Eastern med short port days

Hi

Has anybody recently done the Eastern med cruise ?

We have booked for October and have noticed that we only really have half days in each port , I was wondering if this is enough time to do the ports on your own , eg. taking local transport to see the sights DIY ? We prefer to arrange our own tours or take local transport to really appreciate the different countries and cultures (and save money compared to ship tours)

Any help would be much appreciated

Thinking of taking ephesus shuttle tour and doing the rest on buses etc

Half day is normally more than enough to see the sights in the port, the problem is when thse attractions are further afield i.e Piraues to Athens.

remember that if you are on a private tour and are back late the ship will not wait for you, on a Costa tour they will.

Check out the port section here on CC and also have alook at tripadvisor.com.

Most 'Med' ports have HOHO buses which are fairly easy to find, as you are booked for October you will be able to get on & off fairly easily, we always go in September and have no trouble getting seats.

You could also book taxis in advance before you go, these are use to getting you back in time for sailing.

Although in recent years port times have been reduced it still gives reasonable time for local tours by bus/train.

You will be seated in MDR with your own lanuage so it is a good time to see if anyone wants to share costs with you for taxis/minibuses.

There are usually mini-buses by dock gates which will give you a tour for set prices, they follow theships tours intinerary but cheaper.

But do look at Costa's tour brochure on line some are worth the money, without the worry of getting back in time.

The ship's time in port is usually geared to the max time it takes for the various organized excursions to go and come back. Ephesus for example, takes about four to five hours to get there, visit, and return to the port. The ships usually stay in Izmir for five or six hours. Plenty of time to do an excursion or just wander around the town.

The cycling shore excursions along the Black Sea ports of Bulgaria and Romania are well organized and fit to the time frame. Take a ride with Varna Guided Cycling among the green areas outside the ports and a city tour with a time for lunch. The same crew run the tours in Burgas, Nessebar and Constanta and between them too with overnight on the land.

On each port, cruise excursion passengers go to the shore first. When it requires tendering, the independent passengers get in even later. As such, if it offers bus transfer to the far-away city center, I'll consider such safe option.