Ephesus Turkey?

Our 2017 stay in Istanbul will not be by cruise ship.

Our 2017 stay in Istanbul will not be by cruise ship.

In which case we would love to be with you :). DW and I really enjoy the city and walking for miles in lots of the back streets as well as the major tourist areas. These days one has to take a calculated risk to go anywhere....and these kind of trips are dependent on one's personal risk tolerance. Some of us are a lot more adventurous then others :).

Hank:cool::cool:

One of my favorite ports of all time. We also used Ephesus Shuttle. So sad that many will miss this opportunity of a lifetime due to ships pulling out or their own fears. I'd go back in a NY minute.

Ditto to both parts, a wonderful port stop and a terrific tour company. We were there in June, had booked a group tour and the group turned out to be DW and me. Gave us the full tour as planned with a driver and a guide. The terrace houses are a must see.

Surely today's events in Izmir mean that Kusadasi and Ephesus will be off the agenda for the foreseeable future.. Glad was able to visit 2 years ago, before this instability . Can't see cruise lines returning to Turkey in the near future. Sad!!

This poor country can't catch a break

The poor Turks! I love the country and the people and I was hoping to go back next year. Now, I don't think that will happen.

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This poor country can't catch a break

As much as we enjoy the country and its wonderful people, we think they are simply paying a price for their own stupidity! The Turks are the only ones responsible for electing (and re electing) Erdogen who seems hell bent on taking away many of the freedoms that have been enjoyed by the Turks for decades. In a sense, they are using their democratic rights, to eliminate democracy! And much of their terrorism problem is related to the unwillingness of their government to peacefully work to resolve the long standing issues with the Kurds (PKK). The Kurd issue has festered for a very long time and came to a head in 1978 with the creation of the PKK.

One irony of this situation is that while the Kurds have become the natural enemies of the Turks, the Kurds have also become on of our most reliable allies in dealing with Iraq! Go figure.

Hank

Oh, that it were so simple!

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Oh, that it were so simple!

 

 

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Its a piece of cake....just like solving the Palestinian-Israeli situation :).

But what we have yet to understand is why the women of Turkey, who have equal rights and the right to vote, would give any support to a government dedicated to taking away many of their rights. Erdogen obviously had plenty of support from Turkish ladies, who prior to his reign, were free to dress and do as they please. I believe Turkey is the only Muslim Country (they are about 99% Muslim) where women truly have (or had) equal rights. Go figure.

Hank

This isn't the place, but you need to realize that in Turkey, regulations, laws and the constitution are trumped by mindset and cultural tradition. The women's employment rate is less than half the rest of Europe and women are prohibited from many, many jobs due to regulations that 'protect' them from potential danger. It's not Ataturk's Turkey anymore.

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Has anyone used Ekol Travel for tours here?

We signed up for 4 hour tour in July 2017 and are

wondering what we can look forward to.

Everywhere has its risks. I was not thrilled when my daughter told me she has a business trip to Florida soon and the next day there was the shooting at the airport there.

I can understand the cruise companies making the decisions that they do but it is very sad for Turkey, which I have really loved on our three visits there.

We are going on a cruise in the end of July - beginning of August that is supposed to stop here.

In the event that the port gets cancelled, what happens? Do they add in an additional port, or stay an overnight at another port, or is there just an extra day at sea?

In order to stay an additional night elsewhere, or go to a different port, there would need to be a port that had space for another ship. If there isn't than it may be an extra sea day.

We are going on a cruise in the end of July - beginning of August that is supposed to stop here.

 

In the event that the port gets cancelled, what happens? Do they add in an additional port, or stay an overnight at another port, or is there just an extra day at sea?

There is no definitive answer other then "it depends." There are many factors such as how long in advance the port in canceled, whether it is even possible to substitute another port while maintaining the remainder of the cruise schedule, etc.

Hank

do you have to arrange a visa for Ephesus?

As of last November, arriving & leaving via cruise ship - U.S. citizens did not need to get a visa.

Just found out from rcl via twitter that turkey is off the books and will be replaced with rhodes

The cruise I am on is being replaced with Kotor, Monte Montenegro

Kotor and the scenery of Montenegro is much prettier than Kusadasi, but if you enjoy visiting ruins, then Ephesus is hard to beat.

Rhodes has Kamiros and Lindos, I liked Kamiros, but I'm an archeology geek. Kamiros is not as impressive (or famous) as Ephesus but still a nice, albeit smaller site. Kamiros is missing the quantities of marble, mosaics, murals, terrace houses & biblical connection that Ephesus has, but does offer insight into a different era.

Wonder what triggered RCI to remove Turkey stops @ this point, rather than last year when other lines were doing so.

Rhodes has Kamiros and Lindos, I liked Kamiros, but I'm an archeology geek. Kamiros is not as impressive (or famous) as Ephesus but still a nice, albeit smaller site. Kamiros is missing the quantities of marble, mosaics, murals, terrace houses & biblical connection that Ephesus has, but does offer insight into a different era.

Wonder what triggered RCI to remove Turkey stops @ this point, rather than last year when other lines were doing so.

Was thinking the same thing. Only thing I can guess is poor feedback from passengers or lack of participation in ship sponsored excursions.

Ephesus is a wonderful place to visit, and if things become iffy, the cruise ship will not dock there. That being said, do take advantage of a tour there. There is remarkable history and it was one of the highlights of my whole trip when I visited Turkey about 10 years ago. Good luck!

Ephesus is a wonderful place to visit, and if things become iffy, the cruise ship will not dock there. That being said, do take advantage of a tour there. There is remarkable history and it was one of the highlights of my whole trip when I visited Turkey about 10 years ago. Good luck!

Agreed! We visited there twice, while on cruise, and enjoyed it very much. If you do tour, try and include the mountain village of Srincinci.

An extra added attraction to an already interesting port.

Very sad for the people of Turkey, who rely on tourism....

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If you do an Ephesus tour make sure it includes the Terrace Houses. They're a not to be missed.

 

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We've been there twice and it is a great experience. Don't miss it!