Istanbul - Princess Shuttle?

I read that Princess has a shuttle running from the port to the tourist area in Istanbul. Read it in only one place and would like to confirm .... is this is accurate?

Have not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Cruisers doing the port independently always write about using the tram ... nothing about any cruise line offering a shuttle (even if not for free).

I read that Princess has a shuttle running from the port to the tourist area in Istanbul. Read it in only one place and would like to confirm .... is this is accurate?

 

Have not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Cruisers doing the port independently always write about using the tram ... nothing about any cruise line offering a shuttle (even if not for free).

There was no shuttle on our Regal cruise. We just walked from the pier and then over the Galata bridge to the Spice Market. Took about 25 minutes.

The tram system in IST works quite well. From the cruise terminal, you can either go right or left to a tram stop. Left takes you to Tophane, right to Findikli. Right may be a bit shorter, left gives you some "stuff" to look at, including some brightly painted steps and a mosque. Right is just city buildings.

The tram will take you to Topkapi Palace, Cistern, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar.

Info on using the tram can be found at THIS LINK. The website for the tram and metro network is HERE.

It can be crowded, and beware of pickpockets, but I've had great success using the trams/metro in IST to get around. Do your research first so you know what to expect and how to navigate the system. One advantage of the tram is that it runs on dedicated tracks for much of its route.

And know that taxi drivers in IST range from the helpful and honest to the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

The tram system in IST works quite well. From the cruise terminal, you can either go right or left to a tram stop. Left takes you to Tophane, right to Findikli. Right may be a bit shorter, left gives you some "stuff" to look at, including some brightly painted steps and a mosque. Right is just city buildings.

 

The tram will take you to Topkapi Palace, Cistern, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar.

 

Info on using the tram can be found at THIS LINK. The website for the tram and metro network is HERE.

 

It can be crowded, and beware of pickpockets, but I've had great success using the trams/metro in IST to get around. Do your research first so you know what to expect and how to navigate the system. One advantage of the tram is that it runs on dedicated tracks for much of its route.

 

And know that taxi drivers in IST range from the helpful and honest to the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Thank you. We have been considering just using the tram. And your network link gave me the first place where I could print out a suitable tram routing map. :)

I read that Princess has a shuttle running from the port to the tourist area in Istanbul. Read it in only one place and would like to confirm .... is this is accurate?

 

Have not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Cruisers doing the port independently always write about using the tram ... nothing about any cruise line offering a shuttle (even if not for free).

Last time we were in Istanbul there was a free shuttle from the ship to the "grand bazaar" and shopping...

Yes, I also can confirm from our trip in July on the Emerald -- as mentioned above, Princess has a shuttle to the Grand Bazaar. It's easy to get it and take it there, but it was a huge wait and hassle to get picked up by it afterward. Uh, you'll see...

Yes, I also can confirm from our trip in July on the Emerald -- as mentioned above, Princess has a shuttle to the Grand Bazaar. It's easy to get it and take it there, but it was a huge wait and hassle to get picked up by it afterward. Uh, you'll see...

What made getting the shuttle back such a hassle? The long wait? But everyone eventually has to be taken back, right? We kind of experienced this in Boston a few years ago. The Princess shuttle back to the ship wasn't very organized and people got impatient. But we all eventually made it back to the ship.

We are considering the tram but we are there on the first day of a big holiday and have read the public transportation on that day would be a madhouse too.

What made getting the shuttle back such a hassle? The long wait? But everyone eventually has to be taken back, right?

It was a hassle because we realized at the end of the afternoon that where we were left off in the morning was a 2 1/2 block stretch in front of the Grand Bazaar where the entire world was getting picked up and that we were only dropped off where we were because there wasnt' an open space anywhere else. So who knew where our bus would stop that afternoon...? To make matters worse there were trams, trolleys and busses of every size, shape and variety; not to mention legions of taxis and people constantly streaming in and our of that small area (and we think 1 of every 3 people passing us aggressively tried to sell us a rug or a trinket...). It was a madhouse. We weren't sure what our bus looked like, so we had to eagle-eye-scan every single windshield for the word "Princess." We did happen to wait maybe 40 minutes -- that wasn't a problem; it was the not being sure if we were in the right place or if we'd missed the sign (busses would pass in front of and block our sight of other busses too, so we could've missed it).

When we finally DID see the bus with "PRINCESS" on a card on the windshield, it stopped all the way forward of those 2 1/2 blocks (we were in the middle). So after we huffed and puffed to catch it, we asked (to be certain) if this bus was going back to the Emerald Princess. It was. HOWEVER, after a few minutes in our seats, somebody started talking on a microphone on the bus asking if everybody had a good time [on their "tour"]! We'd inadvertently glommed onto some type of tour from the ship! Brother! We never saw our actual shuttle then. My advice here would be to ask anything you can think of getting OFF the bus to ensure you timely make the return bus and can identify it as the correct one. I guess it was no biggie since it was Friday and the EP was staying in port that night (we were to disembark the next day, Saturday), i.e., we could've taken a taxi even at 9pm, but the bottom line was that the whole situation was classic FUBAR.

