front of our hotel was surrounded by three streets: two along each of sides & one across front. Access to front door -- from hotel's driveway -- was from one-way street across front. Riding back from Grand Bazaar, traffic had been heavy & when driver approached hotel he was on one of side streets. He said if we wanted to be dropped off at door he'd have to drive around block to deal with one way streets. Since front door was no more than twenty feet away & we'd run up meter sitting in traffic, we agreed to get out away from front door. Reading comment about hotel doorman's running interference when taxi driver tried same scam makes me realize that our driver's kind-seeming offer to save us some money was nothing more than well-practiced scheme. Of course people are going to walk twenty feet rather than run up meter. For scam to work, our driver needed to keep us away from hotel's protective doorman.

Of course, using taxi to return to one's hotel isn't only destination so I'll repeat my earlier recommendation that people hand over money & announce, “I’m paying X in new Turkish Lira." Another strategy: Ask shopkeeper or restaurant host or private guide to hail cab. Another day, when finished dinner, host offered to hail taxi. He said he knew most taxi drivers & knew which ones were to be avoided.

Be sure to use an ATM to get out Turkish Lira for admission into many of sights. In some places, they ask for Euros, so it would be good to have couple of hundred Euro or USD as well. Our transport wanted Euros rather than TL.

Some hotels will give you 10% off if you pay in cash (euros).

Dining with friends is an Istanbullu's favorite evening activity. It's great fun, only displeasure coming with bill at end of evening. Those tidy machine-printed bills listing all items ordered, calculating tax, etc. are not (yet) found everywhere in Istanbul. Rather, what you may be asked to pay is l-o-n-g bill scribbled in cryptic Waiter Runic that lends itself handily to cheating.Stories abound of foreign visitors being presented withTL250 bills for meals that would've cost Turk TL50.

Problematic restaurant practices include:

—Bringing you items you never ordered & charging for them

—Charging for items you never ordered & never received

—Overcharging for items (especially fish)

—Recommending most expensive items (e.g.out-of-season fish)

—Faulty addition

Here are tips for avoiding unpleasantness:

1. Ask at hotel for restaurant recommendation and, if possible, have hotel staffer write note on back of hotel's card to restaurant staff—just so restaurant knows some local (upon which restaurant's prosperity may in part depend) is watching. Presumably restaurateur will want to keep you happy & treat you well so that your report to hotel staff is good & brings more customers.

2. Take your time ordering, especially fish & be sure to ask mevsimli mi? ("Is it in season?") Someone in restaurant will speak English so Turkish word may not even be necessary, but point is to order fish that is plentiful & in season, not something that is seasonal rarity & therefore especially expensive. (Fish is more expensive than meat in any case—perhaps 100% to 150% more expensive.)

3. Check prices on menu/price list & if no menu/price list (which is possible, as they are not used nearly so much in Turkey as in Europe & USA), ask price of each item. This is tedious, but possibility of cheating may make it necessary. I myself would write my own 'ghost bill,' noting items ordered & quoted prices & do my own tally. By doing it, I could be pretty well assured that it would not be necessary, because owner, seeing my resolution to avoid cheating, would not bother to do so.

4. Notice what is brought to your table & question items you did not order. If you want them, ask price & agree to keep them. If don't, have them taken away immediately, untouched.

5. Bring calculator & add up bill yourself, taking your time & questioning any items you can't read or otherwise don't understand. (You probably have calculator on your phone.) Keep in mind that it is duty of any establishment to provide any customer with clear & comprehensible information on any item(s) being purchased. They owe it to you to do this; you don't owe them anything but payment for items & service received. They're supposed to make accounting clear, accurate & easy.

In most Istanbul restaurants all this is not necessary. Service is good & honest & food first-rate, but as with travel anywhere, you should be active in defense of your interests. The more active you are, more pleasant (& inexpensive) your evening is likely to be.

—by Tom Brosnahan

In most Istanbul restaurants all this is not necessary. Service is good & honest & food first-rate, but as with travel anywhere, you should be active in defense of your interests. The more active you are, more pleasant (& inexpensive) your evening is likely to be.

I think this last sort of sums it up.

One can get scammed by the occasional "bad apple" anywhere. I've read reports of rip-off taxi drivers in Rome, Athens, Paris and many other places. Just keep your wits about you the same as you should do anywhere, and you should be fine.

As a solo woman traveler, I've often found it works well to have a hotel call a taxi for me rather than trying to flag one down. Hotels generally have a relationship with a particular taxi group and I think you are much less likely to get ripped off.

As to restaurants -- well, I remember a well publicized incident from several years ago where a Japanese couple was charged an exorbitant amount by a Rome restaurant -- I think it was over $500. So it can happen anywhere. But again, some simple, smart precautions should be used -- never order anything without getting the cost first, and never pay the bill without looking it over and questioning any charges that don't seem right.

For the record, I've been to Istanbul 5 times. Only once do I feel I was (slightly) ripped off by a taxi driver, and never have I had a questionable charge at a restaurant there.

Roothy123's post had me smiling. When it comes to Istanbul we are able to draw on our own experience (been there quite a few times on both cruises and in hotels) and often find that books (and some posters) seem to emphasize the negative. So, we have never had any problem at Istanbul restaurants (and even with the street vendors we frequent). Sure, there are probably some restaurants that will overcharge or make a "mistake" with the bill, but we have seen this at places all over the world including our own home town :). DW and I have generally found Istanbul restaurants fine and they are normally very friendly and accommodating.

As to the taxis, this is where we do agree with all the negative comments. In fact, we think that the words "Istanbul taxi" and "crook" are synonymous. I do not know any magic way to deal with taxis in this town, and we are very experienced travelers. We once were in Istanbul overnight on a cruise (we already knew the city quite well) and grabbed a taxi to go to a restaurant a couple of miles from the ship. We told the driver to use the meter (he actually had a working meter) and he was not happy and wanted to charge us a high fixed price. We told him to use the meter or we would get out of his taxi so he reluctantly turned on the meter. He then drove us across the bridge and turned the opposite direction from our restaurant and proceeded to take us on a "ride" that more then doubled the distance to our restaurant. As we finally neared the restaurant I calmly (and quietly) told the driver to take us to the nearest Police Station. He spoke enough English to understand and ask me why.....and I reached over the seat and pointed to the meter and said "NO." He tried to argue and I again asked him to take us to the police so we could talk about the meter. At that point we pulled up to the restaurant. I handed him half the amount on the meter and there was no argument. But it was not a pleasant experience. Our preference in Istanbul is to simply use public transit (the Tram is an easy way to get between the touristy part of town and the port).

Regarding currency, it is usually a good idea to use a countries own currency or a credit card. But one can have a lot of fun in shops and bazaars trying to bargain with various currency. We have paid with Lira, Euros, and also US dollars in bazaars, but one most bargain carefully to get a good deal. The Turks wrote the book on bargaining and they seldom lose :). What is often said is that if you complete the sale and buy the item you have overpaid. It is all so much fun.

Hank