So yeah, I'd call that a hassle.

We used the shuttle in Istanbul this past week, and had no issues. At about 9am, they took us over near the Grand Bazaar, after getting off the bus in the middle of the street, the guide took us to the meeting place. We were told to come back when we wanted to return to ship then she pointed out which direction to go for sights.

At about 4:40pm, we made our way back to meeting spot, there were several guides there (in blue shirts) that were giving out numbers for spots on the bus. We got the last 2 and only waited 5 mins. Then one of the guides walked us through the streets to a parking area to get on the bus.

Due to traffic and congestion, I thought it went well? Maybe they learned from previous ships?

The tram system in IST works quite well. From the cruise terminal, you can either go right or left to a tram stop. Left takes you to Tophane, right to Findikli. Right may be a bit shorter, left gives you some "stuff" to look at, including some brightly painted steps and a mosque. Right is just city buildings.

 

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Was wondering if you could tell me which way would take us past ATM machines. We'll need Turkish Lira to buy the tram tokens.

Was wondering if you could tell me which way would take us past ATM machines. We'll need Turkish Lira to buy the tram tokens.

ATM tip: Don't always take out a large number from your ATM. Sometimes, take the smallest amount offered so you don't end up with just big bills. Or unround the withdrawal amount. For example, at a Vietnam ATM one day, I took out 2,000,000 dong (about $90). Got four 500,000 dong notes. Had to find places to break the bills. Learned my lesson...next time I entered 1,950,000. Got three big bills, four 100,000 notes and a 50,000 note. Instant change!

Second ATM tip: Some banks put two limits on foreign ATM withdrawals - a monetary limit as well as a frequency limit. I have an account that allows for four ATM withdrawals in a day - no more. Best to have that info before you find out at a machine. (And find out if that "day" is local or at your home bank's location.)

In re: Grand Bazaar. It's impressive to look at but the pricing there is generally much higher than at the Spice Market. Just FYI.

we are there on the first day of a big holiday and have read the public transportation on that day would be a madhouse too.

If this is a big holiday, check in advance what will be open and what will be closed that day. For example, the Grand Bazaar may be closed that day.

Also, a major attraction such as Topkapi Palace might be closed as all such attractions do close on one day of a week even if not a holiday. Sometimes such an attraction may be open for cruise ship tours even when closed to the general public.

If this is a big holiday, check in advance what will be open and what will be closed that day. For example, the Grand Bazaar may be closed that day.

 

Also, a major attraction such as Topkapi Palace might be closed as all such attractions do close on one day of a week even if not a holiday. Sometimes such an attraction may be open for cruise ship tours even when closed to the general public.

Thanks. We are there on the fitst day of Eid al adha and both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market are closed that day. Also, most attractions won't open until 1 pm. We won't arrive until 11 am, so hopefully will at least get to see some things. Before they changed our itinerary, our plan was to take the tram but now we are not sure about that and are looking for other means of transportation. This shuttle souns promising but we may still end up taking the tram.

Does anyone knoe how often they return back to the ship?

They ran about every 20 mins but they had something about returning to the ship starting mid-afternoon. They will have a schedule posted at the meeting place with exact times. I think the last one was like 6pm.

Our ship was there on an overnight, arriving the first day at 8am and leaving at 11pm the second day so they might not have the same schedule for shorter visits.

Thanks. That info helps. We'll decide closer to our cruise on which way to go but the more info we have helps.

Was wondering if you could tell me which way would take us past ATM machines. We'll need Turkish Lira to buy the tram tokens.

We went right as we exited the port area and there were at least 2 - 3 major banks with ATMs. We went into the bank after we got our money and they were happy to exchange some large bills for smaller ones and change so that we could buy tokens for the tram.

The tram was great--easy to use!

We went to Istanbul in the summer on the Island Princess and I think the shuttle cost $28 per person return.

Not 100% sure as we didnt use it and walked into town

It was $10 per person last week on Emerald.

We went right as we exited the port area and there were at least 2 - 3 major banks with ATMs. We went into the bank after we got our money and they were happy to exchange some large bills for smaller ones and change so that we could buy tokens for the tram.

 

The tram was great--easy to use!

We went right as we exited the port area and there were at least 2 - 3 major banks with ATMs. We went into the bank after we got our money and they were happy to exchange some large bills for smaller ones and change so that we could buy tokens for the tram.

 

The tram was great--easy to use!

Thank you. Exactly the type of info I was looking for